My Defective Wilson 1911 Part 2

[finalcut]

Many of you read my first thread that told the story of how I bought a brand new Wilson 1911 and took it to the range only to encounter multiple failures....
I took it back to the dealer, we sent it to Wilson, who confirmed a faulty extractor - and said they repaired & tested the gun.
The gun came back today, and I took it to the range.

Before I go any further let me say two things:
#1- Wilson is a great company, and gave me great - fast service
#2 - My expectations of a $2,450 gun is that I can put at least 1,000 rounds through it without any malfunctions.

Ok... The short story - multiple malfunctions right out of the box.
The gun jammed once, and failed to extract twice within the first 125 rounds.
For those of you who think a 1911 needs a break-in period - this is after the gun having had several hundred rounds through it at Wilson's shop ( supposedly, and I don't doubt it ) and by the way Wilson says there is no need for a break-in period.
Also multiple types of ammo, and the gun was not limp-wristed.

So... the dealer has assured me that they will refund me in full. I sure hope so, and we'll see tomorrow.
I will not buy another high-end 1911, and maybe never another 1911. I have my Dads Colt WW2 made in 1943 & it shoots great, so I guess I'll stick with it.

So this year that is two out of six guns that I've acquired to be duds.
Oddly enough the two duds were on the extreme ends of the price spectrum - a Wilson 1911 & a Taurus PT145.
The good ones are my Dads 1911 Colt WW2, XD Compact .40, XD Subcompact .40, & S&W 629 44mag. These four are working fine.

 

[CPshooter]

that sucks.. at least you are getting your money back!

now imagine what else you can buy with $2.5k If I were you, I'd buy a Spingfield 1911, an HK USPc .45, and probably a Sig P229 with the money!

 

[finalcut]

now imagine what else you can buy with $2.5k If I were you, I'd buy a Spingfield 1911, an HK USPc .45, and probably a Sig P229 with the money!

To funny. I've been on-line all night looking at those guns & more. Really thinking about a Sig

 

[sturmgewehr]

All I can say is for the money you should have bought an Ed Brown.

I'm glad your dealer is doing right by you.

 

[crankshop1000]

Or... you could buy a $479 Rock Island Armory Tactical and enjoyed some trouble free shooting. Chuck.

 

[Mad Magyar]

Kind of curious...I read where Bill W. stated that he will sell his Shok-Buffs to anyone; but doesn't have much use for them and he doesn't place them on his pistols...Was there one on yours?

 

[Walkalong]

ANY company can produce a lemon. You would think one would not get through a Wilson or another big name, but it happened. I would get an Ed Brown myself over a Wilson (or a Les Baer over a Wilson) but I would never tell someone not to buy a Wilson. I bet if they replaced it with another gun you would be very pleased with it. They just have to good a rep and put out to many fine pistols to give up on them. It does leave a sour taste in your mouth though, doesn't it. That's a lot of cash.

 

[10-Ring]

At least your dealer stepped up & is ready to refund your $$. Hope your next guns work out better for you!

 

[Ford]

hmm. sorry to hear this. So If I'm reading correctly it also malfuncioned after you got it back from sending it in?
I have a Wilson as well. Its been fine. I probably wont buy one of the high ends again either though. I dont shoot IDPA anymore and $2k-$3k plus for a handgun to plink with is overkill. Atleast for me. Most of the 1911's that you can buy today for under $1k shoot better than the majority of the shooters that own them.
the higher end guns are pretty sweet though.

 

[trbon8r]

I wouldn't write off 1911s. I don't want to beat you up over your choice of a Wilson. I know they make some good guns, but nevertheless guns that in my opinion are way overpriced.

You could have bought a nice Les Baer from Sporting Arms for around $1400, and had plenty of change left over. Give a Les Baer a try before you write off 1911s.

 

[Black Majik]

I wouldn't write off 1911s. I don't want to beat you up over your choice of a Wilson. I know they make some good guns, but nevertheless guns that in my opinion are way overpriced.

You could have bought a nice Les Baer from Sporting Arms for around $1400, and had plenty of change left over. Give a Les Baer a try before you write off 1911s.

Couldn't agree more

 

[Powder_Burn]

I agree, try out a Les Baer. His pistols restored my faith in the 1911 after very bad Kimber and STI experiences. I have owned 2 that are flawless. They are super tight when new and they will need to be broken in over ~300-500 rounds.

 

[jkomp316]

my view is that the 1911 wasnt intended for bullseye competition. it does make a great platform, but not without sacrafices. the cheaper, loose 1911s will shoot all day. just depends what your intended use is. professional musicians spend $10,000 on gutiars, the strings still break.

 

[Geno]

Sorry for your problems.

My STS Colt Series 70 Reissue has over 5,000 rounds with never a single failure. I did a 3,000 round torture test, no cleaning, and never had a failure.

I agree about no break-in period needed. That a break-in period is needed is a Kimber-myth to justify the failure to properly and consistently manufacture quality products.

Doc2005

 

[Kruzr]

It's a shame it wasn't done at the factory but it only takes a few minutes to adjust or replace and adjust an extractor.

 

[Specialized]

Kind of curious...I read where Bill W. stated that he will sell his Shok-Buffs to anyone; but doesn't have much use for them and he doesn't place them on his pistols...Was there one on yours?

Funny you should mention that... Talk about a solution to a problem that doesn't exist! If JMB thought his design needed a rubber *sshole I'm sure he would have incorporated something to answer the need. And yet, I see these things flying off the shelves everywhere. It's a stroke of marketing genius, but for the life of me I've never understood it. I've also never seen a stock 1911, with a regulation 16-lb spring, that had any sort of peening problem whatsoever. Ya gotta wonder...

 

[Dave Dembinski]

What's the name of the dealer? Sounds like a truly stand-up guy!

 

[finalcut]

Kind of curious...I read where Bill W. stated that he will sell his Shok-Buffs to anyone; but doesn't have much use for them and he doesn't place them on his pistols...Was there one on yours?

Yes. And I think it could be linked - but Wilson's guys at the shop says "Leave it in there" when it was sent back for service, so I went with the experts opinion....

 

[brentn]

I would give it another go if I were you. YOu want a target pistol with perfect tolerences, the wilson will provide.
Ask them for a brand NEW one, same model, or different, maybe you want something else? but they are willing to give you a refund, that is ****ing awesome, I would give it one more shot though.
Theres no way you will get two in a row like that, like the other guy said, every company has a lemon once in a while.

 

[DAVE RICHARDS]

I am at the point where I won't even bother with a 1911. Like you I went through the "Kimber Schuffle". Bought one, was sent two replacements. None could be made to work and stay working. Tried some other brands had better luck but none has the stone cold reliability of my HK USPc .45, Sig 229R (any of my Sigs for that matter), or my XD. All guns you mentioned you are looking at. My old boss at work had a commercial Colt built in 1913 that has been his family through several generations. It's not pretty, it won't shoot 1" groups at 25 yards, but the damn thing will still shoot everytime given decent ammo. So 1911's can work and some do.
But it sure seems like folks are willing to accept or make up excuses why their $1000.00, $2000.00, or $3000.00 won't work and stay working. No way in hell would anyone accept such excuses from a $500.00 Glock, $750.00 Sig, or $800.00 HK. I guess a 1911 might make a decent range/target gun. But trust my bacon with it? Hell no! And just so you know I had a SA Loaded LW model that went 14,000 trouble free rounds after I replaced the faulty extractor from the box. And a S&W 1911 Gunsite I still own after Smith rebuilt the whole top section of the gun. But again neither worked from the box. So yes they can work. But at what price?
Some of the basic Mil Spec versions from SA and other companies are the most dependable. BTW I've given up on Taurus also. I had one of the early PT-145's with the cracking frame. And a latter model that dropped a large hunk of metal out of it after one range session. But the PT-92 is a pretty safe gamble. Shame. 1911's are flat, great trigger, great Ergos, and so on. Just too much trouble to me. Loved the little Taurus guns also. Just would not hold up. If you like cocked and locked go with a Var. 1 USPc .45. That's what I replaced my last Kimber with. Total reliability, target grade accuracy. Same with my Sig 220 which they offer in a cocked and locked version also. Hell even though it's fat and ugly my G30 is one of the best shooters I own. Good luck!

 

[finalcut]

Dave Richards
I am right there with you. I have my Dad's 1911 WW2 Colt made in 1943 & I'm sticking with that.

The Wilson ordeal is over. I went back & did get a full refund. I'll never buy another custom 1911 unless I want a gun to impress my friends with at BBQs. I had bought that Wilson for the wrong reasons - real life self defense....

Wilson treated me great, and so did Great Northern Guns in Alaska - and I treated them great. I didn't just go in and demand a refund - I did everything I could to try to make it all happen, and when it became obvious that the gun was a dud I packed it in.

I'm ganna stick with my Colt, my two XDs, and S&W 629. That's plenty of handgun for now. Although.... I did hold a few nice H&Ks while getting a refund : )

My last comment - anyone in Alaska looking to buy a gun - Deal with Great Northern Guns in Anchorage on Tudor. Great service, great selection, and they stand behind their product unlike 99% of the rest of the gun dealers.

 

[Old Fuff]

My old boss at work had a commercial Colt built in 1913 that has been his family through several generations. It's not pretty, it won't shoot 1" groups at 25 yards, but the damn thing will still shoot everytime given decent ammo.

I have my Dads Colt WW2 made in 1943 & it shoots great, so I guess I'll stick with it.

The Old Fuff's Colt Government Model of 1950's vintage is as reliable as the pistols mentioned above.

Maybe there is a message here?

 

[trbon8r]

Funny how you don't hear people that bought a Les Baer complaining that they will never buy another 1911.

 

[spyderdude]

I live right here in Anchorage Alaska, and Great Northern Guns is by far my most favorite gun shop to go to. Most other gun shops I've been to have frowned upon me because I look like I'm 16 or 17, but GNG on Tudor has treated me with respect from the first time I walked in there. I remember when I bought my first 1911 which was a Springfield GI45, one of the guys there actually showed me how to properly field strip and re-assemble the gun. I have yet to find another gun shop that will do that for me. They have the lowest prices, and best selection in town.

 

[finalcut]

I live right here in Anchorage Alaska, and Great Northern Guns is by far my most favorite gun shop to go to. Most other gun shops I've been to have frowned upon me because I look like I'm 16 or 17, but GNG on Tudor has treated me with respect from the first time I walked in there. I remember when I bought my first 1911 which was a Springfield GI45, one of the guys there actually showed me how to properly field strip and re-assemble the gun. I have yet to find another gun shop that will do that for me. They have the lowest prices, and best selection in town.

Yep - buying that Wilson from them was all in all a great thing cause I got to experience how great they are at standing behind their customers & product!