pre built vs. custom built

[turbopower18]

Custom guns will likely come with 'better' internal parts, better fit, and have all the features you personally want. Some things are expensive or impossible to change - like stippling on the front strap, or changing from an LPA to a Bomar sight, etc.

I got a nice stock gun with a lot of 'upgrades' - but still spent a ton of cash personalizing it and/or improving it. A custom gun would probably have been the same or less money and I'd have everything exactly as I want. The flip side is that I spent a little less cash to start, and got to shoot a quality gun while I decided what features I decided I needed to add.

If you have some good shooting experience and know exactly what you want in a gun, get a custom. If you are new, it wouldn't hurt to go custom but you might not know what you want until it's too late.

A quality stock competition gun will keep a lot of its value if you decide to sell it. So will a custom gun from a reputable builder.

I couldnt agree more with this. I bought a STI Edge to try the 2011 platform. Made Master Class with my Edge so it is a fine pistol and i've had 0 issues with it. However I'm now in search of a Custom 2011 and have a Edge for my backup. Starting with a off the shelf semi custom 2011 is the way to go in my opinion because you decide to go custom you already have your backup in the stable!

[SWprotected]

I have done both, I started with a blued CRP Edge from Dawson. These are just stock guns with some add on parts. My Edge served me well for 2 years with no malfunctions that were not my fault for feeding it crappy ammo (Bulged cases). I finally decided to refinish the gun in hard chrome so I had the slide lightened, trigger job and refinish done. Then I added a steel grip. If you add up the cost it is right at custom gun money. The plus side is I got to experiment and decide what I needed before I had a custom gun built. I was also able to spread the cost out over a period of time. Doing things this way can cost you more in the long run. In my opinion if you don't have a lot of experience with the 2011 ordering a custom first is a gamble, you may be getting what someone else thinks is best but not whats best for you.