When it comes to a sterling reputation for quality, few in the firearms community have earned the standing of Wilson Combat. Founded more than three decades ago by Bill Wilson, the company has earned an enviable reputation for building top-end custom shotguns, rifles and pistols.

Custom is the key word here. Although the company may at first appear to be a traditional firearm company with its expansive lines of offerings, it is in fact a custom builder with no traditional production lines. An individual artisan using the highest quality components handcrafts each firearm. And, befitting this level of quality, many of the company’s firearms can be ordered in a broad array of chamberings, finishes and additional custom touches.

Wilson Combat has been steadily developing a following in the long gun market in recent years with its well-respected line of AR-based tactical rifles and Remington Model 870-based tactical shotguns. As a result, it might be easy to forget that the company began as a custom M1911 pistol manufacturer.

“It has been 29 years since the first custom firearm with my name on it was built,” states Bill Wilson. “At Wilson Combat, we still hand build our pistols, still hand-match and hand-fit every part,” he says.

The revered M1911 is where Wilson began, and it is still a big part of what the company is today. An accomplished competitive shooter, Wilson recognized the strengths and the popularity of the M1911-style pistol, determining that it was a good basis for his own custom pistol work.