by John Markwell | Contributing Editor
This female Rattler was taken by the author with the EDC X9 using a CCI 9mm shotshell.
We’d been hearing about this new pistol from Wilson Combat for almost a couple of years. My buddy Ken Hackathorn hinted about it some and then later let out more info on it: but not enough to really get any idea about what was up at Wilson’s. Finally, just prior to the 2017 NRA Convention, details on the new EDC X9 pistol began to emerge and we had a long talk with Ken about the new gun. Ken told me he had been one of the original prototype testers of the X9 project and had fired a LOT of rounds through a pre-production pistol: multiple thousands with only the application of lube and, no malfunctions. He said of the X9s in an email “they represent a level of reliable function that few handguns can match”. Pretty high praise from the Guru.
The plunger tube of the X9 is dovetailed into the frame. This is a much better method of attachment than the traditional staking.
Our sample EDC X9 arrived on July 7, 2017. It came in the standard Wilson soft case wrapped in a silicone cloth and sealed in a heavy vinyl zip-lock bag. Two 15 round magazines were included as was a detailed manual, spec sheet, test target, 2 oz. bottle of Lite Ultima-lube, take-down tool, and a fiber optic front sight insert replacement kit. We requested our test pistol with a non-light rail frame, a large backstrap and trigger, and black Armor-Tuff finish on the whole pistol. The grips are the Starburst Pattern in G-10 in a very attractive Black Cherry color with Wilson Combat medallions. Right out of the bag, so to speak, it was one attractive handgun.
The Every Day Carry Extra Capacity 9mm pistol (EDC X9) is based on a completely new frame (the X frame) that is machined from billet 7075-t6 aluminum; which we find refreshing in this the age of the polymer framed pistols. The slide is 416R stainless steel. All of the major components of the X9 are manufactured at the Wilson Combat facility in Berryville, AR. Capacity is 15+1 rounds of 9×19; quite the achievement in this compact handgun.
The upper frame is a standard 1911 frame (rimfire) with full length rails. Below is the X9 frame with the frame rails removed from the top of the magazine opening for reduced friction
The X9 frame’s front strap is enhanced with Wilson’s X-TAC texturing, as is the backstrap. The pistol is sized to be smaller than the Glock 19 or the Browning Hi Power. The grip is compact, very ergonomic and is rigid and purpose-built providing a solid base for this high capacity 1911 style defensive pistol. The compact grip frame accepts 15 round magazines from Mec-Gar of Italy (as well as Walther PPQ mags) and is customizable in depth (front to rear) by using the interchangeable small or large backstraps. The G-10 grips of the X9 are proprietary and are made for Wilson Combat by VZ grips. Made with Wilson’s starburst pattern, the grips are extremely aggressive in texture. The feel of the grips can be “softened” some with a light sanding with a fine-grained sand paper if the user so desires. In order to reduce friction and enhance reliability, the frame rails have been removed on either side of the magazine opening. Frames are also available either with or without the option of a light rail. The new X Frame is unique in that it has no grip screws or bushings. The grips are held in place by being dovetailed into the backstraps. Field stripping of the X9 requires only a 1/8 punch.
The EDC X9 and Milt Sparks leather makes for a functional and attractive ensemble for the modern gun carrier.
The 4-inch stainless cone barrel is fluted for its full length as well as at the chamber. It is precisely fitted to the bushingless stainless slide. The match grade barrel has single lug geometry that reduces friction and enhances slide velocity which also increases feed reliability. The muzzle has a very nice reverse crown which is flush cut with the front of the slide. The slide has a somewhat non-traditional shape and is what the Wilson folks call their TRI-TOP profile which decreases the slide’s mass. The Wilson Battlesights are cleanly attached to the slide top; the new elevation adjustable rear is a nice touch and the user replaceable front blade is available in several configurations—fiber optic being the standard. The slide’s top is serrated at 30LPI and the rear of the slide at 40LPI to match the rear of the Battlesight. The muzzle end of the slide has both Carry Cuts and Ball Endmill Cuts and there is a heavy machine cut chamfer along the bottom edges of the slide. The front and rear cocking serrations are of the X-TAC design.
The controls of this new pistol are pure 1911. The trigger, magazine release, thumb safety and slide stop felt instantly familiar to this died in the wool 1911 fan. The trigger action is the heart of any 1911 style pistol and the X9’s trigger is superb, breaking at a crisp 3lb. 10oz. according to our Lyman trigger gauge. The one element of the 1911 that is fortunately not incorporated into the X9 is John Browning’s grip safety; the backstrap is solid with a subtle but effective beavertail. One other major difference is the external extractor which is designed to keep a good purchase on the case rim throughout the ejection sequence. The extractor is user maintainable and requires only periodic replacement of the spring every 10,000 rounds or so. The slide is powered by a flatwire recoil spring that also has a 10,000+ round service life. Although there are some parts that are specific to the X9, many are common to the normal 1911 pistol. The recoil spring and guide rod, spring plug, firing pin, firing pin stop, hammer, sear, disconnector, magazine catch spring, magazine catch lock, and plunger spring are all standard Wilson Combat 1911 parts. In a departure from the traditional 1911 design, the plunger tube of the X9 is not staked in place on the left side of the frame but is dovetailed into the side of the X9’s receiver; a very solid and cool idea.
Load Velocityfps Group size
Federal 150-gr. HST MICRO 890 1.92”
Nosler 115-gr. JHP 1140 1.95” (4=.96”)
Hornady Critical Duty 135-gr. Flexlock 1038 2.84”
Hornady Custom 147GrXTP 942 2.04”Velocity taken 10 feet from the muzzle/groups shot at 20 yards.
As this is written we’ve had the EDC X9 for a bit over a month and, in keeping with the pistol’s intended purpose, we’ve carried it almost all day every day since its receipt. A hurried call to Mike Barham at Galco got us an Avenger Holster for a 4” compact 1911 and shortly thereafter a 55BN straight drop holster and matching S-4C single mag pouch arrived from Milt Sparks Holsters. The latter, which has always been one of our favorite designs, is precisely molded to the X9; you can even see the imprint of the X-TRAC texturing inside the holsters pouch. Weighing in at 29.09 oz. bare and 35.04 oz. loaded, the X9 is a bit heavier, by about 3 oz., than our normal carry pistols which are CCO configured 1911s in both 9mm and 45ACP. The X9 is also a tad fatter, .1”, and a bit longer, .35”, in the butt than the compact CCOs. Carrying the X9 and a spare magazine seemed noticeably heavier at first but it didn’t take long to adjust to the slight increase in weight over our CCOs. However, the pistol’s butt, being both fatter and a bit longer, required a bit more diligence in the concealment department.
The robust external extractor of the X9 guarantees all but the most recalcitrant of cases will be withdrawn from the chamber after firing.
Like most serious handgunners, we are seldom completely satisfied with any new weapon. The first thing we did with X9 was to change out the fiber optic front sight for our preferred gold bead. The gold bead front blade was provided by the nice folks at Wilsons and was simple to change out requiring only a T8 Torx head driver. The screw holding the front sight blade on the slide is accessed through a small hole in the bottom of the slide. Attaching the new front sight (with a dab of threadlocker on the screw) took about ten minutes. We found that the large backstrap was not going to work well with our hands; joint abuse and arthritis you know. A small back strap was requested from Wilsons, was easily installed and the fit of the gun to hand is now much better. As we have a limited range of motion in our trigger finger, we find the long trigger works well for us, especially after the backstrap change.
Shown here are the large and small backstraps for the X9. Along with three lengths of triggers. These allow the pistol to be fitted to the end user’s hand.
Enclosed with the X9 was a yellow instruction sheet of user tips and instructions specifically focusing on 9mm 1911 pistols. Topics covered in the instructions were tips on lubrication and general maintenance, recoil spring weights and replacement, etc. For those new to 9mm 1911s, the information is valuable and will enhance the experience of shooting the X9 or, for that matter, any other 1911 in 9x19mm. Those who have shot them for a while know they can, at times, be frustrating. The X9, however, exhibited none of the quirks common to 9×19 1911s. The pistol sailed through the recommended break-in procedure. The firing of 200 rounds of 124-gr. FMJ ammunition through the well lubricated pistol was failure free.
The Wilson folks specify an accuracy guarantee of 1.5” at 25 yards for the X9 and the test target enclosed with the pistol is one hole fired at 15 yards. We, however, can’t shoot that well. After running 200 rounds of 124-gr NATO ball ammo through the X9 (actually following the break in procedure) we proceeded to carry it on a daily basis. We shot the gun almost daily for the first month running just a couple of drills per day with assorted defensive ammunition, assorted ball ammo and our 9mm handload consisting of a 124-gr. Extreme HP bullet over 3.9-4 grains of Winchester 231/HP38. We often stopped by our range on the way to the PO, or other destination, and fired only a couple of rounds or a few magazines of 9mm. We did not clean the X9 for around a month but we did keep it well lubricated. Reliability was 100% and the accuracy of the pistol made us look like we could actually shoot well. It did, however, take us a while to get used to the “bigger than a 1911” grip. We ended up taking our Dremel tool and a sanding disk to the upper section of the right G10 grip panel, thinning it down to eliminate pressure there on our trigger finger. That helped eliminate our pushing shots to the left.
We did spend the better part of a day chronographing ammunition and shooting some groups from the bench with the EDC X9; not our favorite activity. The results are in the accompanying chart.
We later chronographed some other defensive ammunition and got the following velocities; Federal 147-gr. Hydra-Shock 957fps, Fed 124-gr. HS 1058fps, Winchester Defend 147-gr. HP 952fps, Speer LE 147-gr. 944fps. The X9 shot every load tested well within the parameters of the “hand rule” out to 20 yards and most printed groups at 10 and 15 yards that were more than adequate for defensive use or making tight shots in IDPA competition. Needless to say, function throughout our testing was boringly reliable regardless of the ammo used.
After shaving some of the right grip panel down the X9 proved to be a great shooting pistol for the author. 16 rounds of Nosler 155gr. HPs at ten yards
Wilson Combat has raised the bar for defensive pistol design and reliable function with the development of the EDC X9. Accurate and reliable in the extreme, this new, non-polymer, pistol has been engineered from the ground up to be a service grade concealed carry gun and it exudes functionality, dependability and class. If sales are any indicator, the EDC X9 is going to be an incredible commercial success as the current backlog of orders now exceeds eight months. Orders are now being taken at www.wilsoncombat.com.
We have become quite fond of the new EDC X9. Sheathed in the Milt Sparks 55BN (and occasionally a Summer special) it rides comfortably just behind the right hip. As mentioned before, we have been carrying the X9 for over a month here in the hills as we go about our daily business and, the compact pistol has already earned a place in our heart by taking care of a couple of Timber rattlesnakes with CCI 9mm shot shells. (It cycles with them by the way.) Although the X9 is a bit more difficult for us to conceal with summer garb during these warmer months than a CCO configured 1911, (light clothing combined with a 34” waist makes it tougher), come Fall and Winter the X9, in its Sparks holster, will become a regular companion.
The EDC X9 cycled the CCI 9mm shotshells just fine. That is not the case with all auto pistols.
Do we really foresee a need for a 16 round defensive pistol as we go about our daily routine? We would like to hope not. But, like cash in your pocket, when it comes to bullets there is a lot to be said for the more is better philosophy. Concealed beneath a wool or down vest, the 9mm EDC X9 will probably become our primary cool/cold weather carry gun. The 9mm EDC X9 is an innovative and high-quality addition to the Wilson Combat stable of pistols. Ruggedly built and 100% reliable, the X9 pistol should serve defensive pistol carriers well. After firing 1500+ trouble-free rounds over six weeks, know we will feel more than adequately armed toting the new X9. The new Every Day Carry Extra Capacity 9mm pistol from Wilson Combat (or select dealers) is priced at $2895 MSRP. Good shooting.
