Smith and Wesson 1911 Pro Series 45 Review
This commodity originally appeared inConcealment Issue ten
IS Information technology PRIMETIME FOR THE S&W PRO SERIES 9MM 1911?
If yous were to ask for a prove of hands amid RECOIL'south editorial staff regarding who would really like some form of 1911, mine would not be amid them. Iain? Admittedly. Candice? Indeedy. Me? No. Difficult laissez passer. Through what can only be described as a one-act of errors and logistics, somehow I ended upwards being the 1 to review a 1911 acquit pistol from Smith & Wesson.
We were beginning introduced to this compact option in late 2017 at Smith & Wesson's Massachusetts facility, and they officially launched information technology just before SHOT Show 2018. On the surface, most everything near the Functioning Center SW1911 Pro Series 9mm is either totally incorrect or totally right, depending on your perspective:
> Modernized 1911 blueprint
> Compact
> Bushingless
> 9mm
We're talking most an old pistol — well, sort of. While the 1911 was developed by John Browning back in the late 19th century, modern examples are a far cry from what your great-neat-dandy grandfather may take carried nether General Pershing. If y'all had a time machine and brought an Due south&Due west Pro Series 9mm back to 1918, it'd yet be recognized every bit something based off of a 1911. Merely it would become the side eye.
Field stripping is easy once you get used to the anarchistic disassembly.
The proponents who grumble and drool virtually the design beingness, "over 100 years old!" and "won ii Globe Wars!" have a convenient blindness to the numerous major and minor changes that have taken place over the last century. With that in mind, let's dive into the Pro Series.
SIGHTS
Sights are personal. We've heard that the reason Glock opts for $3 plastic hot garbage sights with their OEM pistols is that they're meant to be immediately replaced. While the three-dot white sights of the Smith & Wesson Pro Serial 9mm aren't quite every bit atrocious every bit the pall-rod plastic pieces Gaston brings to the table, they nevertheless aren't fantastic when it comes to the world outside of an indoor range. A squeamish fiber-optic front end sight or even a rudimentary set of tritium night sights would go a long way as a standard option.
For a slightly better sight flick, many will discover that blacking out the rear sight with a marker or a paint pen while leaving the front white dot makes for a better sight picture. As it stands, unless you're going to perform some DIY modding, you lot'll take to swap 'em.
BUSHINGLESS
A major modify from Browning's original design that the Pro Series has is a bushingless butt configuration. While we've heard it said before that the bushingless system is absolutely necessary for 1911-blueprint pistols with barrels below 4 inches, we accept absolutely seen that it isn't the case. Notwithstanding, a bushingless barrel allows for a longer stroke and a very thick barrel profile. Combine that with the smaller caliber and you end up with a very strong package indeed. If the barrel is only going to be 3 inches long, you should probably make the nigh of it. That's what she said.
Easy to fill, sometimes a conduct to unload.
The bushingless bull butt on the S&W Pro Series 9mm also means that compensators, silencers, and other muzzle devices are largely out of the question. As to why someone would desire a comp on a deport gun? Run into CONCEALMENT Issue five. And equally always, if it can have a silencer mounted, we like to at least try it out with a silencer mounted. Because reasons.
Dissimilar some other bushingless 1911 designs, the S&West Pro Series 9mm tin can be field stripped without the need for any specialized tool (squinting at yous, Kimber). Even if yous're unfamiliar with 1911s, field stripping for cleaning is very easy to reach later on a mere scattering of repetitions. Absolutely, the first time we pulled the barrel out from the front of the slide a strong and strange sense of weirdness struck us.
TRIGGER
We can't talk virtually any 1911 without talking about the trigger. For those accustomed to even a basically tuned 1911 trigger, everything else volition experience sh*tf*ckawful to the point that if yous're really good with one, it might testify on the target if you pick upwardly a mushy manufactory Glock.
The trigger on the Pro Series 9mm cleanly breaks at only over four pounds — non your contest trigger, but suitable for carry. It also features adjustable overtravel, so you can customize the amount of reset distance you do or don't want.
MAGAZINES
This particular Smith & Wesson came with two nickel-plated 8-circular magazines. While every stitch of ammunition that we've put through the pistol thus far has fed and ejected reliably, lord help the one who wants to download a magazine by paw. When trying to manually pull rounds from the mag, the olfactory organ gives a tip (specially if you're using hollow-indicate ammunition) and makes information technology an extremely difficult activity to perform even with the integral feed ramp. Let'southward just say we take scraped a finger or two trying to accomplish this. There's a lesson hither: If you want to take ammunition out of the magazine, practise it the fun way and just shoot all of it.
SIZING Information technology Upwards
It's obvious this non-quite-pocket pistol was designed with carrying in mind, because why the hell else would y'all want a 3-inch barreled pistol? Further evidenced is the slightly rounded butt to smooth lines and the scandium alloy frame to bring the weight down. Don't go united states wrong, at over 26 ounces unloaded the South&Westward Pro Series 9mm is above the weight segmentation of nearly every half-polymer plastic fantastic and even exceeds that of the full-size Hudson H9A.
Overlayed on a G19.
If yous can get a full grip on a plain OEM Glock 19, you'll be able to get all your flanges around the Pro Series 9mm. Though the Glock barrel is a tad longer and much lighter, the remainder of the Pro Series effectively negates the heft of the pistol on the range; carrying may be a different story. Become a skillful belt and holster.
POSSIBLE PROBLEMS AND SOLUTIONS
Why aren't more than 1911s as stubby as this? To answer that called-for question nosotros turned to Jason Burton of Heirloom Precision.
"Mostly speaking, shorter 1911s are grumpy. The slide has a shorter travel, the mags piece of work harder, and everything works harder compared to an optimum configuration. Merely here are ways y'all can make upwardly for that."
Burton tells us the combination of this Pro Serial existence in 9mm used with a dual whorl spring allows for the spring to become progressively stiffer, potentially aiding reliability. Add in the integrated magazine feed ramps, ramped barrel, and lack of bushing, and nosotros're starting off in the right style.
Burton also gave u.s. iv things to lookout with a gun this small-scale:
i) Ensure it works first. This may seem like something unproblematic, simply an atrocious lot of people purchase a pistol, put half a dozen rounds through information technology (or less!) and stick it in their pants or an part desk drawer. Don't exercise that. If a gun is manufacturing plant new and non performance, it's time to give customer service a telephone call.
2) Be mindful of your round count. Because small 1911s are so dependent on all springs working together every bit a team so closely, maintenance has to be more proactive. If possible, alter out all springs before they crusade failures. Also, regularly cheque the condition of your extractor (see sidebar for this preventive maintenance check).
3) Only use good ammunition from expert magazines. Burton specifically recommended Wilson Combat Elite Tactical magazines, but the OEM magazines as well come with integral feed ramps.
4) Run down any problems immediately. If your pistol does something information technology isn't supposed to, whether information technology's a simple failure to feed or something worse, immediately begin tracking downwards the crusade. Effort to recreate and isolate the problem before everything goes sideways.
Furthermore, Burton notes that this is all proficient advice for whatsoever pistol you may depend on or defend your life with — it'southward merely that some of the uglygrumpy shows upward earlier with a pocket rocket such equally this.
AT THE RANGE
If y'all haven't figured it out already, I started out a bit biased toward this handgun. But that didn't make it any less accurate or fun to shoot. Damn it. This is like learning Star Wars Episode 1 was a demonstrably good moving-picture show. The cerebral dissonance was very high.
As advertised, the Southward&W Pro Serial is easy to rack on a closed slide and full magazine. It'southward no Smith & Wesson .380 EZ, but information technology isn't much harder. At that place were no issues with any of the ammunition we used, so put a checkmark side by side to No. i on Burton'southward list.
LOOSE ROUNDS
Y'all don't buy a 1911 for CCW because it'south the best pick or the most applied. You lot buy a compact 1911 to carry considering yous're either interested in the intricacies and history, or because it's the gun you grew up on.
Just like how every car doesn't need to be a Toyota Corolla, every handgun you may want to conceal doesn't need to be a obviously-ass Glock 19. While I have no love lost for a 1911, if y'all're going to carry one, it needs to be a practiced one. With the extra details Smith & Wesson added to their Pro Serial to go far more accommodating for carry and the thought-out parts and pieces for reliability, you could do far worse for more money. Just follow Burton's rules.
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