DW Valor vs. upper end 1911

[Sharp Shooter]

well said.. guess I will do without a valor, unless this sse2 starts to pan out

SSE2 isn't going to help you with your Valor.

[killnjoke]

Where does Nighthawk rank in this high end 1911 comparison? Have not seen them mentioned.

[ShooterStymie]

I picked up a Dan Wesson Specialist last year. At around $1500 OTD, I feel like it was an awesome deal for an awesome gun. While I do love my DW, I would not not be interested at $2k or $2.5k, not because it's not worth the money (that's totally subjective), but because there is other stuff I'd rather buy at those prices.

In my opinion, DW's attractiveness is in its value proposition. It gives you $2k quality for about $500 less. I'm not interested in a Les Baer myself, but if the price starts going north of $2k, my mind starts wandering to Nighthawk or Wilson, paying more and just be done with it.

I'm also interested in what people think of Nighthawk. I like their designs but interested to learn more about their quality.

[stormvet]

Reliability is not the only reason why MIM is looked down upon. It's a cost cutting measure that isn't desirable when you're spending $2k+ on a gun.

This makes no since, of course it is a cost cutting measure. The reason you buy a 1911 with MIM is so you don't pay 2k+ for the gun, what are you talking about?

[jonzer77]

This makes no since, of course it is a cost cutting measure. The reason you buy a 1911 with MIM is so you don't pay 2k+ for the gun, what are you talking about?

Not all guns that don't have MIM are $2k. Dan Wesson even has models around $1100 without any MIM but they are hard to come by in CA.

[TitanCi]

I'm glad I was able to secure a duty coated Valor with SSE. Hands down, DW 1911s are worth the money. The "entry level" Heritage, which I have too, is far from entry level. Fit and finish on the Valor and Heritage are top notch, nearing custom, all hand fitted quality. The Valor is truly a great shooter out of the box, great fit and finish. The only complaint I have with mine (which I purchased for $1650 on GAG) is there was a minor "shear"-ed off edge to the barrel hood, which doesn't affect function, but shouldn't have been there. Other than that, DW comes top notch.

I think I had the exception when It came to my Heritage: there was some serious galling that DW took care of when I sent it back. The slide seized to the frame on several occasions.

Anyway, OP, if you can find a reasonably priced Valor, get it. It's so well worth the money without having to go into custome territory. If you're pushing $2500-3k, go Wilson. Good luck, you won't be sorry!!!!!!


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[Rhyyke]

Where does Nighthawk rank in this high end 1911 comparison? Have not seen them mentioned.

My impression is that Nighthawk ranks up with Wilson, though most seem to prefer Wilson. I think they are generally ranked above Ed Brown and Les Baer. This is not based on personal experience, just my thoughts from reading about high end 1911s.

[Nate]

Identical in parts only, not in the skill of construction. You can buy a suit made in China, constructed of the finest wool woven in Italy, for under 1k. Same suit made in Italy would cost 3x as much. Skilled labor is the factor.

Yeah, but it wouldn't fit right, and it would fall part the first time you wore it,

[teflondog]

This makes no since, of course it is a cost cutting measure. The reason you buy a 1911 with MIM is so you don't pay 2k+ for the gun, what are you talking about?

If you look at the post before mine, he was saying that the only reason why 1911 owners don't like MIM is because they have been conditioned that way since current MIM can be reliable. I was explaining that for a $2k+ gun there shouldn't be any MIM since the 1911 maker shouldn't cheap out on parts, reliability aside.

[ruddogg]

OP - read this comparison http://forums.1911forum.com/showthread.php?t=321236 and form your own conclusions.

As for me, I'm biased towards Dan Wessons. I wasn't even planning a Dan Wesson in my last few SSE slots, but a Black Duty VBOB slipped in & I couldn't say no. As for is it worth it? Depends on you. If I were to sell any of my Dan Wessons (which I won't) it would be pushing 2500-3000 territory just because I can never get them back again. At that price, you're in Wilson, Ed Brown, Nighthawk, Les Baer territory. Is it worth it? That's subjective. At $1500-$2000 for a DW, it's great bang for the buck, but with the post SSE mark up, that's entirely up to you, on how much you want a DW. I've shot my friend's Les Baer, while it's an awesome gun, I still preferred my DW's.

See below for my family of DW's.

[potguts]

DW Valor vs. upper end 1911

After really enjoying a couple of Rock Islands, for my last SSE I went a little nuts and got a DW Guardian 9mm (4.25" barrel and aluminum frame). Pretty much overnight it became my favorite gun ever, I have 1500 rounds through it in 3 months.



Then I found a V-Bob stainless on the marketplace here for a great deal, and after a few hundred rounds, I am confident saying these guns are spectacular. My brother shot the vbob for the first time recently, first round was a dead nuts bullseye at ten yards, and the second round went through the same hole. We had a good laugh.



I have shot baers and custom gold cups, they are amazing, I hope to own them. But these DW are right there.

[jonzer77]

I just see a bunch of guns without holster wear. You might as well post a pic of your Precious Moments figurine collection. [emoji23]

You aren't going to see much wear with that finish. Although is sounds like you would rather see precious moments figurines. To each his own.


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[anthem]

I totally dig the Wesson, but I would buy a competing quality brand before paying an extorted price because of the roster.

[Sharp Shooter]

This discussion really makes me glad I got my Valor before the SSE went away. I love it. It's got a great trigger.

[gasol1]

I am also happy I got my valor SSE. Two of my close friends own a Les Baer TRS 1.5" guarantee model, a few Wilson's, Ed Brown's and Nighthawks and we have all shot all these guns extensively. One guy is a gun collector and has a few gun safes full of nice stuff and over 15 1911's.

Fit and finish the Wilson Supergrade and Nighthawks feel better than the others. The Ed Brown is an easy shooter in both 4 and 5 inch versions for all 3 of us, but we would rank them behind the Wilson and nighthawks.

The least favorite by a long shot is Les Baer. Even the owner of the TRS wishes he had either gotten the valor or stepped up to a Wilson or Nighthawk. Whether the step up to a Wilson is worth it is up to you and your wallet. The Baer is almost overly stiff and no more accurate than the others - come on why does a Baer require 2500 warmup rounds? This goes across 3 different Baers owned by these two guys.

If you like the features the Valor comes with - slim grips that are in fact grippy (TRS stock grips are less grippy), the night sights setup and the trigger - to me it is an easy choice over the TRS.

Personally I like the nighthawks, coincidentally the GRP recon comes configured pretty much like the Valor. The Wilsons have normal grips and i like them slim. That would be my splurge item...maybe someday.

But to the OP's question I would pick a Valor over a Baer without hesitation, even at similar pricing.