View Full Version : Wilson Combat CQB LE 1911 Review
plouffedaddy
12-09-15, 08:17
http://i.imgur.com/IIlpvTCl.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/94RXsJql.jpg
My wife gave me the Wilson Combat CQB LE about a year ago and I've been doing my best to get some use out of it http://www.ar15.com/images/smilies/icon_smile_big.gif since. Like most WC guns, the options for customization are pretty extensive but here are some of the features of the base gun:
-Full-Size Stainless Steel Frame
-Integral Light Rail
-30 LPI High Cut Checkered Frontstrap
-High-Ride Bullet Proof® Beavertail Grip Safety
-Bullet Proof® Thumb Safety
-3 ˝# - 4 ˝# Crisp Trigger Pull
-Bullet Proof® Magazine Well
-G10 Diagonal Flat Bottom Grips
-5" Carbon Steel Slide
-Battlesight with Fiber Optic Front Sight
-5" Stainless Match Grade Bull Barrel, Hand Fit
The gun is extremely accurate (as shown in the video) and functions flawlessly as you'd expect from a gun with this kind of price tag.
Full review with all the details:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X8D3m_bH4wE
Great review and congrats on the new blaster. Wilson is on my short list of must own. Hell, I would probably be happy with just a single Wilson.
It also warns my heart to how great your wife is. Above and beyond comes to mind in her efforts. You sir are a lucky dude. Its a wonderful thing to not only have a wife that is supportive, but enthusiastic as well, isn't it.
Keep up the great work, your videos are very enjoyable.
Compared to a solid production gun like your LDD Operator, obviously the Wilson will be prettier and more refined in every way. But where rubber meets the road, accuracy and reliability, what kind of differences if any have you seen?
wilson1911
12-09-15, 13:53
I've had mine since 07, it does not look as good when I bought it now days. I have about 5k thru mine and it still shoots jut as good as the day I got it.
Nice video and present...I did cringe when you swung the SS.
Wish they made the frame in cs
plouffedaddy
12-10-15, 03:48
Great review and congrats on the new blaster. Wilson is on my short list of must own. Hell, I would probably be happy with just a single Wilson.
It also warns my heart to how great your wife is. Above and beyond comes to mind in her efforts. You sir are a lucky dude. Its a wonderful thing to not only have a wife that is supportive, but enthusiastic as well, isn't it.
Keep up the great work, your videos are very enjoyable.
Indeed it is.
And how do you like the Savoy Leather Holster?
donlapalma
12-10-15, 15:13
It's been a while since I've had a 1911. It's probably the only handgun that I've gotten rid of over the years that I miss. When I'm ready to get back into I will most certainly get a Wilson Combat. Thanks for sharing the review.
Strictly performance wise, accuracy and reliability, how does it compare with a solid production pistol like your TRP Operator?
Someone I know has a Supergrade.....omg....butter....
donlapalma
12-10-15, 21:02
What's the consensus on their 9mm 1911s? Just as solid as their .45s?
plouffedaddy
12-11-15, 12:06
Compared to a solid production gun like your LDD Operator, obviously the Wilson will be prettier and more refined in every way. But where rubber meets the road, accuracy and reliability, what kind of differences if any have you seen?
Well, the LDD has continued to run 100% (video below for folks that didn't see it). The Wilson is the most consistently accurate pistol I own, and 2nd is my Wilson 92 Brigadier G and my CZ 75 custom shop gun FWIW. I don't think it's a coincidence that 2 of the top 3 in the accuracy dept are Wilsons.
Also, I have 3x of Springfield's higher end 1911s (1x TRP Rail, 1x TRP full rail, and LDD) and the TRP full rail version has had reliability issues and both TRPs have had random rust issues and have both had to be refinished by Springfield under warranty. The CQB LE has had 0 issues of any kind.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SCh2xoEsTHY
Also, I have 3x of Springfield's higher end 1911s (1x TRP Rail, 1x TRP full rail, and LDD) and the TRP full rail version has had reliability issues and both TRPs have had random rust issues and have both had to be refinished by Springfield under warranty. The CQB LE has had 0 issues of any kind.
That's interesting. Any idea when they were made?
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plouffedaddy
12-12-15, 10:31
And how do you like the Savoy Leather Holster?
It's awesome; certainly the nicest workmanship of any holster I own.
Mrgunsngear
12-14-15, 11:44
That's interesting. Any idea when they were made?
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The TRP with rail was made around 2011 and the full rail this year
Also, I have 3x of Springfield's higher end 1911s (1x TRP Rail, 1x TRP full rail, and LDD) and the TRP full rail version has had reliability issues and both TRPs have had random rust issues and have both had to be refinished by Springfield under warranty. The CQB LE has had 0 issues of any kind.
Do you mind detailing the rust problems you've encountered? I understood Armory Kote to be a fairly good finish.
Mrgunsngear
12-20-15, 12:09
Do you mind detailing the rust problems you've encountered? I understood Armory Kote to be a fairly good finish.
Sure. On the standard rail one it rusted under the grips just sitting in a safe (with GoldenRod). On the full rail version the rear sight rusted from the factory. I brushed it off, hit it with CLP, rusted again in the safe after about a month. Then sent it back....
My CQB TLE has been perfect. The perfect 1911 IMO. Eats anything.
Don't need no stinkin Supergrades.
Mrgunsngear
12-21-15, 10:40
My CQB TLE has been perfect. The perfect 1911 IMO. Eats anything.
Don't need no stinkin Supergrades.
Nor do I but one day :D
A total joke for all that money, there dbl what there worth,,
Lol. Brad
A total joke for all that money, there dbl what there worth,,
Lol. Brad
This guy is just trollin away right now.
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Nightstalker865
01-09-16, 17:45
This guy is just trollin away right now.
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Perception is everything. Unless you have spent some quality time with a high end 1911, you'll never appreciate it. I felt like my TRP was a very nice 1911 until I really got to spend some time with my CQB-Elite. While the TRP is still a great shooter, its just not in the same league as the Wilson.
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*they're
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*they're
Glad someone caught that.
Anyway,
OP Nice Review, even nicer gun! I've only owned one 1911 a Springfield RO. No where near the league of your Wilson (OBVIOUSLY) But with that said, it really is the only pistol I've ever regretted parting ways with. I'd love to get a Wilson one day.
The Dumb Gun Collector
01-09-16, 18:37
There is no doubt, Wilson's are expensive. But if you sit down with a CQB and an offering from Kimber, Colt, SIG, etc someone who knows what he is looking at can see why. Everybody says they are too expensive, but nobody is making comparable guns any cheaper. Could you buy a Colt rail gun and be happy? Absolutely! But if you want a gun that is made right down to the teeny tiny details you have to pay.
A total joke for all that money, there dbl what there worth,,
Lol. Brad
Sure. On the standard rail one it rusted under the grips just sitting in a safe (with GoldenRod). On the full rail version the rear sight rusted from the factory. I brushed it off, hit it with CLP, rusted again in the safe after about a month. Then sent it back....
There is no doubt, Wilson's are expensive. But if you sit down with a CQB and an offering from Kimber, Colt, SIG, etc someone who knows what he is looking at can see why. Everybody says they are too expensive, but nobody is making comparable guns any cheaper. Could you buy a Colt rail gun and be happy? Absolutely! But if you want a gun that is made right down to the teeny tiny details you have to pay.
I think brad100 is referring to SA and the rust noted by the OP on his AK SA.
I will agree it should not have rusted under the grips. Maybe the AK was worn away.
Considering his feelings on Wilson mags, I kinda doubt it.
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I have owned both Springfield 1911's (think MCOP/LBOPS) and Wilson 1911's. For the record none of my Springfields ever rusted, of course the sights aren't made by them anyway, that you'd have to blame on Novak, or whoever makes the TRP Adjustable. My experience has been that where the rubber meets the road, shooting, there isn't any difference, all of them have been dead nuts reliable. In drills there is no difference in accuracy or speed. In slow fire benched shooting they are both very accurate. I've never actually measured the group but I'm guessing about 2 inches with the Wilson and about 2.5-3 with the LBO. It's close. The difference comes when holding them and staring/fondling them. On the Wilson everything is perfectly blended/fitted and perfectly finished. On the LBO the rear of the slide/frame fit isn't perfectly blended, the extractor also slightly protrudes from the rear of the slide. The slide to frame fit is equally tight on my examples of the two manufacturers and while they are both smooth, the Wilson really is like ball bearings.....the Springfield isn't that good but it's good.
In short for 3 times the cost of the LBO you get a gun that will perform basically the same, but will be better finished and more visually pleasing. Nothing wrong with that, I've spent the extra money myself.
Johnny Rico
01-09-16, 21:38
It's close. The difference comes when holding them and staring/fondling them. On the Wilson everything is perfectly blended/fitted and perfectly finished. On the LBO the rear of the slide/frame fit isn't perfectly blended, the extractor also slightly protrudes from the rear of the slide. The slide to frame fit is equally tight on my examples of the two manufacturers and while they are both smooth, the Wilson really is like ball bearings.....the Springfield isn't that good but it's good.
It's important to point out that Springfield does offer some guns that compare very favorably to Wilsons. I have a Springfield Custom Shop gun that lacks for nothing in the fit and finish department.
https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1561/24257531816_20b49ed100_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/CXyc6b)
https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1470/24257532156_c4d2690c79_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/CXycc3)
That's not to say that the Wilson shop doesn't deserve the prices it commands. I just think that with their guns there is a certain amount of "gilding the lily" that I do not want and am not willing to pay for. I'd rather have two well-appointed ARs for the money.
Awesome gun BTW. :agree:
MountainRaven
01-09-16, 21:40
There is no doubt, Wilson's are expensive. But if you sit down with a CQB and an offering from Kimber, Colt, SIG, etc someone who knows what he is looking at can see why. Everybody says they are too expensive, but nobody is making comparable guns any cheaper. Could you buy a Colt rail gun and be happy? Absolutely! But if you want a gun that is made right down to the teeny tiny details you have to pay.
If H&K made a 1911, it would look a heck of a lot like a Wilson.
(Would probably cost more and have fewer options, too!)
I have owned both Springfield 1911's (think MCOP/LBOPS) and Wilson 1911's. For the record none of my Springfields ever rusted, of course the sights aren't made by them anyway, that you'd have to blame on Novak, or whoever makes the TRP Adjustable. My experience has been that where the rubber meets the road, shooting, there isn't any difference, all of them have been dead nuts reliable. In drills there is no difference in accuracy or speed. In slow fire benched shooting they are both very accurate. I've never actually measured the group but I'm guessing about 2 inches with the Wilson and about 2.5-3 with the LBO. It's close. The difference comes when holding them and staring/fondling them. On the Wilson everything is perfectly blended/fitted and perfectly finished. On the LBO the rear of the slide/frame fit isn't perfectly blended, the extractor also slightly protrudes from the rear of the slide. The slide to frame fit is equally tight on my examples of the two manufacturers and while they are both smooth, the Wilson really is like ball bearings.....the Springfield isn't that good but it's good.
In short for 3 times the cost of the LBO you get a gun that will perform basically the same, but will be better finished and more visually pleasing. Nothing wrong with that, I've spent the extra money myself.
I've owned many, many 1911s. Probably more 1911s than any other individual pistol type, except maybe Glocks (2x 34s, 4x 17s, 3-4x 19s). Of those 1911s most were Kimbers (3 Kimber Warriors, 1 Kimber Desert Warrior, 1 Kimber Custom SIS, 1 SiG that I owned for about a day, 2 Springfield Armory MC Operators, 2 Nighthawk Custom Falcons, 2 Nighthawk Custom GRP Recons, 1 Colt Rail Gun, 1 Colt Combat Elite, 1 Colt 1911 of 1918 repro) - and most of those Kimbers were bought and owned during some of Kimber's most troubled years of late. All were fed MagTech from Wilson Combat magazines. I have had problems with none of them. Not the Colts, not the Kimbers, not the Nighthawks.
I would bet dollars to donuts that any of those pistols are more accurate than I am.
Knowing what I know and who I know and what they know, there are only three pistols that I would trust out of the box with my life: Beretta 92s, those pistols made by Heckler & Koch, and those pistols made by Wilson. There's a reason why guys like Vickers and Hackathorn say that Wilson makes some of the best semi-production 1911s on the market.
If HK made a 1911 it would not be like a Wilson. HK's aren't built to be pretty, they're built to flat out work. I doubt they spend the time on the cosmetic perfections, and thus the extra cost, that Wilson would.
MountainRaven
01-09-16, 22:00
If HK made a 1911 it would not be like a Wilson. HK's aren't built to be pretty, they're built to flat out work. I doubt they spend the time on the cosmetic perfections, and thus the extra cost, that Wilson would.
I feel like you must not have ever seen a firearm made by Heckler & Koch before.
They are the only pistols that I have seen that exhibit the same sort of dedication to perfection in all aspects as seen in Wilson 1911s. (And, no, I've not seen any of the pistols built by guys like Jason Burton.)
Are H&K weapons pretty? Not generally. But they're generally pretty much almost always perfectly fit together, with no blemishes, few machining marks, &c. Areas where other gun companies' products fall down.
wilson1911
01-09-16, 22:05
A wilson is the standard that others try to follow. I must admit some do get close. They shoot every bit as good, but none have the feel of one. My brother has a 30 year old springfield that they completely redid. Other than balance, it is quite hard to tell you are not holding one. They even put their roll mark on it. So without looking close, or are a wilson owner its gets a pass as one.
I need to get mine refinished, but I never want to part with it long enough.
Johnny, that's a god looking gun. I have not got to shoot one of the high end springy's, but everyone says that run well.
A little off topic but here goes. HK did attempt to make a 1911. Under the advisement from two extremely well known US small arms expert, 1911 expert and top notch instructors, they showed HK what a handgun should have. The result was the HK45. It's a recent history, look it up.
MountainRaven
01-09-16, 23:21
A little off topic but here goes. HK did attempt to make a 1911. Under the advisement from two extremely well known US small arms expert, 1911 expert and top notch instructors, they showed HK what a handgun should have. The result was the HK45. It's a recent history, look it up.
This was after H&K decided that they weren't going to be able to make a 1911 to their standards without it being very, very expensive.
;)
I only have experience with the 5 HK's I own. I think you misunderstand me. They are excellent firearms but they are not pretty like a Wilson. HK's aren't perfectly blended in the smallest of areas like Wilson's and they don't use all bar stock parts. An HK45 for example has plenty of slide play and isn't fit right....of course tha barel with the "o" ring is because that's where the performance come from. They for example also use MIM parts, pretty sure Wilson does not.
Wilson makes a great gun, so does HK.....but when it comes to pretty....that's Wilson, not HK.
I always laugh about these threads on high-end 1911.
"Here's a great 1911!"
response from some:
"That's just stupid expensive! What kind of idiot pays that much for a handgun?"
And over and over and over.
Holy thread derail. Who did that?
We've got lessons in economics and finances, HKs...
Apples n oranges. Who compares HK45s to 1911s? Who, if they actually owned a Wilson says they're not worth half of what they cost? Sheesh.
Don Robison
01-10-16, 08:56
Expensive: Check
Not everyone can or wants to buy one: Check
Not everyone's cup of tea: Check
Not an HK: Check
I love my two Wilson CQBs and they are worth it to me which is really all that matter.
I think every topic about expensive 1911s should begin with a disclaimer:
Notice:
The following topic will be discussing a very expensive 1911 handgun. In order to avoid needless posts, we acknowledge there are some out there who will feel a desire to tell us all that they are expensive, that you never know how good they are until you shoot them, that they are not HK handguns, that not everyone wants to spend this kind of money on a 1911 and that, yes, they are the most wonderful firearms every created and that God directly revealed to Browning how to make them, and Wilson has perfected what God gave Browning.
Now, with that out of the way....
Awesome gun! And even better mrs.
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