Why They Changed the 1911: Smith & Wesson 1911 E-Series

Smith & Wesson's E-Series Lineup

When Smith & Wesson’s Herb Belin showed me pictures of the new E-Series SW1911 pistols with a big, bold letter E centered on their figured wooden grip panels, my initial question was, “What’s the ‘E’ stand for?”

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“Pick what you like,” he said. “Just think top-of-the-line. Like a Mercedes E-Class.” Well, whatever it stands for, S&W’s reconfiguration of its entire 1911 line in the centennial year of John Browning’s masterpiece certainly represents the most evolved stage of a world classic. It would be a gross overstatement to call the E-Series a reinvention of the 1911 itself, and S&W would never consider doing so, but in terms of the SW1911 product line as it existed before, it is just that.