Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns Is a Wilson Combat "worth it?" Check out these pics...

Very cool thread on the 1911 forum of a Wilson Supergrade. Supergrades start at about $5k and go up from there, but looking at these pics, you can start to understand why. Remarkable craftsmanship and beauty in each piece.

http://forums.1911forum.com/showthread.php?t=417494

They certainly are extensively detailed. And from what I have read from owner surveys, their functional reliability rate is the best of any 1911 manufacturer, slightly edging out Baer.

But for a working gun I think I'd go with a Baer. And if I was looking for a piece of tactical jewelry, I'd look at a Nighthawk. Both of which are a couple grand less than Wilson.

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=450353573

If I were going with a high-end 1911, Wilson would be my choice. I wouldn't go with that particular Wilson, but is certainly a nice piece.

Seeing as how I've been there and done that I'll comment.

First, the Colt Gold Cup. About 20 years ago I bought the Gold Cup. Good gun but it was never very reliable. Over the last 20 years I've had Wilson up grade the gun to where it now works like a Swiss watch. I have about $2700 in the gun.

Second, the Wilson Combat Classic. I've been wanting one for quite a while and the wife said stop complaining and get one. Well I'm not getting any healthier or better looking so I pony up $3500 bought Classic in standard grade. The only problem I can see with what I bought is the flat wire recoil spring set up. The spring doesn't seem to soak up recoil as well as a 17-1/2 pound round recoil wire spring. With the flat wire I have to change the fiber washer about every 300 rounds. As I have two recoil springs and enough fiber washers for about ten years it's probably a moot point with me.

As to the OP's original post I not sure the Supergrade is worth the money. My standard grade is so tight I have to use a gunsmith's nylon mallet to knock the slide stop out of the pistol. I also have to use grease on the slide stop and firing pin stop along with the nylon mallet to knock the slide stop and firing pin stop back into place. How much more tight does the gun have to be?

Another thing you hear a lot with the guys that paid an arm and leg for their super fancy looking Wilsons is the normal wear and tear one gets with using any firearm. Suddenly these super fancy looking Wilsons don't look quite so pretty any more with normal wear and tear. When I ordered my Classic I went with the plain Jane look as my Wilson is a shooter and not a safe queen.

And one more thing I also didn't put any bells and whistles on my Wilson. I kept my Wilson as close to the original Browning design as possible. The only thing I ordered special was the flat wire recoil spring, ambidextrous safety, and the adjustable battlefield sight. Even Wilson says you might not get back all your money with all the bells and whistles in a re-sale.

My .02 worth.

I also have a Wilson CQB Elite. I love it. It's the first 1911 I've owned (out of about 5) that I trust.

Wilson and Nighthawk are very similarly prices - not even close to a couple grand difference - unless you're comparing a supergrade to a bare bones nighthawk. Nighthawk is generally a couple hundred less. Baer runs quite a bit less.

lower right of this pile is a shooting machine...

Personally I just can't see the money...especially for a Plain Jane stainless gun. Jody Joseph at JoJo's Gunsmithing in Ct. can turn out an equally accurate work of art for a lot less money.

For half the price I would rather have one of these...

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=444987144



When Wilson used to make the Thunder Ranch Special before Bare started building them a friend bought one. He asked me to shoot it... Now I grew up on 6-12 oz match triggers on small bore rifles... Most of my 1911s have 3.2-4.5# triggers that break like a thin glass rod. This trigger was uncontrollable. You just touched it and it went off...totally inappropriate for a 1911 let alone one that is touted as being the ultimate defensive pistol. My first round went off way before I wanted it to... Within 100 rounds the gun was doubling or tripling.

Gun was sent back to Wilson with a request for a 3.5-4.0 pound pull... Came back with about a 3# pull that quickly started doubling again...my friend requested his money back and bought a SIG 229 and lived happily ever after...

Two female instructors at the club I taught at bought Combat Commander size guns. One was a $2400 Wilson and the other a $1200 Kimber Eclipse. Both had excellent trigger pulls and exactly the same sights. I shot both the guns and the groups with the Kimber were smaller than the Wilson...

With 1911s at some point you are paying a lot for advertising and name recognition...

Bob

I personally wouldn't pay the cost a Wilson brings because you are buying the name and nothing else. When i was a FFL Dealer i ordered one for my hunting buddy and the problem was my Springfield would out group it and the Wilson from day one would lock the slide back every other shot . I had to send it back for him they fixed the problem but i decided you are just paying a extra couple grad just for the name.

There was a Les Baer on a local classified board for $1,500 this week.........good deals abound when you have no play money! LOL

RJM, you summed up my limited experience with Wilsons.

I will stick to my Kimber USA Team Match II and buy a used ATV with the rest of the money.

Gee, I paid $750.00 for this early 1960s Colt Government Model that's been functionally flawless with a great trigger, and I cannot imagine I'd be six or seven times as happy if I spent $5,000.00 on one of those. But YMMV.

half the cost of a SG Wilson:



And it works very well.

I can't image paying more than double the cost of a premier grade Freedom Arms for a WC super grade.

I'd take door number two, an FA 83, a Kimber and $2k for powder, primers and lead.

well, I like the Wilson and soon to have another, I am a confessed 1911 slut and over the years bought,sold,traded and built a few hundred. I see them as no different than a nice truck,good watch or an out of state hunt.
It's what it's worth to me.....

Wow! I wish they were so accommodating when I requested my money back. I ordered them to build me a CQB Compact back in the 1990s. They told me that due to back order it would be nearly a year. Within a couple of months they informed me they were sending it. I asked them what happened to the year estimate. No explanation. When it arrived, it had the older style setup, i.e., the sights were the kind advertized as standard years earlier. The newer models were supposed to have the Novak style sights. Also, it had considerable holster wear.

Mind you, I had ordered a brand new gun, that was supposed to be built specifically to order. What they clearly sent me was an old sample, try-it-out, gun that had been in the shop for years. They denied it, and acted like the idea was ludicrous.

I demanded either a refund or to allow me to send it back and to put me back on the waiting list for a new gun. They denied both demands, but offered to switch out the sights to the current specs. I had no choice but to accept.

I was completely turned off to that company ever since.

...that is beyond words........

Bob

I picked up a LNIB supergrade for around $2k a while back, I shot it a bunch but ended up getting rid of it.

It was too nice to EDC, and I much preferred my Sig P210 legend for the range. So it ended up sitting in the safe for years untouched and eventually went down the road.

Most definitely you either love a Wilson or you don't. Wilson is probably a cult gun for most.

For 5K you get a gun with gaudy juvenile logos.

Doesn't even rate laughter. More like a snicker.

Pass.