Comments on Smith and Wesson 1911SC E-Series and 1911PD

[Bob P]

What are you using for a magazine? Pick up a Wilson Combat and see if you continue to have the 1st round issue.

Make sure the rounds are all the way back in the mag.

 

[JFR2]

Thanks Bob. They are the factory S&W mags, stamped "Check Mate". I do plan on picking up a few more mags and Wilson was at the top of my list.

-JR

 

[Bob P]

Fascinating article on 1911's, magazines and controlled feeding

http://how-i-did-it.org/magazines/feeding-time.html

There are many more who post here that know way more than I but I found this informative.

 

[John45]

I picked up a smith 1911SC E Series pistol under consignment. Thing was brand new, had a couple MINOR blemishes here and there, but overall, thing was mint. The first owner only owned it for a few months since it came out this year and I bought it in November. I took it to the range and fired about 250 rounds of various brands of target ammo (tried to find the best brand to use with it). Had a couple failure to feeds with the first box of cheap ammo, only about 1 with the Remington ammo, and lastly had no issues with the Winchester ammo. I think it was the crappy magazines that caused the misfeeding though, that and the gun is basically brand new so maybe I haven't hit the break in point yet... other than the failure to feed a few times the casings were all over the place and ended up with some nicks on my forehead from the casings...might have to get the extractor looked at by a gunsmith but also heard you need to break the gun in for that problem to go away...anyone else experience this? Definitely love this gun though I wouldn't trade it for the world.

[/IMG]

 

[jar]

1911s have used internal extractors since, well, 1911. Once tuned, internal extractors are very durable. The external extractor seems to me to be the answer to a non-existent problem. But perhaps I'm just a sentimentalist in that regards.

S&W uses a unique slide cut for its sights, which reduces the number of sights that will fit. Personally, I despise Novak sights, so changing those out would be the first thing I would do. There is nothing "wrong" with one dovetail over another, just that S&W's dovetail reduces your choice of aftermarket sights.

Have you read Hilton Yam's articles about internal vs external extractor? The external one is an answer to the 'once tuned' part. Replacing an external extractor is hammer pin out, swap extractors, hammer pin back in. No fitting or tensioning required. I think the fact that almost every other pistol design uses an external extractor could be considered a clue.

Agree 100% on the sight cuts. I'm trying to get my SW1911 set up with a bomar style rear and a skinny serrated fiber front, which is probably the most common competition setup.. If I owned any other 1911, I'd have it already. Haven't found what I want for the SW yet.

 

[M1911]

No, I haven't read his article yet, I'll have to do that. You are right that it external extractors remove the need for tuning, and mistuned internal extractors are perhaps the most common causes for 1911 failures to feed.

I haven't heard of problems with S&W's external extractors. Kimber had all sorts of issues with theirs, but I think that was just Kimber being Kimber, not something endemic of external extractors.

I'm probably just being nostalgic -- I prefer the aesthetics of the internal extractor.

 

[turbo38gn]

I picked up a smith 1911SC E Series pistol under consignment. Thing was brand new, had a couple MINOR blemishes here and there, but overall, thing was mint. The first owner only owned it for a few months since it came out this year and I bought it in November. I took it to the range and fired about 250 rounds of various brands of target ammo (tried to find the best brand to use with it). Had a couple failure to feeds with the first box of cheap ammo, only about 1 with the Remington ammo, and lastly had no issues with the Winchester ammo. I think it was the crappy magazines that caused the misfeeding though, that and the gun is basically brand new so maybe I haven't hit the break in point yet... other than the failure to feed a few times the casings were all over the place and ended up with some nicks on my forehead from the casings...might have to get the extractor looked at by a gunsmith but also heard you need to break the gun in for that problem to go away...anyone else experience this? Definitely love this gun though I wouldn't trade it for the world.

[/IMG]

that's a beautiful gun there John. I'd be proud to own it. If it was mine... I'd send it back to Smith, with a list of your concerns and I'd bet they would take care of it better than ever at no cost since it is under a lifetime warrantee!

 

[NFD9]

ended up with some nicks on my forehead from the casings...anyone else experience this?

YUP!
My 1911PD casings use to hit me in the forehead all the time, even after break in........get use to it.

 

[M1911]

YUP!
My 1911PD casings use to hit me in the forehead all the time, even after break in........get use to it.

I suspect that a good 1911 plumber could fix that.

 

[John45]

haha thanks guys I will definitely look into sending it back to S&W