Gentlemen,
I thought I would provide a little insight and background on Ryan Wilson and his knives.
I first meet Ryan when he was 13 years old. He was a quiet kid, sipping on a coke while I talked to his father about custom pistols. I gave him a CAMILLUS pocketknife as I got ready to leave, and his eyes lit up like a christmas tree. His dad, Bill Wilson, told me that Ryan was a good kid, but seemed to like knives more than pistols, "imagine that!". When I got home a few days later, there was a letter from Ryan, thanking me for the knife. We have stayed in touch ever since.
Ryan's father's company, WILSON COMBAT, is the most famous custom shop for 1911 style pistols and accessories in the world. They build some of the finest custom fighting handguns ever made. When I met Ryan, he had already been working in the shop for years, cleaning up and bagging parts. He finished high school in "home schooling program" so he could work in the customshop. By 16, he was head of the customshop, not only making cusom pistols fulltime, but overseeing and planning the work of other pistolsmiths. He was head of the customshop for the last 5 years, a period inwhich I believe that WILSON COMBAT has produced the best .45's it has ever shipped. I believe in his work enough to trust my life to one. I carry a WILSON STEALTH compact .45 everyday. Ryan started making knives on the side a few years ago, mainly for friends. Beginning last year, they have been pictured in the WISLON COMBAT catalog, but they were really a side line for WISLON, as they are perpetually backordered on pistols.
Now, at age 22, Ryan decided to go full time into custom knives. When Ryan was still with WISLON COMBAT, his time was seriously limited, and he did rely on help from others at the customshop. Now that he is making knives full time, he is involved in every aspect of building his knives. He does have a couple of guys helping in his new shop, but he is grinding, sanding, heat treating, buffing, and finshing everyday. He knives are now marked with the WISLON TACTICAL logo, and they are nicer than ever. His fit, finish, and attention to detail are as nice as WISLON COMBAT's pistols. He works primarily in D2, except for his Model 1 intergral fighter, which is 440c because it is easier to machine the intergral 3 deminsional guard. All on the knives that I have seen so far are full tang, usually with canvas micarta scales, but he does work in natural handles like stag and desert ironwood. His sharkskin sheaths are to die for. Ryan has standard models, but also takes custom orders. While at the SHOTSHOW last week, he showed me a "one off" version of his Model 1, with ironwood scales and a full polish job that he was delivering to Larry Connelly [
www.knifeart.com ] that was simply stunning. I'm planning on placing an order tomorrow for one myself
Guys, his work is really that good, and it is backed up buy a young man that knows how to build tools that professionals and "normal people" like me trust their lives to. Do yourself a favor and take a look at his work when you get a chance. He has a website in the works, but he does have a nice color new color catalog that he will mail you. His email address is
wilsontactical@alltel.net . His phone # is 870-545-3844. Ryan has been lurking here for a couple of months, and after I tell him about this thread, hopefully he will start posting
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Stay Sharp!
Will Fennell
Camillus Cutlery
www.camillusknives.com
[This message has been edited by Will Fennell (edited 01-17-2001).]
