Higher End 1911's

[Supertac916]

I have a few Les Baers, Nighthawk Talon II, Kimber Gold Combat, and a few others. They are all nice guns and the fit and feel to them are different. It ultimately comes down to the Indian over the arrow. I will say that the higher end custom 1911's tend to increase in value, if you are looking at them as kind of an investment. I remember when I picked up my Les Baer Supertac for $1,600, Wilson CQB for $1,800, and Les Baer TRP for $1,550. You can shoot them and enjoy them, than if you want to sell them later on you can make a little money. The Nighthawk Talon II is my most recent purchase and I picked it up for $2,300 (used) on the forums. There was only 100 rounds through it. "Worth" is up to each individual because someone who buys a Springfield loaded and invests the rest in ammo could probably outshoot the guy who bought the Wilson Combat Professional, who never shoots it or ran out of money for ammo. Just my .02 I love the 1911 platform.

[tmh1]

Les Baer's are NOT anywhere near the same quality as an EB, Wilson, or Nighthawk. They take shortcuts to get the advertised accuracy, and as a result, the reliability and usability of the firearm is massively compromised.

I've not found this to be the case with my Les Baer Premier II 1.5", however it is only an n=1.

What I have found is that once I got and shot my Baer I have been routinely selling off my other 1911's. All I have left are the Baer, my MC Operator and my DW C-Bob. I just don't find the need to have any more than that since I enjoy shooting my Baer so much.

Maybe mine is an anomaly (but I kind doubt that) but my Baer has been 100% reliable out-of-the-box, and is a real joy to shoot.

[Erion929]

One neat thing about the high end 1911s is they trade pretty easily and without losing much value.

Eh, most guns are like that. I've never sold a gun for less than I paid for it....and made crazy returns on many of them.

You are actually working with a limited market on high end 1911s resale....sweet guns, though!

[quadmx301]

I am not a 1911 specialist. I have a base model A/O 1911 that I've had worked into a great shooting gun. My opinion on upper end 1911s is that when you are looking to spend over $2k, you are nearly guaranteed an incredible little pistol. Heck, even at the 11-1200 range you are getting a great one. I think at the price range you are talking about, it boils down to personal preference. I don't think you can go wrong with any of the manufacturers you've mentioned. Personally, Ed Brown has always grabbed my eyes, and if I was going to drop money, it would be an Ed Brown for sure.

[RedFord150]

I bought my DW PM7 when they were still around $1K.

I cannot imagine wanting anything better. Lucky for me, I have never shot a better 1911. Maybe I just don't know what I am missing.

Before you plop down $3K, find a way to try the PM7 or any other DW. You may find it satisfies your desire, for a lot less $.

Just my .02...

[David_Lawrence]

The 1911 forums are filled with collectors who stress about what color they should get, they're not shooters for the most part.

I own or have owned Les Baer, Springfield, Wilson, Nighthawk, Ed Brown.

The two that I could recommend are Wilson and Springfield. My Ed Brown customer service experience was pretty piss poor. Wilson's CS has been stellar. If you shoot the gun enough you will need CS at some point.

Coincidentally, in a class with a well known former Tier 1 instructor who was also a member of the American Pistolsmiths Guild, he said Wilson and Springfield were at the top, and Ed Brown was at the bottom.

Nice! Which WC did you own? Yeah I guess EB is a hit or miss with their CS.

[HK416]

Wilson CQB Light Rail or the SA Pro Operator. I love my Pro, it's one of their earlier models with the Nowlin barrel

[JDMIS300]

Les Baer's are NOT anywhere near the same quality as an EB, Wilson, or Nighthawk. They take shortcuts to get the advertised accuracy, and as a result, the reliability and usability of the firearm is massively compromised.

This has not been my personal experience. I would say that the finishing of most of the parts is noticeably rougher when compared to a Wilson for example. But MOST Baer's are also 2/3 the cost of MOST Wilsons. I find the Baer performance to be on par with any of my other semi custom 1911's. They all have their quirks.

[NYT]

Thank you for your time to respond to my post, I'm willing to spend $2500-$3000 on a 1911, just never shot anything that expensive. Only thing I've heard bad from Ed Brown is their customer service.

if you can go up a bit, there is a springfield professional in the for sale forum.

that is where i would go. ed brown is crap in comparison.

http://www.calguns.net/calgunforum/showthread.php?t=1181163

[keenkeen]

Spend a little more and go Guncrafter.

Or spend double+ and have something built at a custom shop.

[Litespeeds]

I'm favor Wilson Combat. This is not my gun but I have something very similar. Just look at this beauty. I know grips can really make a gun look much better but that is really a personal thing.


And a stock photo of a Ed Brown Special Forces for comparison:


And a photo of a Springfield Pro for comparison:

[kozumasbullitt]

if you can go up a bit, there is a springfield professional in the for sale forum.

that is where i would go. ed brown is crap in comparison.

http://www.calguns.net/calgunforum/s....php?t=1181163

I feel the pro is a great gun for $2500 but once you cross $3000, you are in Wilson Combat range.

[Rhyyke]

If $3000 is a hard cap, a lot of Nighthawks and Wilsons will exceed that NIB. You'll probably be able to find a used one for under that though.

If time is not an issue, I would grab a Mil-Spec and send it off to Springfield Custom Shop to be worked over to your exact specs. Or even send them your TRP. I guarantee that you won't find yourself shooting it much after you pick up a $2k+ 1911. You could basically have your TRP fully worked over for around $2k, I mean top to bottom.

Or search for a Guncrafter, those are bad*****.

[gbarbo001]

I own a large number of 1911 pistols and my two favorites are my Ed Brown Kobra Carry and my Wilson Tactical Elite. If I was forced to choose just one of them it would be my Wilson Tactical Elite, shown here:

[heidad01]

There are several super custom 1911 makers the likes of Cabot, Harp, etc that make the most beautiful 1911s capable of shooting a fly at 50 paces if you can aim right. Those are pricy and hard to come by.

Of the ones you can buy in stores Wilson Combat, Gun Crafter = Night Hawk, Springfield in that order if you want to spend around 3K.
Les Baer, Dan Wesson if you want to spend around 2K.

Heck, even the not so high end 1911s like the TRP or even a Sig at around $1400 are great guns, well put together, and well worth the money.

p.s. I saw a video of an interview with Ed Brown by an independent and his attitude was bad enough to dissuade me from buying his guns. The owner's attitude towards public trickles down to his employees and CS.