New Gun Day!

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JR24

JR24

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Well, early this year I paid off my student loans and was authorized to order a Wilson Combat, since I've been drooling over one for a decade.

I went back and forth between options and models for quite some time before settling, inevitably, on the EDC X9, a model I've dreamed of since it's inception because it's a unique option that fit all my size/weight/trigger requirements for EDC.

I had handled one in the shop last year and was a bit underwhelmed, but decided to take the plunge anyway, and I'm glad I did.

My mistake when I first handled it was I subconsciously comparing the grip to the DW Valkyrie or VBob (I misremember which) I was carrying at the time, and a slim gripped 1911 the EDC X9 is certainly not. This time I have been carrying my Glock 19 and my new Wilson feels perfect in the hand now, fit and finish is superb (it's a Wilson after all) and the trigger is very nice, feels on par with my good 1911s. I can't wait to shoot it next to my dad's CQB and compare.

Haven't had a chance to shoot it yet, hopefully Friday, but I've already spent a solid hour dryfiring it with my iTarget Pro and instantly am right on, though I don't love the sight picture of the green fiber optic and plan to replace it with an orange Trijicon, a plan I had from the start.

The only negative I've found so far is Vedder doesn't make a Light Tuck for it, I have a PJHolster and it's pretty nice, but is taking some breaking in and I don't like the clip options as much, though it does conceal very well.

Once I get it shaken out with a pile of ammo (been loading a lot getting ready, got over a thousand ready to rock and another thousand ready to load) it'll go in my holster, for sure.

I know some would gasp at putting a Wilson in an EDC holster but I'm fine with it, and have carried a VBob for years that I paid nearly as much for (back when they went for much closer to $2k than $1K) and the railed EDC X9s are going for quite a bit less than MSRP these days, got mine on Grabagun for $2350.

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Obligatory pic
 
JR24 said:
Well, early this year I paid off my student loans and was authorized to order a Wilson Combat, since I've been drooling over one for a decade.

I went back and forth between options and models for quite some time before settling, inevitably, on the EDC X9, a model I've dreamed of since it's inception because it's a unique option that fit all my size/weight/trigger requirements for EDC.

I had handled one in the shop last year and was a bit underwhelmed, but decided to take the plunge anyway, and I'm glad I did.

My mistake when I first handled it was I subconsciously comparing the grip to the DW Valkyrie or VBob (I misremember which) I was carrying at the time, and a slim gripped 1911 the EDC X9 is certainly not. This time I have been carrying my Glock 19 and my new Wilson feels perfect in the hand now, fit and finish is superb (it's a Wilson after all) and the trigger is very nice, feels on par with my good 1911s. I can't wait to shoot it next to my dad's CQB and compare.

Haven't had a chance to shoot it yet, hopefully Friday, but I've already spent a solid hour dryfiring it with my iTarget Pro and instantly am right on, though I don't love the sight picture of the green fiber optic and plan to replace it with an orange Trijicon, a plan I had from the start.

The only negative I've found so far is Vedder doesn't make a Light Tuck for it, I have a PJHolster and it's pretty nice, but is taking some breaking in and I don't like the clip options as much, though it does conceal very well.

Once I get it shaken out with a pile of ammo (been loading a lot getting ready, got over a thousand ready to rock and another thousand ready to load) it'll go in my holster, for sure.

I know some would gasp at putting a Wilson in an EDC holster but I'm fine with it, and have carried a VBob for years that I paid nearly as much for (back when they went for much closer to $2k than $1K) and the railed EDC X9s are going for quite a bit less than MSRP these days, got mine on Grabagun for $2350.

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Obligatory pic
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Nice you did well on the price. For a long time they were selling much closer to MSRP with a wait. I paid more than you did for mine but I was looking for no rail and wanted the Gold bead sight. I also got the fiber optic with it but have never installed it. Which trigger and back strap did you get?

I carry a EDCx-9 sometimes. It rides in a nice Warbird Leather IWB holster. It show wear on the frame and the slide from the holster. I also hit the rear sight on something and put a pretty little dig on it. I had to put a little cold blue on it so I did not notice it while looking down the sights. The magwell also has taken a bit of beating from slide lock reloads. I like mine but I treat it like a Glock 19. If I had one complaint about it it would be that the Armor Tuff finish is not so tough.
 
Yeah, I've read that about the finish, but it can always be refinished.

I'll do much the same, though my Gen 5 Glock 19 and 19x's finish has held up superbly.

The EDC X9 did have a tiny little ding on the front edge of the slide, looks like a dust bit but it's not. But it's on the part that will get holster wear and I won't worry about it, it'll get more dings soon I'm sure.
 
Hoping to get a chance this Friday, or at least next weekend.

Mother Nature has been kind of a jerk lately, dumping 4-6" of snow on us every time I have a day off so I get to spend it shoveling and snowblowing instead.

I'll report back when I get a chance.
 
Congrats. I picked one up a year or so ago. I had to sell 4 guns, I believe, to pay for it and don't even remember what guns I sold. It was definatley worth it. Mine's been boringly reliable and accurate and is easily the best shooter I own. If I was able to carry IWB (back issues prevent me from doing so), it would be my carry gun.
 
First off, congratulations on paying off your student loans! My wife and I both pursued and completed our masters degrees after we started working and we were able to do that without being too saddled with bills when we were done. It’s a great feeling once they’re paid off, and doing so is a testament to your hard work and your determination to do things right. :thumbup:

Second, you made a fine choice in that outstanding pistol as a reward! We are looking forward to hearing how it shoots for you with reloads and maybe some factory defense ammo :).

Stay safe.
 
Yep, had that discussion with a Bernie Bro buddy of mine who wants the loan repayment. My wife and I have had more debt than him and his, and ours was bigger but we did things like not take vacation, work piles of overtime (too much some times) and move across the country, and back, chasing better living and salary options.

Meanwhile he stayed in the city and takes several vacations, some international, a year. Seems legit that I should help him pay off his loans too, since my wife's will be done January 2021 so even if Bern-dog managed to win it would be of zero help to me.

Funny that they didn't seem to support me getting reimbursed for paying mine off...
 
Trashyshoots said:
Very nice, im currently playing the "which high end 1911 do I want" game
Wilson combat?
Ed brown?
Nighthawk?
Cabot?
Korth?
Les bear?
National match (or 2) and suppressor?
Dan wesson and suppressor?

Other?

First world self debates.
Click to expand...

None of the above. Get yourself a good 70 Series base gun and send it to your smith of choice. When you get over the $2000 mark a 1911 should be a true custom not and off the shelf semi-custom. Once you work with a gunsmith on a personal build its hard to go back to off the shelf at that price point. This was done for me by Don Williams.

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Trashyshoots said:
Very nice, im currently playing the "which high end 1911 do I want" game
Wilson combat?
Ed brown?
Nighthawk?
Cabot?
Korth?
Les bear?
National match (or 2) and suppressor?
Dan wesson and suppressor?

Other?

First world self debates.
Click to expand...

It's a debate for sure. For what it's worth I routinely shoot my Dan Wessons alongside a few Wilson's and have shot it with a Nighthawk and Brown.

Sure, there's no question about the quality being much higher on the semi-customs but I honestly don't shoot them noticably better than my boring old VBob and Valkyrie (though I shoot them all better than my less than DW production guns of which only a Kimber and Remington remain). So it's a matter of what you like, mostly. Oddly enough my most accurate 1911 is a RIA 10mm with my handloads, but the gun I shoot very well easiest is my Valkyrie.

When I decided to get a Wilson, I did look at the other semi-customs as well and have shot a number of them. Ultimately I decided that I wanted something that wasn't already covered by what I had, so the basic 1911 was out, as was the lightweight 9mm, or CCO (though I do like the 4" barrel over the 4.25" for my eyes) and looking around that left the EDC X9, some variation of 2011 by STI or a comped .45. I already have a 5" doublestack and and only the DVC C interested me, but the EDC X9 seems to have a better reputation for reliability and cheaper mags.

I very, very, seriously looked at the Wilson Carry Comp Compact (or the XTac) and almost went with that but some experimentation determined that my back will not tolerate a 43 oz gun all day anymore and I don't like more that 4.25" barrel IWB, and this was going to be a carry gun.

So I went with the EDC X9.

WVsig said:
None of the above. Get yourself a good 70 Series base gun and send it to your smith of choice. When you get over the $2000 mark a 1911 should be a true custom not and off the shelf semi-custom. Once you work with a gunsmith on a personal build its hard to go back to off the shelf at that price point. This was done for me by Don Williams.

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This is probably the best bet, or go full custom. If you are OK with the wait. I'm pretty impatient when I finally decide on what I want. One of the advantages of the semi-customs are they are available reasonably quick if you don't have too many odd or unique requests.

What I really want to do, some day before my dad gets too old, is attend one of those learn to build your own 1911 classes with him. That's likely what I'm saving for next, maybe in 2 years.
 
WVsig said:
None of the above. Get yourself a good 70 Series base gun and send it to your smith of choice. When you get over the $2000 mark a 1911 should be a true custom not and off the shelf semi-custom. Once you work with a gunsmith on a personal build its hard to go back to off the shelf at that price point. This was done for me by Don Williams.

View attachment 891787

View attachment 891788

View attachment 891789

View attachment 891790

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View attachment 891792
Click to expand...

Goddamn thats pretty. Problem is, I dont know any great 1911 smiths. I will most definitely shoot him an email, I have....a lot of odd ideas I would like.

I have 3 1911 builds I want to do and no one to really turn too.
 
Trashyshoots said:
Goddamn thats pretty. Problem is, I dont know any great 1911 smiths. I will most definitely shoot him an email, I have....a lot of odd ideas I would like.

I have 3 1911 builds I want to do and no one to really turn too.
Click to expand...

Shoot me a PM and I can give you some recommendation on excellent 1911 smiths.
 
tarosean said:
Need to join a 1911 centric forum to get better ideas of individual Smith's works of art. Then you could get a better idea of who, what and how much.
Click to expand...

I've always been more of a function kind of guy. Used to buy a 1911A1 that was cosmeticallly challenged and take it to a guy in Trussville AL (He was old then so I'm sure he is not an option today). He did all the 1911's for cops in Central AL. He would blueprint the gun including lugs and link, set mag height, touch up the throat, square cut and tune extractor, bevel grip safety and trim hammer (I have large hands and fleshy webs) for a very reasonable price. Everything I needed and nothing I didn't. I never had an issue with one of his guns and spent less than a new Colt out of the box.

I'm afraid to ask what guys get for that work today, if I could find a guy I trust to not screw it up.
 
It warmed up to a balmy 4 today but I managed to get out and ran around 200 assorted rounds through the Wilson. A few mags of HST and Golden Saber, a bunch of my 124 grain FMJ handloads (@ roughly 1150 fps), a number of my RMR "multi purpose" JHP 124 grain handloads (that my Glock hates) and a mismash of a number of different 147 grain leftover hand loads.

Gun ran fine, very easy to shoot well at 3,5,7 and 10 yards, shoots fast but I did find I need to work on learning how it points out of the holster, certainly does not point like a 1911. Easy enough to train my hands with dry fire.

Had 3 failure to return to battery, one was my glove catching the slide I'm pretty sure, and the other two were 147 grain flat nose loaded to 1.13" that my Gen 5 19 won't run well and my Dad's CQB chokes on as well, so I'm thinking it is likely a tighter chamber and I don't load that bullet anymore either way.

Ran my carry ammo and various JHP without a hitch.

As for shooting:
- love the trigger, it's so easy to shoot it so well and tight groups at all ranges.
-- but it certainly started to make me lose focus and throw shots, very similar to an observation Colion Noir had said as well. Gotta remember to focus better.
- recoil is light but there does to be more muzzle rise than I'm used to on my Valkyrie or Glock 19. I think, I'd have to really compare them side by side, but this not a huge issue. I'm not fast enough to take advantage, and my splits were pretty normal for a 9mm.
- as noted before, it points a bit different than my other guns, so I'm going to need to work on that a bit to get instinctive shooting to where I need it to be, it's close and that shouldn't be an issue.
- I do not like the fiber optic it came with, as expected. It works and it's bright but there's just something about the sight picture that bothers me. I anticipated this and already have an orange Trijicon on its way.

Overall I'm very happy with it and am about ready to move it into my EDC holster in another couple hundred rounds(which is not a Vedder and that still annoys me, though the PJholster is pretty nice). I didn't have my best day shooting, but it was 4 degrees, I haven't shot in months and I was wearing gloves, so I'll give myself a pass.

I'm looking at the 1500 or so 9mm I have loaded and thinking.... I need to load more :)
 
As much as I'd love to do it, I just can't get past my own mental block of paying that much for a carry gun. They look awesome and I'm sure they're nicer shooters than the poly striker guns I carry, but the retirement accounts and kids' 529s are getting all the love these days. I don't know enough to comment on custom vs semi-custom but OP's WC looks plenty sweet to me.
 
JR24 said:
It warmed up to a balmy 4 today but I managed to get out and ran around 200 assorted rounds through the Wilson. A few mags of HST and Golden Saber, a bunch of my 124 grain FMJ handloads (@ roughly 1150 fps), a number of my RMR "multi purpose" JHP 124 grain handloads (that my Glock hates) and a mismash of a number of different 147 grain leftover hand loads.

Gun ran fine, very easy to shoot well at 3,5,7 and 10 yards, shoots fast but I did find I need to work on learning how it points out of the holster, certainly does not point like a 1911. Easy enough to train my hands with dry fire.

Had 3 failure to return to battery, one was my glove catching the slide I'm pretty sure, and the other two were 147 grain flat nose loaded to 1.13" that my Gen 5 19 won't run well and my Dad's CQB chokes on as well, so I'm thinking it is likely a tighter chamber and I don't load that bullet anymore either way.

Ran my carry ammo and various JHP without a hitch.

As for shooting:
- love the trigger, it's so easy to shoot it so well and tight groups at all ranges.
-- but it certainly started to make me lose focus and throw shots, very similar to an observation Colion Noir had said as well. Gotta remember to focus better.
- recoil is light but there does to be more muzzle rise than I'm used to on my Valkyrie or Glock 19. I think, I'd have to really compare them side by side, but this not a huge issue. I'm not fast enough to take advantage, and my splits were pretty normal for a 9mm.
- as noted before, it points a bit different than my other guns, so I'm going to need to work on that a bit to get instinctive shooting to where I need it to be, it's close and that shouldn't be an issue.
- I do not like the fiber optic it came with, as expected. It works and it's bright but there's just something about the sight picture that bothers me. I anticipated this and already have an orange Trijicon on its way.

Overall I'm very happy with it and am about ready to move it into my EDC holster in another couple hundred rounds(which is not a Vedder and that still annoys me, though the PJholster is pretty nice). I didn't have my best day shooting, but it was 4 degrees, I haven't shot in months and I was wearing gloves, so I'll give myself a pass.

I'm looking at the 1500 or so 9mm I have loaded and thinking.... I need to load more :)
Click to expand...

For me the guns shoots a lot like a Sig. It "feels" like it has a higher bore axis than a true 1911. It is very much a 1911 like pistol. It has grown more and more on me. Mine is a laser and I am certainly the weak link in the chain.
 
WVsig said:
For me the guns shoots a lot like a Sig. It "feels" like it has a higher bore axis than a true 1911. It is very much a 1911 like pistol. It has grown more and more on me. Mine is a laser and I am certainly the weak link in the chain.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I get that. That does feel about right. I noticed that I feel like I want a higher grip on the beavertail with my 1911 grip and, yeah, my 226 Legion feels kinda like that.

It's almost like a CZ as well, but not uncomfortable like I find the CZ grip as I instinctively try to get higher than the beavertail allows, which was my only hangup just waiting for the DWX.

It will take some time to fully settle, so did my Legion SAO, but I can tell this one is a winner.
 
94045 said:
I've always been more of a function kind of guy
....
Everything I needed and nothing I didn't
.
Click to expand...
Its a machine, they will function the same as anything else out there. I was using the term loosely as one mans "art" can be another mans trash.
The key is that you knew what you wanted... The person I was replying to needs to know the same.
 
Spats McGee said:
Even at 4 degrees, it sounds like you had a pretty good day. Thanks for the report.
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It was surprisingly comfortable with the sun out and no breeze (except when I laid down my tarp to collect brass, the wind kept picking up then and only then). If I hadn't needed my coat pockets for spare mags I might have even taken the coat off.

Hopefully next week Thursday or that weekend will be good for the next range day, else it'll have to wait till mid March.
 
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