Original Article - June 20th, 2011
Smith & Wesson entered the 1911 pistol
market a little over eight years ago, and I
reviewed their first effort at that classic design here on
Gunblast in February of 2003. At that time, the SW1911 was a
five-inch stainless pistol with a few variations from the
original John Browning design, but the line of S&W 1911
pistols has now grown to twenty-five different versions, to suit
any need that one might have for a 1911 auto pistol.
The latest S&W 1911 pistols are the new
“E Series” pistols, one of which is an ideal candidate for
the perfect 1911 carry gun. With a huge plethora of 1911 pistols
on the market today, from dozens of manufacturers, the choices
seem almost limitless, and for me to declare one as “perfect”
for any particular need deserves some explanation.
There are many 1911 pistols available today
that would serve very well to be carried as a defensive sidearm,
and I own a few myself. Seeking out my perfect carry gun several
years ago, there was nothing on the market that fit my personal
description for the perfect carry gun. I like the Commander
length pistols. They have a full-sized grip for good control,
and the four and one-quarter inch barrel seems ideal, having
enough length for good balance and velocity, while being short
enough for comfortable carry and concealment. I find the shorter
Officer’s-size guns to be no easier to conceal, and the
short-gripped 1911 pistols to be not as easy to control and fire
accurately. I also love the Bobtail design, as pioneered by Ed
Brown. However, while at the time that I was searching there
were available Bobtail 1911 pistols, no one was producing a
lightweight 1911 with a Bobtail frame, so I had to do the
procedure to my Lightweight
Colt Commander myself. The result was a relatively light,
controllable, accurate, reliable, and powerful carry gun that
was flat enough, light enough, and thanks to the Bobtail, easy
to conceal and comfortable in the hand. I did the chop job
myself, and sent the weapon to Robar for finishing. That
Colt is now my perfect 1911 carry gun. Had the new S&W E
Series Bobtail been in production back then, I would have saved
myself a lot of trouble and expense, and just purchased the
Smith.
Before getting into detail on what makes this
new S&W ideal for carry, there is another model in the E
Series lineup also shown here, to fill the needs of those who
prefer a full-sized, all-steel 1911. The two pistols share E
Series upgrades and features, but fill different pistol needs,
so both deserve a closer look.
Obvious at first glance is the aesthetic
appeal of these E Series pistols. The beautiful wood grips are
both handsome and functional, with enough texturing for a secure
grip. The Bobtail grips have a fish-scale pattern texturing,
while the full-size pistol has both fish-scale and checkering on
the grip panels. The fish-scale pattern is continued both fore
and aft on the slide for a secure grip while cycling the slide
manually. Another feature of the new E Series is the lack of a
firing pin safety. This is often erroneously referred to as a
Series 70 type action, but the Series 70 designation on the old
Colt pistols was in reference to the collet barrel bushing, and
had nothing to do with a firing pin safety. S&W had a firing
pin safety on their SW1911 pistols from their introduction,
working off of the grip safety, but that feature has been
eliminated on the E Series, as none is needed to prevent
accidental discharge if the pistol is dropped, as the E Series
pistols have a stronger firing pin spring.
Critical specifications are listed in the
chart below. Weights are listed in ounces. Linear measurements
are listed in inches. Trigger pulls are listed as pounds of
pressure. Height includes sights but not the magazine base.
| |
SW1911 |
SW1911SC |
| Chambering |
45 ACP |
45 ACP |
| Weight with Empty
Magazine |
39.2 oz |
29.2 oz |
| Trigger Pull |
5.6 lbs |
4.56 lbs |
| Barrel Length |
4.96" |
4.23" |
| Barrel Diameter |
0.57" |
0.57" |
| Overall Height |
5.4" |
5.4" |
| Overall Length |
8.55" |
7.79" |
| Slide Thickness |
0.91" |
0.91" |
| Grip Thickness |
1.31" |
1.33" |
| Trigger Reach |
2.75" |
2.75" |
| Magazine Capacity |
8 Rounds |
8 Rounds / 7 Rounds |
| Magazines Supplied |
2 |
2 |
Both pistols come shipped in a hard plastic
storage case with instructions and two magazines each. The
SW1911 has two eight-round mags with extended base pads, and the
SW1911SC comes with one eight-round mag with extended base pad,
and one seven-round mag that fits flush with the butt of the
grip. The slides and barrels on both pistols are made of
stainless steel with an overall matte finish with the small
parts such as the magazine release, slide stop, thumb safety,
beavertail grip safety, and sights finished in a matte black.
The sides of the slide on the full-sized pistol are polished.
The hammers are of the rounded, lightened design. The sights on
the Bobtail (SW1911SC) wear tritium inserts. The sights on the
full size pistol are of the three-white-dot pattern, but have no
tritium illumination. Both rear sights are of the Novak style,
and the front sights are dovetailed into the slide, making both
front and rear adjustable for windage correction. The front of
the frames in the grip area is checkered on both pistols, and
they have a relief cut at the rear of the frame just behind the
trigger guard to allow a bit higher grip on the pistols. The
thumb safeties are of the extended style, with the thumb safety
on the Bobtail being ambidextrous, a feature which I dearly
love. Both grip safeties are of the upswept beavertail design,
to protect the web between the shooter’s thumb and finger, and
to offer a more comfortable grip. The mainspring housing on the
SW1911 is checkered, and on the SW1911SC, grooved. Both assist
in keeping a secure grip on the pistols during firing. The rear
of the slide on the Bobtail is grooved horizontally, to
alleviate glare. Both pistols have throated and polished
chambers, and smooth feed ramps. The triggers on both pistols
are lightweight aluminum, with holes to further lighten the
weight, and overtravel stop screws. Both pistols have stainless
steel full-length recoil spring guide rods. The magazine wells
are beveled to facilitate a quick reload. The muzzle of the
barrel fits flush with the barrel bushing on the full-size
pistol, and is slightly recessed on the Bobtail. The extractors
on the E Series pistols are larger than the ones used on the
original SW1911 pistols, and looks very similar to the
extractors used on the discontinued S&W 1000 and 4000 series
auto pistols. The mag release button on the Bobtail is slightly
extended. As mentioned above, neither pistol has a Swartz safety
or firing pin safety of any kind. None is needed. Both pistols
are flattened and grooved atop the slide to prevent glare. Using
a patented Scandium alloy for the frame, the SW1911SC is a full
ten ounces lighter than the stainless, full-sized SW1911.
I fired the new E Series pistols for function
and accuracy using several different brands and types of
ammunition. I tested for velocity with my chronograph set at ten
feet from the muzzle, and an air temperature of seventy-three
degrees Fahrenheit, with a cloudy sky and a slight breeze.
Velocity readings were taken at an elevation of approximately
541 feet above sea level. Velocities are listed in the chart
below, and are listed in feet-per-second (fps). FMJ is a full
metal jacket bullet. JHP is a jacketed hollowpoint. DPX is an
homogenous copper hollowpoint bullet. Glaser is a specialty
pre-fragmented bullet inside a copper alloy jacket. PB is Pow’RBall.
EPR and AF are high performance specialty bullets as loaded by Extreme
Shock Ammunition. LWSC is a cast lead semi-wadcutter bullet.
Velocities are listed in feet-per-second (fps). Bullet weights
are listed in grains.
| Ammunition |
Bullet Weight |
Velocity SW1911 |
Velocity SW1911SC |
| Cor-Bon JHP |
200 |
1069 |
1034 |
| Cor-Bon JHP |
165 |
1171 |
1138 |
| Cor-Bon JHP |
230 |
940 |
930 |
| Cor-Bon DPX |
185 |
1018 |
994 |
| Cor-Bon PB |
165 |
1203 |
1145 |
| Cor-Bon Glaser |
145 |
1239 |
1219 |
| Stryker FMJ |
230 |
771 |
745 |
| Remington FMJ |
230 |
794 |
754 |
| Buffalo Bore JHP |
230 |
958 |
928 |
| Buffalo Bore FMJ |
230 |
944 |
915 |
| Handload LWSC |
200 |
1008 |
964 |
| Extreme Shock EPR |
185 |
1132 |
1098 |
| Extreme Shock AF |
125 |
1451 |
1410 |
| WCC 1911 Ball FMJ |
230 |
779 |
765 |
Accuracy was pretty good with several loads,
with everything tried grouping five shots at twenty-five yards
between two and three and one-half inches. The exception was my
handload using Rim Rock 200 grain LSWC bullets. That load
consistently stayed under two inches from both pistols. I could
detect no accuracy difference between the two pistols, as each
fired better with some loads than did the other. Reliability of
both pistols was perfect. They fed, fired, and ejected every
type of ammo tested without fail.
Both of these E Series pistols are excellent
1911 pattern handguns. The stainless full-size SW1911 is an
excellent general purpose 1911. To me, the SW1911SC Bobtail
stole the show, and my heart. It is lightweight, powerful, easy
to carry, and easy to shoot. The Bobtail prevents the butt of
the pistol from digging into my side, and it also feels so much
better in my hand. It comes with ambidextrous safety, and
tritium night sights. It also costs a couple of hundred dollars
less than its closest competitor. Right out of the box, it is
the perfect concealed carry 1911, with one caveat; it needs the
addition of a Crimson Trace Lasergrip, and hopefully, that
Lasergrip will be in production by the time you are reading
this. I have been awaiting a Bobtail CT Laser for years, and one
is in the works. It is listed on the Crimson Trace website as
“coming soon”, and I have to have one. Adding it to this
SW1911SC pistol will indeed make this SW1911SC the perfect carry
1911.
Check out the new E Series pistols online at www.smith-wesson.com.
For the location of a S&W dealer near
you, click on the DEALER LOCATOR at www.lipseys.com.
To order the E Series pistols online, go to www.galleryofguns.com.
To order quality 45 ACP ammunition, go to www.buffalobore.com,
www.theamericanmarksman.com,
www.extremeshockusa.net
and www.luckygunner.com.
To order the high quality handgun leather
shown here, go to www.simplyrugged.com.
Jeff Quinn
