KNICK Posted July 8, 2003 Share Posted July 8, 2003 Anyone have info on this gun. Thinking about buying one and would like any opinions. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck D Posted July 13, 2003 Share Posted July 13, 2003 I had one in my hands last month. Not a bad piece but I was told by Wilson's that you couldn't remove the trigger from the frame. Seems the trigger is installed in the gun then the grip portion is installed afterwards. If the trigger bow breaks, you send the gun back to Wilsons and they replace the entire lower end of the gun. For the money you'd spend on one, I'd rather buy a gun you can fully disassemble. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Larry Cazes Posted July 13, 2003 Share Posted July 13, 2003 A friend of mine has one and I have shot it quite a bit. I find that it has lots of muzzle flip like most polymer frame steel slide guns do. Not my cup of tea! Also, as already mentioned it has alot of proprietary parts that prevent customization with anything other then Wilson parts. Also, even though it is a double stack, pre ban hi cap mags don't exist. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KNICK Posted July 13, 2003 Author Share Posted July 13, 2003 I didn't know that about the lower end, not a good thing! Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jgobbels Posted July 20, 2003 Share Posted July 20, 2003 Have a full size for duty and a compact for carry. I love both. I use the full size mags in the compact which takes me to 10+1. Both guns are quite soft to shoot, so I'll have to disagree with the muzzle flip. Mags are sometimes hard to find so I bought 7 when I had the chance. For a duty or carry gun I highly reccomend them. For L-10 your just that. Limited! Good Luck.. John~ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tokarev Posted June 30, 2004 Share Posted June 30, 2004 Why do you say a KZ is limited? Shouldn't it be as good a choice as any other 1911 for L-10? I see on the Wilson website that the gun can be purchased with target sights, ambi. safeties, etc. The two examples I've seen had nice triggers and looked like a better choice than something like a Para P-14.45 Enchanted or whatever they call that gun. I've seen nothing but positive press on these guns and have heard that Wilson goes above and beyond when it comes to customer service. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Larry Cazes Posted June 30, 2004 Share Posted June 30, 2004 I own a Para P14-45 and I think it is a lot more gun then the Wilson KZ for all of the reasons already stated in this thread. Looks like Wilson missed the boat on this one.....To each his own I guess. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tokarev Posted July 2, 2004 Share Posted July 2, 2004 I owned a Para P.14-45 and a Kimber 10 II Polymer (also a .45) before I bought my STI. I didn't notice any more recoil or muzzle flip from the Kimber compared to the Para. The Para was slightly heavier when comparing the two guns side by side. I liked the Kimber better but had a hard time finding pre-ban magazines for it. And, yes, I know Rescomp makes a Para mag release! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokshwn Posted July 3, 2004 Share Posted July 3, 2004 (edited) Knick, I have somewhere around 6,000 completely trouble free rounds through mine and could not be more pleased. If you are into tinkering with your gun then the ability to not completely disassemble may be an issue. However I have had no reason to mess with mine what so ever. As far as muzzle flip goes, I do not notice much difference between my KZ and my CQB. With a little load tweaking and a 15 lb. recoil spring I can track the sights very well adn still make PF just fine. My gun has the fixed sights and it shoots directly to POA and is a 2" gun at 25 yds. If you have never owned a Wilson pistol, Bill only guarantees the pistol to run with certain ammo. However my gun has eaten anything and everything I have fed it without a malfunction. As far as magazines go initially there was a shortage of mags due to some import problems shortly after 9/11. The mags are manufactured in south africa and Wilson had some containers on a ship that was quarantined in customs for quite some time which seemed to create a myth that the mags were all but unobtainable. I have six and although they were $40 a piece they run flawlessly and have proven to be very durable. On a side note Wilson service has been great to me. I had sent in my CQB to adjust the grip safety and in return for my shipping costs Dave sent me an extra KZ mag. So in short I am a fan and wouldn't hesitate to buy a KZ for limited 10 at all. Take care, Craig Edited July 4, 2004 by Flexmoney Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tokarev Posted July 3, 2004 Share Posted July 3, 2004 I just ordered a KZ-45 from a Wilson dealer up in Scottsdale. I've got four magazines coming with the gun and found a gentleman on 1911forum.com with four more for sale. I should be set! Too bad the delivery time for the pistol is about a month away! I plan on using this for L-10 and IDPA stuff. I have had some troubles in my single stack with Wilson and/or CMC 10-rounders. I haven't tried any MEC GAR 10-rounders but they probably wouldn't be any better than the Wilsons. If anybody cares, I can post a range report after I get the gun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bulm540 Posted July 3, 2004 Share Posted July 3, 2004 A friend of mine has one and I have shot it quite a bit. I find that it has lots of muzzle flip like most polymer frame steel slide guns do. Not my cup of tea! Also, as already mentioned it has alot of proprietary parts that prevent customization with anything other then Wilson parts. Also, even though it is a double stack, pre ban hi cap mags don't exist. The frame is so loghtweight that I think the slide will have a tendency to over power the frame hence the increase muzzle flip. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Larry Cazes Posted July 3, 2004 Share Posted July 3, 2004 (edited) BulM5....That is correct. Unlike an STI/SV or Para frame, which have a lot steel down low near your hand, the KZ frame is almost all polymer and causes the muzzle to rise more verse pushing mostly straight back. Edited July 4, 2004 by Flexmoney Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flexmoney Posted July 4, 2004 Share Posted July 4, 2004 [admin note:] I cleaned up some of the "off topic talk" on this thread. Lets stay focused on sharing information. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe D Posted July 4, 2004 Share Posted July 4, 2004 The Charles Daly/BUL M5 .40 guns are supposed to be available this August. Might be a better choice as they now take STI/SVI mags without modification. Best thing is the cost. Dealer cost is about $550 for the standard model. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
texasag93 Posted July 4, 2004 Share Posted July 4, 2004 If the CD/M5 isn't any better than the single stack CD's I would avoid them like the plague. I have seen to many CD's take way to much $$$ to run right. Not a bargain if you have to spend more than it cost to make it run. I have heard good things about the KZ but I have to be able to take mine apart. Nothing is ever the way I want it from the factory. TXAG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tokarev Posted July 5, 2004 Share Posted July 5, 2004 I think the CD/BUL M5 is made in Israel and the single stack guns are made in the Phillipines. No doubt the Israeli stuff is of much better quality. I talked to Wilson and they said the trigger is removable but not without special work. I didn't get into specifics but I'm sure if the KZ needs work or adjustment Wilson will take care of it. As far as parts, they said the only parts that are specific to the KZ are the trigger, magazines, extractor, and the magazine release. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe D Posted July 5, 2004 Share Posted July 5, 2004 The BUL is made in Israel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tokarev Posted July 14, 2004 Share Posted July 14, 2004 I got my new KZ from Scottsdale Gun Center on Monday. I took it to the range yesterday afternoon and shot 250 rounds through it. So far, I'm pleased with the gun but it'll take some time to get used to the big grip. The grip is similar to my STI but seems a little flatter across the front strap. As far as accuracy, I was getting 3-4 inch groups at fifty yards, which is as good as I can do with any pistol. I did have two failures to feed (shooting Federal Classic 185 JHP's) on the second magazine but had no failures of any kind before or after. I shot 100 rounds of the hollow points through the gun and the rest of the ammo was Federal American Eagle ball and some 230 reloads using 6.2 grains of VV340. Recoil and muzzle flip were about on par with the Kimber Pro I took along for comparison. I found that the gun fits into a Safariland 5183 pretty well. It's a little tight but some silicon spray will probably take care of that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kz45Stu Posted August 26, 2005 Share Posted August 26, 2005 Hi Guys, it's easy to strip the KZ trigger - all you need is a really small needle nose punch. You punch out 3 pins which hold the pad onto the bow and you can then pull it out the back of the frame. The mag catch is a bit tricky 'cause it's ambidextrous - you just need to turn it a few times as it moves from one side 2 the other. I found the quality of the KZ frame to be much better than my Bul M5. Cleaner casting and smoother finish. I think they both have as much metal in the frame. The only prob with KZ mags is that it is kinda difficult to add any extra capacity shoes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spd522 Posted August 28, 2005 Share Posted August 28, 2005 I have shot the KZ at Wilson's range and at the IDPA Nationals at the Wilson booth. It was accurate and reliable enough. But to me, the grip is too square for a comfortable grip. I noticed more muzzle flip than my SA 1911 or my Para P14. Add in the limitations of the proprietary magazine and I don't see much advantage to it. I think there are better choices but if you like the KZ and want one, by all means have at it and good luck. Craig Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim E Posted April 13, 2008 Share Posted April 13, 2008 I own a Para P14-45 and I think it is a lot more gun then the Wilson KZ for all of the reasons already stated in this thread. Looks like Wilson missed the boat on this one.....To each his own I guess. I own 2 p14-45's, and another p14-45 that is from c&s, it is their cst-1. I bought a kz-45 because I wanted to try a lighter gun in idpa for quicker transitions and draw. I absolutely love it!! I prefer it over any of my P14's and am now looking for a kz-9mm to replace my p18 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed Deegan Posted April 13, 2008 Share Posted April 13, 2008 I own a kz-9. Had some problems in the beginning with mag issues, but those have been corrected. Also had an ejector break with ~500 rounds through the gun. Customer service was good after I raised a bit of a stink. FYI, I bought it within 2 weeks of release. If you seriously want one, please pm me first. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buddy_fuentes Posted April 13, 2008 Share Posted April 13, 2008 I have a full size KZ-45 with over 30,000 rounds through it. I have three Les Baer pistols and many more 1911/2011 type pistols from some top shelf pistol-smiths and none beat the KZ. It is as accurate as a 1 1/2" guaranteed Baer and is very easy to shoot. I shot Limited 10 with it for a good while and it has served as a bowling pin gun, too. It is my favorite pistol. The trigger being made into the butt is not a problem, a trigger bow is not that likely of a problem and if it is....Wilson takes care of it with warranty. Oh, look in the book of the 1911 by Patrick Sweeney (a member of this forum) and see what he wrote about the KZ. My feelings are that you cannot buy a better gun. Buddy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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