Ok here is the deal. I love S&W revolvers, heck I own 10 of them! I have now decided I want a 1911 and would really like to know how the S&W's compare to Springfield and Colt.

Ok here is the deal. I love S&W revolvers, heck I own 10 of them! I have now decided I want a 1911 and would really like to know how the S&W's compare to Springfield and Colt.

In my opinion if you want the authenticity of a Colt buy a Colt. S&W 1911's are probably the best "shooter" out of the box on the market. As far as Springfield is concerened it is my understanding that they manufacture their slides and frames somewhere south of the border. In this day and age of outsourcing and economic downturn my advice is to keep the money here buy American. Colt or S&W would be my choice.

Well thats good news! I'm looking at the Compact ES.

The S&W 1911 is nicely made and any that I've been around function very reliably and are accurate as well. S&W did a good job on their external extractor, it works great.
Springfield 1911's have always come from Brazil, some entirely made there, some shipped here and fit up/finished here.

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Lynnie, Professional Pest

I own six, a mix of full size and Gunsite Commanders and I would put them up against any other 1911 in their price range. Bottom line is that they work right from the box and don't require any of the "mods" others do to make them fully reliable. Only bad thing about them is the mags but thats easily taken care of. The factory mags are OK for range use but I'd never bet my life on them.

I own a 1911PD in the Commander size it has been 100% reliable and very accurate too and I love it. I had TA at Top Gun add Night sights and it came with the Crimson Trace grips. Yes I have owned a Springfield and I also owned a Pro Carry Kimber. I have one left.....Its the S&W.
I have never owned a Colt yet... maybe someday?
G

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**Big Dog Grips**

Thanks for the replies!! I'm on the hunt for a Compact ES as we speak. Anybody seen one in the stores?? I figured the S&W 1911 would be reliable but wanted to hear from people with experience.

How's the fit and finish??

I haven't handled the one you speak of but all the ones I've had in hand were similar in fit and finish.
On the plus side, and this is a big plus.............their warranty service if needed is really top notch and they pay for shipping. In the world of 1911's everyone makes a few that aren't quite perfect once in awhile, some more often than others. It's the companies customer service that will make or break the reputation then.

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Lynnie, Professional Pest

I think the external extractor is a big plus of the S&W's.

I don't have a SW1911 (but want a Gunsite Edition). Do they have the firing pin safety like other S&W semiautos?

Smith 1911's are very good quality for a reasonable amount of money. For range work I highly recommend the #108284, 5" barrel with adjustable sights. Mine was "dead on" right out of the box. For carry, I also recommend the 1911Sc, or now known as the 1911PD, it's Commander length and light on the belt. While I also have a Colt Combat Commander and a Colt Officer's ACP, and make no mistake they are excellent weapons, when I go to grab a .45 autoloader, it's almost always my 1911Sc. (Or sometimes my 4506-1... or sometimes the SW99...:>)

Hope this helps!

-TS

The only 1911 in my collection that is equal in accuracy to my very best( SA National Match mfg in 1968)is my S&W 1911 Sc. Backed up by the legendary Customer Service...you cannot lose. To some the external extractor is a problem because it is not how John Browning designed it. My opinion is that it works VERY well and if I am going to be a serious purist...I dig out my Colt's, my Springfield Armory's, or my Kimber's. However, my serious carry gun is my 1911 Sc followed by my 3913. Yes, the S&W 1911's are THAT good! Try it...you'll like it!
Randy

I wouldnt buy a Springfield (for the reasons stated above) or a NEW Colt (Lets face it...Colt is slipping these days). I would much rather have the S&W or a Dan Wesson. S&W 1911s...I have heard NOTHING bad about them.

S&W's 1911s are by far the best factory 1911 on the market, bar none. They are the best "bet" also in that if you have any problems, S&W customer service is fast, friendly and they will make it right.

Here's my somewhat basic S&W 1911. Blued finish, wood grips, novak sights, short guide rod for easy take-down, and no cocking serrations on the front of the slide.

It's utterly dependable and is more accurate than I am. Looks great too. What else do you need?

I bought a new S&W 1911 last fall and couldn't be happier. I feeds and fires everything I put into it including my ****** reloads with excellent accuracy and complete reliabillity..

I bought a S&W 1911 several years ago and it has run like a top ever since. I have had no problem with it. It puts Winchester white box ammunition through it without a problem and I can get very good groups with it.

I've heard others say that they don't like their S&W 1911 or they prefer other brands but I'll stick with my Smith & Wesson.

Jim

I bought this one last year and really like it, I have around 400-500 rounds through it with no problems ...
http://www.smith-wesson.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/P...angId=-1&isFirearm=Y

I bought an S&W1911 about two years ago. As others have stated, it's very accurate and reliable. That said, I was disappointed with its quality in a few aspects.

First, the trigger was very loose in the frame. It had tons of vertical play. I replaced it with a Grieder oversized trigger which was a drop-in and solved the problem completely.

Second, there were some burrs inside the frame that caused large scratches on the sides of the trigger. A little work on the frame with a file fixed that.

Third, there was substantial creep in the trigger. I solved that by stoning the sear using a fixture I purchased from Brownell's. It took me a while to get it right (not because it's hard, but due to my inexperience), but it was worth it. The result breaks like glass, but still retains the factory weight (about 4-5 pounds?).

S&W does such a nice job overall - I just wish they'd spend a little more time on details like this. They could fix them so easily and it would really add a lot to the overall quality.

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....Gun control is not the answer. Gun control is the question. The answer is NO.....

I have a PC1911, the lock-up is smooth and very tight. The PC did an outstanding job. If the hood to breach fit was any tighter it wouldn’t close. Accuracy is excellent. Other than changing the front sight to a Gold Dot and changing the grips. I have done nothing with it. Vertical play in the trigger seems to be common, it’s a distraction which is not very bothersome to me, but one of these days I will address it.
In general I think that it’s a first class pistol, not the equivalent of an SVI or other very high-end pistols, but not the price either.

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Ipsis Rebus Dictantitbus

I have a 5" 1911Sc: gets lots of holster time and has been 100%; sent it into S&W for some trigger work; it has not been back to the shop since. Also had the blued 1911 5", carbon slide; too heavy for me, so that got traded. Next on the list: 1911PD, Commander size. :-)

Are the Smith 1911's made to mil-spec as far as, for example, putting mil. parts on them?

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Rough waters ahead.

Mine (purchased 2 years ago) has been wonderful. Never any trouble in almost 1500 rounds. Some have said the mags aren't the best, but I have not had a problem. It's a stainless 5", so I don't carry it, but when I have it on a belt it does carry well. Also own a colt 80 series, which has been trouble free as well, put the 2 together and the Smith really catches the eye, and both are "box" stock.

I bought a new PC Doug Koenig 1911 38 super a year ago. When I removed the magazine and tried to re-insert it, it would not lock in place. No magazine I had would lock in place. The PC repaired the gun after I spent about 80$ to ship it to them. I sold the pistol shortly after getting it back and will never buy another PC gun. In my opinion, S&W QC is no better than Colt's.

It is my understanding that if you bought the gun new and notified Smith of the problem , they send you the USPS lable pre-paid to retun the wepon to be corrected?

I advised the PC by e-mail of the problem. They sent an e-mail informing me where to ship the gun. They did not pay the shipping fee from me to them.

I have had many S&Ws and they have always sent USPS label pre-paid to return the gun - be it PC or not- with quick turn around, and the work always done right. Their CS is second to none.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v7...k/293d1061.jpg

Over time I have owned 1911 pistols from Colt, Springfield Armory, and S&W. My current S&W is a three year old Commander Sc through which I have put approximately 4K rounds.

At the outset I must admit that I have found the SA 1011's really wanting. I do not like the idea that they are Brazillian made but that is purely a personal bias. It has always taken a certain amount of "tuning" to get them to work just right.

My Colt is a Gold Cup and has worked flawlessly from day one.

My S&W has also worked flawlessly in the three years I have owned it. With approximaely 4K rounds through it I have never, never had a problem. As it is a TiScan Commander it has been a superb CCW and is my main choice to carry today. FWIW.

I have the same basic blued GI length Smith that Smitty has. I bought it online this Spring for $850. It never ceases to amaze me. Yesterday I took it to the range. I fired my last two magazines at 10 yards, off hand. 14 out of 16 rounds in the 10 ring, and 7 of them made one ragged hole where the X used to be. I don't consider myself to be world's best shot but I'll take such monotonous accuracy every day of the week.

There were two minor break in problems with the gun. Out of the box the slide release was in so tightly that I couldn't remove it. Smith fixed that for me, free of charge. Also, in the first hundred rounds I had a couple failures of the slide to lock open after the last round. That problem disappeared after I increased the lube and, probably, after the spring wore in a bit. Now, the gun functions flawlessly and it doesn't appear to be picky about ammo. Yesterday I fired a mix of Winchester white box 230 gr. FMJ and some remanufactured 230 gr. FMJ and it digested everything without complaints.

My only complaint about the gun is that the blued surface is showing a scratch or two. But, that's just me, I generally prefer stainless guns and my next Smith 1911 will be stainless. It will definitely be a Smith, that's for sure.

One last thought. I've always been a revolver guy. My entire collection -- such as it is -- prior to my purchasing the 1911, consists of Smith revolvers in a variety of calibers, manufactured over a period of about 40 years. I dearly love my revolvers. But, this 1911 is something else!!

I have several different 1911's from the Compact Colt New Agent to the SS 5 inch tactical S&W 1911. Hands down best of the bunch is the S&W 1911PD. Light, very accurate and easy to shoot. I was at the range this weekend and some colleges students were shooting next to me and they were wondering what all the noise was from. I thought they were talking about the 1911 tactical, but it was the S&W CS-40 that was getting their attention.

I have three 45 ACP's of the S&W variety.

4506 no dash carried for several years and I think of this gun as my partner. It would chamber fired cases from the magazine.

M&P - my duty sidearm. It is on my hip on a daily basis when working. It is my new partner.

1911 - This gun is fantastic - First time out of the box, I literally cut the center out of the target. No warm up, no break in just flawless performance. If I perferred a single action pistol for duty work, it would be at my side.

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I am a sheep dog!
1601 (ret)

I have the Pro Series 1911, I sent it back because the trigger was a little heavy. They took a pound of trigger pull off it down to 41/2 pounds. They paid the shipping both ways with no argument at all. Its so accurate I only shoot it occasionally, why waste precious ammo, at least right now!!

Here she is:

I own and enjoy several S&W PC guns. However, S&W does not make a 1911 pistol. They make a pistol similar to the 1911. Parts are not interchangable between the two. The S&W pistols may be great pistols but they are not 1911's. The external extractor is not a performance enhancement but rather a manufacturing simplification.

How does 945 compare to other 1911,s why, please let me know.

My 1911DK needs an Action Job and it will be an excellent shooter. I did that to my SA Loaded. The Gold Cup Trophy is fine as is.
"Other than the action"...S&W 1911's are well made, rugged, reliable.

I have 5 1911’s three Smiths and two colts carbon steel and stainless, all full size. I shoot them all and I shoot them alot. They are all great guns, dependable, accurate and well made. Some have been worked over to suit my needs some have not. This was not a matter of performance but a matter of taste. If you bought a hundred 1911’s and stayed with these two companies you would not go wrong. Not to say you may not get a clunker to use a popular term but these companies stand behind thier product. So no matter what eles you do….. go out and get a 1911 and hurry supplies are limited. Best

I owned a 5" S&W 1911 and it was a good shooter. The ammo started getting expensive for me so I had to sell. I do highly recommend.

A year after S&W debuted the SW1911 with the Novak fixed sight, they offered the SW1911 Adjustable (108284) with an adjustable rear sight and I bought one (2003 maybe?).

Mine has the “Billboard” SW1911 on the slide and it was very accurate right out of the box indeed. The pistol came with two Wilson 8-round magazines and I purchased two more identical ones.

My problem was the pistol returning to battery at or near the last round and it didn’t matter which ammo I used or which Wilson magazine I used. The problem wasn’t consistent but it still rears its ugly head at times.

It’s a great range gun, fun to shoot and one of my favorite “.45 ACP Plinkers”, but I’ve never carried it for personal defense – I carry an HK45C (zero problems, M1913 rail, lightweight and accurate).

One day I received some mail from S&W and inside was a FedEx pre-paid air bill to send a gun back to them. I own many S&W’s so I was somewhat perplexed and never did use it. I always wondered if S&W knew I “might” need to send the SW1911 back for repair one day (?). The only time I’ve ever talked with the factory was when they engraved my 3913LS and that was a year before I bought the SW1911 adjustable.

After reading this thread though, I think I’ll send my Billboard SW1911 back to them and see what their analysis and corrections are. After all, they have had a few years of trouble shooting and solving problems with that model I would think! LOL!

I bough a S&W 1911 ES two weeks ago. It is my second S&W Scandium 1911. They are great. Zero issues.

Mike Fletcher

I purchased a S&W 1911PD Commander about two months ago. It's very accurate & the fit and finish is great. I've owned a Kimber Classic Stainless for ten flawless years. Time will tell about the S&W. So far I like the S&W as much as the Kimber.