Are custom 1911's worth all the extra money?

M

MIKE10538

New member
A friend yesterday showed me his new Wilson 1911 which cost him $3600! Are custom 1911's really worth all that extra money when compared with, lets say, my Series 70 Colt Gold Cup National Match which will shoot one hole groups and probably is worth only about $1000?
Thanks,
Mike
 
YES

After owning several production 1911's and becoming very familiar with the design, one appreciates the overall quality a high end 1911 has to offer. Fit, finish, no machining marks, 30 lpi checkering, match grade components, etc are all worth the money.

Once you step into the high-end 1911 market, there's no going back.
 
As soon as I read the topic heading I was hoping you would respond to this Son.
After talking with you in August I have been contemplating another 1911 and asking myself the same thing.....is a high dollar 1911 worth the extra $$$$.
For those of us that are...shall we say finacially embarrassed what specific features do you feel are the most important (or anyone else with some of the "better" high end auto's)?
I'm thinking good sights and a nice trigger. What else are tops on the list?

------------------
Gunslinger

I was promised a Shortycicle and I want a Shortycicle!

[This message has been edited by Gunslinger (edited September 29, 2000).]
 
How much better can the accuracy be on the high end models? I already can shoot one hole groups with the Gold Cup.
Thanks,
Mike
 
Can you shoot those one hole groups from 25 yards? Accuracy is one thing, overall fit and finish is another.

Bill,
Different 1911 shops use different barrels. Wilson Combat uses a stainless barrel. While Les Baer uses a chrome moly barrel. Personally, I like the Baer barrels (they're actually Kart National Match barrels).

Sights are also another feature. Wilson has some sweet combat sights in the 463. While Les Baer uses either Novaks or MMC adjustables. This is basically your personal preference on what type of sights you prefer. I'm old fashion, I like Bomars.

Another is machine checkering verses hand checkering. Then there's slide to frame fit. The Les Baer is a hell of a lot tighter then most 1911's. While the Wilson is a hair looser, generally, it'll be more reliable.

Then there's the customer service. Each vendor will have different reputations. By and far, Wilson Combat has the best customer service.

Place a $2000 1911 next to a production Colt, Springfield, Kimber, you'll notice the small differences in overall quality. To some, that doesn't mean squat. To others, it means a hell of a lot. I have more 1911's then I shoot but there are a handful that I pull out of the safe for shooting and carrying.

My Wilson Combat CQB and Les Baer Concept III will both shoot 1000 straight rounds through them without cleaning and NOT jam. To me that's worth it's weight in gold.

Again, what distance are you shooting one hole groups at? How fast is a stock Camero? Do you really need to add extra features to make the Camero a blazing hot rod? Nope but to each his own.
 
You tell 'um Son... :D

I asked these same questions a while back. I kept looking at the Baers and Wilsons and I couldn't for the life of me see the difference. Until I shot one. My life changed. :)

I am now selling off my two Kimbers (the ones I bought when I couldn't see the difference) to get my second Baer. I would not say anything bad about the Wilsons, but I just LOVE how tight and well made my Thunder Ranch Special is. And yes, I shoot it better than I ever did my Kimbers. (Not that I shot them all that bad.. )

The reliablility is also a big thing for me. The Kimbers were not dogs by any means. But they still had the occasional failure. Of course mine happened at the MOST inopportune times; like the Carolina Cup. :( I have close to 2000 rounds in the TRS without a single failure of any kind. NONE!

ArmySon is right. Once you try a good one, you never go back.

Bubba
 
Point well taken and understood Son. Being the perfectionist that I am I know that the differences would be significant to me as well.
PS Did you notice that I wisely avoided shooting yours? :D (Champaign taste, beer budget as my ol' daddy used to say ;))

Now Camaro's are another matter. Once you hit 190mph you just gotta go fer the big two O. ;)

------------------
Gunslinger

I was promised a Shortycicle and I want a Shortycicle!
 
Once again the answer has to be "depends". For games where great accuracy is needed and when the shooter is good enough to take advantage of it, the top quality guns pay off. Nonetheless, high reliability, good accuracy, good sights and a usable trigger can be obtained at a lot less cost.

But when the situation is serious and not a game, high accuracy is not really needed and target sights, fine fitting and even a light trigger can actually be drawbacks.

Jim
 
I say if you have the money, go for it! There's alot of "pride in ownership" when you own a pistol like that. Certainly, to a lesser degree that's the way I feel about my P-220. I can't afford that kind of money, so is it "worth it" to me? No. Is "keyhole" accuracy important to me? No. Is "stone cold reliability"? Yes. To each his or her own, I say. Believe me, if I had the money I'd own a bunch of fancy guns! :) Best Regards, J. Parker
 
I love guns but the truth is I am an average shot. Recently I succumbed to the urge and purchased a Wison Millenium Protector. It is kind of the low end for Wilson but it still cost a bunch for me. My shooting has vastly improved! I know it is the pistol - not me. For me the Wilson was worth it.
 
Dear Friends,

I too have been spending a lot of time lately contemplating this question. I have concluded that the issue goes well beyond the "what do you need" to the "what do you want". The attached review of the Les Baer "Thunder Ranch Special" states this issue very well.
http://www.americanhandgunner.com/Page2/FeatureMA.html

To be sure, many of the well-made custom 1911's are pieces of art -- a Ferrari or Bentley vs. the Chevies and Fords most of us drive. However, their utilitarian advantage is truly on the margin and, bottom line, they are expensive as all hell.

I have concluded that if you can afford it and it will truly make you happy, then buy it and enjoy it. But if all you can afford (or all you choose to buy, whether or not you can afford it) is a Colt, Kimber or Springfield Armory, there's certainly no cause to lie postrate before the Heinie aristocracy.

But, hey, who the hell am I? Just. . .

Oscar
 
For an "average" or "above average" shooter who wants to get a $3000 customized 1911 pistol to improve their shooting I think it would be better investment to get a $700 Kimber or SA 1911 and spend rest of the money going to some of the good shooting school and few thousand rounds of ammo. This will make you much better shooter than a $3000 pistol will.

As for reliability, my Sig 220, Kimber Target and Ultra Carry, Beretta 92FS, *&* 3913 and Glock 17, which were all under $750, will go 1,000 rounds without cleaning without any problem. I'll admit that a expensive customized pistol will likely have less jams than my pistols but does it matter if it jams once per 5,000 versus once per 7,000? I think not. FYI my Beretta 92FS has had total two jams (both were my reloads)since day one and I have put almost 12,000 rounds in it now while my Sig 220 has had 9 jams (5 were during the first 300 rounds) during just over 27,000 rounds. Other pistols were about as reliable after the break-in period.

Don't get me wrong, I would love to have one of these customized pistols but I would rather spend that money on powders, primers, etc. so I can shoot more.

Just my $0.02.
 
My Ford Escort is Fast... Are Corvettes all that much faster? I mean I run 0-60 in about 12 seconds... I can get up to a hundred MPH... I can stop in 230 feet of distance... and I can pull almost a half G on the skidpad! Can a Corvette realy outperform enough to justify 40,000 MORE dollars?

Duh!

Not meaning to flame or make anyone feel dumb. But your no longer talking about the same things. You take a pistol and give it to a good gunsmith (An Artisan, not one of those Home taught course graduates), that gun will come back a completely different gun.
 
My SA "Mil-spec" and Glock 21 shoot nearly as good as my customs. I'm now concerned about getting my $$ out of the exotics. BTW I'm not so good a shot on most days either.

------------------
"In my opinion, anyone pushing through anti-gun legislation is a bloody traitor and should be sent up for treason" N.H. Stuart
 
And my SA LOADED 1911A1 fires evertime as well and puts them bullets right where I want them.
And a Ford Escort can take you from Point A to Point B... So can a Corvette.
But if your a skilled and safe driver you can go back and forth from A to B to C etc... much faster in the Vette.
 
Being Swiss, I don't own any 1911, but my shooting with these single
action pistols s*ck.

OTOH, a P210 will be the tool to shoot at 50 meters so precisely
people usually freak out. I'm not the best on the block, though, an
old guy who owns a gun shop usually out-shoots me. :)

My 210-6 just has rosewood grips, the finish is still flawless. Gotta
have to make a picture of this baby. But people who once had the
occasion to shoot a P220 in 9mm (Swiss Army service pistol) won't
notice much of a difference since the trigger is just phenomenal.

3600 US-$ is a bit steep for a target gun.

Now I'm in the process of getting new barrels for my full-size Glocks,
the 20 and the 21. Glockmeister trigger groups have already been
installed. That makes a difference if the barrel is fit to the slide.
Also the triggers. But no way a Glock will make it to the 3600 US-$
range. Too much plastic. :)

[This message has been edited by mussi (edited September 30, 2000).]
 
I think my HK MK23 is more reliable and just as accurate as my buddys Wilson 1911.
And it cost $2000.00 less.
But If you love the 1911's then the MK23
Battle Axe won't cut it for you.
I don't shoot my Colt 1911 much anymore.
 
I went through this when I bought my Springfield. The choice for me was finally determined by my budget at the time. I just couldn't justify the extra $ then.

Do I like my Springfield, yes, I love it. However there are a few gripes I have about it. I will probably have a few things worked on by a competent smith when I'm feeling richer. And the thing is, once I have more work done on it to get it exactly how I wanted it, I might have been better off just waiting a little longer and just getting the Wilson.

I will say this though, when I was deciding on a 1911 I receieved excellent advice from Terry Peters, if I was going to buy a high-end 1911, I would definatly go through him.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top