"I figured if I could make watches, I could make guns," said former watchmaker come pistolsmith and competitive shooter Bill Wilson when asked why he started building custom 1911s back in the late 1970s. Based on the many championships he and many other shooters won with Wilson-built 1911s in the 1970s and 1980s, I would have to say he was right. Still, I doubt Bill had a clue of just how successful he would become or how big a role his pistols and parts would play in the 1911 market 30 years after he started building pistols full-time.

I guess I shouldn't have been surprised when Wilson Combat announced a pair of pistols to commemorate its 30th year in business. In fact, given Bill's many contributions to the shooting sports as a world-class competitive shooter, pistolsmith and founding member of IPSC and IDPA over the last three decades, I would say a commemorative pistol is well-deserved.

The specs of the two pistols introduced last year are very much in the style of pistol that made Bill famous. One, the Master Grade Presentation Model, is a hand-crafted work of art, with a stainless steel frame, charcoal-blued slide, hand engraving and silver inlays. It is paired with a limited edition knife from Wilson Tactical with a matching serial number and presentation case.

The Limited features scroll engraving with a border on the slide. The Wilson eagle and "30" are engraved in a small box behind the grasping grooves.

With a suggested retail of $6,995, I can't imagine many shooters will actually fire the Presentation Model. So for those looking for a more affordable, shootable commemorative, Wilson also offers a Limited version of the Master Grade with a price tag of $2,995.

The gun I tested was, obviously, the Master Grade Limited, a striking, two-tone pistol built to replicate the classic custom pistols that made Bill famous in the 1970s and 1980s. It is built on a stainless steel slide with a high-cut front strap checkered at 30 lines per inch. The mainspring housing has the same 30 lpi checkering. The checkering is nicely executed on the mainspring housing, and the front strap checkering is sharp and clean, with no run-out or visible flaws.

The magazine well is beveled to facilitate faster reloads, and Wilson Combat's High Ride beavertail grip safety is flawlessly fitted. Combined with the high-cut front strap, the beavertail allows the shooter to get the highest possible grip for better recoil management.

The trigger is Wilson's extended, aluminum model in the classic, three-hole style. The trigger on my test pistol breaks at an ounce under three pounds, with a minimum of creep and overtravel; factory specs call for a pull weight in the 3½- to 3¾-pound range.

Other controls include Wilson's extended ejector; stainless, tactical ambidextrous safety; skeletonized, Commander-style hammer; and extended magazine release. All are well-fitted and work perfectly. The feed ramp is also throated and polished to a mirror finish.

Perhaps the most immediately noticeable part of the frame is the unusual grip design. Made from black G10, the grips are striated in a pattern that Wilson Combat calls Starburst. Though they are not the least bit abrasive to the touch, the deep, angled striations combine with the checkering to make for a solid, non-slip grip. They're also pretty darn cool looking.

The Master Grade Limited's slide is finished in Wilson's proprietary matte black Armor-Tuff. Though it doesn't have the class and sex appeal of old-school charcoal bluing, Armor-Tuff is a rugged, corrosion-resistant finish that is much better-suited to regular, hard use than classic bluing.

The Limited features Wilson's High Ride beavertail grip safety and ambi safety levers. Slide-to-frame fit was excellent.