So I finally got the gun home after the 30 days wait in CA.. Before taking it home, I did as Les instructs and shot off 150 rounds at the shops indoor range.
First impressions:
Price paid in CA, $3499... a bit high compared to the other states but I believe this is normal in CA.
The workmanship is on par with Wilson's best work. The fit arguably even closer. The slide to frame is so tight, that even with proper lube, its work to put the slide back on the frame after a field strip. The finish is great, but I found that with all the additional cuts/serrations this model comes with (pretty much everywhere) it's a lint magnet! Nothing a tooth brush lightly oiled will not cure, but if you wipe this gun down with a typical silicone rag, you'll leave lint all over it. The matte finish parts also are almost like a 300 grain sand paper in texture. I didn't care much for the grip, so I replaced it with one I found online for about $250.
The trigger pull was measured at 3.75 pounds and is very crisp and consistent. The ambi safety is VERY stiff, but also less likely to pop back incase your holster snags it. It was unusually hard to pull the slide back and pop the line pin up into the notch, but should get easier as the gun breaks in according to LB. To say this gun is tight doesn't do justice to the term... a Wilson is tight, this gun is super tight!
Even though I expected at least on or two malfunctions during the initial break in, I was surprised to experience 0... I used both the LB magazine as well as Tripp's Cobra Mag 8 rounder. Perfect function every time.
As for the precision of the gun... it was staggering... I'm an ok shot, but no pro by any measure... I was able to hit bullseye consistently at 7 yards, and with in 3" at 20 yards. I'm sure if this gun was affixed to something it would shoot inside the 1.5" guarantee at 50 yards.
Overall I rate this gun 4.5 stars out of 5, with a Wilson Supergrade maybe at 4.75 stars. My single biggest gripe is on the inside the finish work wasn't impressive ... sloppy looking at first glance (anything but sloppy in reality), but these are all wear parts and not something you'll see when using the pistol in normal ops. The other issue was that it took me a LOT of effort to get the slide pin back in place (over the nipple) after assembly.. I haven't struggled this hard on a 1911 reassembly in 20 years, but LB tells me this will get easier over time as the parts break in. Worse case, I used a small tool to push the nipple in while pushing in on the slide retention pin as I didn't want to put an "idiot mark" on the nice finish.
First impressions:
Price paid in CA, $3499... a bit high compared to the other states but I believe this is normal in CA.
The workmanship is on par with Wilson's best work. The fit arguably even closer. The slide to frame is so tight, that even with proper lube, its work to put the slide back on the frame after a field strip. The finish is great, but I found that with all the additional cuts/serrations this model comes with (pretty much everywhere) it's a lint magnet! Nothing a tooth brush lightly oiled will not cure, but if you wipe this gun down with a typical silicone rag, you'll leave lint all over it. The matte finish parts also are almost like a 300 grain sand paper in texture. I didn't care much for the grip, so I replaced it with one I found online for about $250.
The trigger pull was measured at 3.75 pounds and is very crisp and consistent. The ambi safety is VERY stiff, but also less likely to pop back incase your holster snags it. It was unusually hard to pull the slide back and pop the line pin up into the notch, but should get easier as the gun breaks in according to LB. To say this gun is tight doesn't do justice to the term... a Wilson is tight, this gun is super tight!
Even though I expected at least on or two malfunctions during the initial break in, I was surprised to experience 0... I used both the LB magazine as well as Tripp's Cobra Mag 8 rounder. Perfect function every time.
As for the precision of the gun... it was staggering... I'm an ok shot, but no pro by any measure... I was able to hit bullseye consistently at 7 yards, and with in 3" at 20 yards. I'm sure if this gun was affixed to something it would shoot inside the 1.5" guarantee at 50 yards.
Overall I rate this gun 4.5 stars out of 5, with a Wilson Supergrade maybe at 4.75 stars. My single biggest gripe is on the inside the finish work wasn't impressive ... sloppy looking at first glance (anything but sloppy in reality), but these are all wear parts and not something you'll see when using the pistol in normal ops. The other issue was that it took me a LOT of effort to get the slide pin back in place (over the nipple) after assembly.. I haven't struggled this hard on a 1911 reassembly in 20 years, but LB tells me this will get easier over time as the parts break in. Worse case, I used a small tool to push the nipple in while pushing in on the slide retention pin as I didn't want to put an "idiot mark" on the nice finish.
