Shooting the Smith and Wesson E-Series with Tactical Accessory Rail.
My grandfather was known around our community as the local horse trader. For those of you who are from a rural area, you probably know what I mean by the term horse trader. For those that do not, well, Merriam-Webster’s on-line dictionary pretty much sums it up as, “Negotiation accompanied by shrewd bargaining and reciprocal concessions.” Yep, this was my grandfather, if you traded with him, he was the only one coming out on top of the deal!
Sometimes I think that horse trading may be hereditary in nature. About two years ago I made the deal of a life-time. A friend text me and wanted to know if I wanted to by a Smith and Wesson 1911. Well, it just so happened to be that I was definitely in the market for another one to add to my collection. With that said, I am not the type to spend $1,200 on a pistol, and I knew Smith’s don’t come cheap.
After letting my friend know that I’ll bite on the deal, he sent a photo of the pistol, which was brand-new in the box stainless S&W 1911 E-series TA! It was still wrapped in the brown S&W paper wrapping. Long story short, I dipped into my savings and purchased the pistol! Let’s just say I came out on the upper end of the deal!
Upon coming home, and a few show-and-tells later, I placed my new prized possession in the safe where it sat for almost a year. In the spring of 2016, I was recovering from knee surgery and realized that I needed to qualify to meet my peace officer proficiency requirements. Since I was still off on extended leave, I had to turn in my duty pistol, making this a prime excuse to test out the new 1911.
Upon leaving for the range, I grabbed a variety of 1911 magazines I had on-hand, to include Kimber, Wilson Combat and a few no-name mags! Figured if I’m going to test it out, then I might as well test it with all the different magazines.
Grabbing a couple of boxes of Speer Gold Dot 230 grain ammunition I stepped up to the line and conducted my 50 round qualification course. Since I have never shot this pistol before, I figured that I might want to do a practice run. Since another officer was qualifying on a familiar weapon at the same time, I went ahead and ran the entire course. Boy! I was not disappointed!
Out of the box, I notated that this 1911 was slightly heavier than most. This may be attributed to the extra metal for the Mil-STD 1913 rail; however, the pistol still felt well balanced and the extra weight helped manage recoil. Aside from the tactical rail (hence the TA designation), the Smith and Wesson offers tritium front and rear snag free ramped sights that are adjustable for windage.
On the firing line, the pistol performed flawlessly. Most 1911 owners will tell you that one of the drawbacks to some 1911s is the fact that they do not like hollow point ammunition, or at least not without the ramp being polished or a few hundred rounds shot through them. Luckily, this pistol did not hold true to that stigma. With a larger extractor and wider ejection port, having the worry about brass hanging up is greatly reduced!
Bottom line, shooting this pistol was fun! It is extremely accurate, has a light, crisp trigger and feels great in your hand. As mentioned before, it is a bit heftier than run of the mill 1911s; however, it allows for very manageable recoil and faster follow-up shots. In fact, this pistol shot so well, my practice run ended up being my qualification. Even during off-hand/single hand shooting, every bullet hit the mark!
Keep in mind, I was just getting a feel for this pistol and was experimenting with rapid fire drills and emergency reloading. Even with that, I still managed to shoot the center out of my target. When I got to the 25-yard line, I decided to do rapid fire shooting since I had already met the minimum score for qualification and I wanted to see how well the follow up shots would be. I was not disappointed to say the least. At this distance and shooting speed, I did not expect to having a reasonable group. Walking back to the line, I was amazed to see that all rounds still hit center mass!
This pistol no longer sits in my safe! It has found a new home in a holster on my hip. Yes, it is heavy, but the slim profile that 1911s are known for make it easily concealable, especially with a good IWB holster. I would put this pistol up against any other top-tier 1911 manufacturer any day of the week!
Sometimes I think that horse trading may be hereditary in nature. About two years ago I made the deal of a life-time. A friend text me and wanted to know if I wanted to by a Smith and Wesson 1911. Well, it just so happened to be that I was definitely in the market for another one to add to my collection. With that said, I am not the type to spend $1,200 on a pistol, and I knew Smith’s don’t come cheap.
After letting my friend know that I’ll bite on the deal, he sent a photo of the pistol, which was brand-new in the box stainless S&W 1911 E-series TA! It was still wrapped in the brown S&W paper wrapping. Long story short, I dipped into my savings and purchased the pistol! Let’s just say I came out on the upper end of the deal!
The author's S&W 1911 E-Series TA
Upon coming home, and a few show-and-tells later, I placed my new prized possession in the safe where it sat for almost a year. In the spring of 2016, I was recovering from knee surgery and realized that I needed to qualify to meet my peace officer proficiency requirements. Since I was still off on extended leave, I had to turn in my duty pistol, making this a prime excuse to test out the new 1911.
Upon leaving for the range, I grabbed a variety of 1911 magazines I had on-hand, to include Kimber, Wilson Combat and a few no-name mags! Figured if I’m going to test it out, then I might as well test it with all the different magazines.
Grabbing a couple of boxes of Speer Gold Dot 230 grain ammunition I stepped up to the line and conducted my 50 round qualification course. Since I have never shot this pistol before, I figured that I might want to do a practice run. Since another officer was qualifying on a familiar weapon at the same time, I went ahead and ran the entire course. Boy! I was not disappointed!
Out of the box, I notated that this 1911 was slightly heavier than most. This may be attributed to the extra metal for the Mil-STD 1913 rail; however, the pistol still felt well balanced and the extra weight helped manage recoil. Aside from the tactical rail (hence the TA designation), the Smith and Wesson offers tritium front and rear snag free ramped sights that are adjustable for windage.
On the firing line, the pistol performed flawlessly. Most 1911 owners will tell you that one of the drawbacks to some 1911s is the fact that they do not like hollow point ammunition, or at least not without the ramp being polished or a few hundred rounds shot through them. Luckily, this pistol did not hold true to that stigma. With a larger extractor and wider ejection port, having the worry about brass hanging up is greatly reduced!
Even with rapid shooting and off-hand unsupported shooting, the 1911 E-Series still provided excellent grouping. As you see by the hole in the middle, this pistol can be extremely accurate.
Bottom line, shooting this pistol was fun! It is extremely accurate, has a light, crisp trigger and feels great in your hand. As mentioned before, it is a bit heftier than run of the mill 1911s; however, it allows for very manageable recoil and faster follow-up shots. In fact, this pistol shot so well, my practice run ended up being my qualification. Even during off-hand/single hand shooting, every bullet hit the mark!
Keep in mind, I was just getting a feel for this pistol and was experimenting with rapid fire drills and emergency reloading. Even with that, I still managed to shoot the center out of my target. When I got to the 25-yard line, I decided to do rapid fire shooting since I had already met the minimum score for qualification and I wanted to see how well the follow up shots would be. I was not disappointed to say the least. At this distance and shooting speed, I did not expect to having a reasonable group. Walking back to the line, I was amazed to see that all rounds still hit center mass!
This pistol no longer sits in my safe! It has found a new home in a holster on my hip. Yes, it is heavy, but the slim profile that 1911s are known for make it easily concealable, especially with a good IWB holster. I would put this pistol up against any other top-tier 1911 manufacturer any day of the week!
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