1911 Gun Porn

[Czechnologist]

My most recent addition....waiting to meet w/my silversmith to get some custom silver grips made to take it to the "next level" of BBQ eye candy...

Two for Jess at Wichita Gun Club. Great guy to deal with and a great staff at his storefront.

 

[TexasRedneck]

Two for Jess at Wichita Gun Club. Great guy to deal with and a great staff at his storefront.

Yessir, and no BS, either. He stands behind his stuff. He found the case AFTER I bought the .45 - and shipped it to me at NO charge.

 

[Magnumite]

I bought a Baer Mono HW from WGC. Good peoples…

 

[SkiPatrolDude]

Dude,
What's the feedback on your Kimber? I'm dyin over here!!

Just seeing this.

I've only got a few hundred rounds through it but it shoots phenomenally well. The fiber optic sights are just awesome and the thing is dead on. Zero hiccups so far, but i've only used Federal 230gr ball ammo at this point.

Just yesterday I took the plunge on a "pre discontinued" Dan Wesson Valor (before they rereleased it in 2020) from Md Elite Firearms. So excited to pick it up next week.

 

[trickg]

Just seeing this.

I've only got a few hundred rounds through it but it shoots phenomenally well. The fiber optic sights are just awesome and the thing is dead on. Zero hiccups so far, but i've only used Federal 230gr ball ammo at this point.

Just yesterday I took the plunge on a "pre discontinued" Dan Wesson Valor (before they rereleased it in 2020) from Md Elite Firearms. So excited to pick it up next week.

When I got my Dan Wessons I made a point to try out a few different ammo types - mostly reloads.

230 gr Ball
200 gr plated round nose
200 gr plated flat nose
200 gr lead semi-wad cutter
185 gr Hornady XTP jacketed hollow point

Both of those pistols gobble up everything I've thrown at them to date, and what I've shot through them is varied enough that I have confidence that they'll function fine with any ammo suitable for a 1911.

 

[Melnic]

When I got my Dan Wessons I made a point to try out a few different ammo types - mostly reloads.

230 gr Ball
200 gr plated round nose
200 gr plated flat nose
200 gr lead semi-wad cutter
185 gr Hornady XTP jacketed hollow point

Both of those pistols gobble up everything I've thrown at them to date, and what I've shot through them is varied enough that I have confidence that they'll function fine with any ammo suitable for a 1911.

Did any stick out as far as higher accuracy?
I know what my Kimber liked from that list....

 

[trickg]

Did any stick out as far as higher accuracy?
I know what my Kimber liked from that list....

It's been a while since the day I did that, but all of it shot pretty well at 30 feet. These are some of my targets from that day. The last one is the 200 gr lead semi wadcutter - you can tell from the clean-cut holes in the paper.

 

[SkiPatrolDude]

Today I picked up my Dan Wesson Valor. Pictures do not do this thing justice. Thank you to @MDElite for a great deal and a seamless experience.

VZ grips are in the mail.

 

[trickg]

View attachment 385270 View attachment 385274
Today I picked up my Dan Wesson Valor. Pictures do not do this thing justice. Thank you to @MDElite for a great deal and a seamless experience.

VZ grips are in the mail.

Nice looking Valor. I have the newer version with the GI-style slide serrations. IMO the style you have looks better - the one feature I have that this one doesn't that is both asesthetically pleasing (to me) and functional is the mag well. I'd post a pic, but my DW 1911s are already posted further up in the thread.

Which VZ grips are you going with? I did the Operator IIs in Hyena Brown - that's what DW puts on the Specialist, and I liked that look, so I mimicked it.

 

[SkiPatrolDude]

Nice looking Valor. I have the newer version with the GI-style slide serrations. IMO the style you have looks better - the one feature I have that this one doesn't that is both asesthetically pleasing (to me) and functional is the mag well. I'd post a pic, but my DW 1911s are already posted further up in the thread.

Which VZ grips are you going with? I did the Operator IIs in Hyena Brown - that's what DW puts on the Specialist, and I liked that look, so I mimicked it.

I got the VZ Hydra in Predator Green.

I called DW customer service to run the serial number, and the born-on-date of this pistol is March, 2015. MDElite had a second one on the shelf when I went to pick mine up. These were definitely both NIB. The DW rep was pretty perplexed that I found a new one, let alone two. He said the old ones have become virtually extinct since they were discontinued in 2018 (and subsequently brought back but as an updated model). I'd personally be happy with either, as I believe there are pros and cons to each model. Zero regrets with this one, though.

 

[trickg]

I got the VZ Hydra in Predator Green.

I called DW customer service to run the serial number, and the born-on-date of this pistol is March, 2015. MDElite had a second one on the shelf when I went to pick mine up. These were definitely both NIB. The DW rep was pretty perplexed that I found a new one, let alone two. He said the old ones have become virtually extinct since they were discontinued in 2018 (and subsequently brought back but as an updated model). I'd personally be happy with either, as I believe there are pros and cons to each model. Zero regrets with this one, though.

I've heard it said that there has been a very slight but noticeable quality slippage since CZ took over DW. I'd be hard pressed to see it - my 2020 Valor is right on par with my Silverback, which I believe was made around 2015 as well. The forum member I bought it from in 2020 told me he ran one box of ammo through it when he bought it, and then it sat in his safe for the better part of 5 years, or at least I think that's what he said. In any case I'd be hard pressed to say which is "better" - I shoot the Silverback a bit better, but I think that's due to the sights rather than a quality difference in the pistols themselves - I like the sights on the Silverback better.

For comparison, (what the heck - I'll post it again) here's a pic of my Valor with the Hyena Brown VZ Operator IIs. Other minor differences - flat skeletonized trigger and the mag well - otherwise, it seems to be pretty much the same pistol, down to the AmeriGlow sights.

 

[SkiPatrolDude]

I've heard it said that there has been a very slight but noticeable quality slippage since CZ took over DW. I'd be hard pressed to see it - my 2020 Valor is right on par with my Silverback, which I believe was made around 2015 as well. The forum member I bought it from in 2020 told me he ran one box of ammo through it when he bought it, and then it sat in his safe for the better part of 5 years, or at least I think that's what he said. In any case I'd be hard pressed to say which is "better" - I shoot the Silverback a bit better, but I think that's due to the sights rather than a quality difference in the pistols themselves - I like the sights on the Silverback better.

For comparison, (what the heck - I'll post it again) here's a pic of my Valor with the Hyena Brown VZ Operator IIs. Other minor differences - flat skeletonized trigger and the mag well - otherwise, it seems to be pretty much the same pistol, down to the AmeriGlow sights.
View attachment 385323

Sweet! I love the look of the valor. My trigger is pulling a consistent, super clean 4lb. Reset is astonishingly good.

 

[trickg]

Sweet! I love the look of the valor. My trigger is pulling a consistent, super clean 4lb. Reset is astonishingly good.

I prefer the look of the slide serrations on the version previous version, but there's nothing functionally wrong with mine.

Dan Wesson 1911s are ridiculously good IMO - no MIM parts, excellent fit and finish for an assembly line pistol, both of mine are better shooters than I am, and both of mine will eat any ammo you throw at them - can't say that about all 1911s. Some are pretty finicky. Ammo I've tried so far:

230 gr ball
200 gr round nose
200 gr flat point
200 gr lead semi wadcutter
185 gr hollow point

The only time I had an issue is when I used a different set of reloading dies and I wasn't using my Lee Factory Crimp Die - I had a few rounds that didn't want to go into battery. I ran that batch of reloads back through the Lee FCD and it eliminated the issue. Perhaps I hadn't followed the instructions on the other crimp die, or maybe it just didn't iron them out quite as well, but every bit of factory ammo I have tried along with every bit of reloaded ammo - provided I used the FDC - has all fed without issue.

 

[MDElite]

View attachment 385270 View attachment 385274
Today I picked up my Dan Wesson Valor. Pictures do not do this thing justice. Thank you to @MDElite for a great deal and a seamless experience.

VZ grips are in the mail.

Glad you are happy with it. It's weird that it was built in 2015. We got them this year from DW. I wonder if the frames were from 2015 or they just had a few leftovers sitting on a shelf. I'll have to find the old emails from my rep and see if I missed something.

Sent from my SM-S908U1 using Tapatalk

 

[boothdoc]

Annual cleaning, serial matching set of WWI and WWII commemorative set

 

[rbird7282]

Annual cleaning, serial matching set of WWI and WWII commemorative set

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[rbird7282]

Annual cleaning, serial matching set of WWI and WWII commemorative set

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[rbird7282]

Annual cleaning, serial matching set of WWI and WWII commemorative set

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[SkiPatrolDude]

Glad you are happy with it. It's weird that it was built in 2015. We got them this year from DW. I wonder if the frames were from 2015 or they just had a few leftovers sitting on a shelf. I'll have to find the old emails from my rep and see if I missed something.

Sent from my SM-S908U1 using Tapatalk

Weird indeed but I’m happy either way. These older ones are known for being build on Ed Brown frames. When the DW rep pulled the serial number it read something like “DW Ed Brown Valor 03/2015”, which he said he had never seen it quite like that before in his system. He seemed surprised that I was able to find one NIB.

 

[SkiPatrolDude]

My DW Valor with VZ Burl grips