# Have you even owned a higher end 1911?



## Shipwreck (Jan 26, 2006)

Have you ever owned a higher end 1911? (Wilson, Nighthawk, Ed Brown, Guncrafter, Springfield Custom, Les Baer, Alchemy Arms, etc.... Or even some FULL House, super expensive custom 1911s)

If so, which ones?


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## Lisa93 (2 mo ago)

My Colt Gold Cup Trophy is the most expensive of my 1911s. I do love it.. but learned as far as production guns go.. You don't always get what you pay for. My Kimbers, and Springfield Range Officer cost half what it did.. and have better fit / finish / build quality. A Wilson Combat CQB with no FCS, no ambi is my wish list dream gun.. And i will change out the ugly grips that come on it for some Wilson wood medallion grips.. So i do have a plan..lol. As far as a full custom build by Yost, or one of the other 1911 Gods.. I don't see that ever happening for me.. unless i hit the lotto ...  




  








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Lisa93


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2 mo ago


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## ks1 (Jul 29, 2021)

Nighthawk, Wilson, Les Baer, Ed Brown.


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## Shipwreck (Jan 26, 2006)

I've owned a very high end Springfield Custom Shop 1911 over a decade ago (their custom shop is NOT the same as their normal production guns) and two Ed Browns in the past.

After owning nicer ones, it is hard to like cheaper 1911s. The fit and finish just isn't there. Although, I have owned two Dan Wessons, and they were almost as nice as the Ed Browns.

Ed Brown 1911s are my favorite, though.


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## LostinTexas (Oct 1, 2018)

Yes. Had a very nice Wilson Combat that was "optimized" by a well reputed smith and 1911 FAN-atic, mostly because it was non functional out of the box, and Wilson was being a turd to deal with at the time. An endless, do this, do that, you aren't doing it right, and I was done with them. To be fair, CS in the 80's was pretty terrible across the board no matter who or what.
It was a gem when finished. It didn't shoot, or function any better than my out of the box Springfield though.
It was much more pretty, and the fit was more exact. Of course the name commanded attention, but when all said and done, I grabbed the Springfield and went about my day.
Sold it to the smith for almost what I had in it and called it good. We were both happy in the end.
Truth of the matter, I was happy to be rid of it. He did hook me up with a very nice SS Colt Officers Model a little later, and I carried that brick for years. He had gone through it and it was as slick as a baby's ear. I truly enjoyed that little pistol even though it was pretty heavy.


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## LostinTexas (Oct 1, 2018)

Lisa93 said:


> My Colt Gold Cup Trophy is the most expensive of my 1911s. I do love it.. but learned as far as production guns go.. You don't always get what you pay for. My Kimbers, and Springfield Range Officer cost half what it did.. and have better fit / finish / build quality. A Wilson Combat CQB with no FCS, no ambi is my wish list dream gun.. And i will change out the ugly grips that come on it for some Wilson wood medallion grips.. So i do have a plan..lol. As far as a full custom build by Yost, or one of the other 1911 Gods.. I don't see that ever happening for me.. unless i hit the lotto ...
> 
> 
> 
> ...


That Gold Cup is quite the collectors piece, or was. We pay for names more often than we think, as you noted.


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## Rock185 (Oct 26, 2012)

I've had Colt Custom Shop, Rock River, Baer, Wilson, Clark, and a custom Springfield. Some were good guns from the get go. Some, not so much...


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## Goldwing (Nov 5, 2014)

I think "Higher End" might depend on where you are coming from.
My first was a $400 Springer. Next came an $800 Springer Garrison. Last was a Dan Wesson Vigil. All were in .45 ACP. My higher end shall be the $1200 DW.
DW Vigil top, Garrison below.


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## Arizona Desertman (10 mo ago)

Assuming you mean hand fitted custom guns in the $2,500+ price range? I own two Wilson's and one Cylinder&Slide "Adventurer".


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## Arizona Desertman (10 mo ago)

Shipwreck said:


> I've owned a very high end Springfield Custom Shop 1911 over a decade ago (their custom shop is NOT the same as their normal production guns) and two Ed Browns in the past.
> 
> After owning nicer ones, it is hard to like cheaper 1911s. The fit and finish just isn't there. Although, I have owned two Dan Wessons, and they were almost as nice as the Ed Browns.
> 
> Ed Brown 1911s are my favorite, though.


As for fit and finish? For a production gun and at a little over 1/3rd the cost of a Wilson. My Sig TTT comes damn close. After handling it at the gun store, buying it ,then taking it home and completely disassembling it. I was really impressed with the overall quality of this gun.


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## Arizona Desertman (10 mo ago)

Lisa93 said:


> My Colt Gold Cup Trophy is the most expensive of my 1911s. I do love it.. but learned as far as production guns go.. *You don't always get what you pay for. My Kimbers, and Springfield Range Officer cost half what it did.. and have better fit / finish / build quality. A Wilson Combat CQB with no FCS, no ambi is my wish list dream gun..* And i will change out the ugly grips that come on it for some Wilson wood medallion grips.. So i do have a plan..lol. As far as a full custom build by Yost, or one of the other 1911 Gods.. I don't see that ever happening for me.. unless i hit the lotto ...
> 
> 
> 
> ...


With these high end guns what you're paying for is the hand fitting that goes into them which takes a considerable amount of time. Are they worth it? Well yeah as you're paying for the labor that goes into them and they will always retain their value if taken care of. For the average person I'd say no, they'd be much better off buying a good quality 1911 in the $1,000 range. My very first handgun of which I still have is this Colt 1911 that came in .38 Super. I've since converted it over to 45 ACP using both Commander and full size slides. The gun was made in 1941.

A lot of people love to rave about the quality of Colt guns and pay a premium for them. My gun originally had a lot of machining and tool marks as did the OEM (Original Equipment Manufacture) slides that I used to convert my gun. Of course when I first bought the gun I didn't know shit about handguns and passed this off as normal. Now that I own a bunch of other 1911's to compare it to I just don't understand why people rave so much about Colt's? Indeed you're correct the fit finish and build quality of some other guns that cost less have a better fit and finish. Some people may say that their newer guns don't have the same quality as their older one's? To that I say that my gun was made in 1941 and the slides I bought sometime in the mid 80's. As far as reliability goes I've had no issues there.


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## Gary1952 (Jun 6, 2021)

My only high end to me are my Sig Emperor Scorpion Carry and Colt Defender Lightweight. Both are 45acp


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