cerberus
member
I found this on the 1911 Forum. I think it's a really good Compair report.
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quantico
1911 lover
Registered: Sep 1999
Location: Wisconsin
I had a chance to compare Wilson,baer,Ed Brown 1911's in a gun shop...
I have been looking to buy a single high end 1911 for some time as I wish to concentrate on shooting one gun type. Hopefully I can improve my IDPA skills and overall confidence in making fast shots on the move and in a hurry. I have been shooting 1911's for 25 years... but also shoot glocks , sig's , and HK's . I like the other guns and tend to shoot one then another for a while. I decided that going back and forth between different triggers and grips and sights was keeping me from achieving whatever skill level I might have if I really spent time with one gun type.
Over the last couple years I evaluated my skills and the ergonomics on several different gun types, I finally chose the 1911 as the single best handling / most comfortable / most rounds fired and most instinctual pistol for me. I have considered Wilson / ed brown / and les baer pistols , but have not had an opportunity to examine all of them. Finally a local gun shop started to specialize in some high end 1911's and I got a chance to compare back to back / gun to gun the triggers and overall feel of each. here is what I found...
The Wilson guns seem to have good fit and finish, but I feel that they are overpriced a bit. The CQB was a nice machine for the money, but I did not like the looks of year old CQB's as the paint usually was falling off or in rough shape in the high wear areas. I have fired wilson pistols... and decided that the best bet for me would be the all stainless protector / 5 inch.. The outside of the wilson looked good, but the inside machining had some rough areas and the barrel bushing fit was not good. The trigger had some creep but the pull weight was about right. There were some sharp edges left in the slide around the barrel ... and the lockup was a bit loose.
The Les Baer TRS really dissapointed me. The gun had many parts that seemed to not fit well. The grip safety bump hit my hand in a way that was very uncomfortable, the hammer safety sometimes worked and sometimes was impossible to move despite being dripping in oil. The trigger pull was too heavy for my taste and the slide to frame fit was loose and sloppy. The barrel bushing fit was also fairly loose and the metalwork was not polished well before the gun was blued. From all that I had heard about baer guns being tight this gun was not normal. The gun shop owner told me that baer stopped making guns that tight as it was making them unreliable. This unfired gun was not in the same class as the wilson... although it was cheaper ...it was not cheap enough to make me consider it.
Next I looked at an Ed Brown executive elite and executive carry ... these pistols were more expensive than the wilson or baer by quite a few dollars... but quality was evident in every area of the pistols. The fit and finish was perfect... just right. I could not find a rough edge inside or outside the pistol. The trigger pull was crisp and maybe a pound or two heavier than I would like, but then I like very light triggers. The metal work was polished with great attention to detail . I just loved the overall feel of the pistol and how everything worked. The executive has more traditional grooves cut into the grip frontstrap and it was not too sharp or too smooth. I will now need to check out the kobra in the full size and the carry version to choose between them for my final purchase. The kobra is 300 dollars less due to the amount of time it takes to cosmetically finish the pistol.
I have fired wilson guns... did not get a chance to shoot the baer or ed brown gun.... but the brown pistol really impressed me. I think my search for gun type is over... I think the brand is now selected... all that remains is to compare the kobra to the executive elite in feel.... and sell a couple more guns to fund the purchase. I hope to have a kobra or kobra carry / maybe an executive elite ... in a few months... It's hard to pick out a gun without shooting one... but it is impossible to pick one out without handling one to see for yourself what the product feels like in your hands.
__________________
member 1911 forum # 4545
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quantico
1911 lover
Registered: Sep 1999
Location: Wisconsin
I had a chance to compare Wilson,baer,Ed Brown 1911's in a gun shop...
I have been looking to buy a single high end 1911 for some time as I wish to concentrate on shooting one gun type. Hopefully I can improve my IDPA skills and overall confidence in making fast shots on the move and in a hurry. I have been shooting 1911's for 25 years... but also shoot glocks , sig's , and HK's . I like the other guns and tend to shoot one then another for a while. I decided that going back and forth between different triggers and grips and sights was keeping me from achieving whatever skill level I might have if I really spent time with one gun type.
Over the last couple years I evaluated my skills and the ergonomics on several different gun types, I finally chose the 1911 as the single best handling / most comfortable / most rounds fired and most instinctual pistol for me. I have considered Wilson / ed brown / and les baer pistols , but have not had an opportunity to examine all of them. Finally a local gun shop started to specialize in some high end 1911's and I got a chance to compare back to back / gun to gun the triggers and overall feel of each. here is what I found...
The Wilson guns seem to have good fit and finish, but I feel that they are overpriced a bit. The CQB was a nice machine for the money, but I did not like the looks of year old CQB's as the paint usually was falling off or in rough shape in the high wear areas. I have fired wilson pistols... and decided that the best bet for me would be the all stainless protector / 5 inch.. The outside of the wilson looked good, but the inside machining had some rough areas and the barrel bushing fit was not good. The trigger had some creep but the pull weight was about right. There were some sharp edges left in the slide around the barrel ... and the lockup was a bit loose.
The Les Baer TRS really dissapointed me. The gun had many parts that seemed to not fit well. The grip safety bump hit my hand in a way that was very uncomfortable, the hammer safety sometimes worked and sometimes was impossible to move despite being dripping in oil. The trigger pull was too heavy for my taste and the slide to frame fit was loose and sloppy. The barrel bushing fit was also fairly loose and the metalwork was not polished well before the gun was blued. From all that I had heard about baer guns being tight this gun was not normal. The gun shop owner told me that baer stopped making guns that tight as it was making them unreliable. This unfired gun was not in the same class as the wilson... although it was cheaper ...it was not cheap enough to make me consider it.
Next I looked at an Ed Brown executive elite and executive carry ... these pistols were more expensive than the wilson or baer by quite a few dollars... but quality was evident in every area of the pistols. The fit and finish was perfect... just right. I could not find a rough edge inside or outside the pistol. The trigger pull was crisp and maybe a pound or two heavier than I would like, but then I like very light triggers. The metal work was polished with great attention to detail . I just loved the overall feel of the pistol and how everything worked. The executive has more traditional grooves cut into the grip frontstrap and it was not too sharp or too smooth. I will now need to check out the kobra in the full size and the carry version to choose between them for my final purchase. The kobra is 300 dollars less due to the amount of time it takes to cosmetically finish the pistol.
I have fired wilson guns... did not get a chance to shoot the baer or ed brown gun.... but the brown pistol really impressed me. I think my search for gun type is over... I think the brand is now selected... all that remains is to compare the kobra to the executive elite in feel.... and sell a couple more guns to fund the purchase. I hope to have a kobra or kobra carry / maybe an executive elite ... in a few months... It's hard to pick out a gun without shooting one... but it is impossible to pick one out without handling one to see for yourself what the product feels like in your hands.
__________________
member 1911 forum # 4545