OUCH!! I know it’s a good gun, but I’d have trouble forking over that much cash. Then again, time is money, and not being on a wait list would be nice…
I hear that George over at MIGunslingers is THE go-to man if you want a full custom or production model for ANY high-end 1911. There are many reports over at the 1911Forums of customers who have repeatedly found guns for cheaper with less wait time by ordering through George than directly through a business, even for full custom builds. He also has very flexible payment plans. I have yet to hear or read about a negative dealing with him.[/QUOTE]
I have a NH Talon that I got from George several years ago. Great gun, never a problem in a few thousand rounds and fun to shoot. Their old Permakote finish was not very durable. Their CS was great when I sent them a Baer Custom Carry to replace the sights. George is great to work with and there is a ton of info. on 1911forum.com.
Several friends have WC, and you can’t go wrong with WC or NH.
Eric
It’s too hard to generalize opinions about the two. Bac1023 would be the best person I would say to critique the virtues of each but then it will all boil down to each different model. Entry level vs top shelf semicustomized/fully custom 1911s are different strengths among manufactures. All of which I personally do not have the credentials to pick through. Email bac1023 and see what he says. 
Not to take a thing away from Nighthawk, but a look at resale values should also prove highly instructive.
AC
MRBS of 5,000 is great for any pistol. Especially a 1911.
I’ve pics of several dogs they put out over the years that made my wonder WTF were they thinking. Here is one from a few years ago that I just happen to have in my photobucket. Whoever let this one out the door should be pumping gas instead of building 1911s. 
In semi custom 1911’s there is Wilson Combat… and then there is everyone else…
I disagree.
The biggest difference I can tell between the bottom level Wilson and the super grade is mainly whose name is on the build sheet and cosmetics.
My bottom grade Wilson Xtac is “better” than any semi custom 1911 I have seen or shot and “better” than many custom 1911s I have seen and shot. “Better” in this context meaning either more reliable, more accurate, or more attention to detail.
Same goes for other Wilsons I have owned/shot (with the new frame and slide.) Wilson quality is remarkably consistent.
agreed
I had a WC CQB many years ago that I unfortunately had to sell about a year after I got out of the service.
It shot everything I put through it except for WinClean. I chalk the failures with that ammo to the ammo, as it had so much buffer in it. The white buffer garbage in the ammo was sticking to everything and gummed up the action.
I regret having to sell it. I carried the pistol daily, and it was not handled with kid gloves by any stretch of the imagination.
The only complaint I had was with the ArmorTuff finish. When it started to come off it came off in flakes.
Other than that, and the issue with WinClean (Which i have sworn off using under ANY circumstance) it was the perfect gun.
Buy a couple of each, put them in safe storage, and sell them in five years for double what you paid for them.
Believe they have changed the formula. More resilient now.
They have indeed. The old Armor-Tuff criticisms of the 90s were largely just a cosmetic concern, but one that obviously bothered folks shelling out big money for a top-tier pistol. Of course, even when the finish showed serious wear, the base metal was still well-protected, so even the earliest coatings did their jobs. As the old Virginia Slims ads used to say, however, “you’ve come a long way, baby.” Today’s formulation is a vastly different – and more durable – animal.
AC
Let me ask a question of the builders of the awesome 1911 platform. I have an issue if there is any space whatsoever in the frame to rail fit. I have several 1911’s that is a perfect fit. Machined to perfection.
Here is what I have noticed, the bottom left groove and bottom right groove are always tight. But often the top left zig zag that looks like a chair, will have an imperfect fit. There will be space or air between the slide and frame. On this pictured piece of garbage (which I have a hard time believing its a Nighthawk- not my point though) there is space everywhere.
My question, how important is the frame to slide fit on the upper left portion of the fitting? I like it to be perfect. I always check this before I buy one, even though Ive suspected its not critical. ???
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I have a NHC Predator II and a Wilson Supergrade.
The WC Supergrade has been through classes with Bob Vogel, Louis Awerbuck, Ken Hackathorn, Larry Vickers.
The NHC had given me problems from the beginning. Finally got it back from NHC and it worked great through 1 day 400-500 round class. Took it home and ran it through the ultrasonic tank with a few other pistols that needed cleaning. D’oh! The new black nitride finish doesn’t play well with ultrasonic tanks, so now my slide finish looks all funky. My fault for forgetting about this, as the gun came back with a tag on it saying not to. But habits are hard to break, and frankly, I don’t know why people get so wound up about finishes, anyway. They get holster wear, so what?
I’d definitely buy another WC, and I would probably buy a NHC, but if there were two in the case at the same price with the same options I’d grab the WC in a heart beat.
You aren’t really talking about slide to frame fit in this instance; you are talking about the height at which the slide is riding over the ejector, and a certain amount of clearance is normal, as they are not contact surfaces, per se. A very detail-oriented smith may install and fit an oversized ejector to minimize this on a full-house gun (especially if the slide has been over-relieved in this area), but the working end of the ejector up front is really what counts, and the gap is of no consequence in functional terms.
AC
It can be critical. Ejector fitting is discussed in this 1911.pro thread:
http://www.1911proDOTcom/forum/viewtopic.php?f=23&t=850&hilit=ejector
and Chuck threw in some wisdom on making it right
as for the WC vs. NH argument, I can’t say, because I’ve never handled a NH. But I know a guy that can buy anything he wants, and he bought TWENTY Wilson 1911’s. Draw your own conclusions from that info :blink:
Just for the sake of perfect clarity, we are now talking about the importance of a properly-fitted ejector. This may or may not have anything to do with the slide “gap” itself for reasons already discussed; however, ejector length and height are definely critical to a properly-functioning 1911.
AC
This was exactly the answer I wanted clarification on. Thank you AC.
Spot on, as always, AC.