Which Ed Brown?

[gbelleh]

I'm planning to buy an Ed Brown Carry 1911 to celebrate the centennial, but I can't decide between the Kobra Carry or the Special Forces Carry. I know I want the stainless finish. Which would you choose, and why?

 

[Cowboy1629]

I have the Special Forces Carry in two tone and like it real well. Not a real good picture but you can get an idea...

 

[sgtdevildog]

Which one feels better? Only difference is chain link or scales. Before the SF came out I opted for the EC because for me the checkering felt better than the chain link but it's a personal preference. Can't go wrong with either.

 

[IMTHDUKE]

This one fits like a glove and fires like a cannon.

 

[rellascout]

Which one feels better? Only difference is chain link or scales. Before the SF came out I opted for the EC because for me the checkering felt better than the chain link but it's a personal preference. Can't go wrong with either.

Same difference.... LOL

I would get the Kobra.

 

[gbelleh]

Yeah, I know they're pretty much the same. I'm leaning toward the Kobra, but I haven't come across one yet to try the Kobra texture. It looks like it would be grippier than the SF.

 

[38 Super Fan]

The quality is essentially identical, it really comes down to what features/aethetics you prefer. I kind of like the SF carry since the KCs are so much more prevalent.

 

[Quack]

first thing that comes to mind when i think of Ed Brown is a Kobra Carry

 

[Ankeny]

The first thing that comes to my mind when I think Ed Brown is quality, then money, and then Kobra Carry. If I were looking for a working gun to carry a lot I would get the light weight Kobra Carry. If alloy is out of the picture, I would get the pistol in the photo above.

 

[gbelleh]

They are beautiful guns. Nice setup Quack!

 

[Quack]

thanks!!!

It's setup like all my other 1911's. It makes going from one to another seamless.

 

[ZeBool]

Ed Brown sure does make a beautiful 1911. I have a hard time imagining that you could wrong with any of his offerings. If it were my Ben Franklins I was parting with, I would opt for the Kobra.

 

[JTQ]

I've got no first hand Ed Brown experience, but I just read this same question on one of the 1911 forums.

One of the site's "Brown experts" opined that the "snakeskin" treatment was more grippy in one direction and less in the other.

The "chain-link" pattern, he believed was more useful overall and the one he preferred.

The final recommendation was, as mentioned here, is that they are basically the same and it comes down to personal preference.

 

[MCMXI]

I'm planning to buy an Ed Brown Carry 1911 to celebrate the centennial, but I can't decide between the Kobra Carry or the Special Forces Carry. I know I want the stainless finish. Which would you choose, and why?

You're hoping for some revelation about one over the other ... good luck with that!! Just be happy in the fact that there is no wrong choice here. There are only two differences between the pistols other than the name on the slide. First, the physical appearance which is a decision that only you can make. Second, the feel of the chainlink compared to the snakeskin, which again, is something you'll need to try if you think it'll make any difference. I don't think it makes any difference at all. My Special Forces Carry is stainless/stainless with the black Gen III coating. I'm kind of like Noah in that I like things in pairs, so last month I ordered a Special Forces also stainless/stainless with black Gen III.

Initially, I wasn't sold on the appearance of the snakeskin at the rear of the slide on the Kobra models. I felt that it should be angled to match the grip purely for aesthetic reasons. However, the more I look at it, the more I like it. My next EB will be a Kobra and finally a Kobra Carry, both will be stainless/stainless with black Gen III.

 

[MCMXI]

Oh ... and I didn't vote since there's no "buy both" button.

 

[IMTHDUKE]

My next EB will be a Kobra and finally a Kobra Carry, both will be stainless/stainless with black Gen III.

My only question is what do you do for a living and are they hiring?

I only own one, that's not because I don't like the guns.

 

[SwampWolf]

Oh ... and I didn't vote since there's no "buy both" button.

And I didn't get to vote either, since there's no "buy neither" button.

 

[MCMXI]

And I didn't get to vote either, since there's no "buy neither" button.

That's just sick!! If you're going to tease everyone with that bombshell, at least have the decency to explain your reasoning.

 

[SwampWolf]

Didn't mean to lob any bombshells...I would have made the same comment if the poll was asking about Wilson, Clark or Baer pistols. When I can buy very accurate, nicely finished, durable and reliable 1911s from Colt, Smith & Wesson, Dan Wesson and more than a few others for a fraction of the price of, say an Ed Brown, I'd rather spend the extra money on something like ammunition, reloading equipment, etc.
I'm not saying I wouldn't like to have a "high-end", custom pistol like an Ed Brown nor am I saying that I couldn't afford one if I really wanted one. I'm only saying they're just not worth the extra money to me-unless money was no object. Which, of course, it is.

 

[TexasRifleman]

When I can buy very accurate, nicely finished, durable and reliable 1911s from Colt, Smith & Wesson, Dan Wesson and more than a few others for a fraction of the price of, say an Ed Brown

It's a large fraction..

Ed Brown Special Forces - Street Price 2195
Dan Wesson Valor - Around 1800
Colt Special Combat - Also around 1800

Dunno, doesn't seem much difference to me when making an apples to apples comparison.

 

[MCMXI]

I would have made the same comment if the poll was asking about Wilson, Clark or Baer pistols. When I can buy very accurate, nicely finished, durable and reliable 1911s from Colt, Smith & Wesson, Dan Wesson and more than a few others for a fraction of the price of, say an Ed Brown

This has always been a point of contention for any firearm, optic or accessory. What do you get for the money? First off, Ed Brown makes mid-priced, semi-custom pistols, and to me, this is where the real value is, particularly if you have a utilitarian approach to firearms. I feel that Ed Brown 1911s are a very good value for money, and $2,500 is probably as much as I'll ever pay for a 1911. That said, I think you'd be hard pressed to find a 1911 that offers better value than the Ed Brown Special Forces or Kobra. How many man hours go into an Ed Brown compared to any production 1911? I'm going to guess that a Kimber (and many other production 1911s that use MIM) have less than one man hour. If they're assembled outside of the US they may have a little more ... who knows. With an Ed Brown, you get a 100% US made, 100% US assembled, 100% quality parts with outstanding fit and finish and definitely more than one man hour of work. I doubt you could build an equivalent 1911 for less money. Looking at this from the other direction, if an Ed Brown is worth $2,000+, are production 1911s good value for money?

http://www.gunsandammo.com/node/1794

 

[IMTHDUKE]

I just kept reading about production 1911s that advertise "Ed Brown parts", so I thought....why not just get all Ed Brown parts and let the Brown people put them together

 

[gym]

Its the ferrari of handguns, if you have the cash you get to own the best

 

[MCMXI]

How many man hours go into an Ed Brown compared to any production 1911? I'm going to guess that a Kimber (and many other production 1911s that use MIM) have less than one man hour. If they're assembled outside of the US they may have a little more ... who knows. With an Ed Brown, you get a 100% US made, 100% US assembled, 100% quality parts with outstanding fit and finish and definitely more than one man hour of work.

Yeah, quoting myself again, but new information has come to light. I just watched last week's episode of Sighting In with Shooting USA in which they featured Les Baer, his pistols, rifles and cars. There are a lot of man hours in a Les Baer 1911 ... something on the order of 25!! I don't know if Ed Brown pistols are similar, but that's a staggering amount of work for one semi-custom pistol that sells for only $1,800. Given the amount of work that goes into these semi-custom 1911s, and the quality parts, they're a bargain.

 

[38 Super Fan]

Yeah, quoting myself again, but new information has come to light. I just watched last week's episode of Sighting In with Shooting USA in which they featured Les Baer, his pistols, rifles and cars. There are a lot of man hours in a Les Baer 1911 ... something on the order of 25!! I don't know if Ed Brown pistols are similar, but that's a staggering amount of work for one semi-custom pistol that sells for only $1,800. Given the amount of work that goes into these semi-custom 1911s, and the quality parts, they're a bargain.

Browns and Baer's build philosophies are quite different. Brown's aren't nearly as "hard fit" as Baers, Baer's parts are all oversized then fit super tight. I think Brown manufactures most of their parts to fit more precise out of the box, not oversized like Baer's parts. That said, I have no idea how much handfitting goes into a Brown, I'd guess it would be less, but honestly I don't know. Either way, I agree that both are good values, once you've gone to a semi custom 1911, it's hard to go back to the production guns.