What the experts are saying.

What The Experts Are Saying

Bill Rogers

Former FBI agent

Master Firearms Trainer
Rogers Shooting School

"I have been shooting and carrying Wilson Combat pistols since the early 1980s and they have never let me down. Through the years the consistent high quality, precise fitting, accuracy and reliability has always impressed me. I consider them to be of the highest quality and utterly reliable."

Bill Rogers is a former FBI agent, inventor and designer of police holster gear, military gear and target systems. He patented the first "Kydex" holster in 1973 and developed the most famous police security holster known as the Rogers SS 3 or Safariland 070 holster. He has been involved in the shooting industry for over 30 years and is the holder of numerous patents related to that industry. He was one of the original organizers and officers of the United States Practical Shooting Association and was a top competitor during the 1980s. He has owned and continuously operated the Rogers Shooting School (www.rogers-shooting-school.com) since 1975. He developed the concept of "reactive shooting" (engaging quickly disappearing steel targets in reaction time) and has continued to refine techniques to teach shooting and actively teach those skills. He has worked with every US specialized military and federal law enforcement unit over his 30 year career as a shooting instructor, as well as with many foreign allied units.

Jeff Hoffman

President, Black Hills Ammunition

Law Enforcement Officer

"I carry a .45 every day. It is a Wilson. My daughter left home this year to go to college and I gave her my Wilson CQB Compact to keep her safe. That is proof of my trust in Bill Wilson's guns. Wilson makes reliable guns and they are a good company to deal with. You can call them and speak with real people who are extremely knowledgeable, professional and friendly. That is important when you are selecting something as personal as a defensive firearm."

"The (Wilson Combat) SDS is absolutely flawless. It is at the top of the list of all the handguns I have ever tested when it comes to quality and perfection. You have all the engineering cleverness of turn of the century genius, John Moses Browning, backed up with space age material science, computer controlled machining, and Bill Wilson’s exacting demand for absolute quality. This gun is a mixture of savagery and sheer elegance that you don’t see very often."

"This isn’t just the best concealable 1911 I’ve ever fired. This is the best 1911 I’ve ever fired, period. This is the 1911 that John Moses Browning himself would be carrying today."

Peter Pi Sr

President
Cor-Bon/Glaser

Law Enforcement Officer

Sturgis, SD

".45 Auto continues to be one of the best sellers in the COR-BON product line. As part of production and quality control, we test every 5000 rounds for accuracy, velocity and function. We do this in REAL guns, not just test barrels. Our 1911’s made by Wilson Combat test fire thousand of rounds a week. They take this abuse daily and we have never had one go out of service. Also, as a member of the Sturgis Police Special Ops Team, I chose a Wilson CQB as my duty gun. The reliability of these guns are so profound, I know I can trust my life to it."

Ernie Hanson

Retired police officer

Custom holster maker

Police and civilian firearms instructor

"Over the last twenty-five years, I have carried many different types of 1911-style pistols. Wilson pistols are the best. I carry full sized Wilson pistols both on and off duty with full confidence every day and all of our department 1911-style pistols have been enhanced by Wilson accessories."

"Most of the officers in our area and a lot of citizens bring their 1911-style pistols to me for reliability work. The first thing I do if they are serious about reliability is have them order a half dozen Wilson magazines. I couldn’t be more pleased with the service we get from our customer representative. He supplies us in an expedient manner with everything we need."

"Last April we arrested a convicted escaped bank robber who had shot at police in another jurisdiction. I felt amazing confidence while pointing my Wilson Protector at him and ordering him to comply. (Which he did.) "

"Living and working two blocks from the Pacific Ocean, even stainless duty pistols rust. Not so with Armor-Tuff. It is rustproof in this salt-water environment. My Wilson .22 rimfire is set up the same as my duty pistols, allowing me to teach and practice sights and trigger without the distraction of recoil."

"Wilson pistols epitomize the needed shootability in a defensive pistol. The essential elements of safety, reliability and marksmanship are exemplified in Wilson pistols. John Moses Browning discovered the perfect pistol and Wilson perfected it."

Rob Haught

Veteran Law Enforcement Officer

Firearms Trainer for civilian, law enforcement and military

IDPA National Champion

I have used Wilson Combat products virtually my whole shooting career. In both competitive shooting and work related use I have always had the highest confidence in carrying Wilson Combat products. My original CQB pistol has more rounds through it than I could begin to count and it is still my favorite 1911. As a firearms trainer who is best known for my shotgun programs I have found the Scattergun Technology line to be ideally suited for use as either a defensive firearm or a duty use tool. A Professional Model rides to work with me every day. With WC's entry into the AR-15 market shooters now have a one stop place to cover all the bases for their shooting needs.

Mark Lonsdale

Director of Training & Studies

Specialized Tactical Training Unit

www.STTU.com

Wilson Combat CQB:

As a military advisor and special weapons instructor, every time I shoot in front of a class, my credibility is on the line. No matter how much confidence I have in my own ability, my weapon system must work flawlessly and the rounds must impact the target with impressive results. For the law enforcement professional or SPECOPS operator out on the sharp end, that accuracy and reliability is even more critical. So for anyone who carries a gun for a living or keeps one for personal protection, those two factors – “accuracy & reliability” – are paramount. But not all gun builders appreciate that fact.

Fortunately Bill Wilson understands these critical factors so it’s with no surprise that Wilson Combat is at the top of a short list of those who I will trust to build a gun for me. It is also no surprise that Wilson 45s are found in the hands and holsters of special operations personnel from all branches of the military.

I have been carrying, shooting and teaching with .45 Government Models for over two decades and have had the privilege of shooting with Bill Wilson at the national level in the early eighties. I have seen his company and product line grow to what it is today. A company built not on slick salesmanship but on Bill’s personal integrity and a reputation for the highest quality and reliability.

To say that I am a satisfied customer is an understatement. The fact that I can carry any gun I chose and continue to carry and shoot a Wilson Combat CQB .45 complete with Wilson magazines is testament enough.

“Making every shot count!”

John Taffin

Firearms Expert & Staff Writer
AMERICAN HANDGUNNER and
GUNS Magazines

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.

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.