Charlie98 said:
Roe, I have a question for you...
I noticed your SW has an external extractor... Kimber tried the external extractor some years ago with poor success, do you see any limitations with that design? To be honest, I don't know what the deal is, except being external it may be vulnerable, but I doubt this. My Kimber has the standard internal extractor design. The HiPower, for one, has (was designed with) the external, I never had problem one with mine.
With Kimber's QC in question, I'm looking for a good, full-sized railed 1911... just like that!
miatakix said:
Not Roe, here, but FWIW I read a recent article about that new E-Series and they mentioned the external extractor. According to them, the success or failure of an external extractor 1911 has more to do with the manufacturer's experience and know-how with external extractors, and S&W has extensive experience, here. They said it was as good as any.
Makes sense to me, think about it...Sig Sauer, M&P, Glock, H&K, Ruger, FN (including Hi Powers), etc., etc. all have external extractors. The Hi Power design originally called for an internal extractor but was changed to external fairly early on.
Precisely! Both internal and external extractors have proven to be extremely reliable when they are designed and set up properly. I think the problems that Kimber had with their external extractors related more to the QC issues and growing pains the company went through (still are, according to some) as they struggled to keep up with demand.
As I stated above, that S&W has been 100% reliable from the very start with a wide array of target and self defense ammo. I can see no weaknesses in the system, nor have I heard of ongoing problems with external extractors, not only on their 1911's, but their entire line of autos.
As you know, most of the autoloaders I have are 1911 pattern guns, all but the Smith have internal extractors, and all have been very troublefree, even when using brass that has been loaded many times and the rims are very beat up. The S&W has been no exception...for that matter, the other autos I have/had that use an external extractor (S&W 39, CZ75B, High Power, along with numerous .22's) have all been stellar with no problems related to the extractors. Fact is, there are far more autoloaders with external extractors than internal.
Charlie98 said:
Not criticizing the external, per se, if the design called for it originally, but from what I have read here and other forums, even small changes to the 1911 will alter it's performance and reliability.
I've had such really good luck with my Kimber, I'm almost afraid to drop coin for another one and wind up disappointed.
You pay your money and you take your chances, but I wouldn't overlook any of the well made 1911's on the market today because they have an external extractor. And concerning the changes to the 1911, as JMB designed it...many of the changes that we see on current models have actually improved performance and reliability (like lowered and flaired ejection ports), although there are some designs or changes that prove troublesome (like the ultra short barreled examples).
Concerning the S&W 1911PD specifically...the reason I chose this model was because, at the time, it was the only 5" 1911 with a rail that used an alloy frame. My intent, the reason I bought the gun in the first place, was as a dedicated home defense weapon with white llight and laser capabilities. My desire was to keep the overall weight with the IT M6 attached as close as possible to a standard 1911 and this S&W met this challenge, albeit with a little more muzzel heaviness. It's reliability and accuracy right out of the box was not exactly expected, but is obviously warmly welcomed.
Roe