Dan Wesson A2 Tune-Up

[bgarman47]

I realize as I start typing this post that I haven't taken any before pictures. Hopefully that doesn't ruin the overall experience for any would-be readers.

I recently picked up a lightly used Dan Wesson A2 parkerized 1911. I figured it would be a good place to start in building/tuning a 1911 that would be used for training classes, steel challenge, etc. A "working mans gun" to borrow the term from Mr. Joe Chambers.

I was somewhat surprised by the parts fitment on this particular pistol. The barrel had significant barrel bump to the point of peening the lower lugs. Contact of the slide stop cross pin on the lower lugs was light and uneven. The rear of the barrel hood was cut at a severe angle relative to the breach face. The slide stop was not fit properly and had begun to peen the various relief cuts on the bottom of the slide during cycling. The firing pin stop is very loosely fit and allows the extractor (which is a cheap EGW Practical extractor; not my favorite) to clock... Etc.

Not what I expected from a 1911 manufacturer that receives such high praise in general from the firearms community.

Being that I push a file on 1911's for a living, I decided to spruce this one up a bit. My intentions are the following:

Replace arched MSH with a flat housing w/ lanyard loop
Replace barrel & bushing with Kart Precision parts
Replace and properly tune extractor and firing pin stop
Properly fit slide stop and bevel edges to prevent additional damage to slide
Clean up and deburr/bevel all surfaces on thumb safety, grip safety, etc.
Properly blend rear of slide and grip safety
Replace fixed 3-dot sights with black adjustable sights
Replace all major springs
Refinish complete pistol with fresh parkerizing

There may be some other tuning that goes into this project as it evolves. I will be sure to take more photos as things move forward.

I have already begun with dehorning the smaller parts, and I will upload those photos later today.

Stay tuned for updates!

 

[LEaSH]

Looking forward to the results. Obviously you know a lot about the 1911.

DW should know about the flaws that you're finding. I've wanted a 5" A2 but now I'm not sure I'd know what to inspect for.

 

[bgarman47]

In the interest of fairness to DW, I am being  very nitpicky. In truth, this pistol is still better than 85-90% of the factory built, production quality 1911s I've handled.

The ignition components appear to be all EGW machined parts; no MIM to be seen. The grip and thumb safeties are also fully machined, not cast parts as some other large brands. No plastic mainspring housing, fully machined there too. Barrel bump and poor firing pin stop & extractor fitment are likewise very common.

Could fitment of some of the small parts be better? Sure. Is comparing a $1300-ish production 1911 to the $3.5k+ full custom guns I get to work on remotely fair? No. Not in the least.

I didn't mean this thread to be a knock against DW. I would still recommend the pistols to folks who are in this range budget-wise. I also think that with a few hundred extra dollars thrown at it, these can be built into excellent semi-customs.

 

[bgarman47]

So, first update with some pictures.

I've attached a pic of the breach face that shows how the barrel hood was striking at an angle. It was very clearly making contact in one side and not the other. In the slide photos you can also see where the slide stop was impacting.

I've also attached some pictures of the slide stop and grip safety as they get dehorned and adjusted. You can tell by the contact on the slide stop cross pin that the barrel was largely riding the link. I can't find a good way to photograph it, but the grip safety was also properly sensitized.

I'm doing all of this work by hand with files, so it's going to be a slow go!

 

[LEaSH]

Totally intrigued with this.

I have a DW that’s roll marked a cz1911a1 and it has a few machine marks that are somewhat common from what I’ve read online.

88m3e30 - whom I’ve never met, but obviously has great taste in cars and pistols - he described them here and totally was accurate about them.

 

[Dean C.]

Check the sear engagement too, my ECO had maybe 60% from the factory. If you are refinishing the gun I would suggest checkering the front strap but that's definitely a personal preference.

 

[bgarman47]

No updates for the day. I have some other homework to attend to.

I have considered checkering the front strap on and off over the last few days... I ordered up a Guncrafter Industries MSH that is checkered 20LPI. I would love to have the front strap checkered to match. I simply don't have any checkering experience outside of walnut and birch. Trying to learn metal checkering on a rounded frontstrap doesn't sound ideal.

I will ask around the shop this week and see if one of the other smiths (maybe even the HMFIC) would consider checkering the pistol for me.

I will check sear engagement later this week and report back.

 

[Expat]

Could fitment of some of the small parts be better? Sure. Is comparing a $1300-ish production 1911 to the $3.5k+ full custom guns I get to work on remotely fair? No. Not in the least.

Sure it’s fair. I have read many times on the INGO that the DWs are justasgood, if not better than, those fancy guns.

 

[bgarman47]

Small update! Yesterday was mail call, and I received in a good chunk of parts for this project:

Guncrafter Industries 20LPI MSH with lanyard loop
Kart barrel & bushing
C&S Ultimate 70 series extractor
Wide slotted grip screws (for easy tightening in the field should they come loose)
EGW oversize firing pin stop

It does bother me a bit that the ejector sits well below flush with the slide; however it is fit tight and I am genuinely unsure if I feel like replacing it at this point.

I purposely went with high quality parts I do *not* use in my day-to-day as a way to become more familiar with what other options exist on the market. I'll provide mini reviews on some of these parts as I go.

Something else to note that I personally think is very important: Dan Wesson is not using true Novak spec sights. At least not the rear.

Novak's rear dovetail is .495" across the base (point to point). The DW appears to use Kensight's unlicensed copy which measures .497" across the base. The genuine Novak adjustable rear I had ordered simply slides through the slide with no interference at all.

 

[wcd]

Small update! Yesterday was mail call, and I received in a good chunk of parts for this project:

Guncrafter Industries 20LPI MSH with lanyard loop
Kart barrel & bushing
C&S Ultimate 70 series extractor
Wide slotted grip screws (for easy tightening in the field should they come loose)
EGW oversize firing pin stop

It does bother me a bit that the ejector sits well below flush with the slide; however it is fit tight and I am genuinely unsure if I feel like replacing it at this point.

I purposely went with high quality parts I do *not* use in my day-to-day as a way to become more familiar with what other options exist on the market. I'll provide mini reviews on some of these parts as I go.

Something else to note that I personally think is very important: Dan Wesson is not using true Novak spec sights. At least not the rear.

Novak's rear dovetail is .495" across the base (point to point). The DW appears to use Kensight's unlicensed copy which measures .497" across the base. The genuine Novak adjustable rear I had ordered simply slides through the slide with no interference at all.

I think there are few companies that actually use genuine Novak’s sights, i recall an article somewhere they listed the manufacturers that claimed to use Novak’s but actually did not.

 

[bgarman47]

I think there are few companies that actually use genuine Novak’s sights, i recall an article somewhere they listed the manufacturers that claimed to use Novak’s but actually did not.

That's a good call. I just looked into it, and the lists are in the "Sights 101" article on Novak's website. Here's a link:

Novak Sights 101

I'm struggling a little with an idea in my head, and I would like some opinions/input here. I cannot decide if I want to actually closely blend the rear of the slide and grip safety parts. It is a nice custom touch, visually, but I am also somewhat in the mind of being a "work gun" and it doesn't have to look like a true custom. What do y'all think?

 

[wcd]

That's a good call. I just looked into it, and the lists are in the "Sights 101" article on Novak's website. Here's a link:

Novak Sights 101

I'm struggling a little with an idea in my head, and I would like some opinions/input here. I cannot decide if I want to actually closely blend the rear of the slide and grip safety parts. It is a nice custom touch, visually, but I am also somewhat in the mind of being a "work gun" and it doesn't have to look like a true custom. What do y'all think?

I think what ever works for you.( it’s really what is important to you and what reflects your taste and style)

I am getting mine back from Allen M tomorrow, it now will check all the boxes and now it will be trustworthy for daily use.

 

[WebSnyper]

That's a good call. I just looked into it, and the lists are in the "Sights 101" article on Novak's website. Here's a link:

Novak Sights 101

Good lord, that's some serious geometry there.

Just one example from that page:

The Novak LoMount® rear dovetail size is .495” tptp x 65° at .125” depth. The depth, also referred to as the “base”, is the thickness of the dovetail on the sight and how deep the dovetail cut is on the slide. The .495” base has always been our original dovetail for the Novak dovetail cut. The theoretical point to theoretical point measurement (tptp) is an actual .495”. The dovetail size measurement must be made over pins and the proper calculation done to get the size, this is the correct way to measure the size of a dovetail. Placing calipers on the edges of the dovetail to measure our sights is incorrect. We purposefully removed the sharp points for ease of fitment reasons. The depth (or base) of the dovetail is .125” from the pocket area to the bottom of the dovetail and the depth of the cut from the pocket on the rear of the slide to the bottom of the dovetail.

 

[bgarman47]

Sorry for the blackout in content here y'all. Other, larger, home projects have stolen my attention the last few weeks.

The latest update is I fitted the oversize firing pin stop. Not much exciting to photograph in that process, sadly. The replacement slide stop doesn't fall out with gravity, however! It needs to be press fit into or out of the slide.