I am in the market for a good quality 1911 and wanted to know the input of those on this forum of which brand has the best track record . This gun will be used as a carry weapon and home defense respectively. Out of Nighthawk , Wilson, or Ed Brown what are the pro’s and con’s of each , and if you do own one of these brands why did you choose that specific gun? Thank you all.
I don’t personally own one, YET. However my uncle has owned Wilson and NH. He says quality wise they are pretty even. Customer service wise they are pretty even with slight edge to Nighthawk. He does know several people with issues with Ed Brown CS. He is a 1911 fanatic by the way. I believe LAV promotes Wilson as a 1911 factory built gun.
Use the search button. They’re all nice guns. Get the size you want with the sights you want, and the rest will come down to training with it.
Wilsons cost more but they have more options available. I don’t know much about Nighthawk but the dealer near me that sells Wilson sells Nighhawk and Guncrafters and they seem nice. With Nighthawk being ex Wilson employees I’d imagine they are very similar. Ed Browns are a little less money and less options. I liked the looks of the Special Forces in Stealth Grey and I havent had any problems in a little over 2K rounds.
I’d give Baer and GC a hard look too.
I’ve had an Ed Brown SF for almost 5 years and it runs flawless. Hasn’t choked once. I’ve owned a NH way back when they were first introduced. This is when the ex Wilson employees started it up. Those said employees have since returned to Wilson leaving employees of unknown skill sets at Nighthawk. Wilson? Well you cant go wrong there.
My semi-custom stable includes EB Kobra Carry, Springfield PRO in railed and standard variety, and Baer Thunder Ranch. All are excellent and worth of a holster on your side in most environments. I’d feel that exact same way with a NH or Wilson.
I have mainly wilsons but I have one ed brown SF that I’ve carried for a while now, extremely please with both wilson and EB
Get a nice series 70 Colt and have a guy like Tim Cronin at Blackops precision do what work you desire. I have owned $3k 1911s and it is just not worth it to me anymore. It is my opinion. Save the money for ammo and other uses/guns.
I have a Nighthawk Talon that is flawless and has functioned perfectly for about 3,000 rounds. A friend has a couple of Wilsons that he loves. I haven’t shot a Brown. There is a lot of info. on them all at 1911forum.com. I think you’ll be pleased with any of those choices.
Eric
Tthank you all for your input and time. I believe I am going with the Wilson Tactical Supergrade. We will see how it runs!
Stay Safe All
Talk about jumping into the deep end of the pool! While the Supergrade is a fine weapon, I’m sure, I don’t think I’d cough up the extra $2k over a classic, or CQB
Good luck!
I could not agree more. Of course you can save a few hundred more and go with the xtac with parkerized finish.
Wilson Combat. They have very good customer service as well, and have been great in terms of giving me all the information I needed out their products thus far.
oh, and when I said CLassic, I mean the Wilson Classic. Not the EB.
You have yet to mention a pistol I wouldn’t be envious of, even with my pile of 10-8 silhouette ones.
In any case, a used version of ANY of those (WilsonCQB or SG, Brown Kobra or SF, Baer SRP or TRS, Nighthawk Tal or GRP, Springfield PRO or TRP, or finally building off a Colt TaloCCG) would be more than adequate as a starting point.
At some of the prices I’ve seen used CQB’s for, it’s hard to argue against one for an all-around pistol. Not sure how hard to price out a refresh on a really used one would be, but a lower round count one would be a really worthwhile find to build off of.
Buy a Baer and spend the other $1000 on ammo and a good holster. I can’t for the life of figure out why people bring up customer service every time $1500-2500 1911s are discussed. Do your damn homework and chose wisely and the last thing you will have to worry about is customer service. 
I bought a Baer, and needed to use their customer service. Even though they blamed me for malfunctions that were a result of their machining mistake. They declined to help me.
What homework didn’t I do? And why shouldn’t I relate my experience to people who are looking for first-hand knowledge?
You certainly should share your experiences, I wasn’t suggesting you shouldn’t. My point was with all the semi-customs the chance of you needing customer service in slim. Wilson makes a hell of a nice 1911 and their CS is tops but you pay for it.
Has nobody said this yet? The thread is over a week old and somebody’s asking about a 1911… fine, I’ll say it.
Buy a Glock 19.