Dan Wesson Specialist 9mm 1911, Blued Stainless *Never Fired*

[clanhanson]

Ad Type

1. For Sale

Price

$1500

Manufacturer

Dan Wesson

Caliber

9mm

City

Helena

State

Montana

Zip Code

59601

I recently acquired this awesome Dan Wesson/CZ 9mm 1911 in a trade. I am hoping to move it along to somebody that is more of a 1911 aficionado/match shooter. It appears to have never been fired apart from at the factory. It is in near immaculate condition aside from a few tiny handling and disassembly/reassembly marks. The only cosmetic "flaw" is speckling on the back of the hammer, likely there since new. Includes two 10 round mags by DW plus two additional mags, not pictured. Tritium night sights, match barrel, ambidextrous safety, etc. Slide is not entirely smooth yet due to its super tight tolerances but it will surely break in very quickly... that's the prospective buyer's job! Price includes 1/2 of shipping to an FFL of your choice.

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[DizzyJ]

Wow! Very nice!

 

[trevi]

I have this gun! Very tight tolerances, too. Superb shooter!!

 

[clanhanson]

Just wanted to add that after further reading, it is very common for 9mm DW 1911s to hang up slightly when new and cycling the slide manually and slowly. They have a lighter spring and break in quickly it seems!

 

[taters613]

Just wanted to add that after further reading, it is very common for 9mm DW 1911s to hang up slightly when new and cycling the slide manually and slowly. They have a lighter spring and break in quickly it seems!

I have two 9mm's and a Dan Wesson 1911 in 45 acp that all exhibit this behavior occasionally when "cycling slide manually and slowly" (ie riding the slide as if moves forward). Or at least they did when they were new. Both are fantastic shooters with smooth actions and perfect reliability. My opinion is that riding the slide forwards is not really a valid function test since it really doesn't come close to simulating the slide movement during live fire. Slingshotting the slide is a more meaningful test.
Anyway: this is a gorgeous piece! I love the combo of the bull barrel with the traditional barrel bushing, and that blued (or nitrited?) finish looks fantastic. If I had an extra $1650 lying around, this would be high up on my list!

 

[clanhanson]

I have two 9mm's and a Dan Wesson 1911 in 45 acp that all exhibit this behavior occasionally when "cycling slide manually and slowly" (ie riding the slide as if moves forward). Or at least they did when they were new. Both are fantastic shooters with smooth actions and perfect reliability. My opinion is that riding the slide forwards is not really a valid function test since it really doesn't come close to simulating the slide movement during live fire. Slingshotting the slide is a more meaningful test.
Anyway: this is a gorgeous piece! I love the combo of the bull barrel with the traditional barrel bushing, and that blued (or nitrited?) finish looks fantastic. If I had an extra $1650 lying around, this would be high up on my list!

It's DW's "Duty" finish, ferritic nitrocarburizing of the stainless. Apparently it's one of the toughest finishes available.

 

[clanhanson]

Here is another photo but with natural light. The lamp light didn't quite do it justice.

 

[clanhanson]

Update: price now includes only the two original factory DW mags. I unfortunately cannot locate the other two. Price lowered to reflect the missing mags and also to make the handgun a little more affordable. If I do find the mags, I will part with them for $15 each.

 

[trevi]

Just wanted to add that after further reading, it is very common for 9mm DW 1911s to hang up slightly when new and cycling the slide manually and slowly. They have a lighter spring and break in quickly it seems!

My PM-9 has this problem but not the Speacialist.

 

[clanhanson]

My PM-9 has this problem but not the Speacialist.

I played with another specialist at the shop (actually found another one!) and it had an identical slide hangup, if not worse due to the shipping oil.

 

[BigNickShooting]

I have two 9mm's and a Dan Wesson 1911 in 45 acp that all exhibit this behavior occasionally when "cycling slide manually and slowly" (ie riding the slide as if moves forward). Or at least they did when they were new. Both are fantastic shooters with smooth actions and perfect reliability. My opinion is that riding the slide forwards is not really a valid function test since it really doesn't come close to simulating the slide movement during live fire. Slingshotting the slide is a more meaningful test.
Anyway: this is a gorgeous piece! I love the combo of the bull barrel with the traditional barrel bushing, and that blued (or nitrited?) finish looks fantastic. If I had an extra $1650 lying around, this would be high up on my list!

If it "hangs-up" when you slow ride the slide, that means that barrel was not hand fitted to the gun. And now you understand why Wilson and Nighthawk charge more then $3,000 for their pistols. That would never happen to a truly custom gun. A TRP Operator is slightly cheaper, and kind of "custom level" ... don't get me wrong: I have the same gun as you offer for sale, and several others including a pair of 6" Bruin (10mm and .45ACP) that do not exhibit the issues you are talking about. Now, I bought a 5.5" threaded Wilson barrel for one of my TRP Operators, and it does the same thing. My friend who worked in the custom shop on 1911 for Olympic Arms (now closed) told me, after examining the gun that has the same problem ... barrel not hand fitted. He recommended shooting 2-300 rds ... and voila ... now it slides like a good knife through butter! So ... it's nothing to scare you folks, it's something it will happen with break-in. Just go slow ... Beautiful piece ... GLWS ... I would trade you an awesome Gucci Glock 17 for that one.

 

[taters613]

If it "hangs-up" when you slow ride the slide, that means that barrel was not hand fitted to the gun. And now you understand why Wilson and Nighthawk charge more then $3,000 for their pistols. That would never happen to a truly custom gun. A TRP Operator is slightly cheaper, and kind of "custom level" ... don't get me wrong: I have the same gun as you offer for sale, and several others including a pair of 6" Bruin (10mm and .45ACP) that do not exhibit the issues you are talking about. Now, I bought a 5.5" threaded Wilson barrel for one of my TRP Operators, and it does the same thing. My friend who worked in the custom shop on 1911 for Olympic Arms (now closed) told me, after examining the gun that has the same problem ... barrel not hand fitted. He recommended shooting 2-300 rds ... and voila ... now it slides like a good knife through butter! So ... it's nothing to scare you folks, it's something it will happen with break-in. Just go slow ... Beautiful piece ... GLWS ... I would trade you an awesome Gucci Glock 17 for that one.

So...you're saying I could either spend $3000 on a custom fit 1911, or $1k-$1.5k on a production gun and then just shoot it for a while? I think I'll choose the latter! ( jk).
Anyway what you say is definitely accurate. I just checked the three guns I mentioned in my original point and their actions are all smooth now, even while riding the slide shut, probably because I've put a few hundred rounds through all three...so this totally supports your point! My only point was that the "riding the slide" test doesn't necessarily suggest that you will have any problems whatsoever during live fire use.
Good luck with your sale O.P.! You've got a beautiful pistol on your hands and the price seems perfectly reasonable!

 

[clanhanson]

Price dropped to $1525

 

[clanhanson]

Price dropped to $1500. I found two almost new Cobramags (Tripp Research) I can include for an extra $50.