1/1/12 Brief Update
I have made several more range trips since my last update in October. I have been using the pistol with the Warren rear sight without the tritium lamp upgrade. I do not know if I will be sending it in for the single lamp installation. For daytime use I think the single dot configuration works great. I have tried this combination in dimly lit settings and have not found it lacking. I actually find the simplicity of just looking for the front sight to be very quick in most situations. In total darkness the single front is next to useless. But I don’t plan on ever shooting a target I cannot identify so total darkness isn’t really an issue. That’s what weapon mounted or hand held flashlights are for! Speaking of which, my TLR-1S will not mount properly to the rail on the Smith. It mounts fine on my M&P’s and all of my AR rails. Not sure if it is an issue with the light or the rail. I have heard of these lights not mounting correctly to other guns. I own two of the TLR’s and neither fit this pistol properly. I will try a Surefire X300 when I have time and funds to do so. In the mean time I may just bring the pistol down to my local fun store and try a couple of different lights on for size.
I have put another 500 rounds downrange since my last update. I have to date only had one failure to feed. It was with a brand new checkmate 8 round hybrid feed lip mag and resulted in something like a three point jam. It was easily cleared and has not reoccurred. I have been using the Checkmate mags exclusively since the last update and really like them. I think I will be replacing the other mag with more of the Checkmate 8 rounds Hybrids.
For those of you concerned with the external extractor pin my extractor pin has not moved. My pistol came with the roll pin as opposed to the solid pin that early guns shipped with.
10/24 Short Update:
It seems villagephotos.com is down again. Time to look for another option…
I finally got around to fitting my Warren Tactical rear sight. It only took about 5 minutes with a fine stone to get it done. The stock rear sight was tight. I used an MGW sight pusher to remove it. Not the optimum contact I had hoped for but it got the job done. I will confirm POA/POI asap and if everything is good to go I will have the tritium lamp installed.
I really prefer the sight picture of the Warren Tactical rear sight over the factory Novak style sight. Here is a really crappy cell pic:
10/17 Update:
Well I haven’t bee able to shoot as much I would have liked recently due to a badly sprained right wrist. This was the result of a middle aged man engaging in the young mans sport of Kempo Karate…
This weekend I felt up to putting some rounds down range. I brought along a 100 round bulk box of Winchester white box 230gr FMJ, 40 rounds of the Winchester PDX1 230gr hollow points, 20 rounds of Hornady TAP 230gr +P hollow points and 20 rounds of Speer 230gr Gold Dots.
I have made a few more mods. I added a Cylinder and Slide sear spring, Wolff 23# mainspring and extra power firing pin spring. None of these mods were really needed. I just can’t help but tinker. I will likely replace the C&S sear spring with the factory spring as the trigger is a little lighter than I want it now at 3.5lbs. The factory spring resulted in a 5lb pull. While I am writing I have to say how crisp and sweet this trigger feels with either spring. I am very impressed for a production line gun. During this outing the RO fired the pistol and was blown away by the trigger. He carries an Ed Brown Special Forces. I got to put a mag through his Ed Brown and came away with a new appreciation for my S&W trigger. The Brown trigger was fitted only very slightly better than the S&W but they both felt very similar.
I should say that I am partial to the Gold Dots after having practiced with them in my M&P 45. After firing them from the 1911 I still feel the same fondness. They were much more accurate than the Winchester PDX1 and slightly more accurate that the Hornady. The Gold Dots also seemed to recoil a little softer than the other two as well. I found that I could double tap the Gold Dots much more effectively than either the PDX1 or TAP ammo. I am sure there is a velocity trade off here as well but I would rather be able to make good hits at the expense of a little velocity in a defensive round.
I didn’t take any target pics or do any real serious accuracy testing due to my injured wrist so take the accuracy results for what they are. As for reliability the S&W did suffer from a singe 3 point jam during this session. It occurred with the PDX1 ammo and a Wilson 47D mag. I can’t say for sure what is the cause but I suspect that my weak wrist could have been a contributing factor.
I did experience a Wilson 47D that self disassembled after being ejected. It hit the floor and the follower popped out leaving the spring protruding partway out of the mag. I reassembled the mag and had no further issues with it. This has me questioning the use of the 47D mags in a defensive pistol. I will be placing an order for a couple of Tripp and Chip McCormick mags to test.
To Date the pistol has 478 rounds through it without any additional lube. I will put a couple more hundred through it before cleaning and report back.
More cell phone pics:
Original Post:
I own an assortment pistols including an M&P45. Owning the M&P has been a real pleasure and has given me a true fondness for the 45acp cartridge. It has performed flawlessly and is the most accurate pistol in my stable. I have wanted a 1911 for some time now and have been looking at the Springfield Armory and Dan Wesson models in particular. After reading some recent reviews the Smith & Wesson E series caught my interest as well. I plan on running the pistol in some USPSA matches and possibly as a home defense weapon.
Last week on a pilgrimage to my favorite local gun shop I got to fondle an SW1911TA with the melonite finish. After a little negotiation a deal was struck. 
I admit that it was somewhat of an impulse buy.
I had read Hilton Yam’s review of the E-series and ordered an 18.5Lb Wolff recoil spring. While I was at it I ordered an Ed Brown GI style plug and guide rod. The reason for this is twofold; first I like the slightly easier disassembly and secondly I prefer the esthetics of a checkered GI style plug. Being able to do one handed clearance drills is a big plus of the GI style rod as well.
Once the replacement parts arrived I stripped and cleaned the pistol then lubed with TW25B. I also added a set of VZ Operators II grips as I think the factory grips, though beautiful, don’t offer the traction I want. I have to say that the internal machining on this particular pistol is phenomenal. Other than the facing operation at the “eyebrow” there isn’t even a hint of a tool mark anywhere. Also of note is that there is not a sharp edge to be found inside or out. I assume the frame and slide were ceramic media tumbled. Esthetically the pistol may be somewhat polarizing. Being the owner of a couple of M&P’s I have grown to like the fish scale serrations on the slide.
On the first outing I fired 200 rounds of Federal American Eagle 230 FMJ ammo. I fired at 7 and 15 yards using both the S&W supplied ACT mags and a pair of Wilson 47D’s that I purchased with the pistol. I experienced no malfunctions of any kind and accuracy was very good. I fired controlled pairs and double taps along with slow fire from one-handed and isosceles stances. I had few issues with the manual of arms of the 1911.
Today at lunch I ran 98 rounds of Winchester PDX1 230 grain bonded jacketed hollow points through the S&W. I ran 8 rounds through each of the ACT mags and the rest of the rounds using the Wilsons. Recoil was strong but manageable. There were no malfunctions and accuracy was very good. My right wrist is a little sore tonight though… Two of the Winchester rounds had bullets that were not seated properly leaving large raised rings around half of the circumference of the casing. I did not try to chamber these rounds and will be contacting Winchester to let them know about it. These rings are very pronounced and I will post pics in the ammo forum after I hear back from Winchester.
One issue I do have is closing the slide with the slide stop. I just can’t do it with my strong side thumb. It is doable with my week side thumb but still stiff. I normally prefer to go “over the top” to release the slide anyway so I don’t see this as being a major issue. The ambi safety is firm and positive in either hand. The trigger breaks very cleanly with seemingly no over travel and very little take up. The trigger doesn’t rattle when the pistol is shaken but I can move it very slightly side to side and vertically as well. Like I said I don’t know much about 1911’s and what the trigger is supposed to feel like. It seems better fitted than most of the production guns I have fingered over the last few months but not as nice as the customs I have handled.
To address some of Hilton Yam’s observations I will say that my say that my extractor pivots on a roll pin that has not moved in my limited use. The mag release on my example does not trap the mags regardless of how hard I depress it. So maybe S&W is listening to the criticisms. The stock recoil spring is shorter than the Wollf spring even with a few hundred rounds on the Wolff. The 18.5 lb Wolff spring does feel stiffer in the pistol. I will try the stock spring on my next range trip if anyone is interested in the results. I will also try a couple of different brands of defensive ammo on my next trip and some Black Hills match ammo as well.
The tritium sights are decent but I would prefer the two dot style over the stock three dot sights. I knew going into this purchase that sight options would be limited. Warren Tactical and 10-8 both offer a rear sight for the S&W 1911’s. I have emailed Warren Tactical to see if they will be offering their rear sight with a single tritium vial. I have Warren rear sights in both of my competition guns and really prefer them over everything else I have tried.
To say that I am pleased so far is an understatement. I will continue to post updates for the next few thousand rounds.
Here are a couple of cell phone pictures:
I think the flush barrel and well executed crown are a nice touch in this price point.
