Opinions - Dan Wesson

[Werewolf]

My favorite gun store is having a sale. 10% off all guns. I was checking out .45's and took note of the fact that there were a number of models available in the shelves. but to be honest I don't know much about the Dan Wesson brand which is what caught my eye. From just handling the various models it seems to be a well made 1911 but handling can only tell one so much.

Opinions - how do they stack up to other brands.

I don't need a lot of detail just whether or not DW is a reliable brand and whether or not one'll need work out of the box like so many 1911's seem to.

 

[Murphster]

I had a Pointman Major that was very nice. Had a lot of custom touches for a reasonable price. Never had any problems.

 

[MishMash]

I have a Dan Wesson Patriot that is very smooth and accurate.
Fit and finish are very, very good. I get many compliments at the range, especially after we check targets.

Check out the Dan Wesson forum at http://forums.1911forum.com/ for more info.

Regards

 

[Zak Smith]

I've got over 10,000 rounds through my Patriot. It had some break-in issues, but turned out to be a reliable work-horse.

[ link to LARGER image ]

 

[McNutt]

I've put about 1,000 rounds through my Patriot and haven't had any failures. The gun is simply amazing. You'd have to spend a LOT of money to buy a better pistol. I really can't say enough good things about it. As MishMash said, do some research at 1911forum.com. You'll find some pretty satisfied customers there. Best of luck.

 

[stans]

Some DW's have quality control problems, but most are very good and are a great value for the dollar. Check one out for obvious defects, as you should with any firearm. I recently saw one that had a dovetailed front sight so loose that I could remove it with finger pressure. At the same time I checked out another and could find nothing wrong with that one.

 

[Zak Smith]

I discovered the following weak points within the first 3000 rounds:

1. Front sight was way too high, so rear had to be elevated far, leading to...

2. Pivot pin in rear Bomar-ripoff kept breaking. The titanium drill bit shank I ended up with never broke.

3. If the clearance between the top and bottom surfaces of the external extractor and frame slot is too tight, crud will collect and prevent extractor movement. This will cause FTE's and ultimately will chip the extractor hook. I polished down the top and bottom of the new extractor and it's run perfect since.

4. There were sharp edges at the frame/grip safety boundary.

I had a local gunsmith replace the front sight with a short one (provided by DW free of charge), install a genuine Bomar rear (which has not broke yet), fix the sharp edges on the grip safety, and replace the trigger (didn't need it, but I wanted a short trigger).

-z

 

[Onmilo]

As far as I know Smith and Wesson is still providing the frames and slides for Dan Wesson 191 pistols and Dan Wesson then installs the component parts.
These are very good pistols for less money than a comparable Kimber or Custom house gun.
As Zak learned, price is the issue and you won't get the top quality stuff on a Dan Wesson that you will with a Custom house gun but those little issues are easy to solve and the gun will still cost you less.

 

[Peter M. Eick]

They are good workhorse guns. Well made, decent price and a good value. All in all I would recommend them completely.

 

[rbernie]

From another recent post of mine: "I'd actually recommend the low-end (cast frame) Dan Wesson Pointman (PM-3). It can be had for less than $500.

Yes, it has a bunch of MIM parts but they're (supposedly) all McMillan. The inital investment is low, the 'feature set' is equal to most $750 1911-pattern pistols, and they just seem to work. I only have about 8000 rounds thru mine, but they have been absolutely troublefree rounds. For a range gun - it's a winner in my book."

 

[macavada]

I have two Dan Wesson Guardians (Commander clones). Both had clearance problems. Based on what I see on the Dan Wesson forum, it seems to me like they are so busy with all their "special runs" that they have a hard time with consistent parts aquisition. They recently had some controversy about switching to cast frames, as forged frames were no longer abundantly available. Too much variability and inconsistency in quality control, in my opinion. I just can't help but feel like they are just throwing them together to get them out as fast as they can.

My experience with their customer service was not great.

 

[1911Tuner]

Clearance Issues

Look out Marco! You'll draw fire for tellin' the truth!

 

[kymarkh]

PMDP

Love my Pointman Dave Pruitt model. Great 1911 for the money.