Where do you rate Wilson Combat in relation to other top tier manufacturers?

[dcmdon]

We've talked about a number of top tier manufacturers that make quality handguns but I'm wondering where you place Wilson Combat in the pecking order of those top tier companies. Companies like Les Baer, Dan Wesson, NightHawk, Ed Brown, etc. Would you say that they are equal, lower or higher in the ranking order?

Wilson is right at the top.
Having owned a Wilson and NightHawk, I'd say they are equal in quality. I have handled and shot Ed Browns.

All 3 are guns that go beyond shooting well. They are either art or man jewelry, depending on how you see such things.

I have sold my Wilson and Nighthawk. I decided to do that when I purchased used Les Baer pretty inexpensively. The Baer isn't nearly as nicely finished. But it shot better. Around that time I also decided to stop carrying a 1911 and was moving to all Gov't sized guns.

I bought a Dan Wesson Pointman 9 shortly after that. CZ has run a great NRA instructor discount for years and the DWs are on that list.

My Dan Wesson shoots great, looks nice and is very accurate with the right ammo. It loves Sig Sauer ball ammo, it's more accurate with that than my reloads. Which pisses me off.

I still own the DW and Baer. I've stopped competing with 1911s, but I still love shooting them. The Baer has 15,500 rounds through it and it's still going well. Extractor was changed around 10k and I've swapped around recoil springs so often that I've never actually worn one out.



Also, don't forget about small gunsmiths. Guys like Gregg Derr make truly amazing stuff. The most beautiful 1911 I've ever owned was made by a smith in VT whose name escapes me. (If anyone recognizes it, I'd love to know)

I swapped a used G34 I had and $300 for it. Insanity. You can't really see in the photos because the gun is slathered in preservative oil, but the slide is very high polish. You can see yourself in its inky black reflectiveness.




It's got this crazy comped barrel.

 

[weekendracer]

Wilson is right at the top.
Having owned a Wilson and NightHawk, I'd say they are equal in quality. I have handled and shot Ed Browns.

All 3 are guns that go beyond shooting well. They are either art or man jewelry, depending on how you see such things.

I have sold my Wilson and Nighthawk. I decided to do that when I purchased used Les Baer pretty inexpensively. The Baer isn't nearly as nicely finished. But it shot better. Around that time I also decided to stop carrying a 1911 and was moving to all Gov't sized guns.

I bought a Dan Wesson Pointman 9 shortly after that. CZ has run a great NRA instructor discount for years and the DWs are on that list.

My Dan Wesson shoots great, looks nice and is very accurate with the right ammo. It loves Sig Sauer ball ammo, it's more accurate with that than my reloads. Which pisses me off.

I still own the DW and Baer. I've stopped competing with 1911s, but I still love shooting them. The Baer has 15,500 rounds through it and it's still going well. Extractor was changed around 10k and I've swapped around recoil springs so often that I've never actually worn one out.

View attachment 966918

Also, don't forget about small gunsmiths. Guys like Gregg Derr make truly amazing stuff. The most beautiful 1911 I've ever owned was made by a smith in VT whose name escapes me. (If anyone recognizes it, I'd love to know)

I swapped a used G34 I had and $300 for it. Insanity. You can't really see in the photos because the gun is slathered in preservative oil, but the slide is very high polish. You can see yourself in its inky black reflectiveness.

View attachment 966919


It's got this crazy comped barrel.

View attachment 966921

The muzzle flash must blind you more than muzzle flip. The bonus is you can actually call your shot, because you can see the .45 moving through the air.

 

[dcmdon]

The muzzle flash must blind you more than muzzle flip. The bonus is you can actually call your shot, because you can see the .45 moving through the air.

The answer was to use very fast burning powder. I used Clays. No flash.

 

[Happy feet]

Someone hasn’t done there research all of DW ‘s current line up has either forged frames including the DWX or aluminum a bigger concern among DW fan boys is that colt is going to ruin them. I like DW because I prefer the looks of a stainless 1911 over the typical black of most Wilson’s or Les Bear.

 

[dcmdon]

One other thing. I was shooting the Baer in a static steel league. So you just had to touch the metal.

I kept running lighter loads and lighter recoil springs until I reached a point where the recoil spring was so weak that it could no longer reliably push the barrel up and into battery.

I had 230 gr bullets running about 650 fps and was using an 8 lb recoil spring if I remember correctly. Stock is I believe a 15 pound.

 

[dcmdon]

Someone hasn’t done there research all of DW ‘s current line up has either forged frames including the DWX or aluminum a bigger concern among DW fan boys is that colt is going to ruin them. I like DW because I prefer the looks of a stainless 1911 over the typical black of most Wilson’s or Les Bear.

Huh? Colt is going to ruin them??!!!??!!?

You do realize3 that you have it all backwards. CZ bought Colt. CZ is THE CONTROLLING interest.

CZ owns both. There is no reason for DW and Colt to ever interact.

 

[Happy feet]

Colt is running the USA end of the operation