Dan Wesson for a BE Gun?

Any of you guys running or have run a Dan Wesson Heritage 1911 for a wadcutter gun?  Stumbled upon a decent deal.  Slide to frame is tight and slick.  Barrel locks hard. Trigger feels good.  Front strap needs checkering and it needs a scope mount for me to shoot.    Thoughts?  Are the slide and frame good foundations for rebuilds in years to come?

It is a 1911.  John Browning's masterpiece.  It can be made to shoot great.  I'm not currently shooting one but have held them and shot them.  Agree the slide to frame fit was nice.  For the price it is a pretty good deal.  They use a lot of MIM parts so eventually you will have to add some quality fire control parts.  Usually a Cylinder and Slide or similar quality hammer/sear kit can make it a superb shooter.  Eventually you might need to have a Barrel/Bushing fitted to get you over the expert to master hump.  But to answer your questions.  YES, if that leaves plenty of room in your shooting budget for range time and ammo/components it is a great deal.

We may not be talking about the same Dan Wesson.  The Dan Wesson I know uses Ed Brown tool steel hammers, triggers and sears.  Not worried about the expert to master hump.  Master to High Master is my current concern.  Sure would like a 2650 patch to hang beside my 2600 patch I earned 30 years ago too...

If you are using it for yourself then I'd say no.  The Dan Wesson would not be a good format to start with.  If you are going after the 2650 patch you are going to need a gunsmith as a driver needs a crew chief.  Someone that understands what you are asking for and has the ability to deliver it.  I'm leery of any gunsmith that says yes to everything.  Sadly your/our choices are limited.  I like Doug Hall trigger work.  But wouldn't ask him to fit a new barrel.  I like Ed Masaki fit and finish but he is getting to an age where he is slowing down on builds.  I agree with KC's opinion of recent Clark and Baer target pistols.  They are good but not consistent and not good in all areas.  I have a local gunsmith who does pretty good work.  But he is teaching his son-in-law the business and that process has mixed results.  I don't live close enough but Dave Salyers work would be a good choice.  You asked about Dan Wesson as a BE gun.  It could be but I'm not sure their quality is up to BE standards.  One serial number might be perfect.  The next might have angular misalignment between pins or hole size discrepancies that cause issues. I've had two Dan Wesson 1911's.  I liked both but compete with a Springfield Armory 1911.  I think bang for the buck you are going to be hard pressed to top their quality.

I'm thinking it might be worth fooling with.   All but one of my personal BE 1911s including my current primary and backup 45s have been Springfield but I'm looking at my next 20 years of shooting. Shot between Charlie Alexander and Philip Hemphill last weekend.  They pretty much killed the "getting old" as an excuse for not performing.    KC has my first Baer in his hands for some upgrades.  Picked up a pair of pre series II Kimber Super Match 45s to play with too.

IMO, dan Wesson was crap back in the day, but who knows about new versions, a ramsom test is the only thing that can answer your question for sure, worst case you pop for a new kart barrel to be installed.

If I'm not mistaken the new Dan Wessons are using Fusion 1911 parts which are machined by STI.
Jon

Are these 70 or 80 series guns?

Walt

Jon, I think you're right.  I used one as a base for a tactical gun earlier this year.  Very nice slide to receiver fit.  Turned out to be a great gun.

I think Dan Wesson was basically just the person with their name on the side.  I think they were built in Turkey or some such place.  The two that I had were very nice but I'd seen others that were not as nice.  Which means...  Quality control in sourcing parts could be an issues as it was for many other builders.  So to answer your question, it depends.

Been doing part time duty in the largest gun shop in this part of the country the two years I've been retired from my real job.  Have yet to see a DW 1911 pass through here that did not have very fine slide to frame fit and good barrel lockup.  Triggers feel good off the shelf but, as MC Dan pointed out that doesn't mean that the holes in the frame are parallel.   Let me get this thing home.  May have another project for KC..  Hate that it is stainless...

Bullshooter wrote:Are these 70 or 80 series guns?

Walt

Series 70

I can't remember his name, but I had been in contact with former President of Dan Wesson and he runs Fusion now. Pretty sure he said STI made the parts.
Jon

Dan Wesson was a Wesson of the Smith and Wesson family, the old mostly revolver guns were ok but not great, as with many companies the original owners sold out to others that continued to operate under the name, looks like CZ are the latest to buy out and use the Dan Wesson brand.
Company history Dan Wesson Firearms[th]Timetable[/th][th]Company name[/th][th]Production place[/th][th]State[/th][th]CEO[/th][th]Owner[/th][th]Notes[/th]

1948–1968	D.B. Wesson Inc.	Monson	Massachusetts	D.B. Wesson	D.B. Wesson	tools&dies
1968–1971	Dan Wesson Arms Inc.	Monson	Massachusetts	D.B. Wesson	D.B. Wesson	much development
1971–1983	Dan Wesson Arms Inc.	Monson	Massachusetts	Seth and Carol Wesson	Wesson family
1983–1995	Wesson Firearms Co.	Palmer	Massachusetts	Wesson	Wesson
1996–2005	Wesson Firearms	Norwich	New York	Bob Serva	New York International Corp.	new plant
2005–present	Wesson Firearms	Norwich	New York	Alice Poluchová	CZ-USA

Okay...  Okay...  I'll own up to being a closet DW nut.  I like the big frame 41 and 44 and the 357, 375, 414, and 445 SuperMag family and own at least one of all of them..  Mostly Monson guns but one Palmer in the batch.      They came WAY before the DW 1911 came to be.   My DW1911  experience is with Norwich DW and then CZ DW.