24May/1110
Smith & Wesson “E” Series 1911: 21st Century 1911?
I was recently loaned this Smith & Wesson 1911 for a review, and have spent the last few weeks inspecting, carrying, and shooting it. I came away with one big reservation, but overall, a positive opinion of the pistol. It - and the other E series 1911s from S&W, all of which cost less than this tricked-out model - should bring some much-needed quality competition to the factory production 1911 market.
Also, please read Hilton Yam's review of a similar pistol, which goes into more detail, and comes from the mind of an experienced 1911 gunsmith.
May 24th, 2011 - 17:24
Dude, you’re the best narrator in the gun blogosphere… keep it up.
May 26th, 2011 - 02:04
Thank you very much sir!
May 24th, 2011 - 18:35
Grenade launcher? I’m disappointed to see an external extractor, mostly from the traditionalist point of view, which I know, contradicts with me being ok with the ambi-safety, melonite finish and so forth. Additionally, its pinning has the potential to affect reliability. Would a spring/roll pin fix that problem?
May 24th, 2011 - 19:43
It looks like a nice pistol, but I’m not sure that it offers any significant advantages over similarly-priced pistols, like Springfield’s TRP, aside from the external extractor. And, some folks would consider an external extractor to be a step backwards despite it’s drop-in virtue.
The real game-changer may be Ruger’s SR1911–it offers a good set of basic features, in what appears to be a pretty reliable package, at a dramatically lower price than anyone else. It takes advantage of new materials and processes that no one else does. It’ll take a few years for folks to work it over and find any flaws, though. IMHO, it seems to be the closest thing to a 21st century 1911.
I wonder if even the SR1911, though, will ever be as robust and accurate as a Glock, M&P, etc.
May 24th, 2011 - 20:54
I am getting ready to buy an E-Series and was not aware of the extractor pin situation. Thank you for the heads up; definatly something to keep my eye on. (potential recall fix down the road?)
I’m a big fan of your blog and your work with The Firearms Blog and Guns for Sale.
May 26th, 2011 - 02:05
Hilton Yam just noted over at 10-8 that S&W seems to be addressing the problem.
Thanks! I hope you win the Gear Reviews “Gunnie” – can’t say the same about the “Up and Comer” one
May 25th, 2011 - 06:56
I to am interested in the E series, particularly the Commander length with the bobbed grip. If S&W corrects the extractor pin problem it looks to be a fine piece. Good review!
May 25th, 2011 - 09:06
It’d be interesting to see how the sig tacops would compare to this…I hope sig send you one to review!
May 25th, 2011 - 11:02
Hilton Yam also commented positively on the external extractor here:
http://10-8performance.blogspot.com/2011/04/external-extractors-and-1911s.html
May 1st, 2012 - 10:37
Might be hard to holster a grenade launcher
Thanks for the review!