A simple 1911 Question

[KMKeller]

It's time for me to feed the 1911 need once again. My $1000.00 Kimber was not reliable so I'm upping the ante. Here are the beasts I'm considering:

Wilson Tactical Super Grade:

Les Baer Premium II Super Tac:

Ed Brown Classic Custom:

I'm choosing between these three, so please don't throw out Valtro, Colt or other options like "build your own". Money is not a consideration and it'w worth it to me to spend it once and have what I want rather than to have to keep revisiting the issue.

The pistol will become my primary carry/competition pistol.

Thanks all.

Kirk

 

[Sean Smith]

Of those three, Ed Brown. None of them are junk by any stretch of the imagination, but most people who have been exposed to all three seem to think Ed Brown is the nicest of the bunch.

My only suggestion would be that for the same price, you could have a pistolsmith build you exactly what you want. For the $3,000+ we are talking about, why settle for the cookie-cutter features that somebody else thinks you should have, when you can have a pistolsmith make you EXACTLY what you want in every respect?

Of course, I'm a picky bastard.

 

[mattk]

Having shot and handled guns from all of the manufactures listed I would say Ed Brown. Little closer to a custom gun than the rest.

 

[10-Ring]

Well, since the "Get a Glock" crowd hasn't hit yet, I'll do the honors

Seriously, of your options, go w/ the Ed Brown

 

[shepsan]

KMKeller, each of the three in its own right is a superb pistol. IMO the fit and finish of these 1911's are superior to any other limited production high-end handgun.

It is my subjective opinion, based upon my personal experience, that I consider Ed Brown's precsion craftsmanship to be a level beyond the Baer or Wilson regardless of model 1911.

This is not to denegrade Baer or Wilson It is just that I find Ed Brown Products to demonstraste a level of function and beauty that sets it apart from the other high-end 1911's.

As a matter of fact, a Brown along with a custom pistolsmith made Colt Commander are the two "keepers" I am retaining as I dispose of the others in my collection.

Good luck with your choice. You will not go wrong with any of these fine pistols.

 

[Smoke]

I'm voting with Ed Brown also. I want one so bad I can hardly stand it....budget restrictions won't allow it for now.

I have never actually touched a Baer, only know them by reputation.

Have shot and admired others Ed Brown's, absolutely beautiful guns that perform.

Have shot others Wilson's and have known several who had them. The ones that worked were fantastic, but I have known some people that have had problems with them. Some were remedied. One was not.

Smoke

 

[KMKeller]

This is interesting. I figured the battle to be between the Les Baer and the Ed Brown, but baer is falling significangly behind so far. Any insight as to why?

 

[MJRW]

Ugh...ambi-safeties on all. Get a glock...did I just say that?

 

[shepsan]

KMKeller, I would like to respond to your last post. Before I do, I want to say to one and all, I am NOT starting a flame. I say this because I believe Baer owners to be the most vociferous of gun owners. Their love of their guns sometimes approach the illogic.

I own three Les Baer pistols. Today, each is a fine, reliable and accurate 1911 pistol. Each one has a visual beauty that is exceptional. However, they share a similar "fault" which I attribute to all NIB Les Baer pistols.

Baer guns when new are simply too tight! This is my opinion. Many believe the tighteness to indicate exceptional quality. IMO, no handngun should be as tight as the new Bear pistols are and because of this, I would not carry any of my three when new.

Les Baer pistols take a long break in period, shooting at least 1000 rounds before they break-in. Rather than shoot all of that ammo, I chose to have a pistolsmith work on my new Baers to make them function without my having to apply excessive strength racking, disassembling and reassembling. Once my Baer pistols became easier to rack, etc., I felt safe carrying them.

I like the material, look and operating function of Les Baer pistols. That is why I own them. However, I do consider them simply to be too tight when new.

My Brown and Wilson, while tight, were never what I considered to be unsafe right out of the box.

 

[KMKeller]

Shepsan

Well said, and nice pistol!

 

[kalibear45]

Ed Brown!

 

[Correia]

Bummer about your $1000 Kimber. The Kimber you sold me is still running great.

I do not own examples of any of these, but I've been able to handle and use all of these as they are owned by other local IDPA guys.

I would get the Brown.

I'll agree with shepsan, the Baers are super tight. It is a selling point for them, but I find that one some you need to actually press the muzzle against a table or something to break enough tension to rack it. Goregous guns though.

I've played with a couple of Wilsons, and they were really nice guns too.

But I got to play a bit with an Ed Brown bobtail, and it was one of the prettiest guns I've ever held. Check out his snake skin treatment he offers instead of checkering. It is very effective.

Plus I met him at SHOT show. Seemed like a really nice guy.

 

[KMKeller]

You kill me Larry. Glad that puppy is still working great. I just couldn't get past the initial problems no matter how many rounds I put through it. Couldn't trust it for defense. For a comp gun? Different matter. Always ran like a top with ball ammo. Of course it goes to figure after I trade it to you, I get an urge to start competing.

If I do get the Brown, it will have the snakeskin and a mag well added, most surely.

 

[Handy]

Just a "feel" thing, but Ed Brown seems more like a custom handcrafted gunsmith operation, while the other two seem more like premium brands. Maybe it's just packaging and advertising, maybe it's the shotguns and AR15s. It just strikes me that the Ed Brown people are offering a little more heart. Same with Nowlin and Clark.

 

[KMKeller]

As part of my search, I emailed Ed Brown asking about warrantees. He said that, like most other custom guns, there is no paper warranty, but that he stands behind his products 100%. From him, that's all the warranty I'd need.

Okay, we're leaning towards the Ed Brown now. So tell me, why not the Wilson?

Oh and on the Les Baer issue of tightness, I have a friend who picked up a LB Concept IV for very cheap. He bought it at a shop on consignment knowing that the slide was somehow locked up. He took a look at it, pressed the muzzle against the table and pressed *POP*. Gun had been shot dry and was super tight. Paid his paltry fee and went about his business. Took it home, cleaned and lubed it, and it's his bullseye pistol. Has never failed once.

 

[cratz2]

Well, if you've got the cash to spend, then go for the Brown out of those listed. On the other hand, anytime you buy a high end gun and don't supply the frame, the gun costs you 11% more than it would have if you had provided the base gun or the frame due to the smith becoming the manufacturer.

One of the nicest, smoothest and best handling guns I've ever shot was a Colt 1991A1 (ugly rollmark) worked over by Wilsons. The owner paid $400 for the gun, about $1000 to Wilson. It had all new machined internals, reliability job, barrel to slide and slide to frame fit work, new sights, great trigger, 6 magazines and had it blued instead of parkerized. Beautiful gun for $1,400. I thing it's almost impossible to buy a comparable gun for the money. STI Trojan or Rock River would be close but then there's about an 18 month wait on the Rock River 1911s right now.

If I were in the market for a high end 5" 1911, I'd buy a new rollmark 1991A1 and send it to Ned Christiansen. I'd be willing to bet that for less than half the cost of the Wilson you list would get a far superior product and it would be a one of a kind custom piece.

 

[Country Boy]

Excuse me while I wipe the drool from my keyboard...

 

[OF]

Why an off-the-rack pistol at that price point? For 3 Grand you could have a custom piece from pretty much any top smith in the country. It just seems a shame to spend like that and end up with anything less than a 100% personal one-of-a-kind weapon. Any reason the custom route is not on the table?

- Gabe

 

[Handy]

I had thought these were all sub-$2K weapons.

 

[OF]

Wilson Tactical Super Grade retails at $3,500.

- Gabe

 

[KMKeller]

OK... Minor confession. I do plan to have a smith make me a one of a kind uber personal gun. But this is not it. My goal here, with the topic of this thread is a production pistol that runs flawlessly.

The custom gun I'm looking at will be mostly likely be a Caspian Damascus slide on an Ed Brown frame with the snakeskin treatment. Internals are undecided at current, but will probably be Ed Brown and Wilson. But that's later and another thread...

 

[Hal]

No vote - - side bar - -
Don't mean to hijack the thread but,,,

as a primary carry is it wise to have all those protruding levers and parts?

All 3 look more like range guns than carry guns.

- pressed for a "vote", I'd go with the Brown simply because it doesn't have front serrations.

 

[KMKeller]

?? I'm not sure I follow your question Hal. If you mean the ambidextrous safety, I'd say yes as it makes it much more useful weak handed. Otherwise I don't quite get your point.

 

[OF]

Got it, KM.

Now I really reeeeeeally hate you.



- Gabe

 

[KMKeller]

Gabe: You can come over and shoot either pistol any time you want to. I had a good month and expect a bonus check that's pretty substantial. Otherwise either would be off limits. I'm taking a chunk of the bonus and putting in my gun budget for the year and have thought about the pistols I want. Could always buy an HK Mark 23, but have a greater yearning for 1911s at the moment although I do thoroughly believe both are excellent weapons (Yes boats, you can love both.. say it with me now, "Guns good"). I learned to shoot on the .45 and have always loved them. Besides, I've got two HKs and no 1911s. I'm just trying to balance things out...

I also plan to buy a .308 battle rifle of some sort, but again, that's another thread. Correia, any opinions there?

Now close your eyes and picture a Damascus slide and hammer with the slide snakeskinned. That is going to be something gorgeous...