Anyone else own one? I also have a Colt Gold Cup and a Colt Combat Commander, both Series 80.

The Smith is the only 1911 I own with an external extractor.

How do you like yours?

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Very nice! I like them, and I like that old billboard too.

I picked mine up in 2009 and it is hands down my favorite 45 and usually goes to the range with whatever else I wamted to shoot that day.



My extractor has held up well, but I don't beat the gun up either (never drop the slide on an empty chamber and always feed from the magazine). The extractor is not as easy to work on as the internal extractors, but also never needs any work.

Enjoy!!

The mag pictured looks like a standard 1911 mag? The S&W 1911 takes standard mags?

I have one of these and really like it. Got it for a great price too. Definitely one of my favorite 1911s.

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Find a way or make one.

Yes. I like the CMC shooting star mags. No real reason in particular, just seem to be reliable and clean up well.

A lot of the parts are standard with the other 1911's. Pretty much just the extractor, grip safety, and firing pin block are unique. Mine has all aftermarket springs, I had a Greider flat trigger in it for a while. I ran a 460 Rowland setup on it for a short while.

I'm a 1911 guy. I think that it's great that there are so
many clones being made.
There are many people that bad mouth external extractors
on 1911s. I don't listen to them and you shouldn't.
My experience with S&W extractors is with 5906s/4006s.
No problems after 27 years, but hedge your bet and keep
a spare extractor.
I also have spare extractors for my Colt 1911s.

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I'm with her

I have an E series S&W 1911. Very pleased with it. Never had any issue with the external extractor

Have always said, S&W 1911s are underated

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Guns + Dogs= Bliss

I don't have any experience with 1911's but that's a beautiful gun! Congratulations. I hope it serves you well for decades. If I buy a new pistol it would most likely be a 1911, and most likely a S&W.

I own a couple S&W 1911s. I’ve always wondered why S&W is almost never part of 1911 brand discussions.

I've got a 1911 e-series SC that I really like, which is my bedside gun. I also have a DW Valor-'nuff said about that one.

I’ve had a few over the years!

This birthday gun was bought for my newborn son in 2006. Unfortunately we wont find out how it shoots until 2027 when I give it to him NIB.

I wanted to give him a classic: manufacturer, model, and caliber. It had to have ambidextrous controls since I didn't know if he was going to be a righty or a lefty, and the 8 round magazines should be legal no matter where in the US he ends up living. The stainless steel finish should also provide a bit more corrosion resistance if he ends up in a humid climate. I decided against the more recently released railed version, preferring the model's original lines and expanding his holster choices.

I was able to have the factory swap out the original lighter colored stock panels for these darker ones with their medallions installed. Great customer service in '06!

Todd

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I love 1911's. I had many and carried one on duty for many years. I never owned a S&W 1911 but I think they are just as good as many of the other brands out there and would not shy away from them for any reason.

Here is my commander size round butt that is my rotation schedule for concealed carry. I really like this 45. It hides very nicely with the rounded heel

Kelly

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I never owned a S&W 1911 but a guy I used to shoot matches had one and I always liked the looks of it.

One day he invited me to stay after the match and shoot it.
It was really a sweet pistol but was a little pricey.
I had my own ammo so I put about 75 rounds through it.
I think it was even an earlier one than the picture but looked similar.

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I just got an early billboard JRD11xx SW1911. Seems very well put together. My one gripe is the firing pin safety which requires me to adjust my grip in order to fully depress the grip safety and not be able to grip as high up. I don’t have to do this on other 1911s. I haven’t decided yet if I’ll take the time to adapt to and learn the gun’s quirks. I might be in the minority on not liking the firing pin block feature. General consensus though seems to be that people love these SW1911s. The early production ones seem to have a particular following.

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I have the Billboard. I really like it. I have a couple of 10 Rd Wilson Combat mags. I really need to shoot it more.

I have a sc commander PD (not the billboard) and love it, carry it alot. It’s the only one of my 5 different 1911’s that I conceal carry.
Semper paratus

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NRA Life Member
CPO

I have owned a S&W 1911SC since they were released, close to 20 years. Never had any issues and shoots great. Won’t hesitate to buy another

I picked this one up some time back.

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I picked up a SW1911 from a lgs in 2006. The cost was $789.
It is a very attractive pistol and shoots very well. It is one of my favorites.

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I have an SC1911 and an SC1911 round butt (both commanders). Like them a lot. No issues and easy to shoot pretty well. I picked up an SC1911 Pro Series 3 inch today. Broke it down, cleaned it, and just put a few rounds down range a few minutes ago. No issues. Easy to shoot and recoil is no problem. Nice carry pistol (after I put a lot more rounds through it first).

Never a problem with mine...

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I just picked up an almost new PC 1911 compact. It will go good with my 18 year old Commander size S&W 1911. I have had zero extractor issues with that pistol.

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One of the first 1911's I bought. Excellent gum. The external extractors are less trouble than the internal. Heck Sig has always used them.

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Still Running Against the Wind

I took the Smith to the range today. I was trying out some powders I've never used: Tightgroup, Accurate #5, and Vihtavuori N330 with the Smith, two other 1911s and a Sig 220.

The Smith outperformed all the others, and with the N330 powder. That surprised me because I also took a Colt Gold Cup.

I've owned numerous 1911s including a Series 70 Gold Cup, three Kimbers and only one (fortunately) Taurus. I now own four S&Ws and that's all I will buy. I prefer the external extractor - it never needs "tuned" like the internal ones and as beefy as they are I can't imagine an external one breaking. Although I have one other PC 1911, my favorite is my DK edition in .38 Super.

Ed

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Lovely.

And from my experience, a reliable 1911

As an aside, on a subsequent, recent trip with some semiauto 45s, the above mentioned Gold Cup doubled. I had that happen with a S&W PC M&P 15 that had to go back to the factory for a new bolt assembly.

But I've never experienced it with a handgun.

Happy S&W 1911 E series owner. Keep it clean and lubed and feed it decent ammo; it'll be fine.

From what I remember S&W used to make parts for other 1911 manufacturers.

I've owned a SW1911SC stainless (slide) since '05.

I used it as a range beater and off-duty weapon. After a few years the plunger tube staking came loose at one end. Since it was an aluminum frame, I decided to let the factory handle the warranty repair. The work sheet accompanying the repaired gun came back stating they'd replaced the 'sideplate'. Guess their pistol repair techs at Houlton were also the 3rd gen techs.

FWIW, for the sake of trivia, the extractor in the standard SW1911's were the same ones used in the .40 3rd gen guns. They made a Bar Go/No-Go gauge for armorers to use to fit extractors, but I was told by the factory that most extractors dropped into the SW1911's as their machining was continually being revised and improved. (Different .45 Bar gauge than the one used in the 3rd gen .45's, BTW.)

Kind of like how in the early M&P pistol armorer classes armorers there was a extractor Bar gauge for the .40 guns (first model released), to check the fit of the extractors in case fitting was needed. Then they decided that they weren't needed, as the tolerances made the extractors drop-in parts. When I was calling to ask about Bar gauges for other calibers (to fill out my armorer kits ), I was told they had no plans to offer extractor Bar gauges for the 9/.45 guns, as they simply weren't needed with the new tolerances and machining.


The 3rd gen .40 extractor had an additional beveled cut behind the hook, which was useful in the faster-cycling .40 guns.


Note the difference in the machining of the extractors in this pic. .45 on the left; .40 in the middle; and 9mm on the right. You can see the additional angled relief notch behind the hooks in the .40 extractors, compared to the others.



The SW1911E (Enhanced) guns used an extractor like that in the older PC .45's (think 945's), and used a different extractor pin and spring than the standard SW1911. The positioning of the taller PC extractor in the slide changed the engagement of the extractor relative to the case rim when it came to 'clocking'.

They eventually dropped offering the SW1911 armorer classes in their list of classes, from what I was told, so I don't know if the older armorer manual was ever updated, or what changes may have occurred over the years.

I still like my SW1911SC 5", though.

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Ret LE Firearms inst & armorer

This E-series 1911 was a bucket list item for me, and my wife bought it for me as a gift. Long Story short, after shooting many 1911's (colts, Para, SW, RIA, SA etc) and after a long time searching, I knew I wanted a Smith & Wesson, for many reasons. First was the look...the fish scaled serrations IMO are attractive and forged Stainless finish is nice also. Second was the rail...not using it for accessories, but I read it added some good weight to mitigate recoil. Third, the grips are beautiful and functional for my hand, and 4th for S&W Customer Service...we all know it's some of the best in the business. Fifth and final is the tritium sites. I was looking for one for a while and ONE showed up to my LGS who ordered one around beginning of Covid and it became mine. Patience pays off. Plus he took 150 off for my wife who paid cash !! It is a great shooter, heirloom quality and I am a fan....Yippy !!!

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