Sidearms & Scatterguns S&W 1911 Scandium E-Series woes.

[normbal]

I'll try to keep this short and to the point, but some description is necessary.

Bought a Smith and Wesson 1911 Scandium (S&W 1911 E Series Scandium Frame 45 ACP 4.25" 8+1 Wood grips - budsgunshop) about a month back.

I just got this gun back from S&W for warranty repair today. I picked it up a month ago, got it to the range a week later and ran about 100 rounds through it. I Iike the weight and balance (compared to the dozens of other 1911s I've owned and still own), fit and finish is first-rate, but it wouldn't keep shooting for me. I'd pop off a round or two and the gun wouldn't fire. Trigger pull was about 5 lbs, imperceptible uptake, crisp break with minimal overtravel. Using factory and milsurp (packed 1943) rounds impacted where I thought they would, recoil was manageable, couldn't ask for more. Except for that thumb safety.

Turns out the thumb safety wasn't engaging the pin in the little dimple the way John Moses Browning designed it. Sent it back on their dime. They sent me a shipping label. Just the slightest upward pressure and the safety would reengage. There was a faint streak about a millimeter to one side on the face of the thumb safety showing this hadn't been properly fitted at the factory. So they fixed it. Even wrote me a note to that effect. Repaired to factory spec.

Took another look at it tonight and it STILL isn't engaging the dimple. Careful investigation reveals the RIGHT-handed portion of the thumb safety the tang,, the thing that makes it ambidextrous, is bumping into the top of the grip. Talk about your mission focus. They fixed the safety alignment, but not the fit. It still doesn't work the way it's designed. Still won't engage solidly.

Otherwise it's a great gun. I'm just going to have to decide how to handle this myself. I like the gun. It's just this one thing. So chuck the right-hand half of the thumb safety if I can figure out how to disassemble it, grind the end off so it clears the top of the grip, or remove the grip, trim and refinish. A lot of hassle to go through for something you figure a good 'smith would have caught before it left the factory the first time.

So yeah, I let S&W know about it. But it's a long weekend, and this is another factory gun I wouldn't trust my life to. But it'll get there.

For $1125 delivered, you'd think they'd have the bugs worked out. Or know how to fix it. Shit, I can do a better job, and it looks like I'll have to.

 

[GunKnowledge]

Re: S&W 1911 Scandium E-Series woes.

You sure it's the grip panel that's causing that?

Very odd failure that I've NEVER heard of before. While it may LOOK like the grip panel, it may be bottoming out somewhere else as well and ends up right on the grip. I'd unscrew the grip panel and try the safety without it mounted.

Then, no matter what it is, demand S&W fix it again and not only fix it, but have someone shoot it a few times, function test everything, and provide a test target.

 

[normbal]

Re: S&W 1911 Scandium E-Series woes.

Thanks. Took the grip panel off. The grip screw stud came out of the frame. Got it apart, put back with some loctite red. I thought those things were supposed to be staked in place? Anyway, yeah, it's the excess length of the right side of the "tang" (the extension) on the right hand part of the thumb safety that's stopping the downward travel of the safety on top of the right grip panel which isn't allowing it to engage the stop pin (plunger) in the detent on the left-hand side of the safety. I'm going to wait and see what response I get from S&W, but it's a fix I'm more likely to feel better about fixing myself.

Bought a Kimber ultra compact CDP II a couple years ago. shot it a few times, the trigger creep got worse to unacceptable. I had a sear fixture from other tinkering I'd done with older WW2 guns and DGFM surplus pistols, so I cut the sear, put in another trigger return spring, it was like a totally different gun. I'll take another look at it in the morning when the rum wears off. It's salvageable. Just a shame they let this out of the factory.

Thanks again.

 

[Veer_G]

Re: S&W 1911 Scandium E-Series woes.

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body"> Thanks. Took the grip panel off. The grip screw stud came out of the frame. Got it apart, put back with some lactate red.</div></div>

I wouldn't WECSOG it. If you want to keep it, send it off to a good third-party 'smith who'll get it fixed the first time and be done with it.

Oh, and it's "red Loctite." I'm not sure what "red lactate" is, but it sounds like an infant with big fangs might just be involved.

 

[normbal]

Re: S&W 1911 Scandium E-Series woes.

I edited the post. I should turn off spellcheck.

Thinking this might be educational for me and for the 'smiths at S&W to fix their own problems but the hassle I have to go through to get the gun back isn't really worth the time and gas to drive to the FEDEX office to pick up. I have a signature release on file but they - S&W - want an adult signature and FEDEX try to deliver during the DAY time when the only person home is my teenage daughter. So FEDEX routes the package to a local (6 miles) office a day later and I can pick it up anytime they're open.

Interesting thing, S&W ship second day. I had a talk with a FEDEX rep about this. Yes, they're supposed to ship guns overnight. I thought only us C&R FFL holders were playing fast and loose with their rules. Most FFLs I buy from ship to me via USPS priority.

 

[chaser_2332]

Re: S&W 1911 Scandium E-Series woes.

ups allows me to ship handguns next day air. For the longest time i thought it had to be next day air. they saved me bunches of moneies i thought i had to spend.

 

[Karsten]

Re: S&W 1911 Scandium E-Series woes.

Years ago when I was shooting IPSC I had a Custom Shop S&W 745. after changing grips I had the same issue with the Ambi Safety hitting on the right side.

I removed the grip panel and ever so carefully relieved the area with a Dremel tool sanding drum. refinished and the problem was solved. It does take much the so go slowly.

Karsten

 

[normbal]

Re: S&W 1911 Scandium E-Series woes.

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Karsten</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Years ago when I was shooting IPSC I had a Custom Shop S&W 745. after changing grips I had the same issue with the Ambi Safety hitting on the right side.

I removed the grip panel and ever so carefully relieved the area with a Dremel tool sanding drum. refinished and the problem was solved. It does take much the so go slowly.

Karsten</div></div>

That's likely going to be the route I'll take to fix this. It's not a WECSOG. I built 10 FN-FAL rifles from kits years back, THAT was WECSOG. Sanding, finishing? Just normal gun tinkering we all should be able to do. Thanks.

 

[leadbullet]

Re: S&W 1911 Scandium E-Series woes.

sounds like the least expensive solution, always grind on the cheapest part too.
good luck.

 

[SoTex]

Re: S&W 1911 Scandium E-Series woes.

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: attherange</div><div class="ubbcode-body">, always grind on the cheapest part too.
</div></div>

First off, I agree with the above and it is one of my top generally accepted gun plumbing principles. Second, I would advocate judicious file usage on something like this, as opposed to a dremel tool.

Also have seen this happen before, primarily when installing crimson trace grips on 1911s. In that case the cheapest part in play is NOT the grip, but that is what needs to be fit.