Say the words “Wilson Combat,” and the first image that comes to mind is probably a high-end, custom, competition-ready, single-stack 1911. Over the past few decades, the company has expanded into compact double-stack designs that remain high-end pistols in both quality and price point. That marks the Bulwark, its new handgun, as a departure for the company. The Bulwark is designed as a “hard-use service pistol” that combines the best features of a 1911 with those of a daily-carry duty gun, and Wilson Combat delivers it all at a price point below Wilson’s traditional handgun offerings.
All metal components of the Bulwark are billet machined, with no stamped, cast or metal injection molding (MIM) parts. Compact in size, it uses a hand-fitted, 4-inch stainless-steel, match-grade barrel that is flush cut reverse crowned. It has an overall length of 7.5 inches, a height of 5.375 inches and a width of 1.35 inches and the Bulwark’s overall profile is compatible with most Glock 19 holsters. Magazines are compatible with Wilson’s X9 series and have a capacity of 15 rounds. The pistol weighs 33.3 ounces, unloaded.
Though it has the profile of a striker-fired pistol, the 9 mm Luger-chambered Bulwark uses an internal hammer for reliability and to yield a 1911-type trigger pull and reset that has a 3.75- to 4.25-pound pull. Four safety systems are incorporated into the Bulwark’s design. The grip safety blocks the sear and trigger bar, and it activates a firing pin block when it is not pressed.
Additionally, there is a trigger pad safety that prevents the trigger from moving unless it is depressed. The Bulwark does not have the manual thumb safety that is common on many Wilson products. The internal hammer allows for a low bore axis for recoil control. It also serves as a cocking indicator, as the internal hammer is visible through the grip module when cocked. The Bulwark was tested to 5,000 rounds without cleaning or lubrication and experienced no malfunctions.
A modular design, the Bulwark’s serialized chassis that contains the fire control unit (FCU) is also billet machined out of stainless steel, as are the FCU components, and all are given a nitride finish. The top of the FCU chassis forms the rails that the slide runs on for steel-on-steel contact. The Bulwark’s grip module is made of 7075 aluminum that is given a hard anodized coating and has a Picatinny accessory rail machined into its dustcover.
Wilson’s BRICK-pattern checkering is placed on the frontstrap and backstrap. Grip panels are removable and are made of G10 material with matching BRICK checkering. The magazine release is reversible, and the flush-cut slide stop is only on the left side.
The slide is made of 416 stainless steel that is given a black nitride finish. It has wide front and rear cocking serrations with serrations in the sighting plane on top. Custom touches include carry cuts/ball endmill cuts and a heavy machine chamfer on the bottom of the slide.
The Bulwark uses Wilson’s Battlesight sighting system with rear U-notch and a front post with a red fiber-optic insert. Optics ready, the Bulwark comes with Wilson’s Combat Pin Technology that allows for direct mounting of most optics on the market, including RMR, RMSc and DeltaPoint Pro footprints.
The Wilson Combat Bulwark has an MSRP of $1,899. For more information, see the company’s website.
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