I've owned a fair number of entry level 1911s over the years. My first was an early Smith and Wesson 1911, followed by the Kimber TLE, and then a Springfield Loaded that saw some custom work. I always enjoyed these pistols, but was never completely satisfied with any of them. Still, I learned a great deal from these various 1911s, and had long thought about a custom build.
I've always had a weakness for the classic two-toned 1911s...because reasons. Wilson Combat's great reputation - along with my own positive experience with their custom work on my Beretta 92G Brigadier Tactical - made them my first choice. I started pricing out a basic CQB build, planning to add a magwell and a tritium front sight to mirror the sight picture of my Beretta.
Then I stumbled across a Wilson Combat 1911 Protector Elite on sale. I hadn't seen this model on the Wilson Combat website or heard of it before - turns out it was a exclusive build for Sports South. Two tone. Magwell. Tritium front sight. Almost exactly what I planned to order, with the exception of the easily changed G10 grips and full-length guide rod. But the sale price was several hundred dollars less than the custom CQB I had priced, yet included a number of subtle custom touches (serrated top and rear of slide) that were aesthetically pleasing, but I probably wouldn't have spent the money on. It didn't take long for me to reach for my credit card (and post some less used pistols for sale on the boards).
The Protector Elite came in Wilson's standard case, along with a pair of Elite Tactical Magazines (shortly thereafter a Brownells sale prompted me to buy 10 additional ETMs), Wilson's guide to custom 1911s, a reduced power recoil spring for lighter loads, a cleaning cloth and bushing wrench, the custom build inspection checklist, and an impressive test target. I read the guide, which recommended not field stripping the pistol until after 500 rounds, so I applied some Slip 2000 Elite Weapons Lubricant to the barrel and slide rails, and headed to the range for the first of four range sessions. The pistol was not field stripped or re-lubed until the 640 round mark, at which time I cleaned the pistol, applied some Wilson Combat Ultima-Lube Grease, swapped the grips and installed a GI length guide rod.
I am pleased to report that the Wilson Combat passed the 1000 round mark today without a single malfunction. Most of the 1070 recorded rounds down the barrel so far were 230 grain Blazer Brass FMJ, but I also tested 100 rounds of Winchester 185 grain FMJ, 50 rounds of Winchester Ranger RA45T .45, and 25 rounds of Remington 230 grain Golden Saber JHP. The pistol also passed the 10-8 extractor test with no issues to report. The ETM magazines have proven reliable; on one occasion the based came off one when it hit the concrete during a speed reload, and on another the follower became stuck at the feed lips and needed to be coaxed back into the magazine body. However, I've had zero issues with slide lock back, which is something that had been problematic with the Wilson 47D magazines had owned previously.
The pistol has proven accurate and very controllable in a variety of drills. Today I spent nearly the entire range session shooting the LAPD SWAT standards and 'The Test'. Here's the target after four consecutive passing runs of 'The Test' (8 rounds, 10 yards, 10 seconds, from the draw) on a timed B8 bull.
I'm not going to bother showing pictures of the small groups this pistol is capable of, as I don't think my shooting really does this pistol justice. Punching out a 1" square at 7 yards is routine with this pistol. Instead, here's the test target that came with the gun. Just knowing it is capable of this level of accuracy motivates me to shrink my own groups further.
So far I've been using a Raven Concealment Systems Phantom holster that I've had for years. The Armor Tuff finish is holding up well and I've observed very little wear so far. My only complaint is that the Wilson is carving a new sight channel into the Phantom, and I occasionally have to remove threads of kydex from the front sight. I may find another OWB holster if this keeps up (and I already have a JM Custom IWB on order).
I couldn't be more pleased to add this one to the safe, and it will be a pistol I pass onto my son. It's a keeper.
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Originally Posted by NETim
