Below is my new Dan Wesson ECO. The one with the ugly grips But that shall be changed.
But to my point...I am amazed at the fit and finish of the DW. I want to get rid of my Kimbers and get DW. I have 3 Ultra Kimbers. One is a Covert, not fired that much, but the grip safety finish is wearing off. After handling a Kimber, which I think is a good pistol, the DW is obviously better put together. I don't even mind the paper clip take down after doing it a few times. The guide rod on the DW is industrial weapon grade with the recoil spring being flat and rated at 15,000 rds. That is awesome to me. This gun is causing me to lust after a DW Valor Commander. Why didn't I know about these guns before? I have owned an Ed Brown Kobra Carry and the DW does not take a back seat to the Kobra. I am not saying the DW is in a class of it's own..., but it doesn't take long to call the roll.
As a Dan Wesson owner I recommend you do as you stated and as the manual says, use the oil included in the case and oil the rails well. Especially with the stainless DW pistols. Following their suggestions I had absolutely no difficulty breaking in my Stainless, Valor.
I love my ECO and it is my daily carry. I highly recommend it. I would really like to get the guardian next but the Shield .45 keeps whispering in my ear.
Dan Wesson pistols dont need to be broken in. Lube it up and shoot it. We are talking about a high quality pistol, not a pair of boots, or even a poorly made gun. As for the Kimber comparison, I guess if you have the money and want to get rid of them then go for it, but having owned and shot both, I will say there is a HUGE difference in fit and finish, and the trigger on the DW is a little smoother, but when I get out on the range and start putting rounds down range, the only difference that I notice is the weight and feel of the more aggressive grips on the DW. You say DW isnt in a class of its own, but I disagree. In that price range, nobody else makes a 1911 to that standard, to include the Kimbers that I like so much.The Baers, Browns, Wilsons, etc are all much more expensive for a gun that is usually viewed as sligtly higher quality.
Nice looking guns. I don't own a 1911, but if I found a DW locally, I have a feeling that would change - nice looking and all the praises I here about them.
I'm a hard-core Colt fanboy, but if I had to choose, I'd be tempted to say my DW Valor is the "flagship" of my 1911's. It'd be a close contest with the Colt Special Combat Government. My first DW was a .44 Mag revolver circa 1980, and they have never ceased to impress me with their quality for the price.
Currently have the Valor, the .44, and an early .357 "pork chop" revolver, but the ECO is way up high on my "want list"! :yup:
Bob Atkinson at Cherokee Hills grips. He was great to work with. These actually started out as slim non stippled full sized grips. He stippled and bobtailed them. I thought his work was great considering it's ironwood he was working with. Highly recommend.
One note. I use frog lube on my Glocks and Rugers. When I did that to my DW (stainless) I had failure to return to battery on almost every mag. I started using the oil DW provides - not a single problem since the switch.
Dan Wesson.
No junk parts. All best highest quality internals. :king:
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