Gun writer reviews of new firearms don’t usually take a year. The reason is simple: the readers want to know the facts about the new product now. The article you are presently reading is an exception, as it’s more of a follow-up.
In early November of 2022, I sat down with Wilson Combat exec Guy Joubert at the WC factory in Berryville, Arkansas where he gave me the lowdown on the company’s SFT9; the latest iteration in their EDC X9 update of the classic 1911 design in 9mm. It was recorded for the Wilson Combat YouTube channel where (total disclosure here) I’m one of the regular content providers. Here’s that interview, if you’re interested:
It finished with me saying that I was looking forward to testing it.
That happened quickly. My test sample arrived at my FFL dealer almost as soon as I got home from Arkansas. When your shooting buddies learn that you have an expensive new gun they can try, they tend to accept your invitation to come and shoot it. This gets a lot of rounds through it quickly, from many hands – big and small, male and female, heavily experienced and sometimes less so — all of which gives the writer analyzing the product more useful feedback. The pistol came through the test with the proverbial flying colors. The article appeared in On Target magazine.
I had been shooting Wilson’s EDC X9 pistols in their various formats since they came out in the late twenty-teens. They had all been excellent guns, as they bloody well should have, given their heritage and their price. I hadn’t bought one to keep, simply because they didn’t fit my hand as well as the standard-format 1911s I had been shooting since 1960, and because I already had a bunch of 16-shot 9mms including a couple of Wilson’s own customized Beretta 92 Compacts.
But I bought this one to keep. And I’m glad I did. Here’s why.
Objective and Subjective Reasons
The “T” in SFT9 stands for Trac, the “grenade grip”-like surfacing of the “SF” part, the one-piece Solid Frame. If you look at the pix, you can see the wide spaces between the raised parts that the flesh of the hand locks into, with those raised parts blunt enough that they secured, but they didn’t abrade. I discovered that I could carry the SFT9 inside the waistband against bare skin, in the ARG holster I designed for Mitch Rosen, or the classic Milt Sparks Summer Special under a one-size-large un-tucked tee or polo shirt with all-day comfort.
The earlier EDC X9 series had been just enough different from classic 1911 that when I snapped one up to the target it was just a tad off from perfect alignment…but with the SFT9 iteration, it was spot on for “perfect.”
Additional bonuses: whether with the standard 15-round magazine Mec-Gar made for Wilson or the extended 18-rounder, the SFT9’s grip frame circumference was so slim that its trigger reach dimension allowed me to get my index finger onto the trigger face at the distal joint instead of the pad, which I’ve come to prefer for its additional leverage. This makes my SFT9’s trigger, which measures a bit over four pounds on the Lyman digital gauge, feel a pound or two lighter.
A few years ago, I noticed that degenerative arthritis was twisting my hand’s digits out of line, and my right thumb could no longer reliably hit a standard 1911 mag release button at speed. With the SFT9, the combination of the amazingly slim grip circumference allowed me to reach that button “the old-fashioned way” – a welcome revelation.
Then and Now
I haven’t shot a match with this gun yet: Austin Proulx and Guy Joubert of the Wilson Combat shooting team have won national and state championships in IDPA CCP (International Defensive Pistol Association Concealed Carry Pistol) competition, so it has been proven in more skilled hands than my own. I haven’t taught with it because my mantra in live-fire classes is “It’s not about the gun so much as it’s about the shooter, and it’s not even about the shooter so much as it’s about consistent application of proven technique.” If the instructor demonstrates with a $3,000 gun the students can get the false impression that it’s the gun delivering the hits, not the technique.
The SFT9 comes with two 15-round magazines. You can also get 10-rounders if you are unfortunate enough to be limited to that by the state you are in. They also make an extended 18-rounder, and therein lies my one complaint: it’s hard as hell to get that 18th round into it, and once it’s full-up, if the slide is forward it is very difficult to insert to the locking point. Accordingly, I’ve come to carry one of the 18-round mags I acquired after the initial test as a spare, but with only 17 cartridges therein.
On my own time, though, when I’m not teaching, I’ve found the Wilson SFT9 to be an increasingly frequent personal companion. We’ve grown to shoot well together. In reviewing for this article, I can’t help but notice that on the 300 out of 300 point IPSC target I shot on a comprehensive qualification in November of 2022, the whole 60-shot group measured about 5.5”. In November 2023 I shot the same SFT9 over the same course of fire, but twice as fast, scoring another 300/300 with the 60 double-speed hits grouping in 6.45”, only about an inch bigger.
With any gun, the more time you have shooting it the better you and it should perform together. I found that to be particularly true with the Wilson Combat SFT9.
Let me close with this. In the comments on the Wilson Combat video Guy and I did on the SFT9, the only real negatives were “OMG, it costs $3,000!” Look at it this way: if it works better for you, and you’re going to keep it for 30 years, it will cost you 30 cents or less a day to own it and it will still have substantial trade-in value when you’re done with it. In the meantime, you’ll know you’ve protected yourself and your family with the best you can afford.
