I’m a guy who spends a lot of time working on, converting and modifying 1911’s sourced from assorted and sundry far flung parts of the world. I’m use to pulling a slide and finding tree bark inside. along with raised parting lines I can measure with a ruler…maybe a yard stick. I work on guns where the first pass to clean up rough contact surfaces is taken with a cold chisel. If it isn’t a cheapo 1911, it’s bad 1911s, some that carry a hefty price tag. The kind where little effort is expended by the manufacturer on finishing and the final result is a collection of mixed premium parts that don’t play at all well together. So forgive me if I enjoy myself a little bit on this one, even if the review is two months past due.Drost, Stieglitz and Dan Wesson…
There is a lot of artistry involved in producing an exceptional firearm and the Dan Wesson Commander Classic Bobtail seems to contain more than its share. It is undoubtedly one of the best 1911’s I’ve come across in some time. Everything is “right”, from the 20 LPI front strap checkering to the bobtail frame. Fit and finish is exceptional. There are contrasting hand polished and bead blasted stainless surfaces and cleanly cut cocobolo diamond grips to give the Bobtail a look of refinement.
More than just appearances, the Bobtail is assembled with quality in Norwich, NY by folks who understand these types of guns and the customers who will eventually use them. No sharp edges to nick fingers, no overly rounded edges to reflect less than skillful workmanship. The slide is tight, no side to side rattles after a hundred rounds or so, and the slide moves as though it is riding on ball bearings. The trigger pull is crisp, without creep, breaking cleanly in this example at 4¼ lbs. The 34 ounce compact size gun with Bobtail frame gives away nothing in the way of a solid, comfortable grip.
The best performance parts, without getting strange…
Sometimes, in a quest for a marketing edge, gun makers can do some pretty strange things to a 1911. Fortunately, this isn’t the case with the Dan Wesson gun. What has been added enhances performance without violating the basic tenets of the design.
As an example, the fixed sights are of the Trijicon Tritium green three dot variety; easy to see and quick on target. The rear sight is a dovetailed press fit with a locking set screw, the front is dovetail mounted and locked in place in a similar fashion. The round top forged slide’s ejection port is lowered and chamfered and there are aft only cocking serrations so Hollywood movie style operation is not required. There is no inertial firing pin block, or associated linkage, to get in the way of an excellent trigger.
The Commander Classic utilizes an Ed brown mainspring housing and beavertail grip safety. The mainspring housing is tucked in at the mag end to make concealment easier and to reduce the number of hooks that can grab at clothing. There is no reduction in hand contact area when gripping the gun. The heel of the palm is well above the clipped grip area and the front strap is full length for secure finger grip position.
The wide grip safety has raised grooves at the base to make the grip feel deeper and to assure contact and assure safety release for folks with a high thumb hold. The thumb safety is of the single side extended type, making actuation without shifting grip comfortable. The trigger is a traditional lightweight model intended to reduce bounce and the chance of a slide following hammer. The face is grooved and there is an adjustable trigger stop. The hammer, a rounded Commander type, is skeletonized for reduced lock time and to reduce the chance of a snag on clothing. The front strap checkering and slide serrations are crisp enough to serve their purposes.
A little better view of the left side of the gun and controls. The mag release is raised a bit and checkered, so it is easy to reach and actuate with a finger tip. Measured from muzzle to tip of beavertail safety, the Commander Classic is 8″ long, or approximately ¾” shorter than a Government model. Its 4.3″ barrel is more than enough for the 10mm Auto’s case powder capacity.
Inside, the Dan Wesson is just like any other 1911…just cleaner, smoother and finessed in assembly to a perfect fit. The lug engagement is excellent, the slide stop tight, the trigger bow has just enough float to assure no drag within the frame or against an inserted magazine. The barrel bushing can be removed without a bushing wrench, but it is tight enough to allow no perceivable movement between it and the barrel. The barrel is 0.575″ in diameter up until the last 0.500″ at the muzzle, where it increases to 0.580″ for a tight lock up in the barrel bushing.
The Dan Wesson stainless match class barrel is ramped. The feed ramp provides full support for the high pressure 10mm Auto case and an extra margin of feed reliability when shooting some of the more blunt tipped bullets. The Dan Wesson frame is manufactured to this configuration, rather than manufactured as a standard 1911 type that needs to be modified to fit.
The beard thickening 10mm Auto…
I’ve spent a considerable amount of time trying to make 1911s into higher performance firearms including .45 Super and .460 Rowland conversions. The .45 Super is always a compromise in controlling slide velocity and timing; too much, the gun is hard to actuate, too little the slide beats the frame to death. The .460 Rowland conversion, as produced by Clark Custom, works flawlessly, but the required compensator makes the overall package unwieldy to carry. Matching the 10mm Auto with the compact Commander gun is a perfect solution to truly high powered carry gun. No wimpy .40 S&W or light bullet whiz bang .357 Sig, the 10mm Auto is a heavy hitter even out of a moderate length barreled gun.
The 10mm Auto is an interesting cartridge with its early fortunes, unfortunately, tied to a failed gun manufacturer. The original firearm, the Bren Ten, never got off the ground with Dornaus and Dixon and the company that subsequently picked it up, Colt, had its own developing problems when it introduced the 10mm Auto in its Colt Delta Elite. If being a cartridge in search of a firearm wasn’t problem enough, the FBI’s shift in interest from the 10mm Auto to the .40 S&W would have spelled the end to most. In existence now for twenty years, the powerful 10mm is seeing a renewed interest with the gun buying public and firearms for this chamber are now being produced by a number of manufacturers. Perhaps the round will finally get the attention it deserves. The 10mm cartridge shares some common ups and downs with Dan Wesson’s history. Founded in 1968, a producer of exceptional revolvers, the company had to weather the storms of many market trends, as well as the unique financial challenges that face firearm manufacturers. These problems were solved when the company was acquired by CZ-USA in 2005. This reestablished a bright future for the company and allowed for an expansion of Dan Wesson product lines.
The original 10mm Auto factory ammo, produced by Norma, pushed a 200 grain bullet to 1,200 fps from a 5″ barrel. This is consistent with most modern handloading data which puts the round on just about equal footing with the .41 Remington Magnum. In a slab sided compact autoloader, the 10mm Auto excels as a self defense weapon and it makes a heck of a trail gun. Reasonable bullet weight selection ranges from 155 to 200 grains and the 10mm is approved in most states for deer hunting with a 180 grain bullet. There will be complete ballistics data in Part II where the focus in on live fire and handloading results.
Summary
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I found the Dan Wesson Commander Classic an enjoyable gun to shoot. Lots of power, easy to control and accurate. The grip angle and balance makes for intuitive placement of sights on target. The enhanced controls are well thought out and beneficial to function. Quality is top notch and, in reality, the gun is quite a value in comparison to today’s typical premium 1911 prices. As an example, an Ed Brown Kobra Carry, which shares a number of common components, retails for twice the price and it would not be as slick as the Dan Wesson in operation.
The 10mm Auto was a good cartridge selection for this firearm, although the Bobtail is also available in .45 ACP. I liked the Commander length barrel performance and the gun’s moderate recoil. While I have not carried one for this purpose, I could easily see where it would make an excellent trail gun. Not being a handgun hunter, I could not comment on the round’s usefulness for deer hunting. As a personal defense cartridge, I can say from handload and factory ammo results, it is devastating.
Coming soon….
Part II will be geared toward live fire, particularly handloads, where 15 yard clover leaf and sub 1″ group performances were the norm. I had so much confidence in the gun I even tried some 50 yard groups with good success. In the mean time, more information on the Bobtail and other Dan Wesson model firearms and accessories can be found at the parent company’s site, CZ-USA. Dan Wesson firearms can be purchased from most firearm retailers, including the Real Gun Gun shop.
Dan Wesson’s Commander Classic Bobtail Part I
Dan Wesson’s Commander Classic Bobtail Part II
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