I purchased this pistol on Feb. 22. My first oppurtunity to shoot came about a week after I picked it up. Before ever shooting it, I was sure that this was the end all, be all of pistols.
The fit on this pistol is excellent. The only portion that could possibly be improved is the MSH which is not fully blended to the frame. The grips are both beautiful and functional. That bobtail seems to sink right into my hand and the large safety lever locks back a nice hammer with minimal effort and a positive engagement.
The cocking serrations are both mean as hell and perfectly done. You will NOT lose your grip on the slide, nor will they rip your manicured phalanges up. The checkering on the front strap is like velcro on your hand. It is much like the other serrations already described. It is rough feeling, but when you shoot, it is a blessing.
To say that the guys and gals at Dan Wesson can polish a throat and or ramp is akin to saying Ansel Adams took nice pictures. After my wife reapplied her mascara using the throat of the barrel to see her reflection, I put the gun back together. I am ashamed to let lead or copper touch that finish.
The barrel bushing was super tight and required a light touch with the supplied wrench. The action felt like it was on ball bearings and the trigger was a delight with minimal if any overtravel as well as perfect take up in my humble opinion.
So, I went to the range. Kieth is going to hate this part. I had my newly returned SA Champion with me too. I am fortunate enough to have five mags so I loaded them progressively. 1, 2, 3...etc rounds in each respective clip. On the third shot it seemed "funny". Changed clips, fourth shot locked the slide back with one shot left in the mag. I applied a judo chop to the rear of the slide after removing the mag and soldiered on. The fifth shot locked the slide again and my judo chop was insufficient. I tried cursing and judo chopping, my friend was amused.In the end it required the assistance of a rubber mallet to release the slide. I took it apart, sent it back on my dime and waited.
Kieth at DW thought he might be able to have it back before Springfield could get my Champion back to me. He was faster but the SA showed up at my door before the DW. DW took only two weeks to repair vs. SA taking about seven.
So, the fit is still just as nice with a touch up to the spring plug checkering...looks great BTW Kieth. Oh, and you can now move the slide again, that's a plus. They replaced the ejector, ej. spring and lapped the frame and slide.
Back to the range I go...again with the SA because I AM going to shoot something. I put 50 WWB through the DW and was giggling. Supremely accurate in my hands. Another 50 WWB, this is fun yet dirty. So how about a clip through the SA...sure. Ok, that's nice, back to the DW.
LOOOONNG story short: I love this gun. Kieth and his gang corrected a pistol that had tolerances just a bit to tight. I can honestly say that in my hand, I shoot this 10 times more accurately than any other pistol I have fired to date. I did put a few more mags through the SA just to see if it was a fluke. It was not. By the end of the session, I had fired 300 rounds, mostly through the DW. My hands were not done. My targets were toast, my wallet was lighter and if someone would have offered me another 300, I would have shot it...accurately.
I'm going to put a good coat of oil on the SA now. Thanks for ruining my life Kieth! How do I get my hands on another for the price I paid now?
$849 +tax.
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The fit on this pistol is excellent. The only portion that could possibly be improved is the MSH which is not fully blended to the frame. The grips are both beautiful and functional. That bobtail seems to sink right into my hand and the large safety lever locks back a nice hammer with minimal effort and a positive engagement.
The cocking serrations are both mean as hell and perfectly done. You will NOT lose your grip on the slide, nor will they rip your manicured phalanges up. The checkering on the front strap is like velcro on your hand. It is much like the other serrations already described. It is rough feeling, but when you shoot, it is a blessing.
To say that the guys and gals at Dan Wesson can polish a throat and or ramp is akin to saying Ansel Adams took nice pictures. After my wife reapplied her mascara using the throat of the barrel to see her reflection, I put the gun back together. I am ashamed to let lead or copper touch that finish.
The barrel bushing was super tight and required a light touch with the supplied wrench. The action felt like it was on ball bearings and the trigger was a delight with minimal if any overtravel as well as perfect take up in my humble opinion.
So, I went to the range. Kieth is going to hate this part. I had my newly returned SA Champion with me too. I am fortunate enough to have five mags so I loaded them progressively. 1, 2, 3...etc rounds in each respective clip. On the third shot it seemed "funny". Changed clips, fourth shot locked the slide back with one shot left in the mag. I applied a judo chop to the rear of the slide after removing the mag and soldiered on. The fifth shot locked the slide again and my judo chop was insufficient. I tried cursing and judo chopping, my friend was amused.In the end it required the assistance of a rubber mallet to release the slide. I took it apart, sent it back on my dime and waited.
Kieth at DW thought he might be able to have it back before Springfield could get my Champion back to me. He was faster but the SA showed up at my door before the DW. DW took only two weeks to repair vs. SA taking about seven.
So, the fit is still just as nice with a touch up to the spring plug checkering...looks great BTW Kieth. Oh, and you can now move the slide again, that's a plus. They replaced the ejector, ej. spring and lapped the frame and slide.
Back to the range I go...again with the SA because I AM going to shoot something. I put 50 WWB through the DW and was giggling. Supremely accurate in my hands. Another 50 WWB, this is fun yet dirty. So how about a clip through the SA...sure. Ok, that's nice, back to the DW.
LOOOONNG story short: I love this gun. Kieth and his gang corrected a pistol that had tolerances just a bit to tight. I can honestly say that in my hand, I shoot this 10 times more accurately than any other pistol I have fired to date. I did put a few more mags through the SA just to see if it was a fluke. It was not. By the end of the session, I had fired 300 rounds, mostly through the DW. My hands were not done. My targets were toast, my wallet was lighter and if someone would have offered me another 300, I would have shot it...accurately.
I'm going to put a good coat of oil on the SA now. Thanks for ruining my life Kieth! How do I get my hands on another for the price I paid now?
$849 +tax.
