1911 Firearm Addicts banner

Cabot vs. Wilson, AWC, Nighthawk,EdBrown and others

33K views 338 replies 80 participants last post by  NIU2009 
#1 ·
Cabot Guns seems to have a different approach to building a custom or semi custom 1911 instead of hand fitting each part of the gun, Cabot starts with a solid piece of stainless steel and uses state of the art machining to make gun parts with areospace tolerances. I don't see how in todays modern times a gunsmith can hand lap or fit a barrel to the kind of high quality todays super high-tec CNC, Laser, EDM Machines can deliver. Has Cabot set a new standard in precision tolerances and quality not seen before in the gun world? Am I wrong?
 
#8 ·
True words

Not to mention Robot / Cabot made guns are fugly as all heck!

OP, the search feature is your friend. There are some cabot fans but Id say that they are few and far between as compared to Alchemy, Wilson, NH, etc.
 
#19 ·
I think it would be fun to get Rob liquored up and talking about what they REALLY do there. Along with a lot of other people in the industry.

I noted that the (discontinued) S100 got a "final hand fitting step" yet it cost LESS than the magic machined guns. Hmm. When I was a young lad, it seemed you could not go a month without reading how "modern manufacturing" was going to bring us better guns at lower cost.
What we got was modern designs to go along with modern machining; lots of plastic and mung metal.
 
#34 · (Edited)
I think it would be fun to get Rob liquored up and talking about what they REALLY do there. Along with a lot of other people in the industry.

I noted that the (discontinued) S100 got a "final hand fitting step" yet it cost LESS than the magic machined guns. Hmm. When I was a young lad, it seemed you could not go a month without reading how "modern manufacturing" was going to bring us better guns at lower cost.
What we got was modern designs to go along with modern machining; lots of plastic and mung metal.
Hard to argue that modern machining didn't bring us better guns at a lower cost.... That's why Glock, SIG, and their contemporaries are now the standard for Mil and LE operations...not the 1911. These platforms run longer with less maintenance and for a better price point. That's just fact.
🍿😁

With that said, I love my Glocks but they will never be what my 1911s are. The former is brutal functionality while the latter is lethal artistry.

Trigger Air gun Gun barrel Gas Gun accessory


 
#20 ·
I have a Cabot on order to compare to my two ACWs and it’s going to have its work cut out for it to me as nice as the ACWs. I’ve owned a couple Nighthawks and have handled a couple Wilsons, a Guncrafter, and an Ed Brown. All were nice, but none felt as nice to me as my Quantico or Prime Elite. Couple that with ultra reliability (have had issues with one or two other high end guns) and fantastic customer service, and ACW is where my gun money usually goes. The Millennial Sales Guy convinced me I needed a Cabot next or else I’d have a Prime Carry on order right now. 😂🤣
 
#28 ·
Cabot makes an outstanding gun. I owned an S100 in 9mm...quite possibly the first one ever produced but I’m not entirely certain of that.

The side to frame fit was amazing it. And some of the tightest tolerances on a stainless gun I’ve ever seen.

They are not for everyone I agree. Many people don’t like the star trigger. I don’t know why though. Stars are American, so I guess if you don’t like the star trigger you don’t like America...I jest.

Ultimately the gun didn’t feel as good to me I my hand as my Wilson’s so I sold it to @PhilaPop and he loves it. It started him down an expensive path.

I also didn’t like that for 9mm they didn’t use fully supported barrels at the time. Not sure if that’s changed over the years though.

Despite not loving it, I’ve been very tempted to order a Nero as of late. But only if I could get it without top slide serrations. That is one of my least favorite features on a gun.

All in all, they make amazing guns with precision machines, but their production models still have gunsmiths doing final fitting in some parts. Their original Clone Technology guns were all done by machine only but I think they don’t many of those anymore.

But as others have noted WC and others do a lot of precision machining as well and get similar results.

Cabot though is a gun you have to try before buying in my opinion.
 
#33 · (Edited)
The semi-custom market is very competitive. As someone who has one or two of everything mentioned, other than Brown, can attest to the quality of each. That being said gun makers operate differently, use different materials, different techniques, some limit custom options some don’t, some out source parts, some make all their own parts, some make a lot of pistols, some don’t. I really think they all make a great product, and honestly I like the variety. But to the point, I enjoy my Cabot Nero, it a very well made, highly accurate pistol. The first thing that really impressed me about my Nero, is not how well fit it was, what got me was that for a pistol that was so tight, it came apart so easily. The only thing I would, will change is the trigger at some point. Not because of the star, I just think I’d prefer a flat trigger.
Wood Hunting knife Tool Everyday carry Wood stain
 
#43 ·
I grabbed a Cabot on here few months ago
It’s a beautiful gun
As well made and as well finished as my other high end guns
I’ve got nothing bad to say about it even when compared to my nh acw gi

It’s another great gun in pool filled with great guns , gun smiths and mfgs

pays your money pick your poison
Or do like most of us and buy one or more of each
 
#45 ·
Ferarri has been up and down in styling, the 296 is on the up side. But it ain't no 250 GTO SWB.

If Cabot wanted to sponsor Team Mediocre, I would request a National Standard, their plainest looking gun, equipped to my taste. I'd have to get along with the star trigger, how else would anybody know I was shooting a $6500 gun?
 
#47 ·
A lot of hand fit/blending goes into Cabot. My influence came with me in 2016. Some things you just can’t machine. In theory, you can, but then the real world is there to contend with. Check out the Rebellion. It’s a gun I designed and it has more bevels than you can shake a stick at. Don’t believe what you think you know about Cabot. Many things changed in the 2015-2016 time period. More changes are on the way. Just because I wasn’t able to get everything carry beveled on that brand doesn’t mean I’ve given up.
 
#50 ·
There’s a reason baskin robins offers 31 flavors
Most options you only notice if your looking
And others only when you first look

I prefer flat short triggers to but the triggers never stopped mr from typing I’ll take it
Short long flat stars holes or serrations

fcs and top strap treatments that aren’t flat to the sights those will stop me every time
We all got our can’t live withs
 
#52 ·
I find the idea of one being better than the other as laughable.

Can you make guns to tighter tolerances today through machining processes.

Are they necessary? Do you like the gun that is produced?

I don't feel they are necessary. I am certain Cabot makes a great gun. So do lots of makers. In fact these days very few 1911 builders actually make a "bad" gun.

Do these new processes actually make a better gun though?

I guess it's up to the buyer. Stan Chen makes guns to tolerances that make a Cabot seem loose. I don't think that level of precision is necessary in a 1911 either.

But then I no longer go for any of the High tier production gun manufacturers-NH, WC, GC, Cabot, ACW, etc. I go Colt to full Custom and not much in between. But that is my preference.

I have handled and shot a Cabot when I lived down in Houston, but I will stick with Ted Yost and his old fashioned way of doing things personally.

But that doesn't make Cabots bad. Heck with Guncrafters and Wilson's leaving the 6k mark behind, Cabot aren't that pricey anymore.
 
#59 ·
That’s a little overly broad
There’s no way they are all ugly
And there’s no way you only go as far as two tone
I’m sure you’ve got some guns with ball cuts flat tops
Blended and fit parts
Different hammers , grips ect ect

All I’m saying is beauty is in the eye of the beholder and we’ve all moved afield of jmb s original to some degree
 
#61 ·
This is the same thread, with the names changed to protect the innocent of course, as the age old are Les Baer 1911s any good. You got the "I love mine" group, the "I hate Les personally group", then theirs the "Les Baer's have soul group", and the "I don't own one but I know for a fact their crap group". That's why I love this place. Kinda like America. We don't agree on much, but ain't this gotta be the greatest country in the world that can offer a place that a bunch of old farts can argue over who makes the best current version in 2022 of a pistol invented 111 years ago. Damm I love this place.

Best thing to do is buy one. Shoot it. Sell it. Then go buy the next flavor, shoot it, sell it. That's whats keeps our Classifieds going. That place would suck if we just all kept the same old pistol our whole life.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top