Sig Sauer 1911 SME

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Sig Sauer 9mm 1911 SME

Sig Sauer - maker of a large line of high quality firearms for military, law enforcement, and consumer markets - is not new to the industry but is a relative newcomer to the crowded field of 1911 pistols.  Sig had some problems with these guns when it first entered the market several years ago, caused mostly by outsourcing a large portion of the gun’s parts without focusing enough on quality control standards of its vendors.  That situation is now far off in the rearview mirror and today’s Sig 1911’s are equal in quality to any production 1911 available; and better than most.

The Sig 1911 until very recently was easily identifiable by its unique (for 1911’s) slide profile.  The top of the slide – especially at the muzzle end – of the traditional John Moses Browning creation is rounded, while the Sig version has been more “squared off” or “blocky” in comparison.  This put off many of the traditionalists and did make the Sig not fit into most holsters made for 1911’s in general.  In most other ways, however, the Sig 1911 has always been a “real” 1911 in design and operation.

For whatever reasons, Sig has decided to introduce an additional version of its product with a more “traditional” profile and, simultaneously, to offer the gun in calibers other than .45acp. One of these “traditional” models is the Stainless Match Elite in 9mm Luger.  Sig describes it as follows on the company web site:

• “The traditional models feature the recognizable “round-top” 1911 slide profile, front cocking serrations and a lightweight, three-hole trigger. Standard on all models are a match-grade barrel, flat mainspring housing and speed bump grip safety. Front straps have 25LPI checking and the mainspring housing has 20LPI for optimum grip and user comfort.
• The 1911 Traditional Match Elite is the first SIG SAUER® 1911 to be offered in a caliber other than .45 Auto. A full-size 1911, the Match Elite chambered in .45ACP is available as a two-tone with a natural stainless steel frame and a Nitron-coated slide. The 9mm and .40S&W Match Elite models are also full sized, but feature a natural stainless slide and frame, white controls and adjustable target sights. The Match Elites feature Hogue custom wood checkered grips.”

One of the “Bunker Gang” has added a SME to his Sig collection and, as usual, most of us have had a chance to try it out.  We are all very impressed with this pistol for varying reasons. We believe the SME falls solidly into the category of “Accurate Marksmanship and Competition Pistol.”

1911T-SME extends the already excellent ergonomic features of the 1911 platform in general by adding aggressive grip patterns, grip safety and back strap profiles, trigger and hammer profiles, and forward cocking serrations on the slide; all of which are considered either essential or worthwhile upgrades by serious range/competition shooters and usually found only on much more costly custom guns.

Second only to excellent ergonomics, exact adherence to production specs and precise fitment of components is necessary for a 1911 to make a bullet go where the gun is pointed – ammunition quality aside, that is.  Spending several thousand dollars on a custom gun gets this job done when most “production” guns don’t quite meet the mark.  Sig (and a few others) include these quality requirements in their production guns, which is one of the reasons they cost a few hundred more than most others. And when Sig includes a match grade barrel and attaches the “Match Elite” name to a model it means that the precision quality control is even a bit tighter – intended to produce a competition quality gun right out of the box.

Most highly proficient “accuracy shooters” will applaud a finely tuned trigger as essential to producing consistently tight groups near the center of the bull’s-eye. Custom guns which cost two or three times the price of this Sig will have a better trigger feel and lighter pull, but this kind of precision is just not necessary for the general shooting population. Even so, a “custom gun” trigger job, if desired, can be applied to the Sig for a reasonable gunsmith fee, which will bring the Sig’s trigger feel into the lofty realm of much more costly examples of the 1911 platform.

Reliability in the 1911 platform depends generally on the build quality of the gun, but can also be affected by the design of the barrel’s feed ramp and the design/quality of the magazines.  Also, calibers other than 45acp have a reputation for being finicky with variations in ammo.  The Sig 9mm SME we tested has been 100% reliable with a wide variety of ammunition, including various bullet weights and shapes, factory magazines, and with several different operators.  No “break-in” was required, and the gun produced excellent results in accuracy and reliability from the first shot through the 200+ rounds we’ve fired so far. We tried to make it “choke” and couldn’t.

Overall build quality, excellent fit-n-finish, remarkable accuracy, and “To Hell and Back” reliability make the Sig 1911T-9-SME a top choice for a 9mm range gun. For those who don’t want to spend $3k or more for a range toy, the Sig gets you almost everything you want or need for about 1/3 the cost of the “perfect” 1911 range gun.

Respectfully submitted; 

The Bunker Gang

July, 2014