Wilson Combat X-TAC Elite Carry Comp Professional

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 X-TAC Elite Carry Comp adds a compensator to Wilson's X-TAC Elite, aiming for a 1911 that's soft shooting enough for fast work but still sized for daily carry.

This is the Professional model in its base configuration. It pairs a full-size grip with a 4-inch slide. The stainless match-grade barrel extends to 4.5 inches with a half-inch, one-piece billet-machined compensator that pushes gas upward to reduce muzzle flip. The chamber is fluted.

The frame and slide are carbon steel, offered in Armor-Tuff or matte stainless. The grips are black G10 in the Starburst pattern with pewter medallions. Wilson fits a concealment Bullet Proof beavertail, a tactical Bullet Proof thumb safety and a Bullet Proof magazine release, and a one-piece Bullet Proof magwell helps with reloads.

The Carry Comp is built to be ultra soft shooting, and the rest of the build supports that. The trigger has a medium pad and a crisp 3.5 to 4.5 pound pull. The sights pair Wilson's Battlesight with a fiber optic front. Carry cuts, ball endmill cuts and a heavy slide chamfer keep the edges snag free.

It measures 8.1 inches long, 5.6 inches tall and 1.3 inches wide, and it weighs 39.6 ounces empty. The magazine holds eight rounds of .45 ACP, and Wilson guarantees accuracy of 1.5 inches at 25 yards.

If you want a carry 1911 that shoots flatter than most, this is a very capable Wilson.