S & W 1911

[vinconco]

Anyone had any shooting experience with Smiths' new 1911?  I saw one at a local shop the other day and it looked fairly impressive.   Having shot IPSC/USPSA for over 10 years I have a fairly good idea what works and it looks like Smith got it right..... but the proof is in the shootin'

[Leadlum]

I bought a new smith&wesson 1911 and love it! the only complaints I had are these,
1. The barrel was un-crowned.
2. The gun shot a little high @ 25yds.
The gun DID shoot good though; 3-4" @ 25yds, some groups clover leafed. So it may be me. I`m not the best pistol shooter. I am really impressed with the reliability; after about 400rds, not a SINGLE glitch! I did return the gun to the factory to get a new barrel and front sight. Should come back PERFECT. shipping is all free through them.

[jakes10mm]

I shot a new SW1911 last season in my local USPSA matches.  Worked flawlessly.  Accurate adn no problems.  Was fired about 200 times before first match.  Unfortunately, I retired it (and sold it) in favor of a new Colt 1991 NRM Government model.  The Colt is probably the most accurate production 1911 I've owned.  I do regret selling the SW1911 and will probably buy another one in the future.  It was a very nicely made firearm.  

You would not go wrong with it for USPSA competition!

[vinconco]

jakes10mm;
    The only thing that looked S&W on the pistol was the extractor.  It would be interesting to see how it holds up to a season or two of hard competition.

[TScottO]

The new Smiths look real fine to me. Other companies are doing it as well but I believe the external extractor is a notable improvement on the 1911.

My favorite of the lot is the 1911SC. One of these days I hope to own one. I also do not recall hearing a bad review or poor word of mouth about SW 1911 pistols. Surely they have been on the market long enough for someone to speak of sour apples.

I think it would be a safe gamble to purchase one if you’re in the market.

Be Safe,
Scott

[vinconco]

The local mom and pop had one for $750.   Back in the days when all the improvements on the Smith were custom gunsmithing, a 1911 decked out like that would have cost more.  Kind of reminds me of the value Kimber used to be.

[jakes10mm]

From what I understand, there are only two significant changes S&W did to the Colt 1911 Series 80 design.  The first you noted... an external extractor.  The second is the "Series 80" firing block.  Colt's design uses the trigger to deactivate the firing pin block (the source of complaints from purist who believe it adds too much weight to the trigger pull).  S&W uses the same firing pin blocking method, but uses the grip safety to deactivate it.  Hence, you "should" be able to get a crisper trigger pull from the S&W.  I don't shoot competition with a 2oz. trigger, so I really don't see the difference.  My current USPSA Limited 10 gun is a box-stock Colt 1991 Government Model (well, I did add an S&A Magwell with arched mainspring hosing and an Ed Brown Extended Tactical Mag Release).  The matches I shot with the S&W went flawlessly on the pistol's part.  With Colt's December 2004 price increase, S&W is becoming today's 1911 bargain in my thoughts.

[vinconco]

Jake;
   What a great idea having the grip safety deactivate the firing pin block!!  I do my own trigger work and I always found the block to be a major PIA.  All my competition guns have the grip safety pinned because the way I grip the gun (high) I sometimes do not depress it enough, even with the "bump".

[hankbrass]

I bought the :commander sized SC about 2 monthes ago. It is a joy to carry and I carry a lot more than i did when  my full sized Colt was pullin my pants down! It is nicely finished also. The trigger has a little 'catch" right before let-off but I am waiting till I get afew hundred rounds through it before I worry about that. Acuracy is OK, 3-4 inch groups at 25 yards. That is fine for me as I bought it for carry not precision target work. No regrets here.

[NYH1]

I went with the SW1911 over a Springfield "Loaded Pistol". I did this for two reasons. 1-I really like the "firing pin safety" on the SW1911. 2- The Smith & Wesson is made in America instead of brazil! I work for one of the "BIG THREE" auto makers so my livelihood depends on people buying American, so I do the same if possible!
http://www.firearms.smith-wesson.com/store/index.php3?cat=293609&item=831452&sw_activeTab=1

[jakes10mm]

The grip safety activation of the firing pin safety is both a blessing and a curse in my opinion.  I use an arched mainspring housing on my pistols.  I found in competition when I tend to ride my grip a little higher, that the block would re-activate if I let off the grip safety slightly.  I could also feel it engage and disengage during a round of fire.  A little distracting for me.  Conversely, I switch the factory flat mainspring housing in and did not have that issue.  

Totally personal opinion...but the original design truly requires you to pull the trigger to deactivate.  The grip safety system seems like a redundant grip safety mechanism to me.  Am I way off base???

[Questor]

Considering how easy it is to switch the safety off in a 1911, the grip safety is probably a good idea for people who holster them.  Otherwise it's right up there (or down there, if you prefer) with the automatic safety.