Can't see rfo1's pics for some reason, but after having taken a closer look at my No. 101 I can safely say it's got the same marks.
Didn't really notice the first time I handled it. Gotta say I'm more bummed by how scuffed the matte black controls (slide lock, thumb safety and grip safety) are. And the wonky extractor.
By comparison, my S&W 1911DK had a much nicer finish from the factory, and it cost roughly the same. Having owned quite a few Smiths, I gotta say the only ones guaranteed to be top notch are the older generations and the Performance Center models. The new E-Series seems to confirm my impression.
Even though I'm sorta surprised they didn't put a little more effort into such a high-profile item, from the price I suspected it wouldn't be flawless. And I didn't expect much in the way of collectability either, just 'cause I believe true collector's items can't really be manufactured.
That said, it's a great-looking gun. I really dig the grips, the checkering is top notch, it racks nice and tight and even though I've never liked the look of those fishscale serrations, they actually feel great. The scrollwork is nice even though, like whitetailbuck, I noticed it's a little thin. Just on the slide though, on the frame it's nice and deep.
So yeah, I'm pretty satisfied overall, specially since this is my first acquisition in almost two years and I was looking for something a little different.
Didn't really notice the first time I handled it. Gotta say I'm more bummed by how scuffed the matte black controls (slide lock, thumb safety and grip safety) are. And the wonky extractor.
By comparison, my S&W 1911DK had a much nicer finish from the factory, and it cost roughly the same. Having owned quite a few Smiths, I gotta say the only ones guaranteed to be top notch are the older generations and the Performance Center models. The new E-Series seems to confirm my impression.
Even though I'm sorta surprised they didn't put a little more effort into such a high-profile item, from the price I suspected it wouldn't be flawless. And I didn't expect much in the way of collectability either, just 'cause I believe true collector's items can't really be manufactured.
That said, it's a great-looking gun. I really dig the grips, the checkering is top notch, it racks nice and tight and even though I've never liked the look of those fishscale serrations, they actually feel great. The scrollwork is nice even though, like whitetailbuck, I noticed it's a little thin. Just on the slide though, on the frame it's nice and deep.
So yeah, I'm pretty satisfied overall, specially since this is my first acquisition in almost two years and I was looking for something a little different.
