ltwguns.com

I am considering ordering a 9MM Commander pistol from either Wilson Combat or Nighthawk. I realize neither of these are true custom pistols but options can be picked to somewhat customize it. What is the general opinion of both companies? It seems that Wilson has a lot of irons in the fire with the various platforms they offer. Of course with Nighthawk the only finish options are stainless, nitride or DLC. If this question is in the wrong place or out of line I apologize.

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And this eternal resting place Is known as Fiddlers' Green.

I think the question is no prob. I think very, very highly of both places, esp. WC since I know them better and have a couple chums on the inside.

But Guncrafter should always be considered when talking WC and NH. Of course these guys are friends too but man they put out the most rock-solid guns and the value I think is better. much smaller shop and so more personal attention to each gun and each one gets inspected by the owner, Alex Zimmermann.

Ned I appreciate your input, I hadn't really considered Guncrafter as I am not sure about their checkering. We are going to be up in their area next month, I might call and see if I could stop by for a visit.

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And this eternal resting place Is known as Fiddlers' Green.

I agree with Ned, Guncrafter Industries is definitely worth a look. GI builds a solid gun! Not too throw my own hat in the ring but.... there is a possibility ... I may have a lightweight 9x19 commander coming up in the que that might need a home.

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https://www.graffcustom.com/

It would be a toss up between Guncrafters and Wilson for me. I really like the Gun Crafters. Fine, solid, and you will wear your hands out shooting it.

Wilson are equal but the focus on Gun Crafters being solely 1911 would lead me to them as a first look

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Be safe and keep the brass flying

Terry Peters

Do your research but you get what you pay for front end or back end
http://www.pt-partners.com
@ptpartners_tx

Might be the wrong way to answer...

A long time ago before I committed to buying a true custom full-house from one of the contributors here, my psyche and finances always "restrained" me from purchasing from any of them. Hell, I was a "bone-stock 'REASONABLY-PRICED' mass-production-is-good-enough" believer for the longest time. Back in 1998 I purchased my first used WC "1911", a fully-done 'Master Grade' (built circa 1991 or '92, I think). Until the revamp at WC that changed the form to the newer SuperGrade (w/boxcar rear sight, front serrations, et. al.), that Master Grade was exactly the duplicate of the OLDer Classic SuperGrade. (In the early days, 'Master Grade' was offered with optional customer choices that became standard on the Classical SG.) That piece showed me what I was missing, and I never looked back--from then on, my 1911 addiction was fed by better and better custom acquisitions.

In order to fund my later purchases with a shoehorn budget, I bought and sold on a very small scale--I'd find used GunBroker Wilson Combat/GI/Ed Brown/Nighthawk offerings and if the price was right (read that "cheeeep" enough), I'd purchase them to sell them for profit, each time buying "a step up" (in model line) until profits accumulated enough to call on one of the LTW gunsmiths and make my deposit...
Throughout and as a result of my "profit" campaigns, I got to look at a LOT of "semi-customs"--probably no more than 25 or 30 guns from the various names. I favored WC heavily, then Ed Brown, for their fit, finish, and aesthetics. At the time, since I was constantly monitoring GBroker, used-price levels (especially for WC products) became very familiar.

In my opinion, and the reason I broke away from favoring WC---they split off in too many directions--9mm, AR-15 format, engraving, etc. and with that, I'd have to agree with Ned, Mark and Terry--GI is priced (slightly) better, and I think especially now, their product (line) is better-focused. Th'only question is, do you like their aesthetics?