Wilson Combat EDC X9 Review

The Wilson Combat EDC X9 was introduced in 2017. Before the EDC X9, Wilson combat had a double stack 1911 style gun called the Spec Ops 9. Much closer to a traditional 5-inch government 1911. The Wilson Combat Spec Ops 9 had a polymer frame and never really took off and was discontinued. Our Wilson Combat EDC X9 Review.

In 2017, they introduced the EDC X9. A modernized double stack take on the classic 1911.

It was more proprietary than the 2011 and double stack 1911 offerings that previously existed.  

It’s roughly the size of a Glock 19 with the same capacity and a 1911 style trigger. The EDC X9 was a format the market hadn’t seen. At least in a production format.

Other Options

At least outside of the incredibly high-end Infinity or SVI custom carry guns. Guns that used $100 plus magazines and often required a fair amount of regular tune-ups by a competent gunsmith.

Wilson’s proprietary approach offered a lot of hope that a reliable low-maintenance double stack 1911 had hit the market.

Wilson Combat EDC X9

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With its 7075 aluminum frame and external extractor, the Wilson Combat EDC X9 is light and reliable for concealed carry.

While still having a 1911 trigger. It can be ordered with or without a light rai. So you can add a light or laser if you can find a holster for it.

On the surface, it comes across as a refined carry piece. It stands out from similar-sized competitors like the Glock 19 and the Sig P320 X Compact.

But standing out does come at a $3,000 Plus price tag.  

Now let’s take a look and see if the Wilson Combat EDC X9 justifies the price tag.

Features 

The Wilson Combat EDC X9 comes standard with a double stack 15 round capacity.

Additionally, they offer double stack limited capacity 10 round Wilson Combat Magazines for states where full capacity magazines are illegal.

The magazine body is based on the same design used for the Walther PPQ series.

However, the magazines from the Walther PPQ will not fit in the Wilson Combat EDC X9 due to the cuts for the magazine catch.  

Rumor is the magazine design is so close that you can use Walther PPQ extended base pads. 

Not having the magazine extensions to test it, I can’t verify. 

However, I did try switching out the baseplate from the Walther PPQ M2 magazine to a Wilson Combat EDC X9 magazine. They do fit.  

Refinements

The magazine has chamfers on the top sides of the base pad. This allows you to strip the magazine in case of malfunction.

The EDC X9 also has a beveled magazine well that makes inserting a magazine easy.

The mags drop free even more effortlessly than they insert.

They almost shoot out of the gun due to pressure from the orange/reddish-colored follower. Wilson Combat has outsourced the EDX X9 magazines to Mec Gar. Many consider them the world’s best manufacturer of handgun magazines.

The magazines come in a limited 10 round capacity, 15 rounds, and an 18 round configuration.

The 18 round magazine has a base plate that comes up the sides to prevent over-insertion.  

The good news is that magazines are relatively affordable despite the gun’s hefty price tag.

15 and 10 round magazines come in at $42.00 each. The 18 round EDC X9 Magazines cost $44.00 when this article was published. FN509, Sig P320, P365, HK P30/VP9, and Walther PPQ magazines all come in around the same price.

Despite the guns cost a fifth of what the Wilson Combat EDC X9 costs. The price of the magazines is quite fair considering the lower production numbers of the gun.

Most higher-end 2011 guns like Staccato and Infinity range from $70.00-$125.00 per magazine, depending on the magazine.

2011 magazines are also historically known for being finicky.

They often need tuning, while the mag body the EDC X9 uses is a more reliable updated design.

Wilson Combat EDC X9

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In my opinion, Wilson Combat made an excellent decision to go with a newer magazine design.

However, it probably cost them a lot more design time in the short term.

Grip

You can order the Wilson Combat EDC X9 grip with a small or large backstrap/beavertail assembly. This allows customization for your hand size.

The gun has VZ grip panels made for Wilson Combat and is proprietary to the EDC X9. They’re available in multiple colors but in just one size.

Wilson Combat also offers multiple trigger length options. This allows the ergonomics of the EDC X9 to be further tailored to the shooter(more on this later).  

Wilson uses their X-TAC texturing on both the front strap and backstrap. The X-TAC texturing is deep while also rounded.

It’s not crazy aggressive, but it gives you a good hold on the gun even when your hands are wet.

It’s a nice compromise between a grip that’s super aggressive and a texture that looks good but will slip around.  

The VZ Grip panels feature the Wilson Combat aggressive starburst texturing.

These grips are more aggressive than X-TAC texturing. It only touches the parts of your hands that won’t move under recoil. It won’t tear up your hands when shooting 100’s of rounds in a single range session.  

The grip on this gun can only be described as slightly chubby.

The gun fills your hand and touches all parts of your palm. If you like your hand to feel every part of the gun, then you’ll fall in love with this grip.

However, if you have tiny hands the Wilson Combat EDC X9 likely won’t be your cup of tea.  

As far as grip length, it’s roughly the length of a Glock 19 grip.

So expect your hand to grab a similar amount of real estate on the EDC X9 as it would on a Glock 19.

Sights EDC X9 Review

The Wilson Combat EDC X9 has a proprietary front sight cut. So all the options you’re going to have come directly from Wilson Combat.

However, I wish Wilson Combat had used a more common sight cut like a Novak 1911, Sig, or Glock cut to take advantage of the vast aftermarket offering that supported those cuts.

That complaint aside, the EDC X9 does have quite a few sight options directly from Wilson Combat.

I honestly can’t think of another company that offers as many sight offerings for a proprietary cut.

For the front sights, they offer plain tritium front, Ameriglo tritium front night sights with an orange ring around the tritium vial, as well as both green and red fiber optic and gold bead front sights.

All of these sights are .125 wide. I would like to see Wilson Combat offer a plain black front target sight(my personal preference) and offer in .115 width for the fiber optic sights. 

Wilson Combat EDC X9

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The current offerings are just a tad wide for my taste, and this is where using a standard front sight cut would help the consumer tailor the Wilson EDC X9 to precisely what they would like.  

Rear Sight

The rear sight is an adjustable elevation rear built more like a battle sight than a target sight.

It’s very durable.

The elevation can be adjusted by a screw that sits in the notch of the sight. If you need to adjust the windage on sight, you’ll need to drift the sight. 2 set screws hold the sight in place.

I really can’t emphasize enough how sturdy the adjustable rear sight is on the Wilson Combat EDC X9. In addition, the rear sight has horizontal 40 LPI(Lines per inch) serrations matching the 40LPI serrations on the back of the slide. which will help prevent glare.

The rear sight also features a U notch which in theory is quicker to align the front sight than a traditional square notch.

Of course, it would be nice if Wilson offered the square notch, but the U notch is more than acceptable.

Sights systems are personal preference, and Wilson Combat has done a great job making sure most EDC X9 buyers have an option they’ll like.

Going with a standard sight cut would have ensured that virtually everyone could have installed their perfect sighting option on their Wilson Combat EDC X9.

That’s one of the larger complaints in my Wilson Combat EDC X9 Review.

Wilson Combat EDX X9 RMR

If you’re looking for a more modern approach, Wilson Combat also offers the ability to mount a slide-mounted optic with the Wilson Combat True Zero System.

The Wilson Combat True Zero System is something you’ll have to add when ordering your EDC X9 directly from Wilson, or you can send it into them to add to the gun.

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The Wilson Combat True Zero System uses a plate system to choose from multiple optics as long as you have a plate for that optic.

Currently, the Wilson Combat True Zero system has plates for the Aimpoint Acro, Leupold DeltaPoint Pro, and the Trijicon RMR/SRO.

I assume the Trijicon plate will also fit the Holosun optics like the Holosun 507v2 designed to work with the RMR mounting pattern.

I would like to see an option for the Trijicon RMRcc as it’s thinner and would be a better match for the slide.

Controls

Safety

You can order the EDC X9 with either a left side or ambidextrous safety.

I ordered my gun with ambidextrous safety.

The safety is ergonomic and doesn’t create any discomfort on the interior of the primary hand’s thumb when riding the safety while shooting. 

Wilson does a great job of rounding off any potentially sensitive areas preventing the pain that primary 1911 style safeties can cause in that area. The safety is very positive when engaging and disengaging.

Frankly, that part is perfectly tuned. 

One complaint is sometimes, when gripping the gun as a right-handed shooter, the skin of my palm right below the index finger’s knuckle will get pinched when disengaging the safety.  

I don’t think that would happen with most shooters.

Just ones with almost identical hands to mine. Had I chosen the non-ambi safety, this wouldn’t be an issue at all. I can’t recreate when shooting with my left hand as the primary hand.

So I suspect this is an oddity that won’t affect many.

EDC X9 Review No Grip Safety

Despite being based on the 1911 and using a 1911 style trigger, the EDC X9 does not have a grip safety.

So you don’t have to worry about the gun not going off if you have a less than ideal grip or hands that don’t perfectly conform to disengaging a grip safety.

Slide Stop

The slide stop on the EDC X9 also functions as a takedown lever, just like 1911 it was based on.

With the smaller gun format, Wilson did seem to move a little more to the rear than a standard 1911, but it’s still not easy to press down with your primary right-hand thumb on a reload if you have average-sized male hands. 

If you’re a lefty, you’ll find it easy to drop with your left-hand index finger. 

Reload

The EDC X9’s slide stop is a large, comprehensive, well-rounded shelf that is easy to find with your left-hand thumb when using Vicker’s method of dropping the slide with your support hand thumb on a slide lock reload.

It would have been nice to see them move the slide stop a little further back so most could reach it with their thumb.

Another minus in this EDC X9 Review.

Magazine Release EDC X9 Review

The magazine release on the EDC X9 works. When you press it, the mag falls out, and I’ve never accidentally pressed it, dropping a magazine when I don’t want to. It works as intended.

This is one of those parts that simplicity is appreciated, and Wilson Combat took the right approach of not trying to overemphasize this area of the gun and just focusing on function. It is set up for a right-hand shooter only.

So if you’re a lefty, you’ll have to adapt to releasing the magazine with a method other than using your primary thumb.

I can just reach the EDC X9’s magazine release without having to break my grip.

Wilson Combat designed the EDC X9 to fill the hand, increasing the distance your thumb has to move to reach the magazine release. Making the grip might help some.

Trigger

Wilson Combat went with a series 70 trigger on the EDC X9. So there is no firing pin block in the system. If you drop it off a building, it likely won’t be as drop safe as a series 80 1911 or a stock Glock.

Also, as mentioned earlier, one thing missing from the system is grip safety. I think grip safety is more of a liability than an asset in many guns.

I don’t miss it in the Wilson Combat EDC X9.  

You can order your EDC X9 from Wilson Combat with a short, medium, or long trigger.

I went with the long trigger and small grip due to the input from a shooter on the Wilson Combat team who examined my grip when placing my order at the 2018 NRA show.

I would suggest calling Wilson Combat and getting their input.

They have six different potential combinations of backstraps and triggers, so you’ll likely find one that works for you.

Shootability EDC X9 Review

Using this system allows you to get the perfect trigger reach which is very important for shooting the gun well.

If the length of pull on your trigger fits your hand perfectly, you don’t have to work as hard to break the trigger without moving the rest of the gun.

The adaptability of the trigger is honestly my favorite feature of the gun.

If the setup you order from Wilson Combat or buy off the shelf in a gun store doesn’t work for you.

Then you can order a different size EDC X9 trigger from Wilson Combat.

Wilson Combat EDC X9

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The Wilson Combat EDC X9 Trigger is pretty good but not earth-shattering, considering the price point of the gun.

Consistency

The trigger on my sample has a little bit of light takeup before hitting a hard wall.

Once you hit the wall, there will be a slight bit of movement before the trigger breaks. The break feels almost like a carrot snapping with just a little bit of overtravel.

The reset is short but doesn’t have a positive spring action.

The trigger resets right at the wall and is pretty similar or slightly better than most better 1911 triggers I’ve handled.

It’s definitely on the 4.5-pound end of Wilson Combat’s advertised 3.5-4.5 pound trigger. Trigger weight doesn’t mean as much as the actual feel of the trigger.

A heavier 1911 trigger that’s clean can feel much lighter than it is, and light but sloppy 1911 trigger can feel a lot heavier.

It’s a good trigger and I don’t want you to think I’m deducting points in this EDC X9 Review.

It’s a great trigger for an $1800 gun and a good trigger for a $3000 gun. When my gun finally arrived, this was honestly the most significant downside.

The gun has a little over 1200 rounds through it, and although not tracked, I would venture to guess a similar amount of dry fire.

It still hasn’t broken in much beyond how it came from the factory.  

Reality

The trade show EDC X9 sample I handled had a trigger that was completely unreal. There was a light, crisp short wall, and it might have been the best 1911 style trigger I’ve ever felt.

It would be easy to assume Wilson had stacked the deck for the public event, but from handling their 1911s at the same booth, I believe that Wilson Combat EDC X9 was likely a demo model that got handled a lot more frequently at the shows.

There was one EDC X9 and probably 20 or more 1911s, so the EDC X9 always had a line of people waiting to handle it while most of the 1911s did not.

Some of the demo 1911 triggers were on par with my production EDC X9 trigger.

Overall Ergonomics EDC X9 Review

The ability to customize the back strap size and trigger reach to your length of pull is a significant upside of the gun.

The gun does feel a little thick for my preferences, but that’s a preference, not a complaint.

The texturing on the grip is excellent and will work for everyone but those with very soft hands to those with heavy calluses.

My biggest complaint about the gun is the size of the front and rear serrations on the slide.

Wilson Combat also went with the X-TAC texturing, and it’s very effective in that application, but they just didn’t give you enough of it. If they had, the gun would have taken a sizeable aesthetic hit and would have looked weird.

They probably made the correct business decision going the route they did.

Aftermarket

There isn’t a mentionable aftermarket built up around the EDC X9.

Given the relatively small production numbers, I don’t expect we’ll see an aftermarket anytime soon.

However, Wilson combat does offer most of what people would want to see from the aftermarket.

They are a well-established company, so support for the gun isn’t a massive concern for me. The gun also uses standard 1911 parts for the recoil spring, guide rod, spring plug, firing pin stop, hammer, sear, disconnector, magazine catch spring, magazine catch lock, and plunger spring. 

So most of your consumable parts can be sourced from a variety of quality sources.

Aesthetics EDC X9 Review

In my opinion, the EDC X9 is a good-looking gun. However, I wouldn’t have gone with the polished stainless slide if I were to order the gun again.

Overall I think my Wilson Combat EDC X9 is an excellent-looking gun but one of the worst looking EDC X9s I’ve seen.

If I were to do it repeatedly, I’d get an entirely black gun with the Black Cherry Grips.

Unless someone knows about the Wilson Combat EDC X9, the gun won’t jump out at them. If you’re looking for a gun that immediately turns heads, this isn’t it.

But it does have an understated nontraditional, modern elegance.

Shooting

Loading the gun is very easy, and the slide seems slightly more accessible to rack than most similar-sized 9mm pistols, and I attribute that to the smooth action.

The Wilson Combat EDC X9 is a highly soft shooter.

If it had a narrower grip, I would suggest it for small-statured shooters. There is no pain or discomfort when shooting the gun.

It just shoots, and it shoots well.

Wilson Combat EDC X9

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My Wilson Combat EDC X9 has a little over 1k round through it, and there haven’t been any issues.

I’ve seen reports of EDC X9s with thousands of rounds without issue, and mine hasn’t been cleaned and shows no signs of being sluggish or slowing down.  

Does it shoot better than other guns out there? EDC X9 Review

Well, this is the part that’s hard to write about. I shoot my lightly modified Glock 19s better than the Wilson Combat EDC X9.

But you have to consider that I have thousands and thousands of rounds through the Glock 19 platform and likely 100 times the amount of dry fire reps.

If I were to commit myself to shoot the EDC X9, I do not doubt that I would improve my shooting due to the better trigger and improved recoil impulse.

At the end of the day, if you’re well trained on a specific platform, you will unlikely switch to a more refined platform that will immediately improve your abilities.

But over time, once you’ve gotten used to the platform, you’ll start to see the results.

So is the EDC X9 worth it?

So is the $3,000.00 price tag worth it? The Wilson Combat EDC X9 sells for approximately $3k directly from Wilson Combat, but I have seen them as low as $2400 at a few dealers.

At $3k, it’s a tough pill to swallow, and I’m not sure it offers the value I’d like to see.

Wilson Combat EDC X9

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When it came out, the only real competition was completely custom 2011s from companies like Infinity.

They often have a lead time that exceeds Wilson Combat’s lead times and usually would cost at least 2x what the EDC X9 costs.

New Options

All while using a less reliably and more expensive magazine design. Now Staccato(Formerly STI) has the Staccato C2 that is $2k, and the Staccato C2 Duo is cut for optics and comes in at $2500.

The Staccato uses a historically(there have been improvements) less reliable magazine design than the Wilson Combat EDC X9.  

I don’t have much time with the Staccato C2, but it is less refined than the Wilson Combat EDC X9 and slightly larger.

That said, I’d don’t think the Wilson Combat offers a clear $1000 advantage over the Staccato.

If you can find a Wilson Combat EDC X9 for $2400(even then you might have to change the backstrap and trigger), then it’s a solid value.

At MSRP, it’s not an exact value, and if you’re in the market I’d suggest handling one before buying to make sure it’s worth it to you.

The law of diminishing returns does play a role.

That said, I do plan to buy another Wilson Combat EDC X9 when I see it for a reasonable price and send it to Wilson to have the True Zero System added for a Trijicon RMR.

The size is just short of perfect for carrying.

My biggest complaint is the circumference of the grip. The Wilson Combat EDC X9 is currently the best-concealed carry option for my needs in a single-action double stack 1911 format. Your mileage may vary.