S&W1911 Performance Center!

[Black Majik]

Well,

I stopped by my local gunshop, and they had a Smith & Wesson 1911 done by the Performance Center. The fit and Finish was NICE! Tight slide to frame fit, nice front strap checkering.

What surprised me most about the detail was the rear sight was slightly beveled so it didn't look like a rear adj. target sight was plopped on there. It looked quite good!

The trigger pull felt really nice. None of the grittiness I usually find in new guns. It definitely felt lighter than the stated 3.5 - 4 lbs.

Only gripe is the "oversized external extractor." Doesn't do anything for me... but if it works then... eh, what the hell..

Heres the details:
Hand Lapped Frame and Slide
30 LPI Frame Frontstrap Checkering
Hand Fitted and Lapped Barrel
Hand Polished Barrel Feed Ramp
Hand Fitted Barrel Bushing
Crisp 3.5 - 4.0 lbs. Trigger Pull
Full Length Guide Rod
Oversized External Extractor
Unique Front and Rear Slide Serrations
Ambidextrous Frame Safety
Unique Magazine Well Extension
Two 8 Round Magazines
Performance Center Gun Rug included

I walked out impressed and drooling, and I wasn't even near impressed with the regular SW1911 out.

I also held a S&W scandium 1911 commander size. Pretty nice pistol. Good pointability, looked good except for the huge rollmarks on the slide. But holding this gun after the PC SW1911, I quickly handed the scandium pistol back. It was like looking at an M5, then checking out the 525i.

If you haven't yet, take a look at the SW1911 PC. its got my 2 thumbs up.

 

[Rob96]

What was the price tag on that puppy?

 

[Black Majik]

LOL $2150.

 

[Heraclitus]

Nice. Very nice. The oversized extractor is hardly a sore to my eye, though. I've got a P99.

 

[HankB]

For $2150 you can get a Les Baer Premier II and have around $650 left over. And it won't have the ugly rollmarks or the "gun can fire without magazine" warning engraved into the metal.

Or you can get an Ed Brown custom pistol - then at least you're paying the extra money to have a BNP (Big Name Pistolsmith) logo on the gun.

 

[Berg01]

I have the "non PC" SW1911 with adjustable sights. It came with 2 Wilson 8 rd. mags and a checkered frontstrap. After 300+ rounds without a hiccup, I couldn't be happier with this gun.

 

[45R]

For 2150 I could have the Sig GSR and the Sig 220-EL with a handful of mags The SW1911PC is pretty nice looking though! I saw it at one of the local shops around here and it was pretty impressive!

 

[Beorn]

I like my regular ol' S&W 1911. She is great. No complaints at all...

 

[Black Majik]

HankB,

Actually this pistol doesn't have those oversized SW1911 rollmarks on the other side of the slide. I wish there was a picture of the flipside of the pistol.

But yeah, I do agree with the concensus. Its only good use is to drool and oogle over.

For $2150 I'd get a Customized Colt Special Combat Government.

 

[Tamara]

HankB,

For $2150 you can get a Les Baer Premier II and have around $650 left over. And it won't have the ugly rollmarks or the "gun can fire without magazine" warning engraved into the metal.

Or you can get an Ed Brown custom pistol - then at least you're paying the extra money to have a BNP (Big Name Pistolsmith) logo on the gun.

Something tells me that this has about as much in common with a regular ol' SW1911 as a Springer Pro does with a plain Jane "Loaded".

 

[HankB]

Tamara:

Something tells me that this has about as much in common with a regular ol' SW1911 as a Springer Pro does with a plain Jane "Loaded".

Uhhhh . . . maybe that's why I compared it with a couple of other "upscale" 1911s . . .

 

[boots]

oversize extractor...

if the oversize extractor broke, what are your replacement options? would you have to get another one from SW perfomance center? no other options? is it a proprietary extractor?

 

[NEtracker]

Those PC guns are just too pricey.
Nice to look at, but I'll stick with my plain vanilla SW1911.
(wonder if I can rent one of the PC SW1911's at the S&W range, $25 try a gun with box of 50 rnds...that's how I tried out the SW1911 before it was approved for sale in MA)

 

[krusty311]

Looks good but there are better pistolas to be had for the 2k mark.



krusty

 

[perry1963]

s&w1911 Performance

i'am sure the S&W's are good and it's a good looking pistol, but for that price, or less, you could get a wilson or les baer and there won't be that ugly gap between grip saftey an frame tangs, all the factory "enhanced" pistols i've seen have that gap, i know it's because there a made on an assmbly line, nothing beats hand fitting of that part and having fit a number of them myself i know it very time consuming but if you are going to pay that much for a handgun there shouldn't be any flaws like that.

 

[Tamara]

perry1963,

i'am sure the S&W's are good and it's a good looking pistol, but for that price, or less, you could get a wilson or les baer and there won't be that ugly gap between grip saftey an frame tangs, all the factory "enhanced" pistols i've seen have that gap, i know it's because there a made on an assmbly line,

The Performance Center SW1911 is no more made on an "assembly line" than a Wilson or Baer. I'll wait until I have one in my hands before developing any final opinions, but I'd wager this is a pretty well fitted-up gun.

(Oh, and it's rather more expensive than your average Baer or Wilson, as some have pointed out above.)

 

[perry1963]

that would depend on what model wilson or baer you choose, and even by just the photo i can see a gap in the frame tangs, if this was hand fitted it was done poorly, look at a picture of a wilson or baer and all you see is the line separting the two parts, yes there has to be some gap so the part will work but it should be so slight you can't see it.

 

[Tamara]

look at a picture of a wilson or baer

I think I'll just go look at one of the actual guns...



Okay, back.

The gap on the Baer is tolerable, but they fitted the GS wrong. I'll look at some more Baers & Wilsons tomorrow...

(PS: A lot of that depends on the brand of GS chosen...)

(PPS: Why does Baer bead blast their stuff with railroad ballast? It ain't as bad as some recent Stainless Gold Matches I've seen, but still... )

 

[perry1963]

s&w1911 performance

the gap on the baer is tolerable, but they fitted the GS wrong[/
QUOTE]


what was wrong with it?, there is going to be a gap, there has to be or the part would not pivot when depressed, les baer makes his own GS so i don't think it is an issue with the brand however you are right, the brand makes a difference, maybe i'am being picky, nothing is perfect, but for $2150 it should be very close to perfect.

 

[Marshall]

For that price I could just about buy 2 Novak BHP's, and would.

 

[Tamara]

what was wrong with it?

The contour on the top is fitted to look smooth when the GS is grasped (which is wrong, but only from a cosmetic standpoint), without as much attention to detail on the bottom side of the GS when grasped.

Do your Baers exhibit this trait, too?

(...and about that overly coarse bead blasting... Does it bother you as much as it does me? )

 

[perry1963]

if you mean it's not level with frame tangs on top when it's not being depressed?, that it's higher than tangs then yes, it's level when depressed, thats the way they are fit, since the part pivotes you can't have it both ways, either higher or lower, i got mine about 11 or 12 years ago when i worked at TUNERS OUTDOORSMEN, we got 4 of them in the store, $900.00 is what i paid, employee discount was cost plus 10%, so i got a good deal but still alot of $, aleast for me, my finish is not ruff, about the same as a blued colt, back then anyway, les baer uses bearcoat finishes now mabey thats why they are ruff, i don't know much about bearcoat finishes, anyway GS is kinda like frontstrap checkering in that it can look bad but still function, just a matter of taste i guess.

 

[Brass Balls]

These are now available for under $1600 which puts it right in the hunt with several semi-custom 1911s. I'll be able to tell you more about it next week when mine come in.

 

[eerw]

Nice to look at..still pretty spendy..but in line with a lot of the factory custom guns..from Baer, Brown and Wilson...


looks like the new version they switched out the hammer to Koenig's hammer..which makes sense if Koenig is going to shoot one..

nice looking gun..I like the lack of a big rollmark..wish they would make a plain 1911SC..that would be nice..