It was 1977 when Bill Wilson established Wilson Combat. To commemorate 45 years of gunsmithing, we renowned company specializing in high-performance, custom 1911 handguns is offering the “45th Anniversary 1911” in both .45 ACP and 9mm calibers. This is what people would call a “retro” style pistol, based on classic 1911s that were popular in the late 1970s and early 1980s. “Custom 1911 handguns of that period were rapidly evolving based on the needs of practical pistol shooters and Wilson Combat emerged as a leader in 1911 handgun customization by focusing on performing superior quality work at a fair price with a reasonable delivery time-those core values still drive our business today,” they say.
45th Anniversary, timeless style
The 45th Anniversary 1911 handguns are “very limited in nature and truly exceptional in cosmetics and quality”, featuring some classic custom touches such as an upswept, retro grip safety, traditional Bo-Mar style adjustable rear sight with a staked ramp front, a retro Commander style hammer, Swenson-style ambidextrous thumb safety, and a coarsely serrated slide top “reminiscent of the finest bespoke guns available to shooters at the time”.
Even markings and logos will harken back to Wilson's early models, albeit with more modern cosmetics. But this is not just an “Operation Nostalgia”: what you get with Wilson Combat's 45th Anniversary model is still a top grade, full size custom gun sporting a carbon steel frame and slide with fully hand-polished deluxe blue finish, 30 LPI checkered frontstrap; full-length guide rod; hand fit 5” stainless match grade barrel and bushing.
Grips are handcrafted premium desert ironwood. The crisp trigger is a three-hole long length pad type.
Magazine capacity is 8 rounds in.45 ACP –and 10 rounds in 9mm. The guns come with an accuracy guarantee of 1” at 25 yards.
Needless to say, such an exclusive package of aesthetic as well as functional finesses is not cheap, coming at a price which is $4,000 for the .45 ACP version and $4.100 for the 9mm one.
Wilsom Combat also stresses that orders for the 45th Anniversary model will be processed in the order they are received.
Wilson Combat 45th Anniversary 1911 specs and price
| Calibers: | .45 ACP, 9mm |
| Frame and Slide Material: | Carbon Steel |
| Grips: | Desert ironwood |
| Magazine Capacity: | 8 rounds (.45 ACP), 10 rounds (9mm) |
| Barrel Length: | 5”/127 mm |
| Overall Length: | 8.7”/221 mm |
| Height: | 5.6”/142 mm |
| Width: | 1.3”/33 mm |
| Sight Radius: | 6.6”/167 mm |
| Weight (Empty): | 40.5 oz/1,148 g |
| Price: | $4,000 (.45 ACP), $4.100 (9mm) |
