Excluding any price difference, is there a compelling reason to go with one over the other? (Non-railed version)
(By Professional, I mean the Custom Shop Professional - not a TRP.)
Would also be interested in hearing about extended reliability in dirty conditions. I wonder about that with the Professional.
Thanks.
What’s your intended use? I want to make sure I inform you to buy a Glock or M&P first and use the rest of the money to buy ammo and training…lol. :jester: and before I get railroaded I shoot Glocks M&Ps and 1911s and will carry both a 1911 and Glock…
Now that we have that out of the way, You are familiar with the testing that the pro went through for the fee bees right?
Toss a coin brother. Both are outstanding guns backed by the best CS in the industry. The Pro “may” carry a slight edge on collector value but that’s debatable…only the dea, FBI, hrt marked guns are probably truly collectible.
DockGR highly endorses the pro along with others, LAV says great things about Wilson.
My opinion pales in comparison to both of theirs…
My dad just picked up a cqb elite and it is a very very nice gun, I have a pro rail gun on order so again flip a coin.
ETA. You could also order a SA custom carry from the custom shop, wait isn’t too bad either. If you order new from Wilson or SA for either cqb or pro you are looking at well over a year or…find one for sale from a dustributor and pay more than retail.
i’ve owned alot of 1911s from baer, wilson, NH, brown, etc.
I actually have the pleasure of owning both the SA Pro and Wilson CQB. Both is a tossup in accuracy both in terms of finish and refinement the wilson wins hands down.
The SA custom carry is also nice because it’s one hell of a pistol to start a project on.
If Wilson’s CQB is the closest to what you really want (be extremely picky, these are all very nice 1911’s), then go with it.
Another silly thing worth considering is buying one used - both are extremely reliable and wear well, and that leaves budget room for added custom work if that’s what you want. I wound up with a NH 10-8, and found a deal on a LB TRS that is now nearly identical - sometimes for the money you can modify something that’s 98% there and still be ahead.
Ive owned a CQab, but my dream 1911 is the Professional
If u go Wilson specify all Bullet Proof internals.
It will cost you but I don’t think you’d find a nicer fighting gun if assembled correctly.
Owned and looked thru some Pro’s and would probably have to go with Wilson on this one. Not that I have experience with Wilson, but I doubt it would have the issues each Pro had. And yes this was within the last two years.
I am a SA fan. It is a great base pistol. I have a GI thru the custom shop that I love and a MilSpec that was done over by another smith. Both of those are awesome tools, thus buying a Milspec and having it worked up thru CS is a better deal over Pro, IMHO. You get exactly what you want done and alot sooner most likely.
This is unless, you want to sell it later then the Pro has its hardcore followers and resale value.
you going with a light rail?
if not then maybe consider a les baer TRS
What issues did you have. I’ve heard very few issues with the Pros.
I would be curious to hear the issues as well. I have over 4K through my Pro Operator and not a single hiccup
The TRS is no more - but their UTC is virtually the same thing. I still think the CC is the best model LB makes, but then again I’ve wound up with two used TRSs I found at great prices.
If you’re willing to drop an aftermarket barrel into a base springfield or a base colt, there is an argument for getting a ~$1000 base model and building it into exactly what you want, but if sounds like the OP is looking for complete bespoke models in the range of the Baer Custom Carry, Brown Executive Elite, Wilson CQB, or SA Pro FBI derivative.
In my opinion the fit and finish on the Wilson wins over the Spingfield.
As far as reliability in adverse conditions. I like to break in my 1911s first (1000+ rounds). Then when running, keep them wet (well lubed) as opposed to squeaky clean. Never had a problem with any of my Wilson’s choking.
The TS fit was not performed very well on either, thus engagement on sear with safety “on” was not enough to immobilize IMHO. Both had chamber cut too high, whereas, the ejector was not getting good contact on shell for ejection. Barrel frame ramp too shallow on both and VIS not relieved enough. And one had issue with barrel hood not being cut level causing another prob with lower lug.
No big deal, all of above was easily fixed, and both are in happy homes leading productive lives currently.
I owned a Pro and sold it a while back, just wasn’t what I expected. I know there is MIM debate, but around $2600 or so for a new Pro, I don’t feel it should have any MIM parts, regardless of how it performs, but that’s just my opinion.
Between the two, it should boil down to preference, both should be able to take hard-use. I do still own a CQB and feel it’s an excellent pistol and hard to beat.
I had the same problem with two of my SA Custom Shop pistols, one being a Pro, so it’s good to know it wasn’t just me.
Having just looked at two PRO’s, I was not impressed.
Go with WC.
C4
Thanks for the info. What is “VIS”? I have both the Professional and the CQB and neither have been fired much. I need to downsize a bit and since both have been fired less than 50 rounds (bought both new), I don’t have any experience with what to expect in terms of long-time reliability. I need to decide which to sell. Both of them are about 8 years old.
It’s been a tough decision. Thanks for all the feedback.
The VIS is the Verticle Impact Surface. That is where the lower barrel lugs contact the receiver when the barrel links down. Its forward of the feed ramp and rearward of the cross pin hole. The bottom of the VIS should be relieved by milling which takes stress off the lower lugs where the contact the slide stop when the pistol is in battery. The VIS almost looks like a bow tie.
My two Pros were outstanding. My two Wilsons not so much. One had hammer follow and double fires, the other was misfiring. Both had crooked slide to frame fit. Both were sent back for service, and came back with things they broke, or “forgot”. I’m positive they can do better, but at this point I would not drop the insane amount of cash they want for a new one.
In all honesty I probably should not have mentioned these little things that occurred with those pistols, because it always turns into pissing match.
It boils down to this, would I buy another SA, yes, in a heartbeat. That is because their customer service has been excellent ( to me ) and they make a great product for the money. The GI, Milspec, and used Loadeds are the best bang for your buck. Buy one, shoot the shit out of it and then figure out what is important and what is not. ( ie, why do a rightie need a ambi ) I hate them, so for me I don’t want a ambi on my pistol. A leftie is a diff. story, and so on.
The SA custom shop has done some excellent work on one of my pistols. But sometimes ( me included ) we feel the need to have the best of the best of the best. Nothing wrong there, just don’t go blowing smoke thinking that it hammers the cockroach any better than inexpensive hammer with a reliabilty job. JMHO.
Not arguing for or against Wilson, I haven’t been inside one, so I don’t know.
In the end, why spend all that money unless you know exactly what you want. And that is why you should buy a lower priced model, shoot it in class, training or whatever and figure out what is important to YOU. Buying the high end production pistol from ANY of the big manufacturers does not guarantee you won’t have issues.
I’ve owned both. They are both well made. Pick the one that has features you like. Ambi safety vs single. 20 LPI vs 30 LPI checkering. Novak vs Wilson sights. Ect ect.