Wilson?
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Redhawk, I have a 1998 Protector Two Tone. It has over 12000 rnds. It's 100% reliable, very accurate (3" at 25yds. for me). The Armor Tuff finish is pretty Tuff, between me and the previous owner we've probably had thousands of presentation from kydex and leather holsters. There are wear spots on the forward end of the slide near the bushing where it make contact with the holster.
It's the best gun I've ever had.
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Member of Team ******* for the IDPA 2000 National.
It's the best gun I've ever had.
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Member of Team ******* for the IDPA 2000 National.
Moving to the Wilson Combat Forum. Look for this thread here:
http://www.1911forum.com/cgi-bin/forumdisplay.cgi?action=topics&forum=Wilson+Combat&number=21&DaysPrune=10&LastLogin=
http://www.1911forum.com/cgi-bin/forumdisplay.cgi?action=topics&forum=Wilson+Combat&number=21&DaysPrune=10&LastLogin=
Redhawk,
I've got a Wilson 1996A2 - black parkerized, ambi safety and tritium sights. It's the "low end" of Wilson's pistols, but an outstanding 1911. It is capable of 1.5" at 25 yds, maybe less, tight, smooth, excellent feel, beautiful trigger and has been 100% reliable from round #1. Literally took it out of the box and put close to 3000 rounds thru it in a 5 day class - up, down, sideways, upside down, no malfunctions - even w/o cleaning.
Ditto RickyT's final sentence. Makes me want to go pet it...
[This message has been edited by JSP (edited 09-05-2000).]
I've got a Wilson 1996A2 - black parkerized, ambi safety and tritium sights. It's the "low end" of Wilson's pistols, but an outstanding 1911. It is capable of 1.5" at 25 yds, maybe less, tight, smooth, excellent feel, beautiful trigger and has been 100% reliable from round #1. Literally took it out of the box and put close to 3000 rounds thru it in a 5 day class - up, down, sideways, upside down, no malfunctions - even w/o cleaning.
Ditto RickyT's final sentence. Makes me want to go pet it...
[This message has been edited by JSP (edited 09-05-2000).]
To draw more attention to your query, you should have entitled it with something more attention grabbing than "Wilson?" I say this not as a slam, but because I read too many titles that really don't say what they are trying to convey or question. For example, you could have entitled the post as "Owners: Are Wilson 1911s all that good?" and you might get a larger response.
I am interested in the results. Redhawk, several weeks back, I did email several people who had posted that they owned Wilsons. None had a significant complaint other than price and the wait if they had ordered from Wilson. All claimed reliability as being great. ArmySon had the worst thing to say and that was that the Wilson he had was reliable, but that he has now decided to invest in a totally custom gun and suggest I do the same. I did order a CQB. If you do order, do note that you can change things such as color schemes or individual parts when you order.
I am interested in the results. Redhawk, several weeks back, I did email several people who had posted that they owned Wilsons. None had a significant complaint other than price and the wait if they had ordered from Wilson. All claimed reliability as being great. ArmySon had the worst thing to say and that was that the Wilson he had was reliable, but that he has now decided to invest in a totally custom gun and suggest I do the same. I did order a CQB. If you do order, do note that you can change things such as color schemes or individual parts when you order.
Well, I'm definitely not prejudiced towards Wilsons. I own or owned Les Baers, Kimbers, Springfields, STI's, Clarks, Colts among others. Each company has their pluses and minuses. With Wilson, you get an outstanding gun at a high price. You get excellent customer service and lifetime guarantee on your gun. My biggest grief with any of the "semi-custom" 1911 makers? You're stuck with their components.
If you want an ultra reliable 1911 that's very pleasing to the eye and even more pleasing to shoot, you can't go wrong with a Wilson. You can go wrong with a Les Baer either. Each gun has their upside and downsides. The Baer is much more accurate because it's a lot tighter. On the flipside, you get shotty customer service and it's a bit less reliable.
FWIW
Son
If you want an ultra reliable 1911 that's very pleasing to the eye and even more pleasing to shoot, you can't go wrong with a Wilson. You can go wrong with a Les Baer either. Each gun has their upside and downsides. The Baer is much more accurate because it's a lot tighter. On the flipside, you get shotty customer service and it's a bit less reliable.
FWIW
Son
Joined
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26 Posts
1996A2 Parkerized and night eyes. Absolutely 100% reliable and much more accurate than I am. And as said before customer service is top notch--whether you are calling to order a pistol or a mag spring.
If you're in Texas and don't want to wait on a Wilson, try Allan Yoast Firearms. He usually has some on hand.
e-mail him at:
[email protected]
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The historical relationship of government to an unarmed populace is a dark and murderous one.
e-mail him at:
[email protected]
------------------
The historical relationship of government to an unarmed populace is a dark and murderous one.
Joined
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1,495 Posts
Redhawk
I speak as a retailer of the Custom, Semi, Production, and whatever the purists want to call the 1911 built the way you want it or the way you buy it.
I let other speak first as I didn't want this to sound like a sales plug for my business. I speak from a merchandise point of view and you from a possession point of view.
Over the past several years I have had barely over 500 custom 1911's pass through my retail operation and I speak from customers comments and observations so this is not a sales pitch.
First you have to convince yourself what you are spending is worth the money to you and no one else. Not some "alleged" friend, magazine article, or whatever. It is your money no one elses. You worked your rear end off to earn it.
A couple of rules or lessons from gun buyers.
Don't buy on impulse because I (retailer) will make more money on you when you trade. Don't buy less than what you want because again I (retailer) will make money again when you trade. If you think I am wrong here remember guns stores are in business for profit not there for your undying gratitude.
Between the Les Baer's and Wilson Combat guns and this is drawn from about 400 sales and buyers trend toward or are in two groups.
The one's who have an interest in accuracy and bulleye shooting trend with the Les Baer as Baer's claim to fame is a super tight gun and 3" at 50 yards is the same.
The one's who compete in action, reliability under adverse conditions, or professionals (LEO's who are allowed to carry a single action semi auto pistol) who carry for a living trend toward the Wilson Combat.
Which is better. That is a question that you have to answer.
You will get stories on both guns. There are plenty of owners out there of both who "love" their possessions. There are some horror stories and you need to post on the individual brand forums to get those.
Baer 3" at 50 yards with a Kart Barrel with broach cut rifling (someone will correct me if I am wrong here) and can be tightened to 1/2" at 50 yards for a charge.
Wilson 1" at 25 yards with a Stainless Matchgrade barrel.
Which is better, Go Figure what each means to you.
Which is more dependable and reliable.
I have a Baer Concept VII with 14,000 round through it as a demo gun. It will chamber empty cases.
I have, well had, a Wilson Combat 1996A2 as a demo gun and it was near 8 or 9000 rounds when someone bought it for more than I paid for it. Remember, I sell guns and all are merchandise. (I do have a favorite or two and being retail it allows me to possess all for a time)
Both are accurate and dependable. Both shot anything I had through them and were one hole groupers.
Do you want a gun built by a gunsmith to your own individual expectations.
That is also a possibility. With a custom gunsmith (Brown, Burns,Bilby,Clark,Heinie,Morris,Novak,etc) You get exactly what you want. The problem there is two. Do you know what you want and resale is usually not what the larger shop guns resell for as the circle of those who know of the builder is smaller.
That is not a cut or commendation. Just something else to consider.
Anyway are they, the guns, worth it.
Heck yes.
You have to decide the reason why.
Do the research first. You will get what you pay for front end or in the back end.
Be safe and keep the brass flying
Terry Peters
http://www.pt-partners.com
I speak as a retailer of the Custom, Semi, Production, and whatever the purists want to call the 1911 built the way you want it or the way you buy it.
I let other speak first as I didn't want this to sound like a sales plug for my business. I speak from a merchandise point of view and you from a possession point of view.
Over the past several years I have had barely over 500 custom 1911's pass through my retail operation and I speak from customers comments and observations so this is not a sales pitch.
First you have to convince yourself what you are spending is worth the money to you and no one else. Not some "alleged" friend, magazine article, or whatever. It is your money no one elses. You worked your rear end off to earn it.
A couple of rules or lessons from gun buyers.
Don't buy on impulse because I (retailer) will make more money on you when you trade. Don't buy less than what you want because again I (retailer) will make money again when you trade. If you think I am wrong here remember guns stores are in business for profit not there for your undying gratitude.
Between the Les Baer's and Wilson Combat guns and this is drawn from about 400 sales and buyers trend toward or are in two groups.
The one's who have an interest in accuracy and bulleye shooting trend with the Les Baer as Baer's claim to fame is a super tight gun and 3" at 50 yards is the same.
The one's who compete in action, reliability under adverse conditions, or professionals (LEO's who are allowed to carry a single action semi auto pistol) who carry for a living trend toward the Wilson Combat.
Which is better. That is a question that you have to answer.
You will get stories on both guns. There are plenty of owners out there of both who "love" their possessions. There are some horror stories and you need to post on the individual brand forums to get those.
Baer 3" at 50 yards with a Kart Barrel with broach cut rifling (someone will correct me if I am wrong here) and can be tightened to 1/2" at 50 yards for a charge.
Wilson 1" at 25 yards with a Stainless Matchgrade barrel.
Which is better, Go Figure what each means to you.
Which is more dependable and reliable.
I have a Baer Concept VII with 14,000 round through it as a demo gun. It will chamber empty cases.
I have, well had, a Wilson Combat 1996A2 as a demo gun and it was near 8 or 9000 rounds when someone bought it for more than I paid for it. Remember, I sell guns and all are merchandise. (I do have a favorite or two and being retail it allows me to possess all for a time)
Both are accurate and dependable. Both shot anything I had through them and were one hole groupers.
Do you want a gun built by a gunsmith to your own individual expectations.
That is also a possibility. With a custom gunsmith (Brown, Burns,Bilby,Clark,Heinie,Morris,Novak,etc) You get exactly what you want. The problem there is two. Do you know what you want and resale is usually not what the larger shop guns resell for as the circle of those who know of the builder is smaller.
That is not a cut or commendation. Just something else to consider.
Anyway are they, the guns, worth it.
Heck yes.
You have to decide the reason why.
Do the research first. You will get what you pay for front end or in the back end.
Be safe and keep the brass flying
Terry Peters
http://www.pt-partners.com
Joined
·
26 Posts
Excellent post Terry.
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I have a Wilson Protector, which I purchased from Terry Peters. The service I received from Terry was excellent, and I would highly recommend him for advice and purchase. Additionally, he was able to get my protector in half the wait time Wilson quoted.
The Protector is fun to shoot, 100% reliable and considerably more accurate than I am.
Alan
The Protector is fun to shoot, 100% reliable and considerably more accurate than I am.
Alan
Redhawk-
I can't say enough about the integrity and customer sevice of Wilson. Bear in mind, i don't own...yet.
I went through a process of deciding a while back between the Wilson Classic two-tone and the Rock River Limited match. I was confused as to how to describe the finish i wanted on the frame and after a long conversation with John at Wilson and many conversations with Terry of P-T Partners, based on my criteria, John (from Wilson) encouraged me to buy the Rock River.
His judgement was based on honesty and a genuine interest in getting the customer what he/I wanted...even if it meant that I wasn't going to buy the Wilson. This speaks volumes for their integrity. Also, he knows that when i want to add another top quality 1911 to my stable I will most likely go back to Wilson.
Recently i bought a slide stop from Wilson. I made a mistake on my credit card number and they had to call me at home to clarify it. What a wonderful conversation I had with the nicest good-'ol-boy that I could imagine. and I had only ordered a slide stop. I won't go into details but again, I was impressed with the way they deal with people.
It's a personal decision, but when I buy something like a 1911, something that transcends a typical purchase, in addition to a fine product I am buying a part of the company, its heritage, its reputation.
Rock river is young but its founders are highly experienced, have worked for a number of companies including Les Baer and they have set out on their own to produce another top quality product. Under the circumstances this time around I opted for them (delivery due in December). I am still figuring a way to get a Wilson. In fact, I just had another conversation with P-T Partners a day ago regarding that very subject. It will happen, probably next year, and i will have both a RRA and a Wilson.
You can't go wrong with a Wilson. Sure there are other choices but one can appreciate a Ferrari a whole lot more after they have driven many other cars. It would be helpful if you have the opportunity to experience many different 1911s and the sometimes necessary relations with their customer service departments, then you won't have any questions. Currently, I own a Kimber. This may tell you a lot about my feelings towards customer service.
Perfomance is a given, just keep reading customer satisfaction reports.
Good luck on your decision and let us know what you finally do. Sorry if I rambled, hope some of this helps.
Regards,
Galileo
I can't say enough about the integrity and customer sevice of Wilson. Bear in mind, i don't own...yet.
I went through a process of deciding a while back between the Wilson Classic two-tone and the Rock River Limited match. I was confused as to how to describe the finish i wanted on the frame and after a long conversation with John at Wilson and many conversations with Terry of P-T Partners, based on my criteria, John (from Wilson) encouraged me to buy the Rock River.
His judgement was based on honesty and a genuine interest in getting the customer what he/I wanted...even if it meant that I wasn't going to buy the Wilson. This speaks volumes for their integrity. Also, he knows that when i want to add another top quality 1911 to my stable I will most likely go back to Wilson.
Recently i bought a slide stop from Wilson. I made a mistake on my credit card number and they had to call me at home to clarify it. What a wonderful conversation I had with the nicest good-'ol-boy that I could imagine. and I had only ordered a slide stop. I won't go into details but again, I was impressed with the way they deal with people.
It's a personal decision, but when I buy something like a 1911, something that transcends a typical purchase, in addition to a fine product I am buying a part of the company, its heritage, its reputation.
Rock river is young but its founders are highly experienced, have worked for a number of companies including Les Baer and they have set out on their own to produce another top quality product. Under the circumstances this time around I opted for them (delivery due in December). I am still figuring a way to get a Wilson. In fact, I just had another conversation with P-T Partners a day ago regarding that very subject. It will happen, probably next year, and i will have both a RRA and a Wilson.
You can't go wrong with a Wilson. Sure there are other choices but one can appreciate a Ferrari a whole lot more after they have driven many other cars. It would be helpful if you have the opportunity to experience many different 1911s and the sometimes necessary relations with their customer service departments, then you won't have any questions. Currently, I own a Kimber. This may tell you a lot about my feelings towards customer service.
Perfomance is a given, just keep reading customer satisfaction reports.
Good luck on your decision and let us know what you finally do. Sorry if I rambled, hope some of this helps.
Regards,
Galileo
A friend of mine had his slide screwed up by an amateur gunsmith. He called Wilson for help. He was told that they did not do that kind of repair work but they put him in touch with a GOOD gunsmith that does. When I buy my 1911 I am going to buy a Wilson.
Ditto again on the Wilson service.
Didn't think service like their's existed any more, if it ever did. They went way beyond the call with a problem caused by a third party, and were still calling me weeks later to check on my satisfaction. WOW.
I don't mind paying a little extra for a great guarantee and great service - I want Wilson and other quality outfits to be around in the future.
Didn't think service like their's existed any more, if it ever did. They went way beyond the call with a problem caused by a third party, and were still calling me weeks later to check on my satisfaction. WOW.
I don't mind paying a little extra for a great guarantee and great service - I want Wilson and other quality outfits to be around in the future.
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