I am gonna treat myself to a custom 1911 soon for my 65th birthday. I first shot 1911s while in the military 46 years ago. I currently own 7 various 1911s from a low price Ruger SR1911, and some Colts, Springfields, Para GI, Remingtons. I have narrowed my choices to Nighthawk, Ed Brown, Les Baer and Wilson Combat and looking at $3,000 to $5,000 price lines. Any opinions? Thanks !!
I'm a Colt and Les Baer fan, though I've had Ed Browns as well, along with custom and stock Colts and Springfields, and there was a Turnbull in there for a while, too. At the moment I have a Colt Wiley Clapp Commander out being worked over by David Clevinger, that one should be coming home soon. My take is, if you have the time and desire, go with a custom build using whatever your personal preference is for a base gun and have it built to the degree you want based on your expectation of the gun's performance and appearance. I have some that are full builds that started as the most basic of Colts with nothing original left but the frame and slide, and others that started as better appointed Colts and a Baer that required less work to get where I wanted them. Some have taken more time than others depending on the 'smith, how busy they are, and the amount of work being done.
If time is an issue, or one of the "semi-custom" shops is offering something that just really trips your trigger, something from the manufacturers you've been looking at could fill the bill. Most, if not all of those companies allow for some changes to the stock configuration so you can personalize your purchase to a degree and the wait is measured in a few months vs what could be years waiting for a 'smith to build your gun. Back in January I ordered a new Baer Hemi, a gun I've wanted since they came out, with a single side thumb safety, no FCS, 20lpi front strap checkering, and the 3.5lb trigger option. It took a little less than 4 months and the gun is perfect, exactly what I wanted and the price was right through Crazy John. Like I said, I've had Browns (very nice guns, very... refined) as well, but have not taken the plunge for the higher priced "semi-customs" because IMO, once you get past $2500 or so, you're better off having a gun built. You can get a lot of work done on the Colt you already have for $2500 and come out of it with a gun built for you to meet your wants and needs, but, again, you have to be willing to invest the time. I think the first thing you need to do is decide what you want out of the gun in terms of performance and appearance and decide if you can get that from one of the higher end manufacturers or if it's either going to require, or be worth, having a gunsmith build the gun you want. And keep in mind that you can take a Baer, Brown, Wilson, whatever, and have it upgraded as well. Custom work isn't necessarily just for base model guns.
Here are a few examples of what I'm talking about.
My new Baer Hemi-
Joe Chambers did some work on my Baer Boss that really sets it apart-
Not a great picture but this is the Colt Wiley Clapp Commander that David Clevinger is doing for me. The flames are engraved and polished blue, that balance of the slide is matte blue, the aluminum frame and small parts are hard chrome. Goes to show that if you find the right 'smith you can have almost anything you want done to a 1911.