Smith& Wesson 1911 Compact ES
- Thread starter CZ223
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Anyway, does anyone own one of these and, if so, how do you like it?Lone_Gunman
Member
You only own three 1911's??? Whats wrong with you man?
MICHAEL T
Member
4 is the least you can own 8 is starting to get you in the mood and when pass a dozen you know your getting the bug. BUY IT
Man you guys are a bad influence
at one time I had 10 Ruger Vagueros in 45 colt and a few others in various other calibers. I also have 9 Savage riflles. Sooooo...... I don't really need a good reason to buy another 1911. I do want to know what people think about this particular 1911 though.
at one time I had 10 Ruger Vagueros in 45 colt and a few others in various other calibers. I also have 9 Savage riflles. Sooooo...... I don't really need a good reason to buy another 1911. I do want to know what people think about this particular 1911 though.WhippingBoy
Member
I have this gun. In fact, it's my carry guns and I have it in my waistband every single day. I trust it and I consider it a "work gun", so wear and tear on the finish is of little concern to me.
I like the fact that it's light, thin, accurate, and reliabe. The four inch barrel suits me perfectly and the officer size frame is easy to conceal. It does not require any tools to fieled strip. Also, I appreciate the forty five caliber bullets.
It's also got all of the features that I wanted, specifically 1911 platform: extended thumb safety, four pound trigger, fit and finish. I dropped in three parts that customize it specifically to what I wanted: short aluminum trigger, curved mainspring housing, and extended slide release(not pictured). It's perfect for my carry gun now.
It does have its blemishes and it's not hand fit from the factory. The slide does have a bit of wiggle in its mate to the frame. For iron sights this isn't a big deal and some say it lends to increased reliability. I had to drift the sites about 1/64 of an inch to correct POI. The finish on the frame is rubbing off where it rubs on the holster. I talked to the smith about this and he doesn't know of any aluminum alloy frames that will hold whatever this finish is made of. I suppose it's essentially paint, so I guess any competitor will do this. In another year it's going to be really spotty with all the silver showing through.
The only safety issue I experienced is the grip safety. It disengaged in just under 1/8 inch of travel. That's way too sensitive in my opinion. When I got the new mainspring housing I ground it out to get the maximum amount of travel out of the safety. Now it's about 3/16 and I bent the spring to get some positive resistance. Not too much, but enough to require a normal grip of the gun to disengage it.
This is my first 1911, so I don't have anything to compare it to. Regardless, I'm completely comfortable carrying it around 'cocked and locked', and I love shooting it.
I like the fact that it's light, thin, accurate, and reliabe. The four inch barrel suits me perfectly and the officer size frame is easy to conceal. It does not require any tools to fieled strip. Also, I appreciate the forty five caliber bullets.
It's also got all of the features that I wanted, specifically 1911 platform: extended thumb safety, four pound trigger, fit and finish. I dropped in three parts that customize it specifically to what I wanted: short aluminum trigger, curved mainspring housing, and extended slide release(not pictured). It's perfect for my carry gun now.
It does have its blemishes and it's not hand fit from the factory. The slide does have a bit of wiggle in its mate to the frame. For iron sights this isn't a big deal and some say it lends to increased reliability. I had to drift the sites about 1/64 of an inch to correct POI. The finish on the frame is rubbing off where it rubs on the holster. I talked to the smith about this and he doesn't know of any aluminum alloy frames that will hold whatever this finish is made of. I suppose it's essentially paint, so I guess any competitor will do this. In another year it's going to be really spotty with all the silver showing through.
The only safety issue I experienced is the grip safety. It disengaged in just under 1/8 inch of travel. That's way too sensitive in my opinion. When I got the new mainspring housing I ground it out to get the maximum amount of travel out of the safety. Now it's about 3/16 and I bent the spring to get some positive resistance. Not too much, but enough to require a normal grip of the gun to disengage it.
This is my first 1911, so I don't have anything to compare it to. Regardless, I'm completely comfortable carrying it around 'cocked and locked', and I love shooting it.
Last edited:
phrogpilot
Member
- Joined
- Dec 3, 2009
- Messages
- 72
I don't have one, but I'd love to. I do have an 8 year old S&W 1911 which has been 100% reliable for me over many thousands of rounds. I purchased it shortly after its introduction and I never regreted it. For the money you pay, I think S&W 1911s offer one of the best values in the market place.
List of MIM Parts
Just FYI . . . . . I emailed Smith & Wesson Customer Service regarding their 1911 Compact ES and the representative got in touch with the Houlton facility where their 1911s are now produced to verify which parts of this model are MIM. Here is the list he sent me:
275260000 Magazine Catch
275560000 Mainspring Housing
275080000 Slide Stop
275550000 Ejector
275530000 Safety Lock (Thumb Safety)
275520000 Sear
275510000 Disconnector
107920000 Rear Site
109110000 Front Site
275570000 Firing Pin Stop
275580000 Hammer
Just FYI . . . . . I emailed Smith & Wesson Customer Service regarding their 1911 Compact ES and the representative got in touch with the Houlton facility where their 1911s are now produced to verify which parts of this model are MIM. Here is the list he sent me:
275260000 Magazine Catch
275560000 Mainspring Housing
275080000 Slide Stop
275550000 Ejector
275530000 Safety Lock (Thumb Safety)
275520000 Sear
275510000 Disconnector
107920000 Rear Site
109110000 Front Site
275570000 Firing Pin Stop
275580000 Hammer
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