Are Dan Wesson 1911 really worth the price?

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’s sweet!
 
drgrant said:
LB is junk compared to even the cheapest DW. Meh.
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Have had both for years, and I disagree wholeheartedly (LB Commanche Carry vs. DW Specialist)

I'd keep the LB (in fact the DW is in the for sale section) between the two guns.

Also, LB CS is fantastic, asked them about replacing the front / rear sights and it couldn't have gone more smoothly.

I get that you might not like the 'aesthetic' of LB, being a blued steel gun, but to say it's junk is just bullshit.

@OP... DW are fine guns, but if you're going to spend that kind of money (~$2k) make sure you like everything about it.

You can find a bunch of the usual players in the gently used space, and I'd recommend getting one of those vice buying new, unless you're a "new only" kind of guy. If you want to shoot them both and are around the Westford Sportman's Club at some point, drop me a line.
 
Cur said:
Have had both for years, and I disagree wholeheartedly (LB Commanche Carry vs. DW Specialist)

I'd keep the LB (in fact the DW is in the for sale section) between the two guns.

Also, LB CS is fantastic, asked them about replacing the front / rear sights and it couldn't have gone more smoothly.

I get that you might not like the 'aesthetic' of LB, being a blued steel gun, but to say it's junk is just bullshit.
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I don't have problems with them being blued. If anything thats the one redeeming feature of the brand.

I have problems with companies that ship broken guns and expect you to shoot them into tolerance. One of the premiers or something is like that. [rofl] Hopefully they got away
from that.
 
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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A Beauty!
How do you like the flat trigger shoe?
 
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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Dwx is a dw cz shadow. They are good, more refined than my shadow 2s.
Mid/upper quality segments are extremely subjective anyway, enjoy your new best toy. :) it is good indeed, I tried one also, but will still stick to my guns. :)
 
paul73 said:
Dwx is a dw cz shadow. They are good, more refined than my shadow 2s.
Mid/upper quality segments are extremely subjective anyway, enjoy your new best toy. :) it is good indeed, I tried one also, but will still stick to my guns. :)
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No, it's not. I bet the lockwork/trigger is a lot simpler. It's also a straight pull trigger. DWX is "gun for people who don't want shitty 2011 experience.com" - I think thats the target. I would buy one and hopefully I can go the rest of my life without an effing 2011. 🤣 well unless i hit the lottery then im buying a few SVIs.
 
drgrant said:
No, it's not. I bet the lockwork/trigger is a lot simpler. It's also a straight pull trigger. DWX is "gun for people who don't want shitty 2011 experience.com" - I think thats the target. I would buy one and hopefully I can go the rest of my life without an effing 2011. 🤣 well unless i hit the lottery then im buying a few SVIs.
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More is than isn’t. As any other hybrid it has enough differences but overall is close enough. I do not shit on it, it is a good design.

Trigger is better than mine for sure, overall felt not too different when I tried it. Price wise I got 2 shadows 2 for a price of 1 dwx.
 
paul73 said:
More is than isn’t. As any other hybrid it has enough differences but overall is close enough. I do not shit on it, it is a good design.

Trigger is better than mine for sure, overall felt not too different when I tried it. Price wise I got 2 shadows 2 for a price of 1 dwx.
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S2 biggest advantage is you can run it in USPSA production and its cz75 mag compatible. But you knew that :)
 
drgrant said:
S2 biggest advantage is you can run it in USPSA production and its cz75 mag compatible. But you knew that :)
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I am playing tennis with my daughter now and it started gradually fixing my knees pain- what no medications could do. May be I will eventually get back in shape enough to be able to move without cringing, so, will see. Then competition matters will matter again.

Movement is life. :)
 
paul73 said:
I am playing tennis with my daughter now and it started gradually fixing my knees pain- what no medications could do. May be I will eventually get back in shape enough to be able to move without cringing, so, will see. Then competition matters will matter again.

Movement is life. :)
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Tennis?!?! Bro!
 
drgrant said:
Wilsons nearly always cost more. But great guns.

And a Colt is a money pit that will cost you what the DW cost when it's done. None of them are set up well stock.

Sig is just weird. At that point you're slumming with krapber and the rest. You're better off buying one of the better Springfields at that point. Or better yet, an MRI 1911.
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And Colts have plastic mainspring housings. At least the competition model does. Disappointing.
 
ridleyman said:
And Colts have plastic mainspring housings. At least the competition model does. Disappointing.
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Colt has done that shit forever. My LW officers mods both had them. Doesn't affect operation but its pretty chinsey on a 1911 these days. MRIs $700 gun comes with better parts than a typical Colt.
 
paul73 said:
i did read a little bit about prodigy, and saw 0 reason to have any desire or patience or whatever to deal with it and its possible issues.
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/Every/ 2011 has issues, you just get to pick the amount of issues based on how much coin you decide to spend. 🤣

2011s are just about the only DS handgun platform where "magazine tuning" is an actual thing.

2011s are dick self punching, the intensity of the pain just changes depending on the vendor you choose. 🤣
 
ridleyman said:
And Colts have plastic mainspring housings. At least the competition model does. Disappointing.
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I have two competitions, one black .45 and one stainless .45. The stainless one is so much tighter and feels like it has a custom trigger. I loved it so much that I wanted the black (blued) version too. The black one feels no better than a ruger or Remington r1. One feels and shoots like a higher end 1911 while the other is just meh. It’s weird.
 
drgrant said:
/Every/ 2011 has issues, you just get to pick the amount of issues based on how much coin you decide to spend. 🤣

2011s are just about the only DS handgun platform where "magazine tuning" is an actual thing.

2011s are dick self punching, the intensity of the pain just changes depending on the vendor you choose. 🤣
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yes but they are so tempting. Triggers are incredible. Fit and finish are unmatched. Just don’t actually shoot it and then you won’t get frustrated. That’s my plan
 
LuvDog said:
yes but they are so tempting. Triggers are incredible. Fit and finish are unmatched. Just don’t actually shoot it and then you won’t get frustrated. That’s my plan
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lol I got about 200 rounds through my new 2011 and it’s been flawless. But I’m sure that will be short lived 😂
Should be easy not to shoot it much since I’ve been to the range like 4 times this year
 
Rockrivr1 said:
I was using 115gr S&B as well as 124gr Magtech and Target Sports branded 9mm. I think it prefers the 124gr rounds but that is just my perception.
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Can you insert an empty mag and rack the slide half way and slowly release it and see if the slide hangs up on the slide release? And next time you go to the range, can you try loading 2 rounds in the mag and see if it returns to battery after firing the first round?

My Dwx-c fails to return to battery on the last round because the follower is pushing up the slide stop (like it should), but when the slide cycles to that notch, the slide stop pops up slightly and causes the slide to hang up. It’s not just mine, another person at the range has the same gun and has the same issue. Doesn’t happen every time but enough that it’s not carryable.
 
Darkslide said:
Can you insert an empty mag and rack the slide half way and slowly release it and see if the slide hangs up on the slide release? And next time you go to the range, can you try loading 2 rounds in the mag and see if it returns to battery after firing the first round?

My Dwx-c fails to return to battery on the last round because the follower is pushing up the slide stop (like it should), but when the slide cycles to that notch, the slide stop pops up slightly and causes the slide to hang up. It’s not just mine, another person at the range has the same gun and has the same issue. Doesn’t happen every time but enough that it’s not carryable.
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I’ll try it the next time I head to the range. I didn’t have any lock up issues though when shooting through a full mag.
 
DW357 said:
lol I got about 200 rounds through my new 2011 and it’s been flawless. But I’m sure that will be short lived 😂
Should be easy not to shoot it much since I’ve been to the range like 4 times this year
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Nevermind fishing and get to the range!!

I recall you posting something about nice weather and fishing a bunch..😂
 
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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Are you still happy with it?
 
AJK129 said:
Im asking for selfish reasons :).

I might settle for a shadow 2, since itll still shoot better than me anyway
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Depends upon price on a shadow. I was able to mine fairly cheap, both, first was around $1100 or so from gunbroker, second was a swap for g17 gen5 with some $.
Today prices on new shadows are quite higher and at some point dwx may be preferable. Really depends upon your own preferences.
 
MAGA99 said:
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!!
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I only mess with stuff where the wins are big. With Glocks I do a handful of mods (trigger, sights, connector) and then the trigger/pack pins never come out ever again. After that just springs and maintenance. For 1911s I job that stuff out unless it's something easy/dumb, although the 4 x 1911s i have now, 3 of them were "done" when i bought them. I have a whole bunch of guns that were fine stock and will remain so.
 
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