22 July 03

Poor Marks for S&W from a Friend and Student:

"After your glowing report on the new S&W 1911 that you shot at the recent IALEFI Convention in Orlando, FL, I went yesterday to a big gun store with which we are both familiar. I had every intention of purchasing one. They had a copy under the counter. The clerk, who is a good friend, just rolled his eyes and handed it to me.

What a disappointment!

The plastic butt pad on the Wilson magazine (supplied with the pistol) promptly fell off as soon as I picked it up. The feed ramp is the roughest I have ever seen on a 1911, I mean serious, easily visible, uneven, ridges. The trigger is heavy and gritty.

Worst of all, the manual safety lever has a clear and distinct "false on" position, short of the true "on" position. This isn't just a hesitation or a rough spot. It is a definite "false stop." Moreover, it took all the strength I could muster with both my thumbs to force the safety lever up to the true "on" position.

A good gunsmith could, I'm sure, easily fix all the problems I saw, but how did this gun ever get out the door? I had a boyish hope we might finally have a gun from this manufacturer that was ready for duty, right out of the box.

With all due respect, my friend, you need to look at more than one before you write glowing reports!"

Comment: My friend is right, of course. I obviously spoke too soon. Poor quality control has been S&W's nemesis for decades, and it appears to have reared its ugly head once more, just as the company was emerging from its self-imposed public relations disaster.

It is so frustrating. We all want this grand old American company to succeed ! But, with issues as described in the forgoing, success will continue to elude them.

/John