Old Ph.D.
Member
Am I the only owner of 1911 round butt (45auto sc? I would like to hear about problems, likes, dis-likes, etc.. I never see much of anything. Maybe I am the only one. Old Ph.D.
45auto 1911 S&w sc
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Just picked one up today! I'm surprised how light it is compared to the Kimber I had.
David Kachel
Member
Funny you should ask...
I was going to post this today and might as well make it a response to your request.
I own two identical 1911sc bought a few weeks apart in the Summer of 2020. Haven't had any time to shoot of late so gave them each about a 50 round warm up right after buy them, then didn't shoot them again until a few weeks ago.
I wanted to do some tests at the range, so I took three .45s with me, one of the above, one compact and one revolver.
After just one magazine, the S&W 1911 stopped holding on to the magazine. After some fiddling, and attempts to get the mag to stay in, half the magazine release just fell out. Sent it off to S&W mentioning both in my telephone conversation and in the mandatory letter that has to accompany, that I have TWO and don't want to be stuck with a known problem in the other one. The person on the phone lied and said there was no problem. The person who was assigned repair of the gun ignored my letter where I requested a replacement for the other gun, at my own expense, if there was a known problem.
Gun returned yesterday, took it to the range this morning, WITH the sister and shot them both. On the first magazine, with the sister gun, the magazine fell out, and half the magazine release also fell out.
But, NOOOOOOOOOOO, there's not a known problem, noooooooo!
It seems S&W has been infected with the dreaded Bull Virus!!
So, there is part of your answer. Any more problems with either of these guns and they are both gone.
I was going to post this today and might as well make it a response to your request.
I own two identical 1911sc bought a few weeks apart in the Summer of 2020. Haven't had any time to shoot of late so gave them each about a 50 round warm up right after buy them, then didn't shoot them again until a few weeks ago.
I wanted to do some tests at the range, so I took three .45s with me, one of the above, one compact and one revolver.
After just one magazine, the S&W 1911 stopped holding on to the magazine. After some fiddling, and attempts to get the mag to stay in, half the magazine release just fell out. Sent it off to S&W mentioning both in my telephone conversation and in the mandatory letter that has to accompany, that I have TWO and don't want to be stuck with a known problem in the other one. The person on the phone lied and said there was no problem. The person who was assigned repair of the gun ignored my letter where I requested a replacement for the other gun, at my own expense, if there was a known problem.
Gun returned yesterday, took it to the range this morning, WITH the sister and shot them both. On the first magazine, with the sister gun, the magazine fell out, and half the magazine release also fell out.
But, NOOOOOOOOOOO, there's not a known problem, noooooooo!
It seems S&W has been infected with the dreaded Bull Virus!!
So, there is part of your answer. Any more problems with either of these guns and they are both gone.
Infidel137
US Veteran
I have had one for 10-12 years now; it has worked perfectly its entire life. Never a failure, no parts falling off, with any ammo 185-230 grain, JHP and FMJ. It's one of my favorite pistols.
cmj8591
Member
I don't have an SC but I do have an early full size and a Pro compact. The full size has had literally thousands of rounds through it. The only change I made to it was to change the barrel bushing to a Briley bushing. The gun is dead accurate and shoots as good as my tuned Colt Gold Cup. That's saying a lot. I think that Smith's 1911's are at least as good as anything Colt is putting out and I consider myself a Colt fanboy.
David, your problem seems to be with your magazine release. It sounds like it just needs to be a little tighter. That's an easy fix that only requires a small punch a screwdriver and a willingness to learn. Loose mag releases are not unusual on 1911's and are something that can happen with any brand. If you go over to the 1911 forum, there are a lot of posters who will help you with your problem. It's a very easy fix and it might save you a lot of heartburn.
David, your problem seems to be with your magazine release. It sounds like it just needs to be a little tighter. That's an easy fix that only requires a small punch a screwdriver and a willingness to learn. Loose mag releases are not unusual on 1911's and are something that can happen with any brand. If you go over to the 1911 forum, there are a lot of posters who will help you with your problem. It's a very easy fix and it might save you a lot of heartburn.
ultratec00
Member
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I have an early version, wish I had a RB. I will say if you have to have a Series 80 type 1911 and/or one with the firing pin block, S&W did it right.
Most makes depress the plunger that unblocks the firing pin on the trigger stroke. This can and does impact the perceived trigger pull and one has to be careful when adjusting the trigger over-travel else it could get out of sync and bugger up the plunger. There's an aftermarket spacer that replaces both those parts, effectively making it a Series 70.
S&W, at least with mine, did it right. The firing pin block gets depressed when the grip safety is engaged. This totally takes the trigger mechanism out of the equation. Makes the trigger pull much better.
An observation, that scandium frame has a noticeably snappier recoil than an alloy frame.
Most makes depress the plunger that unblocks the firing pin on the trigger stroke. This can and does impact the perceived trigger pull and one has to be careful when adjusting the trigger over-travel else it could get out of sync and bugger up the plunger. There's an aftermarket spacer that replaces both those parts, effectively making it a Series 70.
S&W, at least with mine, did it right. The firing pin block gets depressed when the grip safety is engaged. This totally takes the trigger mechanism out of the equation. Makes the trigger pull much better.
An observation, that scandium frame has a noticeably snappier recoil than an alloy frame.
I've had a 1911 SC e-series since Sept 2018. The only problem I've had is the grip screws coming loose, which surfaced when I was taking a drawing/holstering class that involved about 600 rounds in 2 days. A little loctite took care of that issue. Other than that, I've had no issues, and certainly no problem with magazines, which are metal Wilson Combat. For me, it is a great gun, and accurate.
Plunger tube for the slide release/safety came loose twice. S&W fixed it for free both times. Mag catch failed once. Replaced it myself with a higher quality piece. I think the scandium frame guns are for carrying more than shooting.
smoothshooter
Member
I bought one not long after they came out.
Very good gun. I have not fired it in several years due to the primer shortage , but have no plans to sell it. I have loaded ammo, and components, but in these unpredictable and perilous times I am afraid to waste any ammo on practice or recreational shooting because of replacement costs, and the fact that the next major crisis ( which is usually only a few months away )'may cause supplies to dry up again. I'm sitting on what I've already got.
Very good gun. I have not fired it in several years due to the primer shortage , but have no plans to sell it. I have loaded ammo, and components, but in these unpredictable and perilous times I am afraid to waste any ammo on practice or recreational shooting because of replacement costs, and the fact that the next major crisis ( which is usually only a few months away )'may cause supplies to dry up again. I'm sitting on what I've already got.
I owned, carried and shot my Commander sized SC and had the plunger tube come loose and fall off! I purchased the staking tool and an after market milled plunger tube and never had another issue. What I found was that the factory didn't properly countersink where the plunger tube legs are flared.
I foolishly sold it to finance another purchase and now they are to expensive for me to buy another new one....
I foolishly sold it to finance another purchase and now they are to expensive for me to buy another new one....
Seems I recall others with plunger tube issues but I don't think that's restricted to just S&Ws.
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That's a big change.
My "other 45" already has a Briley bushing.
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That's a big change.
My "other 45" already has a Briley bushing.
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PeterJ
US Veteran
My first one had the plunger tube fall off and they replaced the gun. Second time it fell off they fixed it. I really haven't shot it much since then. It sure is pretty though.
Thank you
I started this thread and was surprised by the comments. I learned that my loose grip screws could be tightened with a drop of screw tight; which i did. I learned about dropping mags and suggest loading 7 not 8 rounds to combat this problem. Again thanks. I give you a view of my 1911.
I started this thread and was surprised by the comments. I learned that my loose grip screws could be tightened with a drop of screw tight; which i did. I learned about dropping mags and suggest loading 7 not 8 rounds to combat this problem. Again thanks. I give you a view of my 1911.
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Bought one earlier this year and loved everything about the gun except...I didn't shoot it very well. Typically the 1911 platform is my most accurate platform. Tried many adjustments but would consistently shoot lower than intended. The gun ran flawlessly and I never had any reliability issues and probably ran 500 - 600 rounds. Traded it in on another gun.
AveragEd
Member
I have a two-tone SW1911Sc with a round butt - well, I should say my son has one. Anyway, we only shot a 50-round box of shells at our indoor range; from seven, 15 and 25 yards, it shot right to the point of aim so we didn't even adjust its sight. I bought it perhaps ten years ago from an S&W dealer in the rear of his pharmacy(!) for $1,038 which I suspect is a bit less than they bring today.
It's always puzzled me why S&W puts night sights on the E-Series version but the PC model gets standard three-dot sights.
Ed
It's always puzzled me why S&W puts night sights on the E-Series version but the PC model gets standard three-dot sights.
Ed
This reply is several years after your original posting so I hope my comments are still relevant, if not for you then perhaps for some one else. I own, carry and still use a SW 1911 SC E series. To my way of thinking this is still an outstanding choice for CCW. Context is important; I'm a civilian. My thoughts on the weapon as a 1911 follow. The SC frame is tough and reduces weight considerably; I haven't had any problems with wear. I use it at the range for functional testing but rely on a steel frame commander for high round count practice out of an abundance of caution. In terms of loaded weight it is comparable to many more modern polymer framed pistols, i.e. HKP30 & SIG P320C both also good CCW options. I considered the SW E SC to be almost ideal for CCW so upgraded it with a trigger job, NM barrel and fitted slide. Not to be overlooked I think a thumb safety is a big plus but that's an advantabe common to the 1911. The following are my gripes about it: dovetail dimensions are propriatary and limit sight options (my biggest gripe) and in my opinion SW should have fitted this with a ramped barrel. A ramped barrel would have mitigated concerns with a major area of potential wear to the SC frame. I didn't care for the full length guide rod either but that was easy to fix. Why doesn't it get disscussed more? It isn't polymer framed (doesn't need to be). It isn't striker fired (thank God, it has a safety!). It's not a 9mm (There are pros and cons to all self protection calabers. I consider 9mm, 357sig, 40mm and 45ACP to all be good choices).
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