S&W 1911 Range Report

[USMCJG]

I took my new S&W 9mm 1911(178017) to the range for the first time today and must say I'm impressed. First a pic-

I was a little leery of buying a 1911 in 9mm as they have a reputation for being finicky, but I have always wanted to try one. So I took the plunge Wednesday and purchased the aforementioned Smith and Wesson. So far I have run 122 rounds through it(WWB and Win. HPs) with one failure. It was caused by bad ammunition. One round of the WWB that I bought Wednesday from WalMart failed to fire. My first thought was that it must be a light primer strike as I can't remember ever having an ammunition failure before with factory centerfire ammo(or with my reloads either, for that matter). But it wasn't a light primer strike, the primer was struck normally it just didn't go off.

Accuracy was very good, though not quite as good as my STI Lawman .45. But better than my Beretta M9 that I took along as well. The only complaint I have is that the sights are off very slightly. It is shooting on average 1-2" left at 25 yards. Either that or I'm off by 1-2" to the left at 25, which is probably the more likely cause. Either way, that's not much of a gripe as the sights are drift adjustable for windage.

Overall, I am extremely pleased with this new 1911 so far. I'm actually even coming around to the idea of an external extractor on a 1911. I am now seriously considering a Smith and Wesson 1911 Commander as my next handgun.

Edited September 18, 2010 by USMCJG

[Guest Moody]

I'm glad that you love your S&W. I have the exact same firearm, and it's one of those "Once you shoot it, you'll keep it forever" type of guns. I have more fun with this thing, than any of my other guns, and the fit/finish/overall quality are just outstanding. I've never had a reliability issue, and it's world's nicer than the Springfield 9MM that I was comparing it with, when I purchased (the Loaded model).

Thanks for the range report - I need to make one, as it's been 2 years, ha ha.

[I_Like_Pie]

I too am sold on the S&W 1911 platform...they are mid-priced, but perform like the top cheese guns. The external extractor being the main improvement...that took the cake for me.

[eapking]

Always glad to see folks buying S&W.

[TN-popo]

Every S&W 1911 I've ever played with ran like a top. Smith figured out how to do an external extractor when Kimber could not.

I, too, have always liked 9mm 1911s.

What mags is S&W using for their 9mm 1911s?

[Alpha13]

What is the benefit of the external extractor?

[Guest Lester Weevils]

It is a beautiful gun.

S&W website lists retail at $1,683.00 for that one. What is a realistic street price?

I've been looking around to eventually get a 9mm 1911. Not in a big hurry. Had read that STI 9mm 1911s are pretty good, street price from maybe $600 for one model, on up there for other models. STI 9mm 1911 is 9 + 1 and S&W says theirs are 10 + 1. The S&W looks a lot prettier to me.

Would the S&W run significantly better than an STI Spartan or Trojan? Are STI made in USA?

[JReedEsq]

I don't even like 1911s (I'm a simpleton) and I've got to admit that's a sweet piece.

[I_Like_Pie]

They don't get bent out of shape, are simpler, and require no tuning.

[USMCJG]

S&W website lists retail at $1,683.00 for that one. What is a realistic street price?

Seems like most street prices I see are in the $1,200 range. I wound up paying about $1,250 OTD for mine. That's the best price I've seen anywhere.

[USMCJG]

What mags is S&W using for their 9mm 1911s?

Wilson Combat 10rd. mags.

[TN-popo]

Wilson Combat 10rd. mags.

Thanks, didn't know that.

When I had a Kimber 9mm full-sized, my favorites were the MetalForm .38Super mags (100% reliable).

That was before the Wilsons were out and the other 9mm mags were crap, IMO.

Edited September 20, 2010 by TN-popo

[USMCJG]

I've been looking around to eventually get a 9mm 1911. Not in a big hurry. Had read that STI 9mm 1911s are pretty good, street price from maybe $600 for one model, on up there for other models. STI 9mm 1911 is 9 + 1 and S&W says theirs are 10 + 1. The S&W looks a lot prettier to me.

Would the S&W run significantly better than an STI Spartan or Trojan? Are STI made in USA?

STI makes some fine 1911s. The Spartan is made in the Philippines by Armscor using STI internal parts. They have a very good reputation and are considered by many to be among the very best in their price range. All other STI guns are USA made. The Trojan also has an excellent reputation, they run around $1,000 new. The only difference in capacity between the STIs and the Smiths is the magazine itself. STI mags are made by Metalform and are reported to be very reliable. S&W uses Wilson Combat mags and they are also supposed to be very reliable. The STIs are true 1911 pattern pistols, so any 9mm 1911 pattern magazine will work in the STI Trojan and Spartan, including the Wilson Combat 10rd. mags.