Wilson Combat Tactical Supergrade

Wilson Combat traces back to 1977 in Berryville, Arkansas, when Bill Wilson, who trained as a watchmaker, started building custom 1911s. Every Wilson 1911 uses the company's Bullet Proof parts, machined from bar stock or forgings rather than cast or MIM parts. The Tactical Supergrade sits near the top of Wilson's 1911 line, and Wilson builds it as its finest full-size defensive pistol.

This is the full-size base configuration in .45 ACP. It has a 5-inch stainless match-grade barrel, and both the frame and slide are carbon steel. Wilson backs it with an accuracy guarantee of 1 inch at 25 yards, which is a strong promise for a defensive pistol.

The details are all Wilson. You get a high-ride Bullet Proof beavertail grip safety, an ambidextrous Bullet Proof thumb safety, a Bullet Proof magazine well and release, and a high-cut checkered frontstrap. The slide top has 30 lines-per-inch serrations, and the rear of the slide is checkered at 40 lines per inch. A full-length guide rod runs underneath.

The front sight is a Battlesight with tritium, so it glows in the dark. The trigger breaks crisply at 3.5 to 4.5 pounds, and the grips are G10 in Wilson's Starburst pattern.

It measures 8.7 inches long, 5.6 inches tall and 1.3 inches wide, and it weighs 36.6 ounces empty. The magazine holds eight rounds of .45 ACP. Wilson also offers 9mm and 10mm versions.

If you want a full-size 1911 built for serious defensive use, with an accuracy guarantee and Wilson's own parts throughout, the Tactical Supergrade is one of the best-equipped options Wilson makes.