Personal experience with Smith & Wesson 1911's

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ezypikns

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Who owns one? How's the accuracy? Reliability? Any trouble shooting anything other than FMJ ball ammo?
Also, I just read that the S&W 1911's have some features which are different from the original 1911 design, although that may be true of many 1911's today.

Thanks
 
SW 1911

I own a full size stainless with crimson trace laser grips. Excellent gun... after it came back from the factory with a new barrel installed because the last one had a horrible ridge where the ramp meets chamber :scrutiny: Other than that it is an excellant piece. I can ring the 100 yard gong standing with my handloads. definatly an accurate gun.
 
I have one, and my brother has 2.

Mine and his run like tops, 100% reliable with no failures ever no matter the ammunition we've ran. Mine eats Wolf, HP's of all sizes, everything I can throw at it. Very very impressed. Matter of fact I got a box of USGI mags that another shooter could not get to work reliably in any of his Springfield 1911's and every last one of them shoots great in my gun. Dunno why, but I like it.

Mine is pretty accurate, right up there with a Kimber Target II that I compared it to shooting WWB.

I'll be buying the commander sized SC to compliment my full size soon, great guns and a fantastic company to deal with. The only problems I've heard of with Smiths are some have soft safeties and the occasional mushy trigger but Smith will make those problems right (in their dime) quickly if that arises. My gun needed nothing.
 
I have the 5" all stainless version as well; without the CT grips. Mine is
box-stock, just as it comes from the factory. No problems, and certainly
NO defects; runs like a champ~! In case you are interested, here is the
product code off my box: 108282 .
 
Since Dan gave us a picture of a box stock standard, I'll provide a pic of mine with modifications.
I have had mine since the guns were first offered and sent it back for the recall safety modification.
I just cannot tolerate MiM parts on a handgun so most of the stock parts I replaced with a mix of Ed Brown Hardcore and Smith and Alexander.
The trigger is a McCormick.
Sights are MMC adjustable night sights and I have yet to have a malfunction with this pistol in over 5000 rounds and that includes the shooting I did before modifying it and before and after the recall repair.
Accuracy is much better than expected.
Excellent gun.
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I have a Scandium Commander that I had Bobtailed (see it at www.ontargetcgw.com , select "1911 Gallery" then "Smith and Wesson Bobtail." I couldn't be happier with a pistol. Fit form and function is flawless and if you look at it you will see it is gorgeous, I call it my BBQ gun. It is my primary carry gun. The onlydifference that I am aware of from JB's design is the external Extractor, which works great. I could be wrong, and probably am, about the Ext Ext being a variation.
 
Mine is the "bottom feeder." Flawless through 1500 rounds. Stock other than the grips. I carry it...a lot...

I'd own another in a heartbeat.

Smith_1911_with_Altamont_walnutgrips_800.jpg
 
Been eyeing the S&W's. Ya'll are going to talk me right into getting one.:what:

Are the 4" SC models just as good as the full sized model?
 
I purchased mine (basic blued model) back in March of this year. So far, in about 750 rounds I've had no problems with the gun except for 1 stovepipe, and that was on my last trip.

I did have a problem with the ACT/Novak mags, as both that came with the gun had hairline cracks develop on the top edges. If you look at the 1911 Forum, there was a post about that. The mags were sent back to S&W, and I received 2 new ACT/Novak mags, and they have no problems since. Supposedly it was a bad batch of mags that came from their supplier.

I think S&W gives you a great gun for a good price, and backs it up with great customer service.
 
I had the 4.25 1911PD

I put about 1200 rounds through it and only had 2 FTF's, both of which were ammo related (crappy ammo that was out of spec. Too long OAL). Was very accurate, and recoil was no worse than my full size 1911. Had to sell it though as I was out of work and had rent and bills to pay, and i have another 1911 that has sntimental value. But, if I was in the market for a Commander, I would not hesitate to buy another S&W 1911PD.
 
Personal experience with Smith & Wesson 1911's

Who owns one? How's the accuracy? Reliability? Any trouble shooting anything other than FMJ ball ammo?
Also, I just read that the S&W 1911's have some features which are different from the original 1911 design, although that may be true of many 1911's today.

Thanks
Click to expand...
I have the Scandium Commander. Great gun, though the most troublesome 1911 to reassemble I've ever had, and I've had dozens. Normally, the 1911 slaps back together easy. With the S&Ws, though, you have to get past a couple of hurtles each time to reassemble them. That said, it has never failed to fire, is very light and strong, good trigger and it shoots well. No complaints other than reassembly problems.
 
Normally, the 1911 slaps back together easy. With the S&Ws, though, you have to get past a couple of hurtles each time to reassemble them.
Click to expand...

What kind of hurdles?
 
What kind of hurdles?
Click to expand...
I can only speak for mine, but you have to make sure that little doohickie near the back of the slide (something which doesn't exist on any of my other 1911s) is all the way down before the slide goes back, and it seems to always be up again just when I want to pull the slide back over it. Then the Smith seems MUCH more sensative to the exact barrel link position when reassembling. Not just right, and you cannot replace the slide on the frame, i.e., it gets locked up and you have to take it apart and take another look to see if it's in just the right position. Again, your milliage may vary. This is my experience with it.
 
Is the doohickey in the frame? Is it an actuator for a fireing pin safety? Kimber has this doohickie on series II pistols if that is what it is. You have to be carefull to not depress the grip safety when taking the slide off or putting it back on.
 
that "doohickey" is part of the safety system it pushes a pin up so the firing pin can move ala series 80 Colts
I have a SS Smith and the only complaint I have is that
I lose my cases as this pistol throws them 10+ feet over my right shoulder. The pistol has fed everything that I have fmj hp swc the works with 2 different mags
S&W and Wilson.
 
Thats too bad. I had hoped the S&W did not have a firing pin block.
I like Springfields solution of a light (titanium) firing pin and strong spring.

I wanted to buy a Springfield Champion all black lightwieght, but they don't make one. The green and blue/black one is just too ugly. I guess one could always refinish it.
Tell me again how good the S&W is. I'm almost there!
 
The S&W safety system on their 1911 series pistols is pretty non obtrusive on trigger function, much less than Colt 80/90 series.I now have over 3500 rounds thru my Gunsite 1911SC with no complaints. A couple failures to go into battery in the last 500 rounds were traced to a weaking of the recoil spring. I replaced it with a Wolfe new one, which is rated 19 pounds but feels much heavier than stock and have had not failures in the final 150 rounds. My gun is exceptionally accurate for some unknown reason, at least as good as a BarSto barrelled 1976 Combat Commander I have . The only complaint I have is cosmetic as I think the squared off barrel looks like they forgot the crown. But since it shoots so well, I ain't worrying about it!;)
 
My luck with 1911's sucks. I've had 6-7 the only ones that have worked from the box have been two Springer loaded models. I really think I just got a lemon though. Most folks rave about them. I loved mine but had the following problems.
1. Had two plunger tubes break off each within a couple of hundred rounds. Smith paid to ship it and fix it.
2. After the second one they replaced the frame. Said it was warped.
3. Got it back and the firing pin safety (which I hate on any 1911) got out of time. Light primer strikes. Went back to S&W fixed again.
4. Plunger tube shears off again. Waiting for a replacement gun from Smith. It looks like a long wait. None in stock right now.
Having said that it fed everything. Extracted everytime. And was very, very accurate. Had great trigger, was very light. Much to like.
 
I have a S&W1911 stainless. Fixed three dot sights.
When I first got the gun, I had a problem with fail to return to battery. It would happen every few magazines.
I sent the gun back to S&W for warranty work. I got it back about 3 weeks later. They had replaced the recoil spring.
Another trip to the range revealed the problem had not been fixed. It would not do it as often, but it still did it too much.
Again, I sent it back to S&W. Again, about three weeks later I got it back. They had replaced the barrel and the extractor. By this time I had purchased a 17lb. Wilson recoil spring which I put in.
Now it shoots great.
Any 1911 can give you problems, but for the most part (from my research) my problem is not that common for S&W1911s. They are generally good guns.
 
I think I hit 4000 rounds as of today out of the Gunsite SW1911PD, the wolff 19pound variable ratio spring was a tremendous improvement, lessened the recoil quite a bit and GOBBLES even old funky WW2 mags!:scrutiny:
I ordered a new extractor and it's spring and firingpin from S&W, just to have them on hand as the old parts bin ain't gonna help on this baby. I'm getting pretty handy with it, I was shooting 2" 15 yard groups with a single left hand hold, and I'm right handed!:D In my single unsupported left hand it rears back and twists pretty good with PMC ball, but I just smile and mimic the serial number prefix : FSP ;) This is the best CCW gun i've ever had by a longshot:cool:
 
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