I just bought a new S&W 1911 (model: SKU: 108299). I've owned/still own a number of other S&W hanguns, everything from a 7" Model 41 target 22lr, a few 9mm and 40 S&W pistols, to several small, medium and large frame revolvers in 38spl/357mg and 44 magnum. I've also had Sigs, Glocks and Berettas, but I really like my S&W's.

About 15 years ago I owned a 1911 pistol, a basic Springfield Armory GI model that I spent a lot of time and money "fixing up" (the good folks at Wilson Combat grew very tired answering my dumb questions every time I ordered a new part for the thing). I eventually sold it, never being completely satisfied with the end result of my work and the reliability of the gun, but I still missed messing around with it. Over the years I have looked at a number of other 1911's, from some very expensive models to a few cheaper imported versions. I realize since that time many other manufacturers have entered the 1911 market, but I have not had any first-hand experience with these newer pistols.

After my experience with the basic Springfield I knew what I wanted if I were to buy another 1911. I wanted a full-size 1911 with a 5" barrel, not one of the chopped-down or shortened carry models. I wanted a traditional bright blue steel slide and heavy frame, with decent adjustable target sights, an extended ambidextrous safety, full beavertail with a raised lower "safety" area, a skeletonized hammer, perforated adjustable trigger, and so on....all the things that were not that readily available 15 or 20 years ago on 1911's unless one spent a ton of money on a customized pistol from a boutique gunsmith. I've priced these features on new 1911's over the years, but I did not want to spend that much money on a Les Baer, Wilson Combat or other top name pistol.

So...I was in a gun store that was going out of business yesterday and needed to move all inventory before the end of the year; they were selling everything at 30% off their already lowered prices. I noticed this (significantly-reduced) brand new S&W 1911 (SKU: 108299) at what seemed like a great price: $669 after the discount, plus tax. I spent some time inspecting it and handling the gun. I was impressed...it had everything I had always wanted in a 1911 at a good price, so I bought it.

Now that I own it I have a few questions:

Is this a good price for this particular model? I remember paying nearly $500 for the old SA years ago, and spending more than on aftermarket stuff after the fact, and still not being satisfied. I find it hard to believe that the new, full-featured 1911's from Kimber, Sig, S&W, and other makers can be sold at these prices.

In the old days the Wilson Combat 7-round magazines were the way to go for reliability...are they still the best choice, or do the S&W 8-round factory mags work well?

Is the external extractor a significant improvement over the traditional 1911 internal extractor? This was one area where I had issues on my old SA. Is that why so many manufacturers now making 1911's have switched to this design?

I'm interested in decent accuracy; I intend to use this pistol at the range for fun and competition, not for SD. Is the S&W stock barrel/bushing good enough, or is it still the case that "basic" 1911's need aftermarket parts in this area to achieve top accuracy?

How about the standard guide rod and different weight springs...another area that required a lot of attention on my old SA...will the S&W benefit from aftermarket changes here? And are there other areas that would benefit from a little attention as well?

Thanks and sorry about all the questions. I've been reading a lot on this site about all things S&W and I appreciate your expertise. I'll follow up with an initial range report in the new year after I get a chance to go to the range with my new S&W 1911.

If yours is like the one my wife has, you will be one very happy fellow.

Accurate, beautiful, consistent, and solid would be my description of this pistol. If it were smaller she would carry it with her everywhere.

1911 opinions are like armpits, I know, but you asked :-)
My opinion on the aftermarket magazines that I have tried is that Novaks are the sturdiest and they function great. The blue ones have a very nice finish. They DO have a steel follower.They DON'T have a flat floorplate. I like my Wilson's also, but the plastic followers have had to be replaced (Wilson provided them for free-excellent customer service).

There are many reliable 8 rd. magazines available, for many years the Wilson Model 47 - 8 round was sort of the standard. Now Wilson has some competitors Novak, Metalform, Cobra, ActMag and others. The 47 was and is popular because it works in most all pistols. IMO the 8 round magazine has arrived, and except for concealment, has no disadvantages.
If you search on this site for external extractor you will find many opinions. S&W knows external extractors, in their hands they work.
My S&W 1911PC barrel/bushing is very tight as is the slide fit.

The spring weight is selected for 230 gr. Hardball. It is possible that with light target loads a lighter recoil spring and firing pin spring will make it cycle better. I would certainly shoot for a while until I decided to change anything.

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Ipsis Rebus Dictantitbus

A S&W 1911,new in box for $669????? Can't find used for that price here.
Dude, you stole it for that price. I don't own one but have looked at 'em
but short on funds............ excellent choice.FWIW, new in box here is
over $900 for that model!!!!
Just shoot it,enjoy it and clean 'em............

Well, since you asked, the number one reason people stop coming to my IDPA matches is that they keep "improving" their gun until it won't run a match without stopping.
Sticking parts into a 1911 without a plan and understanding of what it being built seldom gives good results. "Drop in" parts are seldom an improvement. The 1911 design is basically a handfitted pistol when done right.

Aside from getting some ISMI recoil springs to match your chosen ammo, I'd shoot the gun as is for several thousand rounds. You will probably be plesantly surprised how well it works.

That's one of the reasons I became discouraged with the basic Springfield Armory 1911 I had. After trying out a lot of different aftermarket drop-in parts, most of them to dress up the pistol and others to improve the handling and functioning, it just didn't seem like money well-spent to improve the gun and it never did have that smooth and polished look I was after.

Back then we didn't have the vast number of well-appointed factory 1911's available today, with all the custom add-ons people take for granted...you either bought a basic Colt or a SA, or you sent your mil-spec pistol off to someone like Bill Wilson or Les Baer to have it all done professionally. But half the fun of owning a 1911 was messing around with it; these days people are doing much the same things with their AR's.

I installed and did a number of things myself while I had the SA: installed a full-length guide rod, experimented with different weight springs, put in a shok buffer, replaced the barrel bushing with something tighter, installed a skeletonized hammer and trigger, replaced the tiny GI safety with a wider and extended version, put in an "improved" extractor, polished the feed ramp with my dremel till it gleamed, got some new W/C 7-rd magazines to replace those Fred Flintstone-looking basic mil-spec things, and installed a rather unconvincing-looking extended beavertail safety that didn't require actual machining of the frame for a proper fit.

It was all very enjoyable, I learned a lot about the care and feeding of the 1911, but the pistol never looked completely "finished" or ran 100%. In the final analysis, I probably could have saved money and just purchased a modified 1911 from a respected gunsmith, like Wilson or Baer. Experience is a good teacher.

I took the new S&W 1911 out to the range yesterday and put 200 rounds of Federal 230 FMJ through it. I also picked up a couple of new Wilson Combat 8-round tactical mags. The new S&W ran perfectly, not a single FTF or FTE or any other type of malfunction. The first round in every mag fed quickly and surely into the chamber by just depressing the slide release lever, no hang-ups or slow-to-close slide due to the tightness of the new gun. The slide also locked back consistently at the end of every magazine. Accuracy was also very good, though I'm not yet used to the plain black target sights with no white dots or other aids.

The fit and finish of the gun is quite impressive. The extended beavertail and raised grip safety, the ambidextrous wide and extended safety (a little wider on the left than on the right), the flattened and checkered rear spring housing, the adjustable rear target sight, the nicely finished steel frame, the wood grips (with the little S&W medallion) and the nicely polished flats on the slide....they all look and fit great.

The slide-to-frame fit is also very tight and the barrel bushing fits very snugly, yet rotates smoothly, in the slide; these things were pretty loose and sloppy in the old SA. The external extractor worked as expected, unlike the traditional internal extractor on my old SA that required a lot of "tuning" to make it 100% reliable. It looks like all the necessary custom stuff has been done right by S&W.

On the down side, the lightweight, aluminum perforated/skeletonized trigger seems to have more play than I remember; it has too much up and down movement inside the frame's trigger guard and is too loose. Is this typical for the S&W 1911's? Otherwise, the trigger seems pretty good...not as crisp and light as my S&W model 41, but few things are. If I do anything to the new gun it will likely be to improve the trigger. Any suggestions in this area will be appreciated.

I'd been looking at some of the Kimbers, the latest Springfields as well as the new Sig 1911 for some time now. I've been wanting a high-end custom 1911 for a long time, but I have not been able to justify the cost. When I saw the S&W at this price, handled it and checked out all the features I couldn't resist. I haven't owned a 1911 for some time, so this new S&W will be a lot of fun.

An S & W 1911 for $600 is a helluva deal. I paid $800 for mine and thought I'd made a good purchase. Here are a few thoughts:

1. External vs. internal extractor. The external extractor works fine. I've never had an ejection problem with my gun. I suspect that Smith put an external extractor on its 1911s because it had decades of experience working with the device.

2. Accuracy. Mine is an absolute tack driver. I'm no marksman but I can tell you that, at 10 yards, mine puts everything into the ten ring with monotonous regularity. I wouldn't dream of swapping out the barrel for something else, or fiddling with the bushing.

3. Add-ons or accessories. My Smith 1911 is my first and only 1911. I've read a lot of literature about 1911s, and to be honest, I can't think of a single thing that I'd change about my gun. It's a pretty gun and everything works just fine.

4. Any criticisms? Only minor. I've tried a few other 1911s since acquiring my Smith and some of them have slightly lighter triggers. But, the trigger on my gun is crisp and not mushy and I actually LIKE a firm trigger. I guess my only real criticism is that my gun's blued finish is beginning to show some wear at the edges. But, I'm not going to be bothered by something as insignificant as that.

The price sounds good. I use Wilson 7 or 8 round magazines loaded with 7 rounds. Lately I have tried the KimPro Tac magazines loaded with 7 rounds.

After almost 100 years, people are still jazzed up about 1911's. Ya gotta love that!

I think you will be very happy with it. Just put at least 500 rounds of non-reloads through it before forming an opinion. I have a 1911PD Commander that I will never get rid of. I shoot 3in groups at 25yds at a Weaver stance, slow fire. Its accuracy will all be on you, not the gun. Best dam price I've seen. You practically stole than gun for that price!

Enjoy it, you will be satisfied.

Cheers

I have fired well over 1000 rounds in each of my S&W 1911s
using onle Chip McCormick Power Mag+ with no problems. I
also have several Wilson 47D, and they are perfect, too. It's
Just that the CMC are a bit less expensive.

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HM

I find the Wilson Combat 7 round and 8 round magazines to both function the exactly the same - excellent. Wilson makes a very high quality magazine.
Nice deal on the SW1911. Good luck with it.

Would love to see some pics sop. You got a great buy on a great 1911. Also I have not had any problems at all with the S&W mags after thousands of rounds. Best of luck and enjoy your new toy.

excellent deal....congrats!

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SWCA#2208
KK4EMO

What a great deal, hate to hear about a LGS going out of business. I just used my dad's WW II GI mags. in my S&W 1911 and they worked great, go figure.

I'll lend you guys a picture of the 1911 "E" basic model being discussed here so those unfamiliar with this fine firearm can see what's being talked about. They retail from S&W for $915, and IMHO, have standard features that are head and shoulders above any comparably priced 1911's on the market.....

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Terry