[RD-K]

I am a new member and I have really enjoyed the great advice on this thread. I was also hesitating between a steel and an alloy carry pistol. After reading this thread and some research I just ordered a Wilson Stealth. I did pick a 9mm and in view of Bill Wilson's comments on his current 9mm, I trust that it will feed better than my previous experiences with 9mm 1911. I am adding a Trijicon RMR red dot sight: I am just past my junior years, and I look forward to keep training well past my current eye sight
Please accept my whole-hearted thanks for all the good advice on this thread!

 

[Grandpas50AE]

I moved your post to a new thread, as the old one you revived was 2 years old. The original thread is here and will be closed: https://forums.1911forum.com/showthread.php?t=908281

Reviving threads over a year old is considered "necro-posting", and is generally not good etiquette on the forum.

 

[Grandpas50AE]

Others have not responded yet, so I'll say congrats on the new pistol you ordered - it should be a great gun for that. I know Bill carries 9mm most of the time, and .45 only on occasion, but that is a more personal decision similar to other options. My carry is still my Supergrade Pro in .45, and the personal strategy of caliber versus capacity is truly on the individual to make the call.

As far as feeding, I've got an X9, a Hackathorn Special commander, and an XTAC Pro in 9mm, and all have had zero issues feeding. According to Bill, Ken (Hackathorn, and Lary (Vickers), part of the problem with the early 9mm offerings in 1911 guns were problematic due to using the wrong geometry on the extractor; once that got figured out and corrected, a LOT of the 1911 9mm feeding issues evaporated. The other principle contributor was the magazines, Bill figured those out too. I think you are going to really enjoy your new pistol when you get it in hand.

 

[Striker2237]

I prefer the highest possible performance for a given size of gun so my choice would be steel, the 9mm is light enough of a round that an alum frame shouldn't be that bad but for example if the X9 was steel framed it would in my opinion shoot much better.

If you have concerns about weight/comfort then alum all day, I carry a 3 inch kimber on occasion and it still astounds me how much lighter it feels.

 

[apipeguy]

My .45 Stealth is steel as are all my Wilson’s except for my EDC X9. I prefer steel but do enjoy the light weight when I carry my X9.

 

[Grandpas50AE]

He ordered a Stealth.

 

[apipeguy]

Read the title but apparently didn’t read the post close enough.

For the OP, you’ll love the Stealth.

 

[azguy1911]

I have a stealth in 38 super, it's by far my most favorite carry gun. Alloy frame, magwell, semi-extended slide-release and an extreme de-horn. It's incredibly accurate and east to shoot.

 

[jr24]

Very nice looking stealth, I'm sure the OP will love theirs.

I'll throw my $.02 in anyway, I like aluminum for carry. My back does not tolerate more than about 36oz in a gun all day, and once I realized that I've been loving my pain free evening and mornings.

Now, if my back didn't care, I'd probably go back to a steel .45, though I really, really like my EDC X9 so maybe not.

 

[coyotebuster]

OP I hope you enjoy your new Stealth.
I've been carrying a Colt Defender as my EDC for the past seven years, and love it. I also carry a Wilson ULCC quit often and much prefer the aluminum frame 1911's over their steel twins.
My Defender is chambered in .45 ACP, and can be quit a handful when shooting it with 230 grain defensive loads. My ULCC is chambered in .38 Super, and is a ***** cat in comparison. I also have a WC CQB compact chambered in .38 Super and 9MM. It too shoots like a ***** cat compared to a lightweight in .45 ACP.

 

[RD-K]

Bad news! My Wilson Stealth is in but it does not run!
I followed Wilson’s break-in guidelines and show several hundred rounds before cleaning it, and it would fail to go into battery almost every round. Once it was dirtier, bullets would not feed: the round would sometimes get stuck on the feed ramp. Before the first cleaning, it also started to fail to eject.
After cleaning, it improved slightly and after about 1000-1100 and two cleaning I called Wilson. I was asked to “excess oil” the pistol and give in another try before sending it in. This improved the situation, but after the first 100 rounds I had a failure to go into battery every 30-50 rounds!
Tomorrow I will ship it back to Wilson and hope that they will be able to make this firearm reliable. I would be very unhappy if I cannot carry it for lack of reliability.
I have had several Wilson in the past, and their service department was usually very friendly and helpful. That said, I took a number of classes at Gunsite and all my Wilson stove-piped … a lot. Gunsite is located in a desertic environment and there is sand that can get in the way. I would end up finishing the classes with a different pistol in order to avoid the malfunctions. At my return to Houston I had them fixed and I sold a few of them at an uncomfortable loss because I would no longer want to carry them.
I hope to do very much better this time. I respect Wilson very much and I look forward to keeping and carrying this pistol.

 

[Striker2237]

Those types of failures are one reason I prefer a .45 1911, you can setup the springs to simply force the gun to feed past sand/dirt/no lube and still be able to cycle unlike a 9mm that has so narrow of a range it can operate in.

I'm sure it will be fixed and it's likely the extractor being set too high

 

[RD-K]

Bad update: the Wilson Stealth is back and Wilson mounted the Trijicon RMR. Unfortunately the pistol still does not run! I had failures to eject every 2-3 rounds with Winchester white box 9mm 147 grain. When I called Wilson I was asked to try with different ammunition because Winchester ammo is long. I tried Federal 124 grain, Sellier & Bellot 124 grain, and I had had 2 to 4 failures to eject per box of ammo. I tried several magazines and 150 rounds but the result was the same. The Sellier & Bellot ammo did exactly the same thins. I then tried 20 rounds of Federal HST 147 grain and had a failure to eject every couple of rounds.
When I contacted Wilson, I was asked if I can fix the ejector myself or use a local gunsmith. Considering that this pistol never ran properly I prefer to have Wilson fix it and I am waiting to hear back

 

[roaniecowpony]

That's disappointing to hear. I expected that Wilson could make guns all day, every day that work. I'm reading more to the contrary than I thought I'd ever see. Troubling.

 

[chrysanthemum]

Stick with it. I think it will be corrected in time, and you'll then and forevermore have a superb gun. Everything but the ejector and/or the extractor is probably perfect; but those two little parts can wreak havoc if they're not right.

While 9mm 1911s can run with excellent reliability, the margin for error (in regard to something being just slightly "off", but the gun still running fine) is much tighter than with a .45acp chambered 1911. Due to dimensions, a 9mm extractor usually contacts the brass differently than .45acp extractor. If course it can and should work; but as a deviation from JMB's design, the "workaround" design (to fit 9mm) requires greater perfection in fit, tensioning, ammo matching, etc., than the original .45acp.

 

[Striker2237]

That's depressing to hear

 

[nod]

That's depressing to hear

Yep, I have to agree. I have a stainless Pro that I dropped the slide on the concrete while trying to get the extractor out. Slide would not go back on the frame after the drop. It is at Wilson now but after my previous experience with Wilson I expect the Pro will not run right ever again. I can't believe I dropped the slide . It is an older Wilson and has been perfect from day one.

 

[Eric]

Bad update: the Wilson Stealth is back and Wilson mounted the Trijicon RMR. Unfortunately the pistol still does not run! I had failures to eject every 2-3 rounds with Winchester white box 9mm 147 grain. When I called Wilson I was asked to try with different ammunition because Winchester ammo is long. I tried Federal 124 grain, Sellier & Bellot 124 grain, and I had had 2 to 4 failures to eject per box of ammo. I tried several magazines and 150 rounds but the result was the same. The Sellier & Bellot ammo did exactly the same thins. I then tried 20 rounds of Federal HST 147 grain and had a failure to eject every couple of rounds.
When I contacted Wilson, I was asked if I can fix the ejector myself or use a local gunsmith. Considering that this pistol never ran properly I prefer to have Wilson fix it and I am waiting to hear back

While I don’t have a lot of experience with Wilson’s not running straight out of the box I have had to send 2 back for issues. On both occasions Wilson, Kent, was very accommodating and I’ve never been asked about making adjustments myself or using a local Smith. I would suggest calling back and speaking with Kent in the service department, he will get you squared away. I have 2 compact Wilson 9MM’s and they both run great, my ULCC has probably close to 5K rounds through it and I can’t think of a issue. My CQB compact went straight from Wilson to a 2 day 1000 round class with just a couple drops of oil. That’s a great looking pistol you have there, call Kent he will get you squared away.


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[azguy1911]

I'm so disappointed when there's still the 9mm don't run talk on boards, all I own is 9mm and 38 super's and never had any issues and have many guns that have fired, fed and extracted every round ever presented to it.

OP, I'd personally stop with the 147's, most of them have a bad shape to them. I know it's hard to get American Eagle 124's (and I know people will say a Wilson should run anything but that's forum talk and not real life) and try a few hundred rounds on a properly cleaned and lubricated gun.

 

[Eric]

I'm so disappointed when there's still the 9mm don't run talk on boards, all I own is 9mm and 38 super's and never had any issues and have many guns that have fired, fed and extracted every round ever presented to it.

OP, I'd personally stop with the 147's, most of them have a bad shape to them. I know it's hard to get American Eagle 124's (and I know people will say a Wilson should run anything but that's forum talk and not real life) and try a few hundred rounds on a properly cleaned and lubricated gun.

I agree 124 grain runs the best.


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