1911 e series verses sw 1911 pro questions

[twomoons]

guys,my dealer just got a 1911 e in.gosh i love it.thight,seet trigger.first 1911 thats got me thinking about an all steell 1911.i can get it for 775.00 out the door.
i will admit i am a rookie on the 1911 platform.i will admit not know a lot about all the qirks that make a 1911 a difficult gun sometimes.i watched sig flop with their first gsr series.and have heard about kimbers problems.
but it seems from what i read sw has a good gun on this 1911.
my question is for the 1911 experts.and i use that word with the utmost respect your guys have had to hard work,spend the money,go through the growing pains to get these 1911 guns running good.
1911 owners,what is your opinion on the sw 1911 e series.did sw get it right with this gun.
the safety,extractor,all the things that cause a problem,have they fixed them

so how much better is the 1911 pro series gun and the roughly 600 more in price
i can get a ton of mags free.i know a bad 1911 can drive a shooter nuts.
i would love to have a 1911 stainless steel,,and have been bitten by the 1911 bug,and this price just blows me away.
thanks for any kind advice guys,its much appreciated,to an admitted rookie

 

[ConquestN98858]

Hey twomoons,
I remember back when S&W did not build a 1911 platform firearm and held with their Model 39/59 thought process, that in it's self is not that long ago. For my money and for the sake of tradition i would stick with the Colt Series 1911 Platform. There are a ton of 1911 builders that have evolved in the last 3 decades that have taken these 45 acp's to the highest levels both in function, accuracy and appearance. Examples, Les Baer & Kimber have some incredible combinations out there albeit a little more expensive that the S&W of which you speak... Perhaps a Springfield "Range Officer" all the goodie stuff on a budget!
Best of luck,

 

[rbert0005]

775. OTD for an E Series sounds great.

Go for it, you wont be sorry.

If you don't get it it will bug you until you do. At least that's the way it works for me.

Smith produces "shooters". Just how many used ones do you see? That has to tell you something.

I got mine and glad I did.

Bob

 

[ericlw]

a kimber is considered of the same quality as a les baer?

I personally like the smith wesson performance center guns.

 

[ladder13]

I'm getting one of those bobtail Commander sized E Series as soon as I can get my hands on one, and I own 5 Colt 1911's and a Kimber.

 

[twomoons]

mike,i spend 2 days a week at my dealer,cleaning up,restocking,etc.a dream come true for me.i see hundreds of guns go through his store.he has maybe 100 1911 type guns.para,kimber,colt,you name it.this sw 191 e series is as good,and much better than some.it ranks up there with the high end guns.and thats the opinion of a lot of 1911 guys that come in the store. but i also know,the rpoof is at the firing line,and thats the reports i am waiting to hear about.i know the dry fire part has everyone interested in it..
i know i dont theink i will see one for 775.00 again so i am getting it.and i unpacked it,so its not priced like that because of something wrong.he has to move some stock,and i know where 1 shooting iron is being moved to.lol
happy trails mike.i will post a report and pics when i shoot it

 

[ref441]

E Series

Can you describe this E Series gun you are considering? The two-tone bobtail S&W 1911 E Series w/ 4.25" barrel has a dealer cost of $1016, and most who have them are asking $1200 or so. Make sure you are getting what you think you are.

 

[BoDog]

I would buy the cheaper gun and use it to make friends with the 1911. They are not for everyone, I was lucky enough to have an old range master who taught me how to control the critter so he didn't spend his life building target frames. You can get Mr. k..... book on the 1911 and build the gun to fit your needs. Then buy a progressive loader and burn a lot of ammo. Thunder Ranch and several others con polish your techniques.

 

[sig.natures]

Ditto the comments on the scandium framed, commander length 1911sc. The sight picture with larger than average tritium sights helps old dog pick up points. Having eye catching externals are just icing....

 

[t-bird]

You will love it twomoons. Also Mike I have owned colt 1911's since 1980 and would have to rate my e-series as good if not better than my colts. Just my two cents but I think smith and wesson builds a great 1911.

 

[mitchjt]

I have had the Thunder Ranch for several years and it has proven to be a good pistol. Did have to send it back to S&W when I first got it because it ejected the shells right into my forehead, not good, hurts the concentration. It came back and works right. The neat looking grips are slick and a little fat. I replaced them with thin black checkered aluminum.

 

[justicetyme]

At that price I would suspect it is the 108482 model which is the least expensive of the SW1911E series pistols. Working at the store you probably know that the dealer cost on this gun is about $694 so he is definitely giving you a good deal when you take into account his shipping costs, call in fee, tax, etc.

If for some inconceivable reason you don't like it you can sell it for a profit.
At 65 I have had a few 1911s through the years from Colt (Gold Cups, Government models, & Commanders), Para, Taurus, and S&W.
Before I retired I did some custom combat machine work on 1911s for a local gun store so I've had experience with a few Kimbers also.

I have a S&W PC1911and bought the SW1911E 108284 in December as a beater / EDC pistol. Last week I topped the 2,000 round mark through it. If I take the PC1911 out of the equation the SW1911E is as good a 1911 as I've ever owned or worked on. And when you compare in its (108284) price range I'm forced to ask, "Is there anything else even close?"

Unquestionably there are nicer 1911s available than the SW1911E #102482 but I seriously doubt you are going to get one for $775 OTD.







The 'ton of magazines free' may be more of a curse than a blessing as one thing that can make or break a 1911 is the magazine. If they are not of a good quality their only value is for door stops. I personally would rather have one 1911 magazine that functions flawlessly than a whole range bag of problem makers.
J.