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wilson combat AR 15


Trigger Mike

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I have a fever to buy lately but want to limit it to things I don't have, like a 44-40 lever action, something with a red dot or something I have wanted for a long time, like a Wilson Combat AR-15.  

 

Having said that, are Wilson AR-15 that much better than normal AR15 like the S & W sporting model for example?  A local gunsmith called Vidalia Police Supply builds AR15s with criterion barrels, 2 stage triggers some of the same things a Wilson would have and his are really more accurate than a good S & W or Colt.  Another local store has 2 Wilson's in stock in 5.56 for 1900.  the local guy charges 950.  A S & W is around 800 , same for a Ruger.

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You’re paying for  a hell of a lot more than the name.

  Go to Wilson's website and read what goes into theirs versus what goes or does not go into the cheaper AR’s.

  Personally I’d buy  a Noveske and have ,before I’d get a Wilson bit hey it’s your money and your itch to scratch!

 

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If you’re going to shoot it a lot or in competition the Wilson might be worth the money. If you are just shooting on occasion or hunting and you don’t want to build your own get a Ruger or the Smith. Just don’t fall for any of those polymer or synthetic pieces of shhhhhhaving cream...

What do you mean “the local guy charges $950”? For a Wilson?  

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1 hour ago, Dutch Nichols, SASS #6461 said:

You’re paying for  a hell of a lot more than the name.

  Go to Wilson's website and read what goes into theirs versus what goes or does not go into the cheaper AR’s.

  Personally I’d buy  a Noveske and have ,before I’d get a Wilson bit hey it’s your money and your itch to scratch!

 

I'm hoping someone will give me a word of wisdom on why I'm fine with what I have.   I do know that I can tell a big difference between a wilson 1911 and other brands,  even a kimber or sig .  I can also tell a difference between the normal remington 870 shotgun and the wilson built on a remington 870 frame.   

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5 hours ago, Trigger Mike said:

I'm hoping someone will give me a word of wisdom on why I'm fine with what I have.   I do know that I can tell a big difference between a wilson 1911 and other brands,  even a kimber or sig .  I can also tell a difference between the normal remington 870 shotgun and the wilson built on a remington 870 frame.   

You asked for and received opinions. 
 

If your experience with Wilson 1911s and 870s is different than others’, then take it all into account and get your itch scratched. 
 

Personally, I own a Colt match gun and a Bushmaster. They make me happy. Never tried a Wilson. 

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How old is your wilson 1911?  My understanding is that quality has gone down lately and it's about equal to a kimber.  Don't get me wrong, both are pretty nice if you're comparing them to rock island at half to a third of the price, but not so much if you're comparing them to guns that only cost 75% of what they do. 

 

I don't see a reason to pay for a name with an AR these days.  If I was going to, I'd pay for the Daniel Defense name or IWI. 

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I have Geiselle triggers in 3 of my ARs. A fourth one has a PSA polished nickel boron trigger and hammer.  All of them are more reliable and smoother than I'm capable of making use of.  

 

That said, I have a Daniel Defense rifle that I would recommend to anyone.  

 

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You’re fine with what you have...unless you’re not. 
 

There! How’s that?

 

Piece of advice: If you ask a barber if you need a haircut. If you ask an insurance salesman if you need more insurance. If you ask a bunch of gun nuts if you need a new gun. The answers will always be “Yes”. 

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Never considered daniel.defense.  what price range are they usually?  

 

Thus is why I ask as there may be other options that I had not considered,  and I am having a hard time paying 1900 for an AR these days. 

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I have known Bill Wilson for over 45 years. (we used to shoot combat pistol at the same range) I have been running an AR15 he built for me just before the Clinton ban. It has had many thousands of rounds through it and has NEVER failed once. I have been running it in 3Gun since it started. Had a Noveski, sold it. The only gas guns I will buy are LaRue or JP. Have had a bunch of others but tired of problems. Have a couple of drop AR's left but only shoot the Wilson, LaRue, and JP's.

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If you shoot a couple hundred rounds a year out of a gun pretty much anythingwill work. Generally the guns that cost more use higher quality parts and are put together better and will operate longer while maintaining accuracy with thousands of rounds shot through them. Of course as you move upward there is always a point where you pay more for small improvements, diminishing returns.

 

If you have very little experience with a type of firearm you will have more trouble discerning between good and great. It also depends on what performance you expect to get and are capable of. 

 

Kimber 1911s are absolutely not at the level of a Wilson, but you may get a good enough one.

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My personal opinion is that a competent gunsmith can assemble an AR that will run neck & neck with a Wilson for less money.  I actually believe that a competent individual can do the same.  Most of the parts are available for purchase independently.

 

That said, if you have the "desire" for a Wilson - get a Wilson.

 

Regardless of what else you get and how it performs you're still going to "want" a Wilson.

 

Buy once - cry once.

 

If you don't like it you won't be wasting time wondering about "what if".

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The problem is every gunsmith and do it yourselfer believes they are competent gunsmiths. There are lots of good gunsmiths and individuals who can do a good job but there are many who think they can but can't. Many of them limit any testing of their work to seeing if it cycles and fires ammo. That's the end of their testing but they'll claim it's just as good as the popular higher end manufacturers without the name.

 

But some people do really know what they're doing and can build a great rifle on their own.

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I bought a Rock River in October and have yet to shoot it. It was around $900, it's supposed to be a really good rifle. I now have ammo and I'm waiting for some warm weather to take it out!

 

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I can support Daniel Defense as well. Ive had my DDM4 for many years of absolute trouble free service. It is extremely accurate and a pleasure to shoot. I did install a Geisselle trigger which was the single best upgrade ive ever done. I have shot a ton of AR rifles. Most shoot well regardless of name or price but my DD is my favorite. 

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The overwhelming majority of AR owners are just weekend tin-can killers and really don't need to invest in an AR good enough to hump the mountains of Asscrackistan with. My most-fired AR was built on a cheap Anderson lower and a Palmetto State Armory upper kit. It's been running 100% and is quite accurate. Will it be able to endure 10,000 rounds of high-volume shooting in a week? Probably not, but then again I don't think I've fired that many rounds through ARs in my lifetime.

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I wonder if my desire for an expensive AR is so I can make up for failing eye sight.  I've been shooting that type rifle since 1985 but lately I've noticed it takes a shot or 5 or 6 to hit targets further than 100 yards.  I probably have bad habits in old age like Josey Wales' Indian friend.  

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On 3/10/2021 at 3:47 PM, Trigger Mike said:

I wonder if my desire for an expensive AR is so I can make up for failing eye sight.  I've been shooting that type rifle since 1985 but lately I've noticed it takes a shot or 5 or 6 to hit targets further than 100 yards.  I probably have bad habits in old age like Josey Wales' Indian friend.  

 

If that is your issue, you should buy the Ruger or S&W and then spend $1K+ on a good 1-6 Trijicon, Vortex, Sig, etc. scope instead.

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I like that idea.  I went back to the store, saw the wilson on the wall, and went to the auction my kids school was having that night.   In it they were auctioning off the local made AR 15.  It brought 1900 to the school.   I thought to myself how crazy it was to pay 1900 for an AR15 even though the money went to a good cause.   That helped me put the wilson to bed for now.  

 

I will pursue a good optic for an AR and go from there.   We have goats and we have coyotes who eat goats so I need to be accurate,  plus my teenage son is at that age where he likes to try and show me up so I better stay on top of my game. 

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If vision is your issue, I will tell you what I tell EVERY person who comes here for long range training: Plan to spend more on the optic than you did on the rife. Good glass is worth every penny.  In a small magnification scope: Eotech's new Vudu 1-6 (different reticles available) Trijicon 1-6, the Vortex RAZOR series or the old standby, I think you can still get, the Leupold CQB scope 1.5-6.  I run it on my 3gun AR after trying at lest 6 different scopes on it because of the reticle and huge field of view. Do NOT buy cheap glass !!!!  You can't hit what you can't see.

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  • 3 weeks later...

My only comment is:  "remember you cannot ever buy state of the art".  Whether for glass or gun - by the time it hits the market there is someone out there with a better mousetrap.   So be content with what you bought.

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On 3/12/2021 at 11:06 PM, Howlin Mad Murdock SASS #4037 said:

 

If that is your issue, you should buy the Ruger or S&W and then spend $1K+ on a good 1-6 Trijicon, Vortex, Sig, etc. scope instead.

this would be my advice as well , also the AR platform is the erector set of rifles so have at the upgrades as you feel the need and have the coins , you gotta start somewhere , you dont need a lot of tools to work on one of these , heck you can make your own from scratch buying parts and knowing how to machine a bit 

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