Smith & Wesson SW1911

Smith & Wesson, one of the largest and most prolific handgun-producing companies in the United States, introduced the S&W SW1911 in 2003. This was their version of the highly popular M1911 semiautomatic, which was designed by John Browning and was chambered for .45 ACP rounds. While Smith & Wesson have certainly made some groundbreaking handguns in their time, the SW 1911 is clearly the most lasting one they have ever come up with.

The M1911 derived its name from the fact that it was issued to American enlisted personnel between 1911 and 1985. The M1911's heritage was firmly established by the fact that it was used widely in some of the world's most prominent conflicts - World War I, World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War. Since the S&W SW1911, which also chambers .45 ACP ammunition, used this handgun as a model, it was only appropriate that the qualifying label be the same.

The basic 1911 design remains one of the most enduring handgun models right to the present day. Even today, it is probably the most popular handgun in the field of target shooting. Millions have been produced and issued by various of the world's handgun manufacturers and parts of its are made at every imaginable level of industry. There is incredible competition on the market for making this nifty little firearm, and that has done nothing but make it better and better. With the wide range of choices available, buyers know that they can get the best possible 1911 at competitive rates, and this fact does not allow any of the manufacturers much leeway in terms of manufacturing error or shoddiness.

In fact, the S&W SW1911 has much of the same features as the M1911, both in appearance and operation systems. However, it has been upgraded to more contemporary standards of handgun design in the sense that the front and rear of the satin finished stainless slide has been equipped with sixteen serrations each to assist in actual shooting as well as maintenance. The improved slide also bear the S&W insignia. In addition, the SW18911 also features a modified safety, a less cumbersome hammer and also an improved internal safety that prevents accidental discharge. The automatic safety on the SW1911 links the safeties on the firing pin and the grip, thereby overcoming the initial problems that this system caused in trigger pull. In fact, this is one of the safest handguns today, even if some users have an issue with the fact that the SW1911 does not feature a manual left-handed safety. This makes it difficult for left-handed users who employ it in competitive sport shooting. The rear sight is of the Novak kind.

The SW1911 has a five-inch barrel and weighs 39 ounces. Notably, it incorporates and an external pinned extractor which is a big improvement over the traditional 1911 internal extractor (which caused round feeding problems in many cases). In fact, realizing this, John Browning himself adopted the external extractor in his later models. A lightweight, skeletonized and adjustable trigger and hammer, a checkered mainspring housing, synthetic rubber grips and a serrated front strap have been incorporated to make the SW1911 an extremely fit in any hand. It accommodates almost any kind of .45 ACP ammunition, but many users state that the Cor-Bon Pow-R-Ball is among the best for this weapon. These modifications and added features have greatly enhanced the original M1911 prototype and the S&W SW1911 has gone down in the annals of handgun history as one of the most well designed personal weapons ever produced.

Bought new, the SW1911 comes with a hard plastic carrying case, a cable lock, two magazines and various other accessories. At $932, it costs the same as the M1911 but is certainly a better buy than its predecessor.