Max Budget?

[rugertoter]

OK I have to ask ( not meant to be negative in any way) would an average person see a difference shooting the WC? Or do you have to be above a certain skill level to see a difference between it and a production 1911?

All my guns are "production" guns, and I can shoot them just fine. If one has the money to do the more pricey firearms, all the power to them, but I do not. I like to shoot all my guns and use them on a regular basis, so I buy just enough gun to be quality conscious, but still within my budget.

 

[VERT]

OK I have to ask ( not meant to be negative in any way) would an average person see a difference shooting the WC? Or do you have to be above a certain skill level to see a difference between it and a production 1911?

The average person would absolutely see a difference in a WC over an $800 production 1911. In fact it is the very experienced person that would see less of a difference. If I was only allowed one gun I would probably go with a Wilson Elite Professional with magwell, ambi safety, front gold bead w/ black rear, 30 LPI checkering, medium trigger set to 3.25-3.5#, slim G10 grips. No I don't own this gun.

https://www.wilsoncombat.com/elite-professional/

 

[wcd]

All my guns are "production" guns, and I can shoot them just fine. If one has the money to do the more pricey firearms, all the power to them, but I do not. I like to shoot all my guns and use them on a regular basis, so I buy just enough gun to be quality conscious, but still within my budget.

Me too I have two Ruger 1911's the original Government one and the Light weight Cmd in 45 acp. I changed out the thin grips and to me its one nice 1911. I know its not forged etc. But it sure shoots nice, feeds any thing, reliable and fun to shoot and its my Edc.

 

[bmbutch]

OK I have to ask ( not meant to be negative in any way) would an average person see a difference shooting the WC? Or do you have to be above a certain skill level to see a difference between it and a production 1911?

IMHO based on being an average, non competitive shooter...(Man, I'm gonna get an INGO beat down). Yes, you can tell a difference, 3x difference over my Sig 1911, uh NO!

I'd wanted a Wilson Combat for years, saved up & bought one. It will likely be handed down one day (I.E. never sold by me), & fit up / finish is phenomenal. Also came into a small inheritance which helped. Would trade every gun I own for 1 more hour with Mom & Dad.

It's also awful purty!

 

[churchmouse]

I am with BA. Buy a $600 CZ and throw another $400 in parts at it right away. Sometimes more after accessorizing for it.

1911's the minimum is in the $800 range as anything else seems to be to hard to tune and achieve my goals.
$800 SA and throw $450 in parts and hours on the bench.
There are some $650 offerings out there that might make you smile.

WC are exceptional pieces. To me if you have everything else and have the cash burning a hole in your pocket then yeah, get one. If not then there are some nice offerings for half the WC's sticker.

It all depends on your expectations.

 

[VERT]

I am with BA. Buy a $600 CZ and throw another $400 in parts at it right away. Sometimes more after accessorizing for it.

1911's the minimum is in the $800 range as anything else seems to be to hard to tune and achieve my goals.
$800 SA and throw $450 in parts and hours on the bench.
There are some $650 offerings out there that might make you smile.

WC are exceptional pieces. To me if you have everything else and have the cash burning a hole in your pocket then yeah, get one. If not then there are some nice offerings for half the WC's sticker.

It all depends on your expectations.

True but after $450 in parts and hours on the bench those are no longer production guns. But I agree that for half the price a person could build up a Springer to shoot every bit as nice as a WC. My favorite shooters are SW1911s in 9mm. One was reworked by you for my wife. The other you had apart as well but has since went to AllenM for new barrel and guts. It is very accurate. After $850 in gunsmithing I personally consider it to be a semi custom build.

 

[Vigilant]

OK I have to ask ( not meant to be negative in any way) would an average person see a difference shooting the WC? Or do you have to be above a certain skill level to see a difference between it and a production 1911?

Yes, even the average person would be able to appreciate a Wilson. The most I've ever spent on a firearm, was $4700 for an MP-40 FA, it was $700 more than my UZI, and $1700 more than the AC556. I sold the MP40 for $5600, but doubled my money on the UZI and Ruger. Looking back, shoulda kept all three!

 

[Vigilant]

Oh, and as far as budget, I've spent more on knives than any of my Glocks, save the RMR'd 19. What I'm willing to pay, depends on what I want, and what I'm buying. $3200 for a PVS-14, did it, $3200 for a bolt rifle, nope, not yet at least. $7600 for a Barret M82, yes, but quickly sold it, as it ate more than me.

 

[russc2542]

So what y'all are saying isn't so much you budget $4-800 for guns (because many of us have x number of guns in that range) but that you're into $4-800 handguns.

mymax = wife's last sewing machine purchase ... ; it's good for the wife to have a Hobby

Ain't that the truth! Happy wife, happy life.

 

[two70]

The most I have yet spent on a gun was $1150 but $700-$900 is my more usual max.

That said, if I ever become independently wealthy my first firearms related call is to Krieghoff and my second would most likely be to WC.

 

[churchmouse]

True but after $450 in parts and hours on the bench those are no longer production guns. But I agree that for half the price a person could build up a Springer to shoot every bit as nice as a WC. My favorite shooters are SW1911s in 9mm. One was reworked by you for my wife. The other you had apart as well but has since went to AllenM for new barrel and guts. It is very accurate. After $850 in gunsmithing I personally consider it to be a semi custom build.

I knew AllenM had that one. I bet it is a runner.

Some of the budget spent on parts is for appearance. Stainless pieces are not cheap but a bit of bling makes me smile.

I think my point was dollars spent. To pay a Smith for all of the work I do would put you well north of what I spend. so advantage to me I guess.
Yes, at that point they are semi custom but seriously....A WC is as close to custom as you are going to get with out piecing one together from Fusion/Caspien and a host of other suppliers. I just brought one home from Allen's personal builds. You need to fondle this one.....seriously.

 

[VERT]

I knew AllenM had that one. I bet it is a runner.

Some of the budget spent on parts is for appearance. Stainless pieces are not cheap but a bit of bling makes me smile.

I think my point was dollars spent. To pay a Smith for all of the work I do would put you well north of what I spend. so advantage to me I guess.
Yes, at that point they are semi custom but seriously....A WC is as close to custom as you are going to get with out piecing one together from Fusion/Caspien and a host of other suppliers. I just brought one home from Allen's personal builds. You need to fondle this one.....seriously.

Gun Fondling? Yes please!

I put some Apex trigger parts in a Glock this weekend. It just wasn't the same.

 

[churchmouse]

Gun Fondling? Yes please!

I put some Apex trigger parts in a Glock this weekend. It just wasn't the same.

Yeah but it absolutely has to be an improvement.

 

[mstagg]

It really depends. $800 is my soft max, Ill only go over it if I have done a ton of research and handled the gun before. $1200 is pretty much the absolute max for me. NFA stuff gets its own category, but I also dont own anything in that category yet.

Ive learned my lesson on cheap guns.

 

[CampingJosh]

I think this is a weird question. It's rare in my life that I set the budget first and then decide what I want to buy.

I decide what interests me, figure out how much it will cost, then start saving my coins. Sometimes it's just a few hundred dollars; sometimes it pushes into four digits.
Same process for buying a gun, buying a vehicle, going on vacation, etc.

 

[Areoflyer09]

I'm finding that I am moving more to a "quality & asthetics" based budget, so my happy place for handguns/rifles has bumped up 25-50% depending on the purchase. I'll just be buying fewer of them.

My accountant side loved the price of the SR22, but there is no argument that the PPQ was worth every penny more than it cost just for its build quality difference. I know a 10/22 would fit my needs, but I want a Henry Golden Boy, so the budget goes up. I know there are quality made and priced 1911s, but I want a Kimber.

 

[Bfish]

I think this is a weird question. It's rare in my life that I set the budget first and then decide what I want to buy.

I decide what interests me, figure out how much it will cost, then start saving my coins. Sometimes it's just a few hundred dollars; sometimes it pushes into four digits.
Same process for buying a gun, buying a vehicle, going on vacation, etc.

I think I subscribe to this methodology for the most part. So long as you are well informed it's hard to make super poor choices. I always research the crap out of most every purchase I make, even those non gun related.

 

[churchmouse]

I'm finding that I am moving more to a "quality & asthetics" based budget, so my happy place for handguns/rifles has bumped up 25-50% depending on the purchase. I'll just be buying fewer of them.

My accountant side loved the price of the SR22, but there is no argument that the PPQ was worth every penny more than it cost just for its build quality difference. I know a 10/22 would fit my needs, but I want a Henry Golden Boy, so the budget goes up. I know there are quality made and priced 1911s, but I want a Kimber.

There are so many better offerings in the 1911 than a kimber. I base this on price point and build quality of the new Kimbers.
No knock to anyone who owns and enjoys them.

 

[Libertarian01]

I would think that to answer this question you would have to delve a lot more into the mind of the purchaser than we would be comfortable doing.

I know there are probably more than a few members here that could easily drop $30k on a good tommygun without even denting their budget, but they don't. Why? They're just not that interested in it.

Then there are folks on here barely getting by that will scrimp and save for that $6k target rifle they want for competition.

I don't believe there is a budget for someone when you truly enjoy what you are doing as a hobby. For some of us the high end market is nigh impossible to reach, so we may grab lower hanging fruit that we truly want. For others, they might enjoy shooting immensely and easily afford a $50k project but that just doesn't interest them. And even if they have the money they could be very frugal and refuse to spend much.

One of my Holy Grails would be an all original WWI artillery Luger. These can go very high(some $30k+), but if I truly wanted one that I could have fun shooting I would probably try to get a "nice" one, nothing special, for between $2k and #4k. I think that if that was my top priority and I had a little luck I could find one fairly decent in that price range, today. However, my car needs new tires. Then next year in for its 180k mile tuneup for $750. So in reality my budget today is $0. I am certain that other folks have similar issues, but with guns perhaps at a higher priority they might do guns first, car second. Maybe...?

I guess in my view each one of us has an answer that is unique, only to us. It is based upon our income, where we are in life, whether we have a spouse or kids, and exactly where in our priorities we place buying a new firearm. Any answer we give is good for us, and us alone.

A slightly better question might(?) be: Of your monthly disposable income - after all bills have also been paid, what percentage are you willing to commit to buying a new firearm? That at least rules out income and all other bills.

Regards,

Doug

 

[aztec777]

I guess this speaks the perspective you have.

If I am going to use a tool to possibly save my life and/or the lives of other around me, then I will spend what needs to be spent on a quality machine. I want to ensure that the rate of failure is minimized, the accuracy is as high as possible and the quality is high. Inexpensive and quality rarely go hand in hand.

I feel the same way about the ammunition, magazines, holsters, optics, etc.

Quality costs a lot, but my life is worth more than that.