flyfishdave
10th September 2005, 23:48
THE REVIEW:
After about 2 months of waiting, my Elite Professional arrived at my FFL in VT, drove up, picked it up and finally had a chance to shoot it this weekend:
http://images14.fotki.com/v223/photos/1/126714/2631703/collage1-vi.jpg
Put 300 rounds of Federal American Eagle 230gr FMJ and 100 rounds of Federal HydraShoks 230gr (old style) within a 30 minute session using 6 wilson 8 rounders WITHOUT a single failure! Dead balls accurate too!! The only issue besides the gun getting almost too hot to handle was loosening of the two-piece FL guide rod at around the 250th round. The majority of the brass ejected cleanly off to the side with a slight bias to the front, rebounding off the range partition and landing about 3 ft in front - made for an easy cleanup as we are not allowed forward of the lane stations.
http://images12.fotki.com/v215/photos/1/126714/2631703/collage2-vi.jpg
This is one amazing pistol folks and the cone barrel WORKS! Period - no joke. I have carried an HK P7M8 for the past 10 years as my CCW and have found no equal until now. The P7 which is a 'squeeze cocker' 9mm is VERY easy to shoot, accurate and quick with follow shots due to its almost non-existant muzzle flip. All be it the recoil of a .45 is more akin to a solid authoritative 'THUCK THUCK' versus the sharp 'SNAP SNAP' of the 9mm, the Elite Professional virtually has no muzzle flip like my P7 - simply amazin!
http://images12.fotki.com/v215/photos/1/126714/2631703/slidetop-vi.jpg
Now, given the choice of 8+1 rounds of the 45ACP versus 8+1 rounds of 9mm, I think the choice is obvious and clear if all other points of comparison are equal. Having carried my P7 for years in complete comfort (courtesy of Milt Sparks), I've found it hard to even consider any other autoloader for concealed carry. However, since my P7 is out getting NP3'd, I've been wearing the ElitePro out and around and find virtually no difference b/t the two; except for the slight weight difference, this single stack 1911 is very comfortable and with 8+1 rounds of 45 ACP on the hip, guess the P7 is going to the wife. I have some leather on order from Milt Sparks (IQM, VersaMax, 60TK) and a NLG in the mail from Lightning Arms so this assesment has been based on using an Uncle Mike's cordura generic pancake holster - can't wait till the custom leather arrives.
http://images14.fotki.com/v224/photos/1/126714/2631703/sliderear-vi.jpg
Comments/Critique/Customer Service:
I'd like to preface the following by stating that this pistol is a keeper and probably the BEST shooting gun I've fired PERIOD! It performs beyond expectations and I wished I got involved with 1911's earlier! With a myriad of 'wonder' 9's, hi caps, plastic polymer creations, and modern 'marvels' with sci-fi designs, John Browning's 1911 is probably the best kept secret, and Wilson has done a fantastic job with this Elite Professional. Bottom line, this gun shoots, shoots well, is meant to be carried and will always be on my hip from this day forward. I say all this preemptively in case any detractors to my critique want to reply by saying, 'quit your complaining and shoot the darn thing!'
Dealing with WC's customer service was certainly enjoyable. Matt was very helpful in helping me choose and made the decision even harder when he tempted me with this Elite Professional when I called ready to order the Stealth. We conversed numerous times prior to placing the order, making sure the options I wanted would work and were available, and he answered virtually every question I had. He knew this was my first 1911 purchase so he took the time to make sure I was confident with my purchase. As the photos show, I got some 'extras' like flattening and serrations on the top of the slide, 40lpi checkering in the rear, fitted checkered extra extractor, and checkering of the front of the trigger guard. Because I was not too fond of the block/military font on the Tac Elites and Professionals, I asked if I could have it in a different style (at extra cost), like the font used on the Stealth and Supergrades. As Wilson's is a 'custom' shop, he said 'no problem'.
Well, just prior to delivery during final check after the gun was built and test fired, I get a call saying that my request for 'Professional Elite' (as no official name was designated by Wilson's at the time of ordering) was overlooked and 'Elite Professional' was engraved instead. At that time, I was given the option to take it as is, or wait again for it to be done as specified (i.e. custom). I chose to wait given all the other custom requests I made, and I (and Matt) wanted it to be exactly as specified.
The next day, I get a call explaining that there was no mistake made and that 'upper management' made the decision (sometime during the period my gun was in production) that the official designation be 'Elite Professional' and that I had no other choice. At that point, I reluctantly agreed to have the gun sent as is and would have been happy except the engraving was done in the military block (which I clearly stated I hated) and not the Stealth/Supergrade font. Calling for an explanation, I was told that the Stealth/Supergrade font is specifically reserved only for Supergrades (at that point, didn't ask about the Stealth font) and again, had no choice in the matter. Ultimately, my only complaint here is that someone should have called me either during or prior to production that some of my 'custom' requests could not be fulfilled; I can certainly respect their 'upper management' decisions but I would have been alot happier to have been told, and to be given the option to continue with my order at that point.
Folks, I'm a dentist by profession and I pride my practice on customer service. We don't participate with insurance, have fees in the upper 96th percentile, and expect payment up front. However, because of this, I use the best materials, the best labs, see only one patient at a time, and ensure my entire team treats every single patient like a person, not a number. In the course of executing complex treatment plans involving multiple implants, sinus grafts, gum grafts, crowns, bridges, etc., I make sure that I keep every patient informed at every step, especially when things change. I would never dare extract a tooth I said we could save until telling them of the changes requiring such.
Now, having been told during the order work-up that my Professional Elite (Elite Professional) would be treated only by a few select gunsmiths (like on the Supergrades) given the unique cone barrel design, I guess I was expecting Supergrade quality on some minor points. Sure, there is a far greater level of pride with handmade versus machine made but I was under the assumption that custom handmade/treated items were to be equal in precison and exectution to those done by machine (CNC milling, etc), all be it with a human touch.
(continued in PART II)
http://forum.m1911.org/showthread.php?p=51790#post51790
After about 2 months of waiting, my Elite Professional arrived at my FFL in VT, drove up, picked it up and finally had a chance to shoot it this weekend:
http://images14.fotki.com/v223/photos/1/126714/2631703/collage1-vi.jpg
Put 300 rounds of Federal American Eagle 230gr FMJ and 100 rounds of Federal HydraShoks 230gr (old style) within a 30 minute session using 6 wilson 8 rounders WITHOUT a single failure! Dead balls accurate too!! The only issue besides the gun getting almost too hot to handle was loosening of the two-piece FL guide rod at around the 250th round. The majority of the brass ejected cleanly off to the side with a slight bias to the front, rebounding off the range partition and landing about 3 ft in front - made for an easy cleanup as we are not allowed forward of the lane stations.
http://images12.fotki.com/v215/photos/1/126714/2631703/collage2-vi.jpg
This is one amazing pistol folks and the cone barrel WORKS! Period - no joke. I have carried an HK P7M8 for the past 10 years as my CCW and have found no equal until now. The P7 which is a 'squeeze cocker' 9mm is VERY easy to shoot, accurate and quick with follow shots due to its almost non-existant muzzle flip. All be it the recoil of a .45 is more akin to a solid authoritative 'THUCK THUCK' versus the sharp 'SNAP SNAP' of the 9mm, the Elite Professional virtually has no muzzle flip like my P7 - simply amazin!
http://images12.fotki.com/v215/photos/1/126714/2631703/slidetop-vi.jpg
Now, given the choice of 8+1 rounds of the 45ACP versus 8+1 rounds of 9mm, I think the choice is obvious and clear if all other points of comparison are equal. Having carried my P7 for years in complete comfort (courtesy of Milt Sparks), I've found it hard to even consider any other autoloader for concealed carry. However, since my P7 is out getting NP3'd, I've been wearing the ElitePro out and around and find virtually no difference b/t the two; except for the slight weight difference, this single stack 1911 is very comfortable and with 8+1 rounds of 45 ACP on the hip, guess the P7 is going to the wife. I have some leather on order from Milt Sparks (IQM, VersaMax, 60TK) and a NLG in the mail from Lightning Arms so this assesment has been based on using an Uncle Mike's cordura generic pancake holster - can't wait till the custom leather arrives.
http://images14.fotki.com/v224/photos/1/126714/2631703/sliderear-vi.jpg
Comments/Critique/Customer Service:
I'd like to preface the following by stating that this pistol is a keeper and probably the BEST shooting gun I've fired PERIOD! It performs beyond expectations and I wished I got involved with 1911's earlier! With a myriad of 'wonder' 9's, hi caps, plastic polymer creations, and modern 'marvels' with sci-fi designs, John Browning's 1911 is probably the best kept secret, and Wilson has done a fantastic job with this Elite Professional. Bottom line, this gun shoots, shoots well, is meant to be carried and will always be on my hip from this day forward. I say all this preemptively in case any detractors to my critique want to reply by saying, 'quit your complaining and shoot the darn thing!'
Dealing with WC's customer service was certainly enjoyable. Matt was very helpful in helping me choose and made the decision even harder when he tempted me with this Elite Professional when I called ready to order the Stealth. We conversed numerous times prior to placing the order, making sure the options I wanted would work and were available, and he answered virtually every question I had. He knew this was my first 1911 purchase so he took the time to make sure I was confident with my purchase. As the photos show, I got some 'extras' like flattening and serrations on the top of the slide, 40lpi checkering in the rear, fitted checkered extra extractor, and checkering of the front of the trigger guard. Because I was not too fond of the block/military font on the Tac Elites and Professionals, I asked if I could have it in a different style (at extra cost), like the font used on the Stealth and Supergrades. As Wilson's is a 'custom' shop, he said 'no problem'.
Well, just prior to delivery during final check after the gun was built and test fired, I get a call saying that my request for 'Professional Elite' (as no official name was designated by Wilson's at the time of ordering) was overlooked and 'Elite Professional' was engraved instead. At that time, I was given the option to take it as is, or wait again for it to be done as specified (i.e. custom). I chose to wait given all the other custom requests I made, and I (and Matt) wanted it to be exactly as specified.
The next day, I get a call explaining that there was no mistake made and that 'upper management' made the decision (sometime during the period my gun was in production) that the official designation be 'Elite Professional' and that I had no other choice. At that point, I reluctantly agreed to have the gun sent as is and would have been happy except the engraving was done in the military block (which I clearly stated I hated) and not the Stealth/Supergrade font. Calling for an explanation, I was told that the Stealth/Supergrade font is specifically reserved only for Supergrades (at that point, didn't ask about the Stealth font) and again, had no choice in the matter. Ultimately, my only complaint here is that someone should have called me either during or prior to production that some of my 'custom' requests could not be fulfilled; I can certainly respect their 'upper management' decisions but I would have been alot happier to have been told, and to be given the option to continue with my order at that point.
Folks, I'm a dentist by profession and I pride my practice on customer service. We don't participate with insurance, have fees in the upper 96th percentile, and expect payment up front. However, because of this, I use the best materials, the best labs, see only one patient at a time, and ensure my entire team treats every single patient like a person, not a number. In the course of executing complex treatment plans involving multiple implants, sinus grafts, gum grafts, crowns, bridges, etc., I make sure that I keep every patient informed at every step, especially when things change. I would never dare extract a tooth I said we could save until telling them of the changes requiring such.
Now, having been told during the order work-up that my Professional Elite (Elite Professional) would be treated only by a few select gunsmiths (like on the Supergrades) given the unique cone barrel design, I guess I was expecting Supergrade quality on some minor points. Sure, there is a far greater level of pride with handmade versus machine made but I was under the assumption that custom handmade/treated items were to be equal in precison and exectution to those done by machine (CNC milling, etc), all be it with a human touch.
(continued in PART II)
http://forum.m1911.org/showthread.php?p=51790#post51790