After tons of research, I decided on an Ed Brown 1911 and I love it.
Nicely done, I did the same.
You are just fueling my desire for a Wilson…
Actually, I did answer the OP’s question…sort of! LOL
Is there a better way to spend 3 grand on a 1911 than Wilson? Probably not. Again…I have never owned or fired one but I have handled several and have many of their parts in my two Colt 1911s. Wilson’s stuff and customer service is top notch. If you have 3 grand to burn…burn in confidence. LOL
However, I was very shocked at how well the borrowed Dan Wesson Valor shot. I have borrowed this 1911 from my friend several times and have put several boxes of hardball through the thing. It is accurate, reliable and seems pretty well made. I was amazed at what 1400 bucks buys you today in a 1911. My guess is that the Valor would serve 90% of the 1911 shooters here with ease.
I am pretty sure that inside and out, the Wilson CQB is probably a better finished 1911. Also, with the Wilson…I think you can custom order your CQB and have them add or change things to your liking. That is not possible with the production Valor.
I am also sure the Wilson groups tighter but I found it VERY easy to bounce empty Coke cans and ammo boxes all over the place with the Valor and some bulk 230gr FMJs. Not a scientific bench-rest test…but it told me that yes, I can hit with the Valor all day long. LOL
Again…if you have it to spend and don’t mind parting with it, I am sure the Wilson will be an amazing piece. However, I am too damned practical and will probably never spend 3 grand on a pistol anymore than I will spend 50 grand on a car.
If you have the means…go for it.
I have been a 1911 man my whole life and I can tell you that Ive either owned or shot one 1911’s made by the big names and there is a reason that I have Wilson Combat’s in my safe. I have a couple for sale in the Equipment Exchange btw (only reason I’m selling them is to fund another subgun) I had 6 Wilson 1911’s and I didn’t pay $3,000 for any of them. If you want one just have your money ready and pick up a nice used one. That’s how I got all the ones I have. I bought a NIB unfired Spet 2013 CQB for $2450 in February…its just doing your diligence and buying when the time is right.
In all seriousness, when I was at the Vickers 1911 Operators class last August I saw 1911’s from rack grades (production line) to custom built ones LB, EB, NH and such. The only ones that ran all weekend without any issues were Wilson’s. Larry, myself, and one other student used them and we watched as the rest of the guns choked and puked on the line.
Yeah but these days…aren’t these expensive 1911s just status symbols or hobby guns? Sort of how some buy Range Rovers but never take them out to play in the mud like we do with Jeeps? Or how some buy Rolex watches but would never dream of taking them diving or on their sailboat racing the open oceans?
If we want something that will never choke…won’t we just go out and get a Glock 19/17 for that duty?
Most guys I know that own Ed Brown, Wilson or other multi-thousand dollar 1911s carry a Glock 19 every day…not their expensive pretty 1911s.
I carry one of my Wilson’s daily, and if not I have my Sig MK25 with me.
No offense meant but I’m so sick of the stereo type that “Glock’s are fool proof” If someone knows how to maintain a 1911 and use it properly they will run a Glock into the damn ground. The problem is most people buy junk 1911’s and never learn how to maintain them let alone how to operate them properly so in that sense, yes, a Glock might work better. To someone who knows the platform inside and out and is willing to dedicate themselves to learning the platform, then the answer is the 1911 will run all the time…
End of my rant
True,
But the day of the affordable no-MIM 1911 is long gone. Most sub 1000 dollar 1911s range from average to iffy. For the money…chances are much better your 600 dollar Glock will out-run your 600 dollar 1911 all day long.
Glocks can fail…I have one that had the dreaded “brass to face” issue but this is tons less of a headache that the problems I have seen on 600 dollar 1911s from Asia and Turkey.
That said if the OP has the means…go for the Wilson.
Ill agree with you that sub par 1911’s will fail though I have seen MIM guns out run plastic wonder pistols. I had a Kimber 4" TLE (yes everyone jump on the Kimber haters club) but I stacked it up against everything that could be thrown against it and the gun out shot them all. Granted I put over 10 or so hours worth of work into it, tuning it to what I wanted and when I was done it was a true shooting pleasure. Not everyone has the capability to do that so to those guys I say-'buy once, cry once"
Funny thing with MIM is that there is good and bad. Colt guns are full of it as are Springfield’s but no one ever talks them down. Kimber got a bad rep due to it and I tell people that IF they want one to only look at the TLE series as they have everything you need with nothing you don’t. Ill be honest that when laying a new Colt, SA, and Kimber side by side most times id argue that the Kimber is the better value for the money. Springfield is just a name anymore and unless things have changed they are not manufactured 100% in the USA. Colt you get a free box of bandaids with every gun purchase as they are covered with sharp edges all over. If you look at the Kimber TLE you get everything standard that others charge more for-factory night sights, 30 LPI front strap checkering, single sided safety, single recoil spring (when comparing Commander size guns as SA uses a dual spring system) I would take any of the 3 and use them but not before I took them to my shop and did work to them.
I actually had a 5" Kimber TLE II that ran like a champ right out of the box. All I had to do to it was drift the rear sight. Judging by the posts here…I got one of the only good Kimber II Series guns made! LOL I have had to do tons more work on my Series 70 Colts than I ever did to the lowly Kimber. Yeah…for 780 bucks I paid…the thing ran damn well.
The TLE II might not have survived a week at Thunder Ranch or been a good sidearm for LEO duty but for weekend blasting the thing did pretty well. I was expecting tons of trouble but the lowly Kimber ran well. There is zero love here for Kimbers…if you have not noticed! LOL
I also picked up a lowly Springfield GI model for a song (400 bucks and it looked brand new) and the MIM filled made in Brazil bugger runs well. It is not very well finished and is not the most accurate 1911 I have shot but it cycles 100% with everything I feed it and in 8 years it has not broken a part. Again…for a cheap MIM filled foreign made 1911…the damn thing runs! LOL
I was under the impression that Colt only has like 3 MIM parts these days? All of my Colts were made before 1980, so I am not up on what they do right now but i heard they only have 3 MIM parts.
One 1911 that I have borrowed several times from a friend and am impressed with is a blued 5" Dan Wesson Valor. The thing is bone stock and has a great trigger, runs 100% and is accurate. I am shocked at what 1500 bucks buys in the 1911 world if this is how all DW Valors run. I am seriously thinking about picking one up.
Funny you mention DW as a friend just bought a railed 5" one and I too was impressed for the money what you get. There is member on here who wants to sell a 5" stainless Valor for $1400 if your seriously looking.
The Colt XSE series has more MIM and plastic than you can shake a stick at. Kimber uses a plastic MSH (which I shit canned ASAP) but I too must have gotten a SUPER RARE Kimber that worked out of the box!!! Mine wasnt stock when I ran it in a 500 rd day class but the gun didn’t explode in my hands either.
Well, I’m by no means at the top of the 1911 heap here, compared to many but I’ve owned 2 full customs (Chuck Rogers, Dave Berryhill) and 3 “semi” customers (Ed Brown, Guncrafter, Wilson CQB). And the only one I still have left is the Wilson, although I really did like the GI. So I’m with others, the Guncrafter and the Wilson I think are at the top of the heap these days.
Buy the Wilson
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pinnacle of customer service
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better re-sale based on name recognition
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regardless of their production roots, they run…and if they don’t, then Wilson makes them run
Thanks everyone for the input, it has been very helpful. I’m certainly leaning towards a Wilson, I went ahead and got a quote on one just the way I’d like it. Now, just to ensure that I am performing due diligence, what is the opinion on Les Baer’s guns? I’ve heard mostly good about the guns and good and bad about the service. They are an interesting option at roughly 1k less than a Wilson.
I had a LB and I have Wilson’s. Easiest way to put it
Les Baers are beautiful especially the Thunder ranch models. I have only held then and drooled but never shot one. The Wilson’s are a no mess around gun and super smooth to shoot.
I love their grips, and the commander sized bobtail 50 GI would be my dream carry gun
Out of curiosity for those of you that have WC pistols did you stick with .45 or opt for 9mm? Their CQB Light-rail lightweight in 9mm speaks softly to me when I look at photos of her online sometimes it seems.
All of mine are 45 but I have shot LAV’s 9mm Wilson at it is a sweetheart of a gun…but when you run a 9mm 1911 you are looking to add all the 1911 issues multiplied as the 9mm 1911 can be a problem child if not taken care of. The major issue with 9mm’s is the magazine and since WC has come out with their mags mant of those issues seem to have gone buy the way side.