Gun Tests Grade: A-

$1249

Our Smith & Wesson Pro Series uses a black finish on a stainless-steel slide, but the frame is scandium. The three-dot sights, while not pure Novak, are definitely a Novak style that provides a fast, clean sight picture. The S&W’s extractor is external and employs a large beveled hook. All of the edges on the slide assembly have been rounded and smoothed. There are no sharp edges to cut into your side from this little pistol and doing a “tap, rack, bang” drill was relatively painless. We were impressed by the machining on the inside of the slide. Very few tool marks were visible, but a lot of good polishing was. Diagonal grasping grooves had been cut at the rear of the slide only, and a Pro Series logo was on the right front side of the slide.

The scandium frame was cut high underneath the trigger guard, and the front strap has vertical serrations. The mainspring housing was alloy with good checkering. Even the magazine release button was checkered. The thumb safety is ambidextrous and extended. It was easy to manipulate, but it was not so large that it felt uncomfortable to either hand. Grips panels are polymer and well stippled. We have seen claims that scandium is “strong as titanium, light as aluminum and hard as ceramic.” Smith & Wesson’s use of scandium in their frame calms our potential concerns over their lack of a ramped barrel.

The beavertail grip safety is cut up nice and high and has a good pad at the bottom. The magazine well is beveled.

The recoil system uses a single, flat spring and a full-length guide rod. Disassembly is the same as with the Colt. The S&W doesn’t use a barrel bushing, like the others in this test group. The hood on the S&W’s barrel sports a small window that can be used to visually check for a loaded chamber. And we loved the polished ramp on the Smith. Far too often we see narrow feed ramps that are designed to feed rounded, full-metal-jacket bullets. All well and good, but what if we want to shoot old-fashioned semi-wadcutters? The ramp and throat on the Smith have been opened wide to help you feed about anything you please.

One of the things we watch for is how the pistol moves in recoil. Is the recoil overly harsh? Does the muzzle torque as the slide moves to the rear? Realizing this is very subjective, we liked the recoil impulse and movement of the S&W the best. The front sight seemed to rise straight up and settle straight back down on the target, making follow-up shots easier.

Function was 100% with all ammo tested. The Smith’s favorite load was the Black Hills 135-grain Honey Badger.

Our Team Said: The S&W came in second place in accuracy and didn’t miss first by much. It eked out a first-place finish on the speed trials. Some shooters may prefer this gun over the SIG.

45 ACP RANGE DATA

Drill Data