I was able to shoot both the other day at the range. A buddy of mine and I were shooting his new 92 f when another guy came up and started asking us how we were doing and so on. Come to find out he had 2 Wilson 1911's and a Kimber. I asked him a few things about them and he told me I could shoot them if I wanted. I was all over the combat elite and the SIS. I liked the SIS alot but, the wilson has to be the most accurate pistol I have ever shot. After a few clips through both I thanked him and asked if he would like to shoot any of mine. Before we left that day he had hit the X at 50 yards several times with his Wilsons. It was unreal.

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I see, so when are you going to buy your Wilson?

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Save a tree, eat a beaver.

About this time next year. I am looking at a S&W M&P 5.56 and a varmint rifle first. Do you think I will ever have enough? Hell I hope not.

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I'll buy a wilson when I wanna blow 2500 bucks. Nice guns but you could build a NICE CUSTOM Kimber for that price that would do what a wilson would and more.

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Don't Ride Faster Than Your Angel Can Fly

It depends on what you want to do. At the end of the day, you could build a NICE CUSTOM Pontiac Fiero witha body kit that would do everything a Ferrari would and more for the same price, but why would you? It's a complete waste of money over-investing in inferior equipment that wont look, feel or be appreciated anything like the genuine article.

$950 Kimber ($1,200 without crap Swartz safety -SIS or Warrior)
$450-$700Reliability package:dehorningMIM replacement of internals, replacement offactory safeties & sights, topquality trigger job by a competent gunsmith + shipping
$350 Match Barrel and oversize bushing fitted installed and throated by competent gunsmith + shipping

The bottom line is that after factoring in incidentals like shipping, etc. you could probably have a pistol made that could best a wilson in performance that's still @ $200-300 cheaper. Now ask yourself this...

Is$200-$300 insavings worth:

- the hassle of shipping to at least one top rated gunsmith and waiting months for the work (especially considering most "quality" smiths only do Springfields and Colts?

-The complete lack of warranty and serviceon the pistol (except that of thework done from a reputable smith) now that you have voided the lackluster Kimber warranty?

-The freezing of over $2,000 in assets since nobody will ever pay the kind of money you have spent for a "mucked-with"Kimber of unknown pedigree, and it will take forever and a day to find one who will pay a fair price for all that great workmanship on a Kimber (instead of a Colt)

- The fact that while it performs (> or = to a Wilson) it still isn't fitted/finished nearly as nicely and gives off the overinvested fiero body kit vibe instead of what a Wilson does.


The bottom line is that the Wilson is a bargain to those who actully understand and appreciate what goes into a 1911. There is nothing wrong with buying a production weapon like a Kimber, so long as you understand its limitations and don't try to pretend it's something that it is not. If you want < $1,000 1911 with a few bells and whistles that's not too bad, the Kimber is a fair choice. If you want the look, feel, performance, service, workmanship and quality of a custom 1911, you have two choices: buy it on the cheap by getting an excellentsemi custom like Wilson, Ed Brown, Les Baer, or buying an "investment grade" production1911 (AKA S70 Colt, NOT a Kimber, maybe a Springfield) and waiting months to a year to have anoutstanding knownsmith make you a TRUE custom that will cost you $1,000-$3000 more than a Wilson.There are no shortcuts to excellence, especially with 1911s.

A couple points.

You do know that Kimber was the prime source (maybe still is) for Wilson, right? I don't know about currently, but many of the Wilsons were actually Kimber toolings that were then tweaked by Wilson.

Having owned a Les Baer - and still owning a Kimber - my own opinion is that for 99.9% of the shooting population, the Kimber is a bargain. I sold my Les Baer when I got an offer that was just too much to pass on. The Kimber I'll never sell. I actually enjoyed shooting the Kimber every bit as much as the Les Baer.

Of course, I don't shoot competitively any more. Never did with handguns.

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'92 Heritage
R&R 113", R62T Cam
S&S G w/Thunderjet
Jims 6spd
Bassani Road Rage

Kimber and Caspian were used many years ago for the frame and slide of the early Wilsons -the 1996A2 models, and they threw away more than they accepted (words straight from the CSR at Wilson). That said, Kimber does make a good steel frame. As for the parts, Kimber never made any for Wilson (Wilson, King's, Ed Brown, etc. had been doing their own premium aftermarket parts for eons).The standalone Wilson models that suceeded the 1996A2 such as the CQB, Protector, and Supergrade, are all made with ALL Wilson components (CNC fabricated) and these models have been around for years.

For my 2 cent's I think kimber's are a bargain I own two the tactical pro one of my favorite carry guns I also own a Wilson classic purchased about twelve yrs ago have used it in ipsic,bowling pin,&falling plate matches near 10,000 rds. through it . it remains the most accurate reliable & handsome pistol I ever shot.
AL

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AL1911

Try this little test. With an EMPTY chamber and NO magazine in the Kimber, with the hammer down, flip the safety up.........Yea, it moves just a little iddy bit upwards and "catches". Then all of a sudden ...no can insert mag and rack, no can chamber, no can bang....MAJOR defect imo.

Your right! I tryed this on all 6 of my 1911's only kimbers showed this trait I'll be!
Al

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AL1911