Gun Report

Smith & Wesson MSW1911 No. 108284 45 ACP, $1256 (B+ Feb 2010)

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The Smith & Wesson MSW1911 delivers a lot for the money, but came in a notch below our competitors in refinement and accuracy. A Best Buy contender, you could take the money you save and have it tuned by the factory or your favorite gunsmith.

Smith & Wesson MSW1911 No. 108284 45 ACP, $1256 (B+ Feb 2010)

Gun Details

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Home Defense
Law Enforcement
Concealed Carry
Hunting
Recreational
Competition
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Weight Unloaded
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Trigger Pull Double
Trigger Span Double

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Field-stripping the MSW1911 was straightforward, but care had to be exercised not to let the recoil spring retainer fly off into parts unknown. Yes, that happened to us.

The S&W1911 was the only gun in our tests that uses an external extractor, which is anchored with a rivet in a recess in the frame.

The frontstrap checkering was adequate, but we�d like it to extend further down for greater gripping area.

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Firearms Prices

Gun Tests has been independently reviewing firearms since 1989. This website contains many older reviews. Unless otherwise noted, these reviews carry the guns' prices at the time of the original review