As shooters we are privileged to have access to superb
firearms shooters could only dream about in the pre-World
War II era. One of those gunsmiths/gunmakers is Bill Wilson
and his Wilson Combat catalog is filled with the stuff
dreams are made of; or for those who deem it incorrect to
end a sentence with a preposition, of which dreams are made.
Obviously the background in the intricacies of watchmaking
and the skill required added to the dream of building the
best possible 1911s all came together to make Wilson Combat
which opened in 1978. Wilson believes in building a gun that
is 100% reliable out of the box and also in 100% customer
satisfaction. Wilson started as a gunsmith, graduated to
custom gunmaking, and then components. Bill says: “Building
custom guns is what brought us to the dance, but selling
components is what really made the company grow, however now
things have come back full circle and complete custom guns
are where it's at.”
It is fairly easy to build a 1911 with very tight tolerances
and virtually no slide to frame movement; it is also quite
easy to build a 1911 which is totally reliable. It is not so
easy to build a gun with both of these attributes which is
exactly what Wilson Combat manages to do.
The Wilson Combat Carry Comp is one of those amazingly
tight, no play whatsoever between slide and receiver .45s
while at the same time being 100% reliable out of the box.
Eleven different loads, 10 of which were jacketed hollow
points, weighing from 165 to 230 grains, both standard and
+P versions, were tried and no matter what was placed in the
magazine on the Carry Comp it fed and fired every load
flawlessly.
Somewhere around the house we have a book titled 1,001 Ways
To Prepare Hamburger. I really don't know why we have it
since Diamond Dot couldn't follow a recipe if she had to;
fortunately she has no need to as she is a natural born
cook. Twice in our nearly half century together she has had
to toss the evening meal; both times she followed recipes
exactly. Bill Wilson is much like Diamond Dot, but with
1911s not hamburger. He doesn't need to read the book 1,001
Ways To Build 1911s; he is writing it. For nearly three
decades Bill has been on the cutting-edge of custom building
1911s. If there's anything about them he doesn't know, it's
not worth knowing.
Great custom handguns, be they double action or single
action sixguns, or semi-automatics are never found on the
close-out table at Sportsman's Warehouse or in WalMart’s
Bargain Basement. They always carry four figure price tags
with that first figure usually being a “2”, or higher
number. Wilson favors the number 2 on his price tags and the
.45 ACP Sentinel retails for $2395. For that price the buyer
expects, and has a right to, total reliability and a gun
ready to go right out of the box. That is exactly what the
Sentinel delivers. I used 13 different versions of the .45
ACP cartridge, from six different manufacturers, and in
three bullet weights. From the very first round I
experienced total reliability with every cartridge fired
whether it was in jacketed hollowpoint or full metal
jacketed form; and whether the bullets weighed 185, 200, or
230 grains made absolutely no difference.
From the very first round the .45 Sentinel could have been
pressed into immediate duty. It was dead on for elevation,
and with my eyes and hold shot one inch to the left; the
latter is easily corrected by loosening one screw and
tapping the rear sight to the right. At no time did I
experience a round striking away from the point of aim,
never had a failure to feed, and never had a failure to
eject. This little pistol can be counted on to put a bullet
exactly where desired in self-defense situation.
Wilson
pistols are expensive as are all other custom sixguns and
semi-automatics from a long line of top quality gunsmiths
and a handful of custom quality manufacturers. How much
should one spend on a defensive pistol? It was John
Linebaugh who answered this question years ago when someone
asked him about buying a self-defense firearm for his wife.
“How much should I spend?” was the question; “How much is
her life worth?” was the answer. That reply still stands. A
local jewelry store pushes their products on the theme of
how much do you love your wife. Diamonds may last forever; a
quality pistol can guarantee a long life for the diamond
wearer.
