Kimber vs Wilson Combat

[Exiledviking]

BTW guess who makes all of Wilson Combat's frames? Kimber

I see your Kimber and I raise, S&W!

According to Wilson, S&W makes the forgings for frames and slides for Jerico/Kimber. Jerico is now part of Kimber. Kimber sells the frames and slides to Wilson according to Wilson's specs. The ones that Wilson get are all over-size for hand fittting and finishing.

[sholling]

I no longer have the Wilson, sold it. But, their slides sight cuts are propertier and I don't care for the WC sights (I can't pick them up fast for stress shooting, could just be me) and I don't like the WC beaver tale and that is also a propertier cut. And a few other things here and there.

I can respect your personal taste. I just want to add that it seems like pretty much everybody has their own sight cuts. S&W, Taurus, and Springfield if I remember correctly.

[m1match]

grim1U- I think you mean Wilsons parts are proprietary- you mean they don't interchange with other makers parts right? The CQB uses Novak dovetail sights so those are not proprietary. Wilson cut beavertail grip safeties are also on Caspian frames and Springfield Armory 1911s. Sights and grip safeties are a matter of personal preferences, and I understand your not liking Wilson as much.

[tankerman]

grim1U- I think you mean Wilsons parts are proprietary- you mean they don't interchange with other makers parts right? The CQB uses Novak dovetail sights so those are not proprietary. Wilson cut beavertail grip safeties are also on Caspian frames and Springfield Armory 1911s. Sights and grip safeties are a matter of personal preferences, and I understand your not liking Wilson as much.

Thank you for clarify that, I was confused. Looked online for the definition of;

Propitier

all I got were french responses.

[nooner]

Wow there are a lot of opinions in this thread. I'm perfectly happy with my Kimber, have had zero jams or issues of any kind and it has no trouble hitting what it is aimed at. If you have the money Wilson makes beautiful guns.

[grim1U]

grim1U- I think you mean Wilsons parts are proprietary- you mean they don't interchange with other makers parts right? The CQB uses Novak dovetail sights so those are not proprietary. Wilson cut beavertail grip safeties are also on Caspian frames and Springfield Armory 1911s. Sights and grip safeties are a matter of personal preferences, and I understand your not liking Wilson as much.

The WC front sight is not a standard Novak cut, it's of WC size/dimension cut. The WC beavertail cut is not the same as many after market beaver tails, it's higher and requires more metal removed from the frame, so to put a "better to me" beavertail on, I would have to have the frame welded up to fill the gap. Etc, etc.

To answer your first question, Yes, that is what I meant

[oghl888]

what's wrong with a Z06? it's just a little bit faster than an aston...

The DB9 is easier to live with every day, much more refined. Nothing wrong the the Z06, but it would be the Kimber in this comparison. It's quite a compliment to Kimber, too.

[rtadlock]

I have a Wilson CQB and my girlfriend has a Kimber Goldmatch. Both are good guns and feel about the same to shoot but the Kimber seems to be a little more finicky about ammo. The Kimber does jam every once in a while but not very often. I have replaced the spring and tried different mags but it seems to be certain kinds of ammo it doesnt like.

I have at least twice as many round through my CQB and it has never jammed or had any malfunction of any kind. I have 9 guns and it is the one I would trust my life with the most.

If you want a good 1911 to go shoot at the range I would say save the money and get a Kimber. If you want a 1911 for when SHTF buy the Wilson. I have never heard any complaints about the functionality of a Wilson CQB, mainly just price.

[SJgunguy24]

Why would this matter in the least. Do you think Baer or Nighthawk mix pixie dust in their metal formulations? No one that I know of has ever accused Kimber of making poorly forged frames. More often they accuse Kimber of poorly fitted components and sometimes poorly finished components. I think it's a safe assumption that the frames are sent unfinished to Wilson for final machining and hand fitting.

BTW I just ordered my second Kimber today so I'm not a hater just a realist.

I'm saying get a base model Kimber and have a true custom gun built. The componets are the same, as you said it's the hand fitting that makes the difference. My 1911 is a Colt and it's a P.O.S. I need to send it back to colt so they can get it running.

[tom_92673]

I just got a Wilson Tactical Elite, and I've pretty much stopped shooting everything else. My Kimber is an ultra CDP, so not an apples to apples comparison as the Wilson is full size, but it's just so accurate. Everyone that's shot it can tell it's more accurate. My buddy who's SWAT armorer tuned in all their TRP's for them picked my Wilson up and shot tighter groups than he could acheive with his TRP on his first try with it. Wilson guarantees 1 inch accuracy on most models at 25 yards. Kimber wouldn't try that, and you are likely to pick up two Kimbers (a fine gun in my opinion) and have them feel very different from one another.

[tazmanian devil dog]

Wilson and Ed Brown!!!!

[m1match]

grim1U- I've only changed the rear on my CQB to a 10-8 so I learned something new- I didn't know the front wasn't Novak cut also. Personal choice is one of the great things about custom 1911s- you get what you want. Personally, my hand can't tell that much of a difference between Ed Brown beavertails and Wilsons. On my customs my all time favorite are the CMC Extreme grip safetys on an Ed Brown cut.

[hawk1547]

I have a Wilson SDS and a Kimber Custom ll, and there is simply no comparison between Kimber and Wilson.The machining and the way all parts fit together...the overall build quality is just amazing,there are no plastic bits,no shortcuts or cost saving compromises in Bill Wilson 1911's.

[aklon]

I have both a Kimber (Warrior II) and a Wilson (Professional). In my mind, the two guns aren't comparable. Both are fine examples of differing production philosophies and as such they stand on their own.

Kimber is a production gun. Parts for the gun are machined to very tight tolerances and then assembled. (And I have to say Kimber does this very well indeed.)

Wilson is a custom gun. Machining is (again) done to very tight tolerances, but critical parts are a tad oversized, then handfitted to each other.

Hold both guns and with the palm of your left hand, hold the slide forward of the trigger guard and rock gently back and forth. You'll find the Kimber has a little "give" to it; the Wilson doesn't. Rack the slide: the Kimber unlocks a lot easier than the Wilson.

What this translates to at the range is a slightly larger group from the Kimber than with the Wilson, but group size is not a concern as both pistols are quite accurate. More important, they are both extremely reliable (although you may have to have the Kimber's feed ramp polished).

Still, the best advice here is:

Handle and shoot them both. Then, buy a Baer