Stealth Professional

[houtexcc]

I hear that Wilson will now make you a Stealth with a full size frame. IMHO, combine the Stealth with a bob-tailed full-size frame and you may have the perfect carry gun. My hunch is that Wilson is responding to the folks at Night Hawk, who advertise a similar configuration.

Now if I could just scrape up the cash to buy one... Hmmm, what's left around the house that I could put on eBay? Anyone need a set of golf clubs, an old TV and a BB gun for the low price of $3,000.00?

HouTex

[Lee Woiteshek]

I had a Stealth not to long ago, had to trade it for my Ed Brown. My hands were just too big. Felt good in the store, I got it home, put it in leather and just couldn't get it right for me. Nice, nice gun. The Professional/Stealth with the bobtail would probably be the ultimate EDC for me.

[houtexcc]

My dad has a CQB compact and I have the same problem with it. I don't have especially big hands, but I've become so used to the full size grip that I just don't seem to like the compact as much. I held a bob-tail in Collectors here in Houston the other day and I liked the way it placed the gun in my hand. Plus, on carry, the thing that I seem to deal with printing the most is the part of the grip that would be cut off by a bob-tail. The only thing that I'm not sure about is how a bob-tail feels on the recoil.

Any experience there?

[Lee Woiteshek]

Its an apples and oranges thing. The only other .45 I own is the 5 inch full size Tactical Elite. The way Wilson designed the gun the recoil is straight back. Exactly like the advertising in their brochure. It is infact everything Wilson says it is. I'm not capable of one inch groups, but I've shot the T. E. enough to know that the weapon is. Ed Brown took the same basic 1911 platform and just made it different. It feels different in the hand, not bad, not wrong, just different. It seems smaller, and I like the snakeskin. Under recoil the Brown has a bit more torque for lack of a better description, the impulse is not straight back but up. Probably would have never noticed the difference between standard model 1911's if I didn't have a T. E. Another thing to add. With the T.E. I have to consiously grasp the gun to deactivate the grip safety. With the Ed Brown and the Bobtail I don't have to. Just draw and shoot. If I could have added one thing to the T. E. it would have been the Bobtail. Of course then I would have lost the magwell. In the end, I like Wilson's Pyramid sights and the pre-sight in heads over heels over Browns Novak's and slip fit system. Wilson's trigger is better that Ed's. Side by side you can tell the difference. Fit and Finish between the two is a dead heat. No complaints there. In my hands the T.E. shoots better, but not enough to speak about at combat ranges (less than 10 yards) The Ed Brown is easier to carry, and conceal. I would not hesitate to recommend either one. I consider myself lucky to own and carry both. Hope this helps. Lee

[houtexcc]

Great info Lee. That was the best description of a Tactical Elite that I've heard. My current handgun is a full size CQB (black on grey) It has me hooked on Wilson. I have 4000+ rounds through it and have only had 1 failure (falure to feed). It was probably the ammo, since I haven't had any other problems. The only thing that I wish was different, is that I would like a little more light to show in the slots between front and rear sights. Pretty small complaint. BUT, after having carried the ful size for 2 years, I think a "Professional" size, especially with the coned barrel, narrow thumb safety, no ambi-safety and bob-tail would make an awesome carry package. Any loss in accuracy or gain in muzzle flip arttributed to the 4.1" barrel would be compensated for with the coned barell. The bob-tail cuts down on weight and improves concealability without sacrificing that 8th round.

Sorry, I'm preaching to the chior. Thanks for the info. Now I just gotta scrape up the dough.

[Lee Woiteshek]

I traded my Stealth for my Brown to Terry Peters of PT-Partners down by you. He's a moderator on the other 1911 forum. Class act and guy. He's an LEO and a one man shop. His website is a bit dated, his IT guy is in Iraq I beleive. He deals in Wilson's and if had'nt been for the lead time for the build of the Professional/Stealth I would have gone that route. We did discuss it. He actually suggested it because of my love affair with the T.E. At the time (May 05) I think we were looking at 6-9 months. He's quick in his response to e-mails, and will not hesitate to call you on his dime. Finally, after listening to and reading various forums I wanted to find out what all the fuss was about regarding the Ed Brown's. All I had ever heard or read was the fit and the finish, how well it shot, how the Bobtail made it a completely different gun blah, blah, blah. There was truth to all of those assements. Terry had a Brown in stock just the way I wanted it, so that was the easiest and fastest way to go for me. But, as I mentioned in my first post with a Stealth top end, and a full size bobtailed frame the Professional/Stealth just might be the ultimate carry .45.