My DW ECO .45 has been the most reliable gun I've owned. Including rifles. Never once has it failed to fire, eject or stove pipe.
I preordered mine and got #36.
Any 1911 aficionados here?
- Thread starter Jigstick
- Start date
I preordered mine and got #36.
Those pistols are 90% of a good semi-custom's quality (Ed Brown, Wilson Combat etc... etc...) at 60% the price. They don't have the final finishing and blending touches (or options), but they are extremely good for the money.
The Valor is an awesome 1911. I don't own one, but I do have a Specialist (and Ed Brown, Wilson Combat etc... etc...).
Hope you get many good years out of yours.
I have two Colts. The 1991A1 in .45 was bought new in 1994, and the Gold Cup Trophy in 22lr was the prize in a shooting competition at my local range, which I won using the .45 
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The .45 has had some improvements over the years, and has been my main carry gun for over a decade now. It even has the obligatory idiot scratch from before I knew what I was doing.
.The .45 has had some improvements over the years, and has been my main carry gun for over a decade now. It even has the obligatory idiot scratch from before I knew what I was doing.
For range gun with super accuracy get a Baer 6” with the 1.5” guaranty.
For carry get an alloy frame officers model. Wilson seems best to my hands and eyes.
I carry a vintage USGI 1911 from 1917. It does what I need.
Gamers and competition shooters bad mouth them. But, they were not designed for games or competition. That is the realm of plastic.
For carry get an alloy frame officers model. Wilson seems best to my hands and eyes.
I carry a vintage USGI 1911 from 1917. It does what I need.
Gamers and competition shooters bad mouth them. But, they were not designed for games or competition. That is the realm of plastic.
I’ve had my TRP for about 18 years now and love it. Never a problem out of it and I have shot thousands of rounds through it. I have a Springfield Marine Corps Operator (original version) and a Champion Operator LW as well and they’re nice but I really like the TRP.
If you like Cabot, check out Alchemy Custom Weaponry... they are a sister company to Cabot:
Home - Alchemy Custom Weaponry
OUR PISTOLS Badass 1911s Alchemy Custom Weaponry was founded by Master Gunsmith Rob Schauland in 2011 as a classic custom 1911 shop that would perform traditional upgrades to other manufacturers' guns at the request of customers. When Cabot Guns hired Mr. Schauland in 2016, they worked together...
alchemy1911.com
They have some really nice 1911's
Mine is stainless, great shooter and nice to carry
I just acquired a Dan Wesson Specialist Commander in stainless steel.
I quite like it.
I did swap out the rear sight for a Heine model that looks the same but lacks the dot the factory one had and installed the Ed Brown flat wire spring kit with guide rod.
The Ed Brown kit still lets you disassemble and press check as if you ran a two piece system, which is nice.
The VZ grips were replaced by a MagPul model and the ambidextrous thumb safety will soon be replaced by a strong side only Extreme Service Thumb Safety from Harrison Designs.
I forgot how fun 1911s are.
-Stan
I quite like it.
I did swap out the rear sight for a Heine model that looks the same but lacks the dot the factory one had and installed the Ed Brown flat wire spring kit with guide rod.
The Ed Brown kit still lets you disassemble and press check as if you ran a two piece system, which is nice.
The VZ grips were replaced by a MagPul model and the ambidextrous thumb safety will soon be replaced by a strong side only Extreme Service Thumb Safety from Harrison Designs.
I forgot how fun 1911s are.
-Stan
I will eventually have to break down and get an Alchemy. About three years ago I emailed with a question regarding trying to get a specific serial number (about 300 ahead of what they were shipping), and I got a response from Nick Morrow.
I guess it was typical Nick personality, but the lack of professionalism caught me off guard. I wasn't harmed in any way
, I just wasn't going to drop $4,500 after that and hope I never had a problem and had to deal with him again. So I put my money into another Wilson.
At some point I may see a Prime Elite in hard chrome, second hand somewhere and I'll be sure to snatch it up. However the fact that so few ACWs pop up for resale (as compared to others) probably says a lot about the great quality they are.
I guess it was typical Nick personality, but the lack of professionalism caught me off guard. I wasn't harmed in any way
, I just wasn't going to drop $4,500 after that and hope I never had a problem and had to deal with him again. So I put my money into another Wilson.At some point I may see a Prime Elite in hard chrome, second hand somewhere and I'll be sure to snatch it up. However the fact that so few ACWs pop up for resale (as compared to others) probably says a lot about the great quality they are.
I've had some cross cut mammoth ivory grips sitting in the McAlester OK, UPS hub for 6 days now "due to a significant weather event". Roads have been clear for 4 days. Not going to lie, I'm getting a bit impatient.
I picked up the habit from my father, who would lay on the couch and hold a handgun for hours while he watched television after he came home from work. There's something about the feel of ivory that just "feels right". It's not as good as holding onto a tiddy, but my wife is less accommodating than one of my 1911s is...
I picked up the habit from my father, who would lay on the couch and hold a handgun for hours while he watched television after he came home from work. There's something about the feel of ivory that just "feels right". It's not as good as holding onto a tiddy, but my wife is less accommodating than one of my 1911s is...
I understand that ivory was used in earlier years due to its weight helping absorb recoil.
-Stan
To be honest, I don't know. It does have its own unique feel though, and it's expensive AF...which is why some dudes get it (just to show off). I think we see a bit of this in the AI photo thread too
. It's where we get ribbed a bit for running Razor G3s and MK5s.I'm at the point in my life where I basically have to sell something in order to have room to buy something. So I'd rather save up and buy less often than have to be constantly looking at what I have to get rid of next. I also don't want to buy something expensive just because it is expensive.
FWIW, I like stag grips too and they're less painful to purchase. Lately the good quality ones have dried up, so I've bought a couple pair of elk antler ones. If you haven't tried a pair of those, they're a good way to test to see if you'd like the more exotic stuff without putting too much into them.
Big fan of the ECO, in my opinion it was amongst the best/most reliable officer sized 1911's available for a production pistol of that configuration.
-LD
I thought this video was rather neat seeing the old equipment and that it may be of some interest to this thread. I'll spare you from having to figure it out for yourself- unless you just absolutely love the classical music, you can keep the volume muted and keep listening to whatever you are without missing anything in the video.
-LD
I've had all kinds of 1911s over the years,, but I guess you could call me a Wilson fan. (The yellow Sentinel is my wifes.)
I'm really liking the Ed Brown I got about a year ago.
I'm really liking the Ed Brown I got about a year ago.
Wilson Fan here as well, nice set. I need to get a family portrait of mine. Mine are mostly 1911s but I am picking up my second X9 Saturday from State sponsored jail.I've had all kinds of 1911s over the years,, but I guess you could call me a Wilson fan. (The yellow Sentinel is my wifes.)
I'm really liking the Ed Brown I got about a year ago.
These are our 1911 based guns. Some are my wife's as she shoots also. We have other handguns, including revolvers, but are fans of the 1911.
I am an owner of a gun store and shooting range. This is anecdotal experience so take it for what it is worth. 1911s that have really tight clearances are in my opinion more problematic than 1911s with looser clearances. We have more problems (every conceivable kind of problem) from pistols with extremely tight clearances. Our current champion 1911 in terms of number of rounds fired through it is a model 70 Colt. It is easy to maintain, it is easy to break down and it just works. The paperwork on it says we are approaching 200k rounds through it. We have replaced the mainspring a couple of times and the slide stop at least twice. It just works.
We have a Les Baer in the rental fleet and in every way it looks better than the Colt. It shoots a tighter group, it has better fit and finish. It also was a giant pain in the dick to keep operational. It took something between 6 to 8k rounds to finally break in. We have to break the pistol down to clean it in order to keep it running with much higher frequency than the Model 70. It absolutely is more accurate and looks better.
We have a Les Baer in the rental fleet and in every way it looks better than the Colt. It shoots a tighter group, it has better fit and finish. It also was a giant pain in the dick to keep operational. It took something between 6 to 8k rounds to finally break in. We have to break the pistol down to clean it in order to keep it running with much higher frequency than the Model 70. It absolutely is more accurate and looks better.
The Dan Wesson specialist is a great gun. Fitted well, good tool steel fire control parts and nice features. Punches way above it's price
I had a Les Baer SRP. Out of the box I had to press the slide against a table with my body weight to get it out of battery. It never ran right and never loosened up. I asked Les at SHOT one year if my gun was defective, he said that was how it was supposed to be. I told him it was the nicest looking piece of shit I've ever owned. He didn't like what I had to say and walked away. The display guns were just as tight.
Edit: It's been a long time is was an SRP, not Special Forces
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That was what always kept me from buying one. I kept hearing 500-1000 rounds to loosen it up, but others said that even after it “loosened up it was still a workout to cycle the thing, I said no way. Stayed with Colt, Dan Wesson and Wilson.
FWIW my Baer has less than 500 rounds still, but has been 100% reliable so far. They aren't quite as refined as a lot of other semi-customs, but they are hard fit and shoot just as accurately as anything out there. When you could get them for under $2,500 for most models, they were hard to beat for the money.
I had a couple photos of my Ed Brown wearing my new SK grips mammoth ivory...but I'm not sold on how they look on that pistol. Chances are that they end up on something else by the weekend.
I had a couple photos of my Ed Brown wearing my new SK grips mammoth ivory...but I'm not sold on how they look on that pistol. Chances are that they end up on something else by the weekend.
On our rental gun, we followed the directions and went to break it down and clean it at around the 1k round count. It comes with a bushing tool made out of some kind of plastic and the freaking thing broke trying to take the gun apart. I feel your pain
Get yourself a Springfield Garrison,its a great platform to learn on,trust me your going to want to change things on your 1911.you will be able to learn about tunning your extractor ,main spring tensions ,magazine tunning its a very forgiving model and if you screw it up Springfield has top notch customer service.Good luck with what ever you decide on plenty of guys here to help you.
Since this got resurrected, kiss my ass.
I was asked for an opinion and I gave it. I don't give a fuck if you or anyone else likes it or not.
I'll be here for as long as I like.
I second this, I have a DW 1911 and i absolutely love it.
My LB was my first "fancy" 1911. It took over 700 rounds to break in. Until then, it had some kind of issue almost every magazine. That said, it *did* break in; I would not use the phrase "loosen up" because it still feels like it was made out of a single piece of steel.
For a while it was my single stack IDPA gun, and during one range outing, 3 shooters put about 400 rounds through in about 15 minutes and it ran flawlessly. I know thats an example of one gun at one point, but I was still impressed.
The bluing is nice, but maybe not the best (it's my only blued gun), and I wouldn't call the finish of the tool marks great.
But for a traditional 1911, Ive always... post break-in been happy with it
I love the round butt and ball cuts.
For some reason, that sounded like an innuendo...
Wasn’t Dan Wesson bought by CZ? I heard the QC went down on the DWs.
I’m really digging the Alchemy models at the moment. I’m definitely considering going that route. The Springfield TRP I handled the other day was nice however.
I’m really digging the Alchemy models at the moment. I’m definitely considering going that route. The Springfield TRP I handled the other day was nice however.
I have a recent production Kodiak and I don't think it's any less quality that my much older RZ-10. (sample of one vs sample of one) lol
I have a Baer, functioned 100% out of the box, no break in. Never had a malfunction. Very accurate. And I still wouldn't buy another one. (unless it was a used one real cheap) Not a fan of how they cut the lugs, not a fan of the "Baer sized" grip frame and other specs. Especially if you have other 1911's, it never feels right, or if it does it starts to make the others feel wrong, at least to me.
I have a Baer, functioned 100% out of the box, no break in. Never had a malfunction. Very accurate. And I still wouldn't buy another one. (unless it was a used one real cheap) Not a fan of how they cut the lugs, not a fan of the "Baer sized" grip frame and other specs. Especially if you have other 1911's, it never feels right, or if it does it starts to make the others feel wrong, at least to me.
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I sort of agree with this. Mine functions very well and is very accurate. But it does *feel* a bit different... now that Im reading cas6969' comment.
I'd buy another one, but only after buying many of the other options.
CZ has owned DW for 20 years. I believe Fusion is the spawn of the original DW management.
From post 44.
Also after his posts on the first page, he didn't reply any more til you called him out.
Personally I think they look cool but I wouldn't buy one. A double stack in 9mm? Maybe. Too may other priorities first.
Yes, right after CZ bought DW they had some issues with Frame/slide Galling. Their Customer Support and Communication teams handled the issue with great care and let the public know how to handle problems and their engineers solved the production problem. I bought in right about then. Their team has always been a class group. My CBOB was my carry gun for years and is still a favorite.
Maybe because posts 47 and 48 come after 44 (the one I quoted above)?
I have mine on order, I think it is better than most of the pistols discussed in this thread.
Stop you're trying to argue with an idiot
I've handled a couple recent DW Valors. Both of them I would prefer to over a Springfield TRP, and I've shot a TRP.
I've heard the same things about DW. I bet that there was probably a little truth to it, even though we frequently get those "they don't build them like they used to" complaints about everything. While my sample size of two isn't significant, I didn't see anything on their newer ones that made me think that my ~ 2016ish DW Specialist was better. There may have been a year or two where something was a little off though.
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