Are Dan Wesson 1911 really worth the price?

alx said:
… ask yourself the question- have you seen a broken modern 1911? I have not… and I have seen many 1911/2011 guns. I shoot competitively and I have been exposed to … pretty much them all… my personal experience is that the 1911 platform is simple and tolerates wear and parts variations very well.

My 2 cents
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Lol yes... MANY. This just actually shows what little experience you have. My guess is the guys you shoot with are sqared away and don't bring broken guns, ir your depth of experience isn't that great. I saw a lady get DQed because of her 2011, and I've seen numerous 1911s die on the line at bowling pin shoots, and even a couple of Paras and an STI 2011 die. I've had 2 guns die on the line myself, too. (One was a Krapber, the other an AO/Caspian mixmaster which i still own).

ETA: I've also seen at least three Smith 1911's fail at Pin shoots but this was back when ware gun shop was still around. That a**h*** was good at getting crappy guns for skin flints to buy... I'm pretty sure they were like undeclared factory seconds. The tendency for poorly fitted smiths was that they would beat themselves to death. I think @Supermoto and a few others here have seen that too.

ETA2: it just occurred to me that you're trolling bam you got us..... 🤣🤣🤣🤣 that last paragraph is gold.


View: https://youtu.be/U1UtRnGn5hc?si=MH1CgIZ0geRA8sNS
 
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M1911 said:
Any holsters available for it?
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I have a Legacy Ares on order. Unfortunately there are only 2 companies that make a holster for the railed version: Legacy Firearms Co. and Red Hill Tactical. The red hill tactical looks like a piece of shit, so I went with the Legacy.
 
Darkslide said:
I have a Legacy Ares on order. Unfortunately there are only 2 companies that make a holster for the railed version: Legacy Firearms Co. and Red Hill Tactical. The red hill tactical looks like a piece of shit, so I went with the Legacy.
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Has yours been reliable? I’ve read mixed reviews.
 
M1911 said:
Has yours been reliable? I’ve read mixed reviews.
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So far it’s reliable but I haven’t put it thru the ringer yet, just waiting for a holster so I can use it during classes. One issue is the erratic ejection. Brass flies everywhere. Same thing happens with my friend’s full size DWX. It’s a nice shooter tho, super accurate and perfect return to zero.
 
Darkslide said:
So far it’s reliable but I haven’t put it thru the ringer yet, just waiting for a holster so I can use it during classes. One issue is the erratic ejection. Brass flies everywhere. Same thing happens with my friend’s full size DWX. It’s a nice shooter tho, super accurate and perfect return to zero.
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… either your ejector is weak (bend it a bit) or you are oversprung for that particular load…

On me trolling- thank you for the benefit of doubt, but I am not - for once :) I do have a few 1911 guns from various (perceived) pedigrees and my experience has been and observed as stated. ….. but as also mentioned I am no 1911 (or overall ) gun connoisseur so… it is what it is.

And squaring a 1911 is easy. Everything there is to know about the platform is readily available…. The only real issue I have with a 1911 is that under certain circumstances (dropped just so) they are not 100% safe…. And that I have seen first hand too.
 
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M1911 said:
Has yours been reliable? I’ve read mixed reviews.
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The sear also has an odd shape, it has very minimal contact with the hammer hooks. Makes for a nice smooth break, but I don’t fully trust it to carry appendix. It also has an annoying disconnector click, which mostly went away when replacing the sear spring. Next thing I’m gonna upgrade is the sear, disco, hammer, and ambi safety.
 
alx said:
… either your ejector is weak (bend it a bit) or you are oversprung for that particular load…
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I assume you mean extractor. It has an external extractor, it can’t be bent like a standard 1911 extractor. I’ll work it out eventually, just wanna give it at least 1k rounds before doing with anything.
 
Darkslide said:
I assume you mean extractor. It has an external extractor, it can’t be bent like a standard 1911 extractor. I’ll work it out eventually, just wanna give it at least 1k rounds before doing with anything.
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Yes. I meant extractor. I claim the “English as a second language” defense. Ha

If it gets better after 1000 rounds i would think it was oversprung… but for the time being you should try spicier rounds and see if it helps…
 
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alx said:
And squaring a 1911 is easy. Everything there is to know about the platform is readily available….
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If the gun isn't fitted properly, "no, it's not. " maybe if you have machinist chops, a pile of good parts, and patience sure... but for a layperson? Not a chance. Bad parts also contribute to a miasma of nauseating 1911 fartgas. If you have the skills and parts, good on you. I don't have that kind of patience anymore. I own guns because i want shit to work. As a result my focus tends to be around buying stuff that makes that more of a reality.
 
drgrant said:
If the gun isn't fitted properly, "no, it's not. " maybe if you have machinist chops, a pile of good parts, and patience sure... but for a layperson? Not a chance. Bad parts also contribute to a miasma of nauseating 1911 fartgas. If you have the skills and parts, good on you. I don't have that kind of patience anymore. I own guns because i want shit to work. As a result my focus tends to be around buying stuff that makes that more of a reality.
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… come to think of it- guilty as charged…

And yes- absolutely- mixing and matching especially parts from different vendors tends to produce clisterfcuks… puzzles akin to modern German cars when they decide to be weird… lol
 
Darkslide said:
The sear also has an odd shape, it has very minimal contact with the hammer hooks. Makes for a nice smooth break, but I don’t fully trust it to carry appendix. It also has an annoying disconnector click, which mostly went away when replacing the sear spring. Next thing I’m gonna upgrade is the sear, disco, hammer, and ambi safety.
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Which parts if any, are direct 1911 swappable?
 
1903Collector said:
Hit or miss with them (Rock Island) but their customer service is (was) excellent. I had a 10mm that would never lock open, turned out the notch on the slide for the stop was just slightly off. I sent it back to them and a week later I had a completely new pistol which has been 100% since. This was about 5 years ago.
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I have one in 9mm that I have put thousands of rounds through , only issue was factory mags sucked ass , bought some Wilson's and it eats everything I fun through it.
 
silversquirrel said:
Which parts if any, are direct 1911 swappable?
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Slide stops will usually drop in. Probably magazine releases. Mainspring housings. Grip panels and grip screws. I can’t think of anything else.

Barrels, barrel bushings, disconnectors, sears, safeties, grip safeties all need to be fitted.
 
M1911 said:
Slide stops will usually drop in. Probably magazine releases. Mainspring housings. Grip panels and grip screws. I can’t think of anything else.

Barrels, barrel bushings, disconnectors, sears, safeties, grip safeties all need to be fitted.
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Sorry to confuse... was asking about the DWX.
 
silversquirrel said:
Sorry to confuse... was asking about the DWX.
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The ignition parts are compatible. DWX doesn’t use barrel links so the slide stop is not compatible. The safety is also not compatible unless you reshape it to match the contours of the frame. Mag release is not compatible because it has a different shape. The ejector might be compatible.
 
I've been on a 1911 kick for a few years and have only shot them. I have two DW pointmen, a Les Baer, an STI Trojan, a Springer TRP, and a Wilson cqb elite. To my thinking the two Dan Wessons shot the best when me. I had a couple of cosmetic things done but they're both best for the money. Worst is Wilson. It's been back to Wilson and still isn't super reliable after several thousand rounds. I've been very happy with my Les Baer but withstanding the valid complaints about their non-standard frames and metallurgy questions.

I probably like the Baer the most now. It had a gritty trigger when I got it. Mr. Derr touched it and it is great now. Bc of the off spec frame you can't use most mag wells so I used the tech well that is excellent.
 
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drgrant said:
If the gun isn't fitted properly, "no, it's not. " maybe if you have machinist chops, a pile of good parts, and patience sure... but for a layperson? Not a chance. Bad parts also contribute to a miasma of nauseating 1911 fartgas. If you have the skills and parts, good on you. I don't have that kind of patience anymore. I own guns because i want shit to work. As a result my focus tends to be around buying stuff that makes that more of a reality.
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So Smith and wesson... got it
 
drgrant said:
Do tell. Did you get a bum gun? Was it one of those deals where a gun had to go back to the factory a couple of times?
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In short, a very expense single shot 1911 for 700+ rounds as it would lock the slide back on a magazine with ammo still in it.

After 800 rounds or so it became more reliable but my level of hatred for Nighthawk was fully cemented and I traded it for a massive loss - and was still happy about having it out of my safe.

Seriously, screw them with a $4600 gun that can’t run
 
drgrant said:
On a custom most cases you're going to be way north of what a DW will cost you. The best part of a DW, a Nighthawk or a Wilson is you take that gun out of the box.... it's done. I think the only thing i did to mine was change the grip panels.
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True. But f***ing with guns is 3/4 of the fun of owning them, no?? I duno how I’d feel if I bought a gun that I couldn’t at least change something on!!
 
Rate_of_Twist said:
In short, a very expense single shot 1911 for 700+ rounds as it would lock the slide back on a magazine with ammo still in it.

After 800 rounds or so it became more reliable but my level of hatred for Nighthawk was fully cemented and I traded it for a massive loss - and was still happy about having it out of my safe.

Seriously, screw them with a $4600 gun that can’t run
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I had a similar problem on a Sig 1911. The slide stop pin (part that goes through the frame) was rough and tight (Frigging MIM part), I took some fine sandpaper to it, smoothed it out and its been 100% since.
 
So since I held the DW 1911 and saw the price for that one, as well as the comments here, I went out looking at other DWs for sale. I handled a few, and like a previous poster on this thread I really liked the feel of the DW DWX. I didn't buy it right away as I looked around a bit, but in the end I went back and picked up the DWX. Fits great in my hand, has a little heft to it and overall I really liked it. Some paperwork and money later I walked out with my brand spanky new DWX.

Now due to what was said about the DWX earlier in the post I headed straight to the range with a couple different brands of ammo and I was able to successfully shoot a couple hundred rounds without any issues. The accuracy was very good and it didn't have any hiccups. It's a very tight gun with a very clear and crisp trigger. Not disappointed at all. Also, the spent casings all ended up in the same area, which is different than what was experienced earlier in the thread. Pretty happy at this point.

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Rockrivr1 said:
So since I held the DW 1911 and saw the price for that one, as well as the comments here, I went out looking at other DWs for sale. I handled a few, and like a previous poster on this thread I really liked the feel of the DW DWX. I didn't buy it right away as I looked around a bit, but in the end I went back and picked up the DWX. Fits great in my hand, has a little heft to it and overall I really liked it. Some paperwork and money later I walked out with my brand spanky new DWX.

Now due to what was said about the DWX earlier in the post I headed straight to the range with a couple different brands of ammo and I was able to successfully shoot a couple hundred rounds without any issues. The accuracy was very good and it didn't have any hiccups. It's a very tight gun with a very clear and crisp trigger. Not disappointed at all. Also, the spent casings all ended up in the same area, which is different than what was experienced earlier in the thread. Pretty happy at this point.

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That thing is sharp!
 
Rockrivr1 said:
So since I held the DW 1911 and saw the price for that one, as well as the comments here, I went out looking at other DWs for sale. I handled a few, and like a previous poster on this thread I really liked the feel of the DW DWX. I didn't buy it right away as I looked around a bit, but in the end I went back and picked up the DWX. Fits great in my hand, has a little heft to it and overall I really liked it. Some paperwork and money later I walked out with my brand spanky new DWX.

Now due to what was said about the DWX earlier in the post I headed straight to the range with a couple different brands of ammo and I was able to successfully shoot a couple hundred rounds without any issues. The accuracy was very good and it didn't have any hiccups. It's a very tight gun with a very clear and crisp trigger. Not disappointed at all. Also, the spent casings all ended up in the same area, which is different than what was experienced earlier in the thread. Pretty happy at this point.

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Nice! What ammo did you use? Maybe I was using underpowered loads.
 
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