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Wilson Combat Disappointment!

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Rancid Coolaid View Drop Down
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    Posted: April/07/2014 at 18:37

I've been a Wilson fan for years.  My first 1911 was a Springfield Armory 5"  (I was way too poor to afford a Wilson full custom gun then) that was slowly rebuilt with Wilson parts.   I loved that gun - and foolishly traded it several years ago.

My story begins with a TTU that went full auto on me.  I contacted Customer Service and they said, "We've never heard that before, you probably just got slapped by recoil, but send it in, we'll check it out."  I decided maybe it was me, maybe the gun got away from me a bit.  So I kept the trigger, moved the higher recoil upper to another lower, and carried on. 

After a few months of flawless function and several hundred more rounds down range (on a mild recoil 223) it did it again.  This time, I was on a range with a very experienced shooter, he took the gun and got full auto too.  (He immediately offered to buy the gun, it seems he'd rather have a full auto and risk prison than pay $17,000 for a true full auto. Forgiveness rather than permission, I guess.)


With the second event so well punctuated, I started looking online and, sure enough, found other shooters with the same problem using the TTU on a gun that sends many round down range.  I immediately sent the trigger back, got another, and put it in a gun I almost never shoot.  If the zombie apocalypse comes and society disintegrates, I know I can count on the trigger to go boom, and might get a bonus of boomboomboomboom...


Fast forward to last month, with a Glock 22 that I like very much, I decided to purchase a Wilson Combat LoProfile II.  I was excited to get the holster, it was beautifully made, very nice stitching, and a little shark embellishment for good measure.  I tried it on my double-ply 2" shark belt and, though it says "1.5' belt", it fit like a charm.  There, the good news ends.  I put the gun in, tight fit, no problem, but the holster doesn't pull the gun in well at all.  It actually prints worse than any holster I own - which is saying something, as I have some holster of far lower quality - and price.  "Designed for maximum concealment" my ass, it's almost as bad as me wearing a half shirt with gun and holster fully exposed.

Adding insult to injury, I rated the holster on Wilson's site, 2 stars for craftsmanship and terrible concealment.  The review never went up.  I waited a few days, thought "maybe it was an error on my part", and wrote it again, still nothing.  Then I thought, maybe their review mechanism is down, but I find plenty of 5-star rated holsters (strangely, I find only 5-star ratings.)

You put a rating system on your products for a reason, not to cherry-pick the reviews, that is dishonest.  I considered putting up a 5-star review just to see if it took, but decided I could sooner part the Red Sea as get them to take down a disingenuous review.


I'm done with Wilson - which is disappointing.  Success suited them well for many years, now they are going the way of so many others - Butler Creek comes to mind.  There are far too many makers with far better products for me to deal with being told I got slapped by recoil with a trigger known to fail - and my review isn't of value because it is honest about a sucky holster.


Anyone want a lightly used LoProfile II for a Glock22, I'll make you a deal!  Be advise, it conceals about as well as a wet t shirt does.

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote SVT_Tactical Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: April/07/2014 at 20:04
Hate to hear that. Was actually looking at one of those for my g22. Glad I have not take the plunge now.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote jonoMT Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: April/07/2014 at 20:05
Considering who is writing this, I'm not inclined to do business with Wilson down the road. None of that sounds healthy or aboveboard...for them or customers.
Reaction time is a factor...
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Skylar McMahon Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: April/07/2014 at 21:36
That is unfortunate.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Sparky Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: April/07/2014 at 21:37
+1.

I have had good experiences with WC, but I have not dealt with them for awhile. And my WC Classic is one of the last guns I would get rid of. But now when I look at their emails they send me it seems they are getting premium dollar and then some for their products. Even though they have down graded some of their components. Like now they use Storm Lake barrels from what I have heard. I was looking for another WC 1911, but with what I have seen lately, I am looking at other options.

BTW the WC CS policy states "If for any reason you are unhappy with a product, service, or how you have been treated at Wilson Combat®, feel free to call or email our Customer Service Director Tressa Bohannan at: tressa@wilsoncombat.com or 1-800-955-4856 ext. 104. We are sure she will solve the problem to your 110% satisfaction."

http://wilsoncombat.com/new/customer-service-policy.asp

RC I would contact her for a return.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Rancid Coolaid Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: April/08/2014 at 07:48

I sent an email, she has already responded to send it back for a refund - easiest decision I'll make today, maybe this week.


Kramer replacement is already on the way!



Edited by Rancid Coolaid - April/08/2014 at 09:20
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Sparky Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: April/08/2014 at 09:42
Glad it worked out for you.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Rancid Coolaid Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: April/08/2014 at 09:51
It could be that the purpose of your life is only to serve as a warning to others.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Rancid Coolaid Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: April/14/2014 at 14:33

Have the refund, they stuck me with shipping.


I'm done with Wilson for awhile, too many great options out there.


Service was stellar, product was not.

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote ccoker Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: April/14/2014 at 14:48
I would definitely not be happy with a trigger that went full auto either..

Having said that
I have been running the same TTU single stage for about 4-5 years that has been flawless.
I have ran the 3gun trigger for a season with lots of rounds.

I currently own two other single stage TTUs in addition to the original one with no issues.

I have ran most aftermarket triggers and like the single stage TTUs the best.
I am running a Hyperfire24c right now in a comp build and it's a nice trigger but doesn't break any cleaner or lighter and has a slightly longer reset.

Just adding my experiences and every other WC product I have ran has met expectations 100%.
complete ARs, AR parts, my Spec Ops 9 pistol, etc..





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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote cheaptrick Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: April/14/2014 at 15:11
I remember conversing with you briefly, RC concerning the WC trigger going full auto on you, as the same trigger did the exact same thing on my 5.56 AR while my brother in law was shooting it. 

I went another route than RC and contacted Bill Wilson, via the PM feature on this very forum, as he is a member at Optics Talk. It was a whirl wind time in my life when I did so and can't remember precisely all that transpired between me and WC, but it seems that Mr. Wilson had one his people contact me and offer to repair or replace my trigger. I declined, since I wasn't 100% sure it wasn't that my BIL may have actually caused the malfunction, as he isn't a very experienced AR shooter, but has shot various firearms all his life. 
I have "tried" to duplicate the malfunction and to date, have not been successful in doing so.

As much as I hate to read things like this concerning a company that I like as well as I like Wilson Combat, I certainly understand RC's reluctance to do business with them in the future. My sole WC 1911 ran great and all other WC products I have used over the years have been outstanding. 
Especially the 1911 "D" 8 round magazines that have cured more feeding issues in problem 1911's than any other solution I have ever recommended.      
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote ccoker Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: April/14/2014 at 15:25
sure, understood..

Were you guys running the single stage or two stage?
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote cheaptrick Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: April/14/2014 at 15:39
I have the 4 lb, single stage. 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Rancid Coolaid Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: April/14/2014 at 18:20

I completely agree with all sentiments.  As with all things, experiences and opinions vary.  I had nothing but praise for WC till the TTU went tango uniform, I even spent almost a year telling myself it was my fault.  When it went for good, it was gone for good, anyone shooting had the same issue.

Herein lies my issue, and the reason for the post:  When I initially contacted Wilson about the trigger, they immediately offered to take it back and send another; however, they also said they were aware of no such issues with the trigger in anyone else's hands.  That last part is what gave me a moment's pause.  I have lived enough years to know one looks really stupid when blaming something on a person or thing not truly at fault, I've had it happen and did not enjoy the apology, therefore I err on the side of "try not to look stupid" sometimes.  The issue with the trigger went far beyond what I could possibly blame on user error.

And when I contacted them again, they again said, "send it back", which I did.


On the holster, what really stuck in my craw was the review section of the website, welcoming all manner of praise and weeding out all non-5 star reviews.  That speaks to integrity, not Bill's, but someone's.  The holster was of great quality (which the review stated) but a concealment holster it was not - at least not for my build.


In gun leather, there is Kramer and Alessi and Milt Sparks and many more, in 1911s you have Nighthawk and Ed Brown and many others, in ARs the list is long: there are many great players in these areas, I appreciate that Bill and his organization support our 2nd amendment rights and I appreciate that he makes some great stuff even to this day (all my full size 1911s run Wilson 8-round mags) but there is a limit to what I can overlook, and WC exceeded that limit. Twice.


As this business is concluded, I'll not be posting anything more on this.  I respect Bill and what he has done, and I'm not selling everything Wilson Combat to make a moral point.  I vote with my cash, that is all.


Carry on.

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote mike650 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: April/14/2014 at 18:51
I sent an older AR lower to WC be updated and two uppers built about three years ago.

They charged me for a TTU trigger and when I received my build I wasn't happy with the trigger at all. After investigating I found that they never replaced the OEM trigger. WTF They sent me a target showing how well the rifle shot during testing, the guy doing the testing should have felt the difference in trigger pull right away. I called WC and after a couple of emails, pictures, etc. they sent me a new trigger that I installed myself. Cosmetically one of my uppers was stamped poorly as well in regards to the caliber the upper was chambered in. My updated AR shoots great and no issues with both uppers so far but I'll always be questioning whether they truly did everything they said and were supposed to do. I've thought about buying a 1911 from them but it's not worth the headache and expense if quality control is less than exceptable matching the price you pay. To be fair, I didn't work with Bill other than my first inquiry about updating my rifle; he set me up with his Sales Director, who no longer works there.




Edited by mike650 - April/14/2014 at 19:02
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Rainman Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: April/14/2014 at 21:26
I have almost 1,500 rounds over my two stage Wilson in a Ruger SR 556 C with no problems.  I like the trigger, however, have concluded that the let off is too light for intended use of the SR 556 as I set it up (personal defense and range work from 25-200 yards from various field positions).  I'm moving it to my 6.5 Grendel which is used mostly from the bench and prone.  The two stage Rock River match trigger in the Grendel moves to the SR 556 and for me has a more appropriate release weight for a lot of moving around with an AR on a range.  Initially, I received a single stage trigger in a two stage package.  Having just been released the two stage triggers were in short supply.  Wilson offered to take care of the problem directly so I sent it back to them instead of Midway.  Unfortunately neither Wilson nor anyone else had any available after the first batch sold out.  Due to an additional hiccup in Wilson's customer service the order was also set aside waiting for more triggers and fell through the cracks for over a month.  I ate the return shipping but they did offer to apply a credit for the shipping to a future order when I mentioned it.  I rate their customer service as okay but not up to the level of their reputation considering the pricing of their products.
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