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Thread: First 1,000 rounds with the Wilson Combat CQB Elite Carry 9mm 1911

  1. #1
    Site Supporter JSGlock34's Avatar
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    First 1,000 rounds with the Wilson Combat CQB Elite Carry 9mm 1911

    I've previously written up my experience with the Wilson Combat Protector Elite, a full size 1911 in .45 ACP. The Protector Elite remains one of my favorite pistols, but over the past year I've found a steady diet of .45 to have become much less enjoyable, particularly on my wrists. Still, my love of the 1911 remained strong, so I found myself perusing the various 9mm 1911 threads and reviewing ToddG's experience with his Springfield Armory 1911. I decided a 9mm 1911 was in my future, and considering my positive experience with the Protector Elite, started looking at Wilson Combat.

    The Protector Elite is actually a build exclusive to Sports South distributors; turns out there is also a 9mm exclusive...the CQB Elite Carry. Like the Protector Elite, I found you get a lot of additional upgrades for your money with the Sports South model, at the expense of customization. The CQB Elite Carry came with a magwell, counter-sunk slide stop, gold bead front sight, and additional slide and barrel work. It also helped that I approved of the color palette; someone at Sports South likes two tone 1911s, and I have this exact color combination on my Wilson Combat Brigadier Tactical. Also appealing was the fact that the CQB Elite Carry was available now, and Wilson Combat was quoting 6-9 months for a custom build. Considering my great experience with the last Sports South exclusive I purchased, I reached for my credit card. An order of ETM magazines followed.

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    What makes this particular pistol a "Carry" edition compared to the standard CQB Elite? This model uses a reduced size "concealment" beavertail safety and hammer to reduce printing from this area when carried concealed, along with a rounded magwell. The overall effect is to reduce some of the sharp edges that could catch on clothing and print. I noticed that the Wilson Combat Hackathorn Special and Tactical Carry uses this same combination. I was a little skeptical about this feature, but am happy to report that the slightly reduced beavertail is a fine part that makes no difference while shooting.

    So how does it shoot? I gathered a variety of ammunition and put the pistol through a variety of favorite drills.

    920 rounds of AE Federal 147 grain FMJ
    100 rounds of Atlanta Arms Select 147 grain FMJ
    100 rounds of Federal Syntech Action Pistol 150 grain
    50 rounds Speer Gold Dot 124 grain +P JHP* (numerous malfunctions on final magazine)
    32 rounds of Speer G2 147 grain JHP
    20 WWB 115

    (CLEANED AT 611 rounds and 1222 rounds)

    With FMJ the pistol proved completely reliable, but the last three rounds of the Speer Gold Dot JHP +P ammunition had a number of feeding problems. This was right before the first cleaning, so the pistol was somewhat dirty at this point. When I disassembled the pistol, I found it had a Shok-Buff installed; I wonder whether the combination of +P ammunition and the shorter slide travel proved problematic. Since cleaning the pistol and removing the Shok-Buff there has not been a repeat issue. I've been using the bottle of Ultima Lube II Lite oil that Wilson Combat helpfully provided with the pistol for lubrication.

    But aside from this isolated incident, the pistol has been a genuine pleasure to shoot. As others have observed, 9mm 1911s are flat-tracking with low recoil. With the Atlanta Arms Select and Federal Syntech Action Pistol loads, it felt like cheating. I found it easier to maintain my grip through long firing strings with this pistol than any other centerfire pistol I've shot. Combined with the excellent trigger, the pistol is capable of great performance. This is three consecutive runs of 'The Test' - the first run was a personal record (99).

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    Accuracy is excellent, and cutting out a 1" square at 7 yards is a routine affair. I still don't think I've unlocked the pistol's full accuracy potential, so in the meantime, here's the 15 yard Wilson Combat test target included with the pistol.

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    However, I'm not satisfied with my 25 yard performance; though I've produced the occasional sub-2" group, I find the pistol shoots consistently 3-4" low at this distance, printing just below the B8 bull. I find the gold bead sight requires me to cover the bullseye at 25 yards to print in the black. I've been especially alert to the possibility that I'm dipping the gold bead into the U and not actually shooting the top edge of the sight, but at this point I'm confident that the pistol is sighted low. With my Protector Elite, I split the bull in half, and prefer this sight picture. I'm contemplating sending the slide back to Wilson Combat for installation of a shorter .170 front sight. I'll likely replace the gold bead with a Tritium front, to match the sight picture of my Protector Elite (and Brigadier Tactical for that matter).

    The Wilson ETM magazines have proven reliable, though compared to their .45 brethren they are a pain to unload and worse to download. I've found use of a Maglula mandatory to maintain my sanity. I've also picked up a few of the Vickers ETM-V magazines, intending them for carry use. Unfortunately I ordered the ETM-Vs with the massive steel base pads - these are built like a tank but somewhat contrary to the intent of the Elite Carry. I've since swapped the base pads for the aluminum base pads from my .45 ETM-Vs.

    All in all, another great pistol from Wilson Combat.

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    Last edited by JSGlock34; 07-22-2018 at 05:14 PM.
    "When the phone rang, Parker was in the garage, killing a man."

  2. #2
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    Good Choice. That is a nice 1911. I know there are some never 1911ers here, but a good 1911 is hard to beat. Congratulations

  3. #3
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    Nice pistol and a good write up on it. Any plans to do a 2000 round test?

  4. #4
    Site Supporter JSGlock34's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Corey View Post
    Any plans to do a 2000 round test?
    Perhaps - as I've done a few 2,000 round challenges before! On the other hand, Wilson Combat recommends more frequent maintenance of 9mm 1911s. We'll see!
    "When the phone rang, Parker was in the garage, killing a man."

  5. #5
    Is the elite carry a steel or aluminum frame? Since it's an Elite, can I assume it uses the Bullet-Proof parts? Thanks.

    Found online that it is a steel frame.
    Last edited by dtrice; 07-22-2018 at 08:16 PM.

  6. #6
    Site Supporter JSGlock34's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by dtrice View Post
    Is the elite carry a steel or aluminum frame? Since it's an Elite, can I assume it uses the Bullet-Proof parts? Thanks.
    Steel frame with Bullet-proof parts.
    "When the phone rang, Parker was in the garage, killing a man."

  7. #7
    Super nice! I like the concealment beavertail and I put medium trigger shoes in all my 1911s too.

    A good running 9mm 1911 is very rewarding pistol to shoot and a 1911 carries like none other for some of us.

    I think Wilson is at the top of the heap when it comes to 9mms. I have almost 6K through my 9mm X-Tac with two stoppages due to deformed cases. It’s not been cleaned but it does stay lubed. It’s a carry gun so it needs to work.

  8. #8
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    Very nice.

  9. #9
    Nice review and nice gun!

    What I would like to see is a comparison with the Wilson 1911 and your Brig Tac.

  10. #10
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    Nice write-up and beautiful gun. Every day I fight the urge to go to 9mm because I feel like all of my .45s will never come out of the safe again.

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