Trigger Mike Posted April 9, 2011 Share Posted April 9, 2011 My wife wants to buy me a Wilson 1911 for our anniversary since I saw one on the wire and it was sold before I could tell him, those magic words, "I'll take it". Before I actually go out and get one, are they worth the extra money? What about them makes them better? I own a WW2 Colt, Remington Rands, modern Springfield GI and a Kimber. How does a Wilson compare? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Original Lumpy Gritz Posted April 9, 2011 Share Posted April 9, 2011 Wilson is NOT anything to write home about Wilson is VERY PROUD of their stuff Respectfully, LG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trigger Mike Posted April 9, 2011 Author Share Posted April 9, 2011 Wilson is NOT anything to write home about Wilson is VERY PROUD of their stuff Respectfully, LG They do price them to keep. I do know I really like their magazines. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sassy Teton Lady, SASS #47525 Posted April 9, 2011 Share Posted April 9, 2011 Woody has a CQB and absolutely loves it. Best shooting 1911 we have. We will be at GA State match and would gladly let you shoot it for the WB match or just in general. That way you can be the judge. You can pm me for contact info if you are interested. Hugs Sassy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LawMan Mark, SASS #57095L Posted April 9, 2011 Share Posted April 9, 2011 IMHO, Wilson's, and Les Baer's guns, are worth it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt. C.J. Sabre, SASS #46770 Posted April 9, 2011 Share Posted April 9, 2011 Wilson's are a custom made gun, like a Shiloh Sharps. All parts are made to Wilson's specks, and are hand fitted. They are worth what they ask for them, because people will PAY that much for them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lone Dog, SASS #20401 Posted April 10, 2011 Share Posted April 10, 2011 In this day and age with the amount of hand fitting that goes into a Wilson, they are a veritable bargain! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trigger Mike Posted April 10, 2011 Author Share Posted April 10, 2011 In this day and age with the amount of hand fitting that goes into a Wilson, they are a veritable bargain! The hand fitting is one thing I did not know. what other features makes them better? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LawMan Mark, SASS #57095L Posted April 10, 2011 Share Posted April 10, 2011 The hand fitting is one thing I did not know. what other features makes them better? The service you receive if you ever have a concern or problem. They are genuinely interested in your plight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boss Hoss Fly #63711 Posted April 10, 2011 Share Posted April 10, 2011 Wilson makes gud replacement parts to put on your other 1911's---------------------------------------------------------- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grizzly Dave Posted April 10, 2011 Share Posted April 10, 2011 Sounds like you have several 1911s already, if you get another that will put you way over quota, you'd best give one to me so you don't upset the balance of nature. After all, I don't even have one 1911. Grizz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Original Lumpy Gritz Posted April 10, 2011 Share Posted April 10, 2011 Wilson's are a custom made gun, like a Shiloh Sharps. All parts are made to Wilson's specks, and are hand fitted. They are worth what they ask for them, because people will PAY that much for them. Shiloh Sharps MAKES all their parts "in house" down to the screws Wilson does NOT.......and never has Just about every part Wilson uses in any of their guns you can get from Brownell's They are NOT the only gun builders to do this Cheers, LG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Okie Sawbones, SASS #77381 Posted April 10, 2011 Share Posted April 10, 2011 Hey Mike, you didn't say what type you are looking at. Do you want a carry gun? Combat/tactical gun? Wild Bunch gun? There are a lot of quality custom gun makers for the 1911 besides Wilson, such as Ed Brown, Les Baer, Nighthawk Custom, STI, and Infinity. The bottom line? They'll all outperform my capabilities, and probably 99.99% of other shooters. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trigger Mike Posted April 10, 2011 Author Share Posted April 10, 2011 Hey Mike, you didn't say what type you are looking at. Do you want a carry gun? Combat/tactical gun? Wild Bunch gun? There are a lot of quality custom gun makers for the 1911 besides Wilson, such as Ed Brown, Les Baer, Nighthawk Custom, STI, and Infinity. The bottom line? They'll all outperform my capabilities, and probably 99.99% of other shooters. I just want one to carry once in a while and keep by the bed at night and shoot for fun. I probably would not carry it often as it would have to stay in the car while at work and I'd hate for it to be stolen. Everyone at work figures I carry and some have asked to see my gun. I take one co worker shooting after work every blue moon with her daughter so she can learn to shoot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trigger Mike Posted April 10, 2011 Author Share Posted April 10, 2011 Shiloh Sharps MAKES all their parts "in house" down to the screws Wilson does NOT.......and never has Just about every part Wilson uses in any of their guns you can get from Brownell's They are NOT the only gun builders to do this Cheers, LG I think that is why I have not bought one yet. When I go to a dealer and ask they tell me their springfield guns can be tricked to be as good as a Wilson. They say Kimber is already tricked close to a Wilson out of the box. A lot of folks put it down. I myself often wondered why I would spend that kind of money on one gun, but as I age I have learned that sometimes you do get what you pay for. Many times the dealers who don't like them don't carry them and that makes me wonder if that is why they don't like them. I know My first carry gun as a cop was a COlt Double Eagle 45 Auto and it was great, then I bought a Sig P220 45 auto and carried it and when I qualified with it it almost shot by itself it was so good. The rounds just naturally went where they should. My scores suddenly improved. I wonder if the Wilson is the same way, if it is designed so that it will do like my Sig and the rounds just automatiaclly go where I want them to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt. C.J. Sabre, SASS #46770 Posted April 11, 2011 Share Posted April 11, 2011 Shiloh Sharps MAKES all their parts "in house" down to the screws Wilson does NOT.......and never has Just about every part Wilson uses in any of their guns you can get from Brownell's They are NOT the only gun builders to do this Cheers, LG I didn't say Wilson makes their parts, I said that their parts are made to their specs. The reference to Shiloh is that the parts are hand fitted, as are the Sharps'. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShadowCatcher Posted April 11, 2011 Share Posted April 11, 2011 My wife wants to buy me a Wilson 1911 for our anniversary since I saw one on the wire and it was sold before I could tell him, those magic words, "I'll take it". Before I actually go out and get one, are they worth the extra money? What about them makes them better? I own a WW2 Colt, Remington Rands, modern Springfield GI and a Kimber. How does a Wilson compare? You're starting to get into the realm of bespoke products, and there are a few major players and many minor players in that land. You can do very well with a stock Colt or SA 1911, and even with many other standard grade 1911 guns, all available OTC. I'd take a stock Colt 1911 series "anything" and trust it box stock, after a few hundred rounds of ball to seat the parts. That's me and my experience though. If you have the money to spend for a good gun, Wilson can build a good gun for you - either one of their packages, or something on a gun you already own. There are people who will get all pissy about it, and others who will speak to you of some other preferred solution, or sing the praises of their favorite. Call then and speak to them on the phone, see if they can build what you want, or find another such as C&S, or Les Baer, or others, who will build you the gun you want. This is the place where subjective desire and appreciation far outweighs any objective measurement, so opinions become totally rampant here. The big names got where they are by producing and supporting their products, so there is some comfort to be found in that. There are a lot of folks who can match the quality of the big names - so "are ya feeling lucky?". My $0.02 is - if you have a chance to go all out and get a bespoke gun - just run with it . . . . you'll never lose - and you might just be happier than those who never did . . . .. . Shadow Catcher Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buckshot Frank Posted April 11, 2011 Share Posted April 11, 2011 You're starting to get into the realm of bespoke products, and there are a few major players and many minor players in that land. You can do very well with a stock Colt or SA 1911, and even with many other standard grade 1911 guns, all available OTC. I'd take a stock Colt 1911 series "anything" and trust it box stock, after a few hundred rounds of ball to seat the parts. That's me and my experience though. If you have the money to spend for a good gun, Wilson can build a good gun for you - either one of their packages, or something on a gun you already own. There are people who will get all pissy about it, and others who will speak to you of some other preferred solution, or sing the praises of their favorite. Call then and speak to them on the phone, see if they can build what you want, or find another such as C&S, or Les Baer, or others, who will build you the gun you want. This is the place where subjective desire and appreciation far outweighs any objective measurement, so opinions become totally rampant here. The big names got where they are by producing and supporting their products, so there is some comfort to be found in that. There are a lot of folks who can match the quality of the big names - so "are ya feeling lucky?". My $0.02 is - if you have a chance to go all out and get a bespoke gun - just run with it . . . . you'll never lose - and you might just be happier than those who never did . . . .. . Shadow Catcher +1 You are in a similar situation as I was when I decided to purchase an AR. With all of my previous gun purchases, I had always opted for the "best bang for the buck" rather than the "best". You know- the one that is 90% of the product for 50% of the cost. For what I do with it, an AR from just about any of the quality companies would have got the job done. For once though, I didn't want to settle for good enough. I ended up buying a Noveske, and I don't regret the decision at all. Does owning a Noveske make me a better shooter? No. Does owning a Noveske make me better looking? No. Does anybody else care that I own a Noveske? No. Does it make me happy? Yep! Buy the Wilson if it makes you happy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Original Lumpy Gritz Posted April 11, 2011 Share Posted April 11, 2011 I didn't say Wilson makes their parts, I said that their parts are made to their specs. The reference to Shiloh is that the parts are hand fitted, as are the Sharps'. Shiloh Sharps is a GUNMAKER. The only part they don't make is the wood of their stocks. Wilson is NOT anything close, knor do they want to be to what Shiloh does. Respectfully, LG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie Harley, #14153 Posted April 11, 2011 Share Posted April 11, 2011 Wilson, Les Baer, and a few others are in the Rare Air category of 1911's. I have shot a Wilson, and it was amazing! Was it worth the price for me to buy one? No. Playing in the Rare Air world of 1911's is not my priority. If it is your priority, then by all means let your wife buy the gun and don't look back! The analogy is me and my Shilohs. I like the Sharps style of rifles and have shot almost everyone's out there. I settled on Shilohs because I like shooting in the Rare Air world of Sharps. It's my personal preference. By the way, I'm sure more than one guy on this here Wire is wondering if your wife has any sisters. She sounds like a keeper for sure! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie Harley, #14153 Posted April 11, 2011 Share Posted April 11, 2011 What about them makes them better? I re-read your post and will try to explain. What separates a Wilson from my stock Colt are the same little things that separate my Shilohs from the Pedersoli I used to own: Fit, Finish, and Internals. The thumb safety on a Wilson moves up or down with a distinct "click" and minimal effort. My Colt is slightly rough, and takes extra effort to engage and disengage. A WIlson slide moves like butter in its rails when slowly cycling it by hand. With my Colt you can feel a certain roughness. The finish on a Wilson, whether polished stainless steel or blued, will be perfect and durable. My parkerized Colt looks like a parkerized Colt. Wilson's grips will be perfectly checkered in whatever way you want. The Colt is plastic. Your trigger will break clean and crisp every time. My Colt fires every time, but it is not a tuned trigger. Your feed ramp will be polished, magazine well probably beveled, ejection port enlarged, bushing tightened, locking grooves hand fit, and your reliability will be out-of-the-world perfect. My Colt is not. You can order the Wilson built any way you want. I select from what Colt offers. I could go on about the differences, but I think you get my drift. At the range, we will both put 230 grain bullets down range. The Wilson is a superior gun in ways that come with a higher price tag. Only you can decide if it is worth it to you. I definitely suggest you take up the pard above on his offer to let you try his Wilson. That will go a long way towards helping you decide. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trigger Mike Posted April 11, 2011 Author Share Posted April 11, 2011 What about them makes them better? I re-read your post and will try to explain. What separates a Wilson from my stock Colt are the same little things that separate my Shilohs from the Pedersoli I used to own: Fit, Finish, and Internals. The thumb safety on a Wilson moves up or down with a distinct "click" and minimal effort. My Colt is slightly rough, and takes extra effort to engage and disengage. A WIlson slide moves like butter in its rails when slowly cycling it by hand. With my Colt you can feel a certain roughness. The finish on a Wilson, whether polished stainless steel or blued, will be perfect and durable. My parkerized Colt looks like a parkerized Colt. Wilson's grips will be perfectly checkered in whatever way you want. The Colt is plastic. Your trigger will break clean and crisp every time. My Colt fires every time, but it is not a tuned trigger. Your feed ramp will be polished, magazine well probably beveled, ejection port enlarged, bushing tightened, locking grooves hand fit, and your reliability will be out-of-the-world perfect. My Colt is not. You can order the Wilson built any way you want. I select from what Colt offers. I could go on about the differences, but I think you get my drift. At the range, we will both put 230 grain bullets down range. The Wilson is a superior gun in ways that come with a higher price tag. Only you can decide if it is worth it to you. I definitely suggest you take up the pard above on his offer to let you try his Wilson. That will go a long way towards helping you decide. That is VERY helpful to me. Wilson's site only mentions 2 local dealers so I visited one today. They do not keep any in stock as each is made to order he said. He sad if I just held a Wilson I could tell the difference, but he did add that on the range itself there would not be much difference. I asked him why he was not carrying one since he carries a Sig P220 instead and he said Wilson's price. He said for me to go to Wilson's site, pick the features I want and come back and he would order it. I may try to shoot one first like was mentioned above. That is a lot of money considering I don't shoot as often anymore. Thanks to all. All comments are welcome, pro and con. Both are helpful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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