Ed Brown ?

[Napalm Bulldog]

I'm in the market for another 1911 and have not seen anyone say much about Ed Browns. I'm considering a special forces or a non Rail TRP. Not looking to go Wilson or Nighthawk but was looking for some feed back. Which is a better pistol?Thank you.

[bigbearbear]

Nice article here:

http://www.gunsandammo.com/reviews/ed-brown-special-forces-1911-review/

[madoka]

I'm in the market for another 1911 and have not seen anyone say much about Ed Browns. I'm considering a special forces or a non Rail TRP. Not looking to go Wilson or Nighthawk but was looking for some feed back. Which is a better pistol?Thank you.

Between the SF and TRP, I'd pick the SF every time. In fact, I prefer my SF over either of my Springfield Pros (rail and non-railed). Ed Brown maybe a cranky jerk in real life, but he does make a fine 1911.

[ABR]

OP, as said Brown makes fine 1911's. I have several of them, and several other semi customs as well. Brown is at the top of my list. Fit, function, durability, accuracy, and high grip design makes them fabulous shooters. I have one SF with the Gen 3 finish and most pleased it looks new after thousands of rounds with 0 malfunctions. ZERO. If you can find one in stainless it will be the best looking stainless pistol of the bunch.

[krb]

I shoot a Les Baer and Ed Brown was on sale at Turner's. Went to check it out just to play with it a little in store. Really didn't feel any better than my LB but cost considerably more. I just purchased a Wilson but LB was my first 1911 and probably still my favorite. Look into migunslingers.com (?) or Crazy John I think cj1911heaven.com (?).

[WWDHD?]

I have an EB SF that I bought slightly used a few years ago and it's a really nice 1911. Just perfect in every way and very accurate in my hands. The TRP is a nice production gun (although the front checkering is too aggressive for my tastes) but not in the same realm as an EB IMO. I have 3 other 1911's and although I like them all I can for sure feel the difference with the EB. Good luck.

[stormvet]

I own two EB a SF and a SF carry. The full size SF was made in 2009 the carry in 2014, both wear the black EB coating. They are my favorite 1911s, simple and understated design, they seem to fit naturally deeper in my hand and foster a higher grip then my other 1911s.

I also have the TRP non-rail, good 1911 but pretty far down my list of favorite 1911s. As much as I like my WC CQB, the EB's are still my first choice.

[teflondog]

All semi-customs have performed equally well for me. The only noticeable differences I see are in fit and finish. My Les Baer TRS shoots just as well as my Ed Brown SF, but the Ed Brown doesn't have any file marks on the rails and it doesn't require a bushing wrench to assemble. The Les Baer is more crude and built purely for performance without the finishing touches.

I should also mention that Ed Brown has a more narrow and round front strap compared to my other 1911s, which all have a wider and flat front strap. The difference is small but it can be felt while shooting.

[JDMIS300]

Ed Brown makes a great 1911 and I feel the added cost is more than worth it over the TRP. You will enjoy the EB for years and years to come. While if you settle for the TRP, you will always wonder until you end up finally purchasing an EB anyways. My experience has been overwhelmingly positive when it comes to the current "semi custom" 1911's out there and IMO you really can't go wrong with any of the WC, EB, LB, GC, NHC, etc. Any of those manufacturers will provide a very high performance and durable 1911. The TRP is a nice gun but nowhere in the same playing field as the semi customs.

[E92335i]

Get SF. It's much nicer than the TRP.

[ACfixer]

To be fair, the Ed Brown is a solid $1,000 more than the TRP. Compare EB with other $2,400 guns, he makes a really nice pistol but when you get into that price range you should expect something nice.

[Rifle ronin]

wow! paying that much for a handgun! maybe for competition, but just to shoot seems ludicrous to me.

[AreWeFree]

Don't do it, nice gun but waste of money.

The 1911 is engineered to be great, any reputable mass manufacture gun will be as good.

If you're a higher level competitor or uber connoisseur, then get a full custom instead of an off the shelf ed brown/wilson/les.

[madoka]

Do it!

[Johneracer]

I feel that with custom/semi custom 1911 you reach a point of diminishing return pretty quickly. When you get into $2500-3000 1911 it just becomes a pissing contest. I shot all kinds of 1911 from ed brown/nighthawk/les bear and honestly can't tell a difference between my trp/kimber and more expensive 1911. Point is buy what you like, what looks good to you and feels good in your hand, just dont expect some ratilization in quality v price or price v accuracy. I have a kimber that will outshoot my buddies nighthawk any day. But the craftsmanship and the beauty of the nighthawk makes it worth it to my friend.