SW 1911 Range Report

[Aahzz]

Hiya Folks,

Took the new SW 1911 to the range today, and ran 190 rounds through it. I'm pleased! Very!! I had 2 failures to go fully into battery when manually releasing the slide using the slide lock in the first 4 magazines - no problems after that, so I'm happily attributing those to break-in. A slight push on the rear of the slide took it the rest of the way. The mags did take a slight bit more than a standard effort to seat when there was a round chambered, but that got easier as the day went on.

Reliability when firing was 100%. Ammo used was Federal American Eagle 230gr ball, and Winchester white box 230gr JHP. All fed flawlessly. Accuracy was great. I didn't do any formal group measurement, nor did I benchrest it - all shooting was done offhand. The picture is of 57 rounds, fired offhand, semi-rapid at 25 feet (so, about 8 yards). Those that aren't in the big ragged hole were definitely my fault, not the guns - as is the fact that the hole moves slightly low and left. And, since it seems to be common etiquette that you can't take a picture of a gun without a knife next to it, I tossed one of those in there too

All-in-all, I'm amazingly pleased with this gun. I think I did well for my first 1911!

 

[Aahzz]

Another pic - 17 rounds, offhand, 8 yards

 

[Al Thompson]

 

[Lone_Gunman]

8 yards is a little close for testing, isnt it?

 

[Lofland]

How's the trigger pulll-- weight and smoothness? How's the grip safety? I think Gun Tests said that the trigger was slightly heavier than the average 1911 and the grip safety required a stronger grip than usual. But I'm very interested in this gun.

 

[Aahzz]

Lone_Gunman - I have only an indoor range, with no benchresting facilities available. I don't normally do much further -I shoot at ranges I consider realistic for defense. I'm far more concerned with reliability than extremely small groups.

Lofland - trigger pull feels pretty good to me. Take that with a grain of salt, as it's my first 1911, and I've primarily been a Glock and/or DA Auto type of guy. It's a touch heavier than some Kimbers I've felt. After a couple hundred more rounds, I'll see if it lightens up. As for the grip safety, it gives the impression that it takes a bit more pressure than some other 1911s I've handled, but it does function with a fairly loose grip. My urge was to grasp it a bit more firmly than I normally would, but I also tried a few rounds with a looser grip and had no problems with functioning.

 

[10-Ring]

Very cool Sounds like you done good for your first 1911!

 

[blades67]

I can tell by your choice in knives that dinner plates look like they've been skinned when you leave the table.

 

[Grayrider]

Aahzz,

Just curious--will it feed empty cases? I know the Dan Wesson Patriot will, and heard there are some common parts. Given Smith's dedication to making the 45xx and 10xx guns do that, it would be cool if they made a 1911 that reliable.

GR

 

[Aahzz]

Grayrider - I've not tried, so I'm not sure. Will test that later....

 

[mattk]

Took my SW1911 out yesterday to test after I installed an STI trigger. Still 100 percent reliable. Quite accurate. My trigger is at about 4lbs. Was abut 4.5 lbs out of the box. The only thing I dont like about the gun is the Novak sights. I prefer Heinie's.

 

[NEtracker]

Cool!
The only question I have is for the MA Attorney General!
When can I buy one these in the People's Republic of Massachusetts?