40SWHero51
Member
Citizens,
I went to one of my local ranges today and fired a 1911 for the first time. I have always thought, as many of you think, that this is one of the best looking and best feeling guns in the world. It is THE quintessential firearm.
However, upon my endeavor, I was surprisingly disappointed. The story goes like this:
I rented the SW1911, of course SW as I am an M&P man, I was given choice between this and a Springfield. It was a 7+1 capacity, 4.25" barrel, standard 1911. No bells and whistles, looked and felt like a solid pistol. It fit my hand as it always had in the gun stores - perfectly.
I placed my belongings on the bench area behind me, proceeded to Lane 2, and hoisted my target. While loading I noticed that the gun was very dirty, as most range guns are - it was covered in soot. No matter I thought - I continued until all 7 rounds were seated. I set the target out about 20 or so feet, inserted the mag, and released the slide.
During the first 7 rounds the slide failed to completely cycle twice! I was forced to either push the slide forward or completely clear the round to properly complete the cycle. The trend continued with all 50 rounds. Every few shots or so the slide failed to come completely forward.
The trigger felt fine, the recoil was mild, and it seemed accurate enough - but I was not pleased with the operation. The slide release is much farther away from my thumb than I am accustomed and the safety lever is boisterous and cumbersome.
So, this is where I sit - how to handle being disappointed with an American legend.
Please tell me the slide issue is due to lack of cleaning, please tell me that the "controls" don't feel the same way for every manufacturer, please tell me that THE gun is better than this.
Should I give it another shot, should I try a Springfield or does it matter? Was this an S&W issue or was I just unlucky?
I went to one of my local ranges today and fired a 1911 for the first time. I have always thought, as many of you think, that this is one of the best looking and best feeling guns in the world. It is THE quintessential firearm.
However, upon my endeavor, I was surprisingly disappointed. The story goes like this:
I rented the SW1911, of course SW as I am an M&P man, I was given choice between this and a Springfield. It was a 7+1 capacity, 4.25" barrel, standard 1911. No bells and whistles, looked and felt like a solid pistol. It fit my hand as it always had in the gun stores - perfectly.
I placed my belongings on the bench area behind me, proceeded to Lane 2, and hoisted my target. While loading I noticed that the gun was very dirty, as most range guns are - it was covered in soot. No matter I thought - I continued until all 7 rounds were seated. I set the target out about 20 or so feet, inserted the mag, and released the slide.
During the first 7 rounds the slide failed to completely cycle twice! I was forced to either push the slide forward or completely clear the round to properly complete the cycle. The trend continued with all 50 rounds. Every few shots or so the slide failed to come completely forward.
The trigger felt fine, the recoil was mild, and it seemed accurate enough - but I was not pleased with the operation. The slide release is much farther away from my thumb than I am accustomed and the safety lever is boisterous and cumbersome.
So, this is where I sit - how to handle being disappointed with an American legend.
Please tell me the slide issue is due to lack of cleaning, please tell me that the "controls" don't feel the same way for every manufacturer, please tell me that THE gun is better than this.
Should I give it another shot, should I try a Springfield or does it matter? Was this an S&W issue or was I just unlucky?
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