Springfield TRP 1911 vs. Dan Wesson 1911

[Dddrees]

Great stuff Dddrees. Thanks for sharing that.

i certainly can't take any credit but I thought it was pretty interesting.

 

[Hohn]

Dan Wesson is a Mercedes, overpriced, upkeep is costly and god forbids it bereaks down when you need it. Buy a worker, get a Honda. Runs for miles, cheap to keep.

Overpriced?

What do you expect to pay for a gun with no MIM parts and Fit and Finish that rivals Les Baer or Ed Brown?

 

[churchmouse]

I just came across the following post today and although it doesn't include a Springfield TRP it does include others such a Les Baer, Dan Wesson, Ed Brown, and a Colt.

There is so much info here. No time to read it all right now but I will.

What I did see is the 1st Valor pics on the strip and inspect section is properly fit up as compared to the Geeks gun.

 

[Dddrees]

There is so much info here. No time to read it all right now but I will.

What I did see is the 1st Valor pics on the strip and inspect section is properly fit up as compared to the Geeks gun.

Ii think no matter where you look you could always find some bad examples. This is certainly true for anything although some manufactures do better than others. However from what I've read Dan Wesson has continued to improve ever since CZ purchased them. It would be nice I think if we could find someone who had done this same kind of thing more recently.

 

[churchmouse]

Ii think no matter where you look you could always find some bad examples. This is certainly true for anything although some manufactures do better than others. However from what I've read Dan Wesson has continued to improve ever since CZ purchased them. It would be nice I think if we could find someone who had done



Apology's as I hit edit instead of reply. My bad.

Agreed on all points. Every one lets a turd out the door on occasion. I have seen them. Wilson/Baer/DW/Springer and Colt.

 

[Doublehelix]

After all of that information, I have decided to either get the stainless steel DW Valor, or the Silverback two-tone. I will be ordering this week.

Thanks everyone for all of the help and advice.

 

[Dddrees]

After all of that information, I have decided to either get the stainless steel DW Valor, or the Silverback two-tone. I will be ordering this week.

Thanks everyone for all of the help and advice.

Fabulous, you'll have to follow up and let us know what you think once you get it.

 

[Doublehelix]

I ended up with the Dan Wesson Silverback two-tone. Very, very SWEET!!! I posted pics in the 1911 image thread here:

https://www.indianagunowners.com/forums/handguns/4714-1911-show-n-tell-381.html#post7106880

 

[Benp]

Beautiful! Congrats!

 

[Dddrees]

I ended up with the Dan Wesson Silverback two-tone. Very, very SWEET!!! I posted pics in the 1911 image thread here:

https://www.indianagunowners.com/forums/handguns/4714-1911-show-n-tell-381.html#post7106880

Very nice, Congrats!!

 

[gregkl]

Awesome!

 

[88E30M50]

Nice choice. Can't wait to hear a range trip report.

 

[Doublehelix]

Nice choice. Can't wait to hear a range trip report.

Sort of a range report...

https://www.indianagunowners.com/forums/handguns/4714-1911-show-n-tell-381.html

 

[Doublehelix]

Here is a bit more of a range report with the new Dan Wesson:

Day Two with the Silverback, and I am pretty blown away by the whole thing actually.

DW recommends that during the break-in period, you clean the gun every 50 rounds, so between yesterday and today's range trips, I only brought one 50 round box of ammo with me so I would not be tempted to shoot "just a few more"!

I am still getting used to the sights and the trigger, but I can see the potential with this gun, and I am excited to see what it can do once I get more proficient with her.

So far, I have 100 rounds down the pipe without a single failure, hiccup or problem. I am running her VERY wet with lots of Weapon Shield, so that might be helping. I also cleaned and lubed her really well when I got her home, hand-racked her 500 times before shooting, and then cleaned her again before I took her to the range for the first time.

The gun is very tight, and the fit and finish are perfect (to my eyes). I could not find a single blemish or ill-fitting seam or junction. After 500 racks, my arm and hand were killing me! I would rack her 100 times, take a break (clean another gun or something), then rack her another 100 times or so, etc. She is hard to rack, that is for sure.

The grips are the standard-width VZ grips, which give a decent hold on the gun, although I may opt for some slim-line grips once I have had some time to adjust to the gun's idiosyncrasies. The grip checkering on the front and backstrap are aggressive, but not overly so, and they help to maintain a really firm, solid grip.

The gun is heavy and solid enough to minimize the recoil, and honestly, it feels pretty similar to one of my 9mm guns, maybe only slightly more kick than the 9mm, but it is really easy to get back on target, and double-taps are a dream.

Speaking of double-taps, the trigger is just a beautiful thing, and is the only gun I own that has a trigger that feels as good or better than my Sig P226 Legion SAO. It is crisp, not mushy at all with a really short reset, and the take up is minimal. I have read that the take up is adjustable, but honestly, I like it just the way it is from the factory.

So how did she shoot?

I bought 500 rounds of S&B 230 gr. FMJ RN and 500 rounds of CCI Blazer Brass 230 gr. FMJ RN for the break-in period. So far, I have 100 rounds of the S&B down the pipe, and it has been flawless.

These two targets are both at 30 feet (10 yds), shot offhand. "Day 1" is outdoors on a nice day, and "Day 2" is from this morning at an indoor Range (Tim's in Westfield):

Day 1:



Day 2:




Any variance you see on the targets is due to operator error, not the gun! This thing definitely outshoots my skill set without doubt.

I ran a few targets today out further (45 - 60 feet) and the targets are starting to look like I might be getting some keyholing. I cannot tell if it is just the paper blowing and moving, or if this is true keyholing. I will try again from a longer distance at the outdoor range again tomorrow where my target is more sturdy than just hanging paper from the two clips at the indoor range.

Do some of these shots look like keyholing to you, or is just the paper blowing back due to the impact?





That's it for now! Overall, I am confident that I made the right choice, and I could not be happier.

A quick shout-out to Jake over at Tim's in Westfield who gave me a great deal, and was able to get the gun in house two days after I called him and told him to order it. They are great guys over at Tim's, and I am lucky to have them in my backyard!

 

[gmcttr]

That's just the way thin paper hanging loosely tears. Back up the targets with cardboard and/or use heavier tag board targets.

I thought you would enjoy the Silverback...love mine.

 

[nrgrams]

Congrats on the DW. I miss my Specialist everyday.

 

[gmcttr]

Congrats on the DW. I miss my Specialist everyday.

It has good company.

 

[Doublehelix]

That's just the way thin paper hanging loosely tears. Back up the targets with cardboard and/or use heavier tag board targets.

I thought you would enjoy the Silverback...love mine.

That is kind of what I figured, but it is funny that I did not see it at 30 feet, only back at 45-60 feet.

 

[Hohn]

Here is a bit more of a range report with the new Dan Wesson:

Day Two with the Silverback, and I am pretty blown away by the whole thing actually.

DW recommends that during the break-in period, you clean the gun every 50 rounds, so between yesterday and today's range trips, I only brought one 50 round box of ammo with me so I would not be tempted to shoot "just a few more"!

I am still getting used to the sights and the trigger, but I can see the potential with this gun, and I am excited to see what it can do once I get more proficient with her.

So far, I have 100 rounds down the pipe without a single failure, hiccup or problem. I am running her VERY wet with lots of Weapon Shield, so that might be helping. I also cleaned and lubed her really well when I got her home, hand-racked her 500 times before shooting, and then cleaned her again before I took her to the range for the first time.

No need to run your new DW really wet. Especially during break-in. The extra lube attracts dirt, and dirt isnot ideal for break-in. You want clean, lubed metal on clean, lubed metal.

The amount of lube it takes to actually lubricate is vanishingly small. We're talking boundary lubrication here-- a film that is only microns thick.

In other words, applying the lube and wiping it "dry" with a clean cloth will leave more than enough lubrication behind.

You simply cannot remove all lube from a shiny metal surface with a dry cloth.

 

[Dddrees]

No need to run your new DW really wet. Especially during break-in. The extra lube attracts dirt, and dirt isnot ideal for break-in. You want clean, lubed metal on clean, lubed metal.

The amount of lube it takes to actually lubricate is vanishingly small. We're talking boundary lubrication here-- a film that is only microns thick.

In other words, applying the lube and wiping it "dry" with a clean cloth will leave more than enough lubrication behind.

You simply cannot remove all lube from a shiny metal surface with a dry cloth.

Amazing how there are so many proponents of running not only this gun but other guns wet. Not only running them wet but often running some guns with some sort of grease on the rails.