Dan Wesson gun ...what U think

[edsel6502]

Bobtail is highly recommended. I have one. Good value for the money.

[RECCE556]

My DW CBOB has been excellent. Definitely better fit and finish than the Springfield Loaded models (especially the newer ones which are just poor compared to the older ones). Better than S&W 1911, GSR and Kimber II IMO. All three of those have gone through various teething problems and depending on what you get and from where, you might end up with a problem child.

The Pointman 7 is nice, I just hate target sights. If they only made one with combat sights...I'd be all over it....

1911 from the factory are hit or miss regardless of manufacturer, period.

This I don't agree with. Of course every manufacture puts out a lemon here and there but it's more about how often. Brands like Ed Brown, Wilson, Nighthawk, Colt, etc. put out WAY less lemons (per capita) than others like Springfield, Kimber, S&W, SIG, etc. in my experience.

As a matter of fact, I've had Springers, Kimbers and S&W with various problems (FTF, FTE, FTEx, etc.) and it really makes me wonder if they even test fired the gun.

[dfletcher]

Hello.
I looking for Dan Wesson but like to ask some of you who own it.
1-Do this gun is as good as it look
2-and is better the other guns in same price range like SA loaded,Kimber II,S&W 1911,or may be GSR.
3-if Dan Wesson is that good ...Why is not popular like other gun?
any think I need to know more about this gun beside is make in USA, and very nice looking pictuer in web.
I thinking about Pointman7 but seen hard to fine around here to see it in real.

thank U
zippo

I bought the Bobtail first, then the PM 7. The only 45 ACP more accurate then my DWs is my 1970s Smith model 25. They are exremely well made, tight & nicely finished. You can not go wrong buying one or both.

[CaliGunOwner]

I've had my DW CBOB for about a year now. It had a bit of a hiccup that lasted about 300 rounds, but after ditching the factory mags & using only my Wilson mags and tweaking the extractor a bit, she's been a great shooter & a pleasure to own. I would buy another one w/ no hesitations!

[Gnote]

I really want the Pointman 7. From what I've been reading on-line it seems to be the best bang for the dollar with the ones made after CZ took over even better.

Just saving up now as I don't think I will go wrong with it.

[mike100]

I have a DW bobtail classic 45. It was a royal bitch to get a couple of things sorted out with it, but it is a nice commander sized 1911. I recently had the barrel reamed to allow a wider variety of bullet shapes to feed reliably as the factory match chamber dimensions are unforgiving. It will run on any magazine except my Chip McCormicks with factory ball ammo. For that I had to file down the slide stop a bit to prevent premature slide lock.

lets see...the bbl bushing was complete junk, but I had a kings left over that fit just right. The firing pin stop was also a piece of crap, but I got another one for $15 just for the piece of mind. Anyhow, the thing is fitted tight and after 1500 rounds, it has broken in nicely and doesn't show any signs of wear.

The later ones are supposed to be a bit better, but they are $150 more these days (if you can find one).

I had shot the PM7 before..that thing was good from the start. I would probably recommend the fullsize DW 1911's and I wish I could get a PM7 or new Valor model.

[RECCE556]

Hey Mike, what's the first few numbers of your serial? I'm just curious to see how old (or new) your CBOB.

Some of the DW match chambers can be very tight and shooting reloads will be a no-go (or a good way to practice failure drills). I've never seen an issue with factory loaded ammo however. Even though mine fed just fine even with reloads. I've never tried the factory mags in my CBOB as I have a lot of better mags to use (Tripp, Wilsons, etc.) so you YMMV.

Even though everything worked fine on my CBOB, I still changed out the hammer (to a Ed Brown Hardcore), installed a Greider short trigger and replaced the factory guide rod with a Ed Brown 2-piece FLGR. I need to get it undercut too as I prefer a high a grip as possible.

[mike100]

Hey Mike, what's the first few numbers of your serial? I'm just curious to see how old (or new) your CBOB.

Some of the DW match chambers can be very tight and shooting reloads will be a no-go (or a good way to practice failure drills). I've never seen an issue with factory loaded ammo however. Even though mine fed just fine even with reloads. I've never tried the factory mags in my CBOB as I have a lot of better mags to use (Tripp, Wilsons, etc.) so you YMMV.

Even though everything worked fine on my CBOB, I still changed out the hammer (to a Ed Brown Hardcore), installed a Greider short trigger and replaced the factory guide rod with a Ed Brown 2-piece FLGR. I need to get it undercut too as I prefer a high a grip as possible.

My bobtail s/n is in the C54xxCZ range. It has the coarse 20 lpi checkering and both the "classic" and DW circle logo (vs. the new ones with no logo). It did also have a big problem ejecting brass to the face, but that seems to have been toned down a good bit with all the various parts changes and chamber reaming. The chamber is still a little tighter than GI spec, but the lands having been reamed back allow pretty much any ammo to chamber without getting wedged before it goes into battery.

I just don't see the reason for a match chamber on a commander carry gun with a 5+ lb trigger. Strangely, I also prefer my series-80 four lb triggers. The most important thing is that my frame and slide have had none of the other major problems that I have seen from other people on 1911 forum.

anyhow, a list of everything not right:

- rear sight drifted loose- fixed myself by drilling a larger hole to run the set screw down into.
- bbl bushing disturbingly loose- it rattled when no bbl was in and you could push the bbl around when it was assembled.
- had to file the slide stop a bit to alleviate premature slide lock (magazine dependent- my original mags have been fine).
- extractor to fps stop groove undersized, extractor "clocked" at a fairly noticeable angle. This never cause any malfunctions though. bought a new one from Fusion firearms.
- FPS plate was mim junk and was out of spec-replaced
- brass to the head.- tried different ejector tricks, but ultimately, it seems to have sort of gone away with the chamber reaming-I think since it head spaces properly, the timing is good again.
-it's all scratched up from previous hard jams that required a front sight push-off or other forceful method and general disassembly by an amateur.

I did learn a lot about 1911's from this though. The biggest disappointment wasn't the $100 in parts and stuff, but the hundreds of rounds I burned through testing this pistol. It is currently my most reliable 1911 though (finally). I would also buy another (fullsize) DW.

[FlyingPen]

How does the CBOB compare to a Colt Combat Commander XSE? I know that is comparing the S80 trigger to a S70 but dry firing the S80 trigger I still found it very nice.

[mike100]

I'd get the Colt XSE. A lot of that is personal preference since I'm accustomed to series 80 triggers, but I have a big distrust for commanders now. They are harder to tune than fullsize 1911's because the slide speed is faster.

[RECCE556]

Hey Mike, thanks for the info. My CBOB is C6xxxCZ with both the "Classic" and DW Circle logo like yours. I haven't had any of the problem you've described. Maybe DW has been doing running changes. And I agree that what I hate the most about fixing a gun is burning through ammo. Luckily, I've been reading up, quizzing 1911 smiths and hacking up cheap 1911's (old surplus junk that I wouldn't sell to anyone) for some time now so I've been able to do a lot of my own 1911 smithing. Luckily, I haven't had to do any serious work to my CBOB.

As far as a Colt XSE Commander vs. CBOB - If you plan on customizing the XSE, I would go with that (customize Colts tend to hold value if done right). If you just want a shooter, I prefer the CBOB (and we all know I'm a Colt fan). I dislike Series 80 guns because I've had and see failures resulting from the Series 80 Firing Pin "safety" system. As a matter of fact, outside of one customized Colt 1911, I've expunged all Series 80 1911's out of collection and replaced them with equivalent Series 70 1911's (but not necessarily all Colt for Colt...for example, I got rid of a Colt Gov't S80 NRM for a Ed Brown Special Forces).

The XSE also requires (IMO) a beavertail change because the Colt one is horrible (it actually pushes the web of your hand DOWN when engaged). The CBOB comes with night sights (which I like having on my pistols). The fit on the CBOB is generally better (slide to frame for sure better). CBOB comes with an extended mag release, nicer grips and, of course, has the BOBTAIL modification which feels great in the hand and it tends to print less for conceal carry (if such needs are required).

I did the right thing though, I bought BOTH. I have a CBOB and a Colt Series 70 Combat Commander which is about to get seriously reworked (probably gonna dump about $1200 worth of work into it)...definitely going to be a keeper once it's done.

[mike100]

How does the CBOB compare to a Colt Combat Commander XSE? I know that is comparing the S80 trigger to a S70 but dry firing the S80 trigger I still found it very nice.

Also, btw... the series-80 trigger feels normal at 5-6 lbs, but if you have a trigger job done at 4 lbs or less, there is a perceptible creep in the trigger. I hear that you can't do a 3 lb trigger on a series-80, but 4 lbs still works ok.

[FlyingPen]

I thought you could without too much difficulty remove the extra safety on a Series 80 gun?

[RECCE556]

You can but you have to install a "filler" piece in the frame. I prefer not to do this because I don't like have a hole on the slide that connects to the firing pin area. You could covert the frame and install a S70 slide but for me, it's just easier to start with a S70 frame/slide. This is why I sold all my S80's.