2011 style pistols.

[Thebear_78]

After i started shooting steel challenge I wanted to step up in capacity and add optics to my competition guns. Being a 1911 fan the double stack 1911 or 2011s seemed the perfect fit.

The Springfield 4.25” prodigy was the gateway drug to 2011 style pistols. As an entry level double stack 1911 it is pretty hard to beat. There are a lot of parts, magazine, and holsters out there and it’s very similar with the staccato and higher end 2011 parts. After adding a green dot and comp it has proven an accurate and very fast shooting 9mm with very little muzzle rise.


Then I picked up a kimber kds9c for a gun I could carry as well as shoot in competition.


My next is arguably the weirdest of the 2011s. The Stealth Arms Platypus. The platypus is an all aluminum double stack 1911 that takes Glock magazines. It is a very nice shooting pistol. They really have done this well. They also have one of the best gun builder websites around.



Finally I picked up a Wilson combat edc x9. This is easily the nicest pistol I’ve ever owned. I have only put a hundred rounds thru it so far but it’s everything you’d expect in a Wilson combat.



What 2011 style pistols are you all shooting?

 

[salmonchaser]

I have yet to cross that bridge.

 

[RL338]

Sweet little handguns , mine pistols either have a cylinder or a bolt.

 

[Slimfinn]

I haven't crossed over but have thought really hard. Buddy has a staccato that is fun to shoot, so almost got the Springfield when it came out just wasn't shooting enough and couldn't justify it. Year or so later a wilson showed up at the LGS and wow I fell in love with the feel but had just the 3" barrel, if it was the 4" i would have been in trouble. I had high hopes when kimber came out with their's as they are much more affordable than the wilson, but they just dont have the feel of the wilson, but it's still less than half the price...

Now that you have the Wilson what are your thoughts on the Kimber?

 

[3 Meter Para Bellum]

Very neat set you have there. The Platypus is an odd one indeed!

Wilson Combats are my dream 1911s, but I have the feeling I may never be able to afford one. Awe well, I can just keep dreaming.

 

[Thebear_78]

Now that you have the Wilson what are your thoughts on the Kimber?

The kimber is a very nice little carry pistol. At roughly Glock 19 size with a little better capacity it makes for an impressive packable defensive gun. If I never held a Wilson edc x9 I would probably been very satisfied with it. It shoots completely reliably with any ammo I’ve put thru it and shoots very well.

Comparing it to the Wilson is really like comparing a Camry to a Lesus RX. Dimensionally extremely similar, both do a similar thing but one is just nicer in every way ( in this analogy the Glock 19 is a Walmart shopping cart with a deranged homeless person making racecar noises).

Aside from the fit and smoothness the biggest difference is the height of red dot adapter plate. The kimber plate sits much higher than the Wilson. It sits quite a bit higher giving more of an impression that it is sitting on top of the slide rather then melted into the slide. I’ll try to get a comparison picture later. That and the grip is much more aggressively textured on the Wilson. The kimber has a more rounded grip, while it would feel much better against your skin it’s a little prone to slip SXS in your grip than the Wilson. I think I will probably take the RMR off of the kimber. With the very nice kimber night sights it will still be a very nice carry gun that I won’t worry about beating up. I’m notoriously hard on carry guns. Crawling around in the ground under trailers at work plays hell with carry guns. I’ve broken several Smith and wessen rear sight blades. Basically have to go fixed sights for carry.

My wife gave me no shortage of grief for getting the Wilson, claiming it was identical to the kimber. While at the range this morning she shot both. She grudgingly agreed it was just nicer in every way, but did not concede it was worth the price.

Also the porting in the Wilson does indeed make a marked decrease in muzzle flip.