Well, my Dan Wesson commander bobtail came in today
Fired case is dated 9/08.
This particular pistol is the stainless version (there are also Cerakoted versions in both black and tan out there as well). The flats are polished, and the rounds are bead blasted to a matte silvery-gray finish.
The two magazines that came with it I could not identify. They look like Metalform mags, but these have a rubber bumper. They are 8 rounders. They feed well and have plenty of spring strength from what I can tell. The last round is a PITA to get in, and with a full 8, the mags are tough to seat. They will go with a firm enough slap though. I will probably get some Chip McCormicks flush fitting mags for this pistol.
The grip panels are a beautiful reddish hued cocobolo in the traditional double diamond checkered fashion. Although they are gorgeous, I will be talking to Sarge43 in the not too distant future for a pair of smooth grips.
The front strap is checkered, at 25 lpi. Although many of the newer pistols lack any overrun, mine does have overrun on the checkering, most notably in the vertical direction. The trigger guard is undercut, but is blended very well, which I like. I don't care for the "edged dimple" you see on some trigger guards that have been undercut. The mainspring housing is of course the Ed Brown bobtail MSH, and is in the smooth variety. The contours flow seamlessly into the frame, which is something that is lacking in some pistols where the bobbed MSH came as an afterthought.
The grip safety is also apparently Ed Brown, and is left side only. These used to be STI if I am not mistaken, but they evidently switched, because these particular ones appear to be EB. Either that or STI has changed their safety.
The trigger itself I did not recognize as per the manufacturer. Maybe this is a piece that is made in house? The feel of the trigger is incredible. There is virtually no take up, and the trigger breaks very cleanly. I don't have a trigger scale, but it feels like about 3.5 lbs, which is about perfect on a SAO carry pistol IMO.
The slide is beautiful and plain, with rear cocking serrations only (which I prefer), and no big lettering or logos. I think it is sooo refreshing to not have to look at a giant billboard on the side of your pistol everytime you pick it up. I know who made the dern thing! The slide to frame fit on this pistol is absolutely perfect. It looks like a custom hand lapping job. I tried to get pics of this, but they didn't turn out well. I will try again later, because this is a thing of beauty. The flat mating areas are seamless, and all of the sharp corners have been gently lapped down. This may have been something that DW started doing in response to the few galling issues that some have had in the past, but whatever the reason, the slide feels like it is on ball bearings.
The barrel is also stainless, and is very nice. The bore was bright and shiny with no scratches or deformations. The barrel is marked ".45 ACP" and "MATCH". When in battery, this is visible through the ejection port. There is a slight crown, but I am not sure how many degrees. The bushing is tight. I've never had to actually use a bushing wrench to take a 1911 down before, but I did need it for this one.
The sights are probably the weakest link in the pistol. They are in the Novak style, but are made by Champion. I have some Novak's on another pistol, and they seem a little more rugged somehow. Even still, these are night sights with yellow rear and green front. The inserts are Trijicon, and have an 08 date code. The vials themselves are plenty bright, and easy to pick up in dim light.
Hopefully I will be able to get out tomorrow to shoot the thing. If so I will post a range report in this thread. I just picked it up too late today to get to the range before sunset.
Jason
Fired case is dated 9/08.
This particular pistol is the stainless version (there are also Cerakoted versions in both black and tan out there as well). The flats are polished, and the rounds are bead blasted to a matte silvery-gray finish.
The two magazines that came with it I could not identify. They look like Metalform mags, but these have a rubber bumper. They are 8 rounders. They feed well and have plenty of spring strength from what I can tell. The last round is a PITA to get in, and with a full 8, the mags are tough to seat. They will go with a firm enough slap though. I will probably get some Chip McCormicks flush fitting mags for this pistol.
The grip panels are a beautiful reddish hued cocobolo in the traditional double diamond checkered fashion. Although they are gorgeous, I will be talking to Sarge43 in the not too distant future for a pair of smooth grips.
The front strap is checkered, at 25 lpi. Although many of the newer pistols lack any overrun, mine does have overrun on the checkering, most notably in the vertical direction. The trigger guard is undercut, but is blended very well, which I like. I don't care for the "edged dimple" you see on some trigger guards that have been undercut. The mainspring housing is of course the Ed Brown bobtail MSH, and is in the smooth variety. The contours flow seamlessly into the frame, which is something that is lacking in some pistols where the bobbed MSH came as an afterthought.
The grip safety is also apparently Ed Brown, and is left side only. These used to be STI if I am not mistaken, but they evidently switched, because these particular ones appear to be EB. Either that or STI has changed their safety.
The trigger itself I did not recognize as per the manufacturer. Maybe this is a piece that is made in house? The feel of the trigger is incredible. There is virtually no take up, and the trigger breaks very cleanly. I don't have a trigger scale, but it feels like about 3.5 lbs, which is about perfect on a SAO carry pistol IMO.
The slide is beautiful and plain, with rear cocking serrations only (which I prefer), and no big lettering or logos. I think it is sooo refreshing to not have to look at a giant billboard on the side of your pistol everytime you pick it up. I know who made the dern thing! The slide to frame fit on this pistol is absolutely perfect. It looks like a custom hand lapping job. I tried to get pics of this, but they didn't turn out well. I will try again later, because this is a thing of beauty. The flat mating areas are seamless, and all of the sharp corners have been gently lapped down. This may have been something that DW started doing in response to the few galling issues that some have had in the past, but whatever the reason, the slide feels like it is on ball bearings.
The barrel is also stainless, and is very nice. The bore was bright and shiny with no scratches or deformations. The barrel is marked ".45 ACP" and "MATCH". When in battery, this is visible through the ejection port. There is a slight crown, but I am not sure how many degrees. The bushing is tight. I've never had to actually use a bushing wrench to take a 1911 down before, but I did need it for this one.
The sights are probably the weakest link in the pistol. They are in the Novak style, but are made by Champion. I have some Novak's on another pistol, and they seem a little more rugged somehow. Even still, these are night sights with yellow rear and green front. The inserts are Trijicon, and have an 08 date code. The vials themselves are plenty bright, and easy to pick up in dim light.
Hopefully I will be able to get out tomorrow to shoot the thing. If so I will post a range report in this thread. I just picked it up too late today to get to the range before sunset.
Jason
