1911 experience

[zerowolf]

Would like to know experience, positive or negitive, with high end 1911 pistols. Wilson, Les Baer, Nighthawk, Ed Brown, etc. I own examples of all four of the above. My personal favorite is the Ed Brown Executive Elite S/S. The one that has given me the most trouble is the Wilson Sentinel. Problems with extraction and feeding were corrected by Wilson in a timely manner. It is now most reliable with Cor-Bon 230 +P JHP, a round that they do not recommend in their manual.

[kirkwood]

What makes high end 1911s "high end" Is it the parts, materials, and close tolerances to make it more accurate? Has the design changed at all since 1911?

[zerowolf]

Parts quality, hand fitting, workmanship. All apply. Minor design changes since 1911.

[Thickburger]

i own a Kimber Target and only shoot WWB through it. besides the occasional jam it does fine. just wondering what exactly you are looking for since it seems like you have a well-rounded collection and should know your own experience.

[esrice]

My experience has been that I am very jealous of your 1911 experiences.

[zerowolf]

Thickburger: I do know my own experience but I would like to hear from others. A custom or semi-custom firearm is unique unto itself due to extensive handfitting. Not all are created equal. Reliability can be a problem until the gun has been fired several hundred rounds. Some work perfectly from the gitgo and some need a little tweaking. You might think a $2500 pistol should be perfect but the close tolerences can cause some malfunctions in the first few hundred rounds. All of my 1911 pistols are very reliable at this time. I have two Kimbers and they are a true bargain for your money. This has been my experience.

[hkhoosier]

zero, A buddy of mine owned a NightHawk and it ran flawlessly. I shot it many of times and it was great. fwiw

[AKsteve]

Run of the mill Springfields seem to work the best for me. Sorry to say I don't have experience with expensive 1911s

[Jay]

I've had several 1911-style pistols over the years, but the two I like the best, and carry, are two series 1 Kimbers. One is a Pro CDP, and the other is a Pro SLE, Both are 4.25" barrels, both are accurate, and I've not had a failure of any sort out of either one. The only other 1911-style I have now is the Sig GSR. I've had it since last May, and so far (about 1K rounds) it has also been failure free.

[Integraholic]

Kimber Stainless Custom II is the first gun I bought and the only gun I'll never sell. Only firing problems I had were when I was a new owner and was limp wristing it. I love this gun to death.