What's the deal with Wilson Combat?

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Gonzo308

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I stopped in a master dealers shop yesterday and was shocked at the finish on the SDS pistol I was handed, there were tooling markes on the slide in front of the dust cover and the slide stop looked as if it had been milled in a high school metal shop and the student got an "F"!

You guy's may think I'm being overly picky, that's what I was told by the guy's behind the counter but when I asked to compare the finish on the $2700.00+ gun to the finish on the $700.00+ Colt or Kimber there was a great difference! and the Wilson was on the losing end!

Is it just me or should a hand fit pistol that has been "lavished with attention" and costs three to four times as much. Look at least as nice as a stock production gun?
 
Wilson's has lost various Government contracts because of quality control problems in the past. It doesn't seem to be getting better.
 
I've also heard since tolerances for Wilson and other "hand fitted" 1911's are so high they're often not very reliable in terms of feeding. That there's a reason why combat pistols need some slop to be reliable. Also, is it true felt recoil is often higher compared to regular production guns like Kimber, Springfield, and Colt?

Can any Wilson Combat/Les Baer owners weigh in on this?
 
Frankly, I am surprised. I have put together a dozen guns with Wilson parts and own a CQb.

Are you sure this is not a parts gun?

More on this one please
 
The recoil from a Wilson is the same as from any other comparably sized 1911.

The tolerances on a Wilson are very tight, but reliability is still 100%...

I dont know why the finish on the SDS was poor. Everything I have ever seen Wilson do was perfect looking. I am not a big fan of their Armor Tuff finish (it aint so tuff), but it usually looks ok.

Just curious, but what Government contracts did Wilson lose? I never heard of them having any government contracts in the first place...
 
I have a Wilson 1911 I purchased about 3 years ago and It seems to be a very good gun. Some of his finishs are not that atractive but normaly they are very smooth in function, much more so than over the counter guns like Colt, Kimber, Springfield. There are lots of parts guns put together by people that don't know what they are doing, and you might have seen one of those.

Wilson does have a very good guarantee.
 
What's going on? The other day I was looking at a $64,000 Mercedes-Benz at the local dealer and was appalled at its condition! There were little water spots on the hood, some microscopic scratches on the driver's side door handle, dirt on the tires. There's just no such thing as quality control anymore! Oh well, I couldn't afford it anyways... :rolleyes:
 
Actually to those of you that think I'm nitpicking over a gun I can't afford. I went to this reputable master dealer or this exect model.

I liked the idea of the more assured lockup with the bushingless barrel system they employ on this model and the extra weight out front would make this faster for double or triple taps. This was not a parts gun. and I'm not talking about marred finishes. I'm talking about a slide and or a slide stop that wasn't "finished" before it was finished. I was a carpenter in another life and I can tell you that I wouldn't have sold custom trim without taking the time to make it look EXTRA nice. As for comparing this to a Mercedes. Would you Glock racer buy a NEW Mercedes at sticker if it functioned perfectly but the interior came with badly sewn leather?

I expect, actually I DEMAND that what I purchase be as advertised. don't tell me that attention has been "lavished" on a product and then sell me something you put together in a hurry to keep up with the growing demand!

I know the value of a good gun, I also know that it's impossible to make the function of a 1911 three or four times better than stock, Some of that extra money has got to be wraped up in finish. as in fit and FINISH! I don't really care about Armortuff, anything applied can be worn off. but I would think they could at least spend an extra minute to take out the mill marks on a $2700.00 gun!

I'm now considering an Ed Brown since I feel more confident my $3000.00 will be better spent.
 
My wife likes tupperware, my dear old mother liked tupperware. I don't think I want the same hobby as my wife and mother! I'll stick to REAL guns
 
I was unaware that Wilson allowed stuff like that out the door. For the figures they charge for some of those, it should never happen, ever.
 
I've got to hand it to Wilson's marketing department. How they managed to convince people that $2,000-$3,000 is a good deal, is a work of marketing genius. Don't get me wrong, if you can afford one and want one, get one. I just think Wilson owners have been snookered.
 
Ian, you may laminate me but I will NEVER be tiled!

As for me being Junior.

I guess you, Absolom, must be too old and senile to realize this thread had nothing to do with cookie cutter junk that's better left for the untrained and inexperienced.

Would you like to borrow my great grandpappies readin' spectacles so that you can see?
 
Gonzo308,

Its okay for people to favor certain models and even make negative remarks about certain pistols. But I think most people tend to lose their credibility when they start to make inaccurate generalizations and cheap remarks w/o backing it up with facts or personal experiences.

"Tupperware"
Glock pistols come in Tupperware but the Glock pistol is a real gun. They do not make good storage units and don't put it in your microwave! Trust me.:D

"Cookie Cutter Junk"
Hmm, I guess the vast majority of TFL members and LEO/Military with their production Sigs, HK's, Kimbers, Walther's, and Glocks are just a bunch of "untrained inexperienced" morons.
Sounds a little elitist yuppie to me. Remember that the next time a Billionaire passes you in his hand crafted Bentley or Rolls Royce while you're driving your "cookie cutter junk". Oh excuse me maybe you are a Billionaire......I'll take a pass on the Grey Poupon.

Take it easy.
 
When it comes to .45 acp's why in the world would you not want to buy an original Colt. They have been making them for almost 100 years and I personally have never had a serious problem with one.

Let's fact it you can pick up a used series 70 colt for far less than some of the custom factory high end guns. True it does not have all of the new rediculous baloney on it but it will shoot sometimes better than some of the guns costing way more. And with the money you saved you can always add custom sights or if desired a super trigger job on one. You may or may not need a trigger job depending on how much the previous owner cared for his pistol or depending on how perfect you want your trigger pull to be.

And by the way if you ever want to sell it the future buyer will not say to you "I never heard of that make are they any good?" W.R.
 
Gonzo308 said; "I guess you, Absolom, must be too old and senile to realize this thread had nothing to do with cookie cutter junk that's better left for the untrained and inexperienced."

And this was in reference to a.......Glock?

Its obvious that money can't buy love..............or brains.

As Bugs Bunny once said.... "What a maroon" :D
 
BUT WAIT!

I thought SIG's WERE junk.




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"all my remarks are tongue-in-tupperware remarks"
 
Wild Romanian, you make a good point.

Colts will always command a certain premium over other makers like Kimber and Springfield.

I have a Kimber Custom, and its a good pistol, and I am not trying to throw off on Kimbers at all.

But I have never had a problem with any of the Colts I own. I recently got a new XSE, and it as fine a gun as I have ever owned. In fact it is almost as accurate, and has almost as good a trigger, as a Wilson costing $1000 more.
 
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