I don't see too much discussion about the 1911's and/or the E series. At a gun auction this past weekend one was going way too cheap (to my thinking) so I bid in and bought it. It is in excellent + condition in the box with spare mag etc. I don't ever recall hearing anything negative about them, and the 1911 platform is legendary. ( I already have 4 other 1911's, Colt, Springfield Armory, Rock Island Armory (2). I would tend to think the S&W would be a well made example.

Picked up this morning: Up close it's even better than I thought. Mfg date on box 11/7/17, Shows evidence of maybe a half box or full box having been shot through it. Action very still but trigger crisp. I may try a 17 lb recoil spring and a 19 lb hammer spring. I'm pretty sure it has a 20+ lb recoil and a 24? lb hammer spring. Very heavy. I'm going to shoot it a little to see what I think. The gun is basically brand new. Auction price I paid was about 40% of retail.

Now Range Report: See the picture of target, first 7 rounds from this 1911. Not great, not bad, probably about 3" spread. Distance was 12 yards. Shot it with my target loads, my cast lead major load, and Win White Box 230. Pretty much destroyed the middle of the target, it does drift a little left, (most likely me as that is common for me). Did not lock back with target loads, and once with 230 white box. The recoil spring is really stiff, I did try the factory mags, some Wilson mags, and some 10 rd Chip McCormick mags. Fed and functioned well with all, but had two instances of first rd miss-feed. When I got home, after I cleaned it, I swapped a 18 lb recoil spring, and installed a 19 lb competition main spring (hammer). I did not do any trigger work, as it felt nice and crisp, it just needs about 500 rounds to break in. I did polish the feed ramp. The trigger now breaks at a consistent 4.75 lbs, just right for me.

Update 9/6/18. after about 300 rounds the trigger has become more sluggish. I did a total disassembly and the hammer and sear are coated with some kind of matte black finish, and not particularly smooth where it counts. I did a trigger job, and brought the hammer hook down to .020, and stoned it smooth with a 1000 grit ceramic stone, and redid the sear and also polished it. It is now a consistent 4 1/4 lb and very clean and smooth. As a result my groups did improve and I ran another 100 rounds through it yesterday and was pleased. Probably another couple hundred rounds and it will be deemed ready for any use.

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H Richard
SWCA1967 SWHF244

It's a solid pistol in it's class. S&W marketed the E-Series as if it were a tremendous improvement over the current model they had been making but I don't believe anyone with hands-on experience with both would necessarily agree. Most would be happy that the E-Series doesn't use a firing pin lock as the previous model did, but otherwise... I believe the SW1911 is likely a better, tighter and smoother pistol than is the E-Series.

Compared to a Ruger SR-1911, Kimber Custom II, Springfield MilSpec, Rock Island or a Remington R1 -- the Smith & Wesson E-Series is a fine handgun backed with good service.

However, if you try to compare it to a Dan Wesson or Brown, Baer or Wilson, or even a Springfield Range Officer, the S&W will act more like what it is... a solid 1911 for money well under a thousand. But it has a long way to go to be near the upscale 1911 builders.

That's just what I thought. Thanks for the confirmation. I can't pick it up until tomorrow, then to the range to test out.

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H Richard
SWCA1967 SWHF244

I have one and like it. As stated, good solid 1911.

I’ve had Colt (series 80), SA loaded and RO, and currently own a SIG Nightmare, and DW Specialist. I rate my E series above all but the DW; some by a big degree, some by a very small degree (probably just preference).

Shoot it & Enjoy it. My only gripe is the unique sight dovetails. I replaced my front sight with a Dawson FO-works great, but not a whole lot of other options out there.

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Guns + Dogs= Bliss

I have a couple of them. Good, solid guns, and probably more accurate than most in the price range. Very underrated in my humble opinion.

I have one, get good magazines and you should be set.

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Mostly Gen 3s

My "E" Series Commander is by far one of my favorites of all of my guns, definitely one of the prettiest factory guns made.

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Dave Ramsey Cultist

I had an E series for a while. Loved the gun and thought it was a great value. Foolishly traded it off in a downsizing attempt some 5=6 years ago.
I'll likely buy another. Now if they just came in 9mm I'd have my excuse.

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Dave

I also have an E series, I have shot and/or owned everything else in its price range and completely agree with the above posts that it’s the SECOND best in its class for under a grand. The best, if you can find one, is the CZ 1911 made a couple of years ago. They’re made by Dan Wesson and were selling at $800 or so. I picked one up new for a song, being that it didn’t have the name, and just LOVE it. I still think you got yourself a great pistol.

Always diggin' them fish scales.

My Smith 1911's have been 100%. On a good day I can make a single ragged hole with either one at 20 feet with my loads. Not a great distance but I'm not a competition shooter. You'll like it.

Attached Images

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Compared to what you all have talked about, other than the DWs, the S&W e series are expensive for what they are.

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Loving retirement!

It depends on what features you want in a 1911. I wanted out the box since it's not like my Glock where I tap a pin out and tap it back in and i'm done. I was down to the E and a Kimber and the Kimber had some crazy take down with an allen tool in the guide rod and regular sights for the same price range. It took me accidentally knocking the plastic Glock sight off to make me want to push a sight.

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Mostly Gen 3s

Considering what goes into making this gun and the detail level, I personally think it's one of the most under valued guns out there. You'd have to spend 2k and up to get all the features this gun comes with from the factory with a custom build.

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Dave Ramsey Cultist

I purchased my 1911 in 2003. At first I had a few FTF but it wasn't broken in yet. When I cleaned it I polished the ramp as well as the barrel. Another few hundred rounds were required to break it in. After that I did a competition trigger job and I really like the lighter and smoother pull. It's a great gun but not as smooth as I would like it. Still, I have put thousands of rounds through it and it still keeps on going. I am replacing the springs when they get here.

The worst part is that S&W chose to make the dovetails proprietary (their words) and you can't fit nothing to it. Dawson makes some sights that fit but they are the only ones. I would love to have some nice adjustable sights like S&W put on their other 1911s but those won't fit mine. It was a huge mistake in my opinion (worth nothing) for S&W to do this.

As a BTW, Wilson made the magazines (info from S&W).

I had one several years ago, and it was a really nice gun...fit and finish were excellent, and it was a sweet shooter. I think a lot of people knock it because of the external extractor, because the "real" 1911s don't have one. S&W and SIG make it work, though, and the great majority of pistols have external extractors.

I had purchased a new E series back in 2014 or so and foolishly sold it off to a friend who fell in love with it. I've somewhat missed it since despite having no shortage of other 1911's to shoot. These are just beautiful 1911's IMHO!
Funny thing, I just stumbled on and purchased a super clean used one yesterday. It will replace a early model "Billboard" model that I've borrowed the frame from for a Marvel 22 conversion.
It went right to the range. Very pleased with it with the exception of the sights. ( The flyer was my fault.) This one is staying and will be getting Dawson Fiber Optics ASAP to help my ageing eyes.

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Dave

My sw1911 is also just as sweet but I seldom take her out since I picked up my Colt Series 70’s and my Heinie longslide

...according to that particular phone jockey on the day that you happened to call. We call this the S&W phone lottery, you never know what you'll hear when you try.

Could very well be that Wilson made some magazines that S&W shipped for some time, I can't possibly refute that. However, I have a handful of Smith & Wesson marked 1911 magazines and they are 100% definitely made by ACT-Mag in Italy. Same goes for the Novak marked 1911 mags, made by ACT-Mag in Italy. These magazines came from a pre-E-Series SW1911 and they are blued/black while their twins in a bright/stainless finish and marked in exactly the same way came with my E-Series.

Smith & Wesson used some Wilson rear sights on early PC Limited 5 and 6-inch pistols also... until they quit using them and went to a Bomar.

Smith & Wesson is not unlike the Government... offering contracts for parts and items from a bidder. Wilson was merely one bidder in an endless sea of them.

I had one and it had some issues with putting a ding in the case sides and putting a dimple on the shell casing bottom, pretty hard hits on the side and significant 'smile' dent on the bottom. Sent it back to S&W and it was corrected.



Super great value and awesome looker! It was nice to get a gun with front grip checkering at the price and the slide scale cuts are a nice touch as is the grip cuts!
Unfortunately I struggle with grip safeties so I sold it but it got a new 'safe queen' home from a friend so I was good with that

I'd buy another.....……….and maybe I will!
My trigger was nice but I live close to Andy Horvath so I had him tweak it.
Sweet!
Karl

It's a solid performer, and a beautiful pistol...one of my favorites. Try Check Mate mags. They run great in mine.

I have a couple of their cousins from the Perf Center and they are lovely pistols for the money. Yes, they will pass the extractor test where you fire them without the mag in the pistol and get good extraction/ejection.

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NRA Life Member

I personally do not get the adversity to the external extractor aside from a "that's not how they used to be" viewpoint. I own three S&W 1911s and am about to purchase another one and much prefer the external extractor to the internal ones my former 1911s had.

The internal ones seemed to need occasional "tuning" (read: bending) so the empty cases would fly out of the gun and into my catch net. By comparison, the only time one of my S&W 1911s didn't do that without any "tuning" was when I loaded some shells too light and they went all over and even stovepiped a few times.

But each to their own, I guess.

Ed

I went over to Brownell's last week to check out their inventory and got a chance to handle one of these in person, and I was impressed! Really a lot of gun for the money.

I really loved the PC1911 I had. Unfortunately, the odd ball sight cuts was the end. Because of my glasses prescription, I just couldn’t get a consistent sight picture with the stock sights. When I went to try and find a replacement the best I could do was a set of Trijicons that were almost as hard to use. I even tried to get a red dot, but couldn’t find an adapter plate.

I really found it irksome that something as simple as replacing the sights would be near impossible on one of the more expensive items in the product line. In the end I sold it and replaced it with a Colt National Match.

BTW for the record, I do not believe the external extractor on the 1911 marks the end of western civilization.

Hank


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro

I agree with the sights and sight cut. I ended up with a Dawson fiber optic front sight and retained the factory rear. Much better for my eyes.

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Guns + Dogs= Bliss

A fresh pick up for me.

Piling on.

This is the fourth one with the S&W stamp on the slide.

I like the guns.
I like the looks.
I like the way they fit my hand, as is, from the factory.

Someone mentioned the magazines were manufactured by Wilson.
I have two 'bobtails' and the factory mags were not working out for me.
I bought some brand new Wilson's and they perform as they should.

All is well.

Life is good.

enjoy,
bdGreen

Are the dovetails small enough that they can be opened up to a more standard size?

Taurus makes some amazingly nice 1911's with all of the bells and whistles also.

Well, yes they do BUT the PT1911 is not an exact 1911 clone. NO ONE makes an adjustable sight that fits the PT1911 (and that became very important as you will learn). Their ambidextrous safety is larger than any one else's and any aftermarket grip must be "massaged" to afford clearance for the lever. There are other variances but I can't recall them right now.

I bought two stainless steel PT1911s several years ago, one for my son and one for me. I thought that for a little over $600, they were a great deal but that soon changed. Both guns required trigger work to be shot with any accuracy. Both guns needed excess tool marks removed from the internals. And my son's shot very low and left; the lack of an adjustable sight that could have solved that problem was the last straw - both guns now have new owners.

Aside from that, if you compare a PT1911 to, say, the S&W 1911 in bdGreen's post above, the PT1911's stainless looks very "dirty" and it cannot be "cleaned up." I could go on but you get the idea - you get what you pay for.

Ed

Thanks for everyone's comments. Especially the comments about the sights. I don't mind the Novak clones, but I couldn't handle the 3 dot's. The sight window is wide enough I could never keep the front properly centered, my eye's drifting back and forth between the rear dots. As I have done on several of my handguns, I turned the 3 dot into a "Heinie Straight 8". Painted over the 2 dots, and painted a single white dot centered directly below the notch. I can pick this up faster, and aim more accurately, stacking one on top of the other.

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H Richard
SWCA1967 SWHF244

I just received my fourth S&W 1911 from Smith & Wesson on Thursday. I got the #108482 like bdGreen's above to make into a dedicated carry gun.

I added a Wilson magwell, extended slide release (arthritic fingers love those!), extended magazine release and have their ambidextrous safety to install when time permits. I put the gun in Recover Tactical's #CC3P Grip and Rail System and attached a Streamlight TLR-1 300-lumen light to the rail. The whole works goes into Recover's #HC11 holster.

Yes, I know one of the Sc models would be smaller and lighter and I do have the two-tone version in a Miami Classic II shoulder rig but it's been "on loan" to our son for a few years now and I just like a good old full-size 1911.

I know, we need photos but since Photobucket became costly to use, I haven't mastered photo uploading using another site. However, if you go to Recover's website, you'll find photo of a #108482 in the same equipment.

By the way, the two magazines that came with my gun are Wilson #47Ds.

Ed