9mm railed 1911s - DW Specialist vs SA TRP/RO Elite

[Wake27]

SA apparently has a 9mm TRP coming at SHOT. I don’t know any details on it, so for my purposes, I’m going to assume it’ll be similar to the 5” 10mm model that they just released, because that is what I want. However, none of the guns have everything that I want, so at some point I’ll be sending it to a custom shop. My preference would be to send it to the shop of the manufacturer. The Colt is not in the running at all.

Here’s what I want and which guns have the features stock:

*Reliability and accuracy are a given
1. Black finish - all three
2. Flat trigger - none
3. Forward cocking serrations - both SA models
4. Magwell - TRP (hopefully) and DW
5. Flush cut and reverse crown - none
6. Front strap checkering - TRP and DW, though I don’t know how I feel about the TRP’s version if it’s that octo-stuff
7. Ledge style sights - DW and RO, TRP is unknown
8. Counter sunk slide stop - DW
9. Warranty - SA is great, DW sucks
10. RMR - none

Specialist: The most features I want out of the box, but at the upper limit of my budget for this gun. I have little doubt that the it is a better gun than the other two, and it has the edge in aesthetics, but even with military pricing it will probably still be a few hundred more than the TRP. If I didn’t plan on making any changes to the gun, I’d probably already own it. Since I am planning on it, I’m not crazy about spending more money up front. One option is to consider is the stainless version, though I’m not as crazy about it. I’d have to pay to reapply the duty treat after milling the FCS and RMR anyways. I know they had issues with falling in the past though. There is also a commander length, which I’m open to but have no idea which I’d prefer. Normally I’d lean towards a 5” 1911, but I’ve heard that 9mm commanders are a lot of fun.

RO Elite: Very attractive because it has nothing that I don’t care about, and a lot of what I want for the money. Since it’s still an SA gun and I already know that I’ll be sending it to a smith, I’m not overly worried about it being a cheaper model. My concern here is that I don’t know how long it’ll take me to send to a smith, especially with SACS being limited, so having more of the features that I want from the start is a plus. I’ve also heard one or two questionable things about their accuracy and some of the Lipsey’s Combat Operators had issues, which is concerning.

TRP: Caught in the middle. If it only comes with a bull barrel or an adjustable rear sight, then it’s out entirely. It’ll probably be close in price to the DW, so there’s the chance that if I do buy it, I’ll regret not paying a little more up front for a better gun overall. However, it’s well equipped from the factory, TRPs usually have an awesome reputation, and its backed by SA and SACS, and I don’t mind the price point too much.

Ultimately, my question mostly boils down to Dan Wessons’ customer service and their custom shop. I can’t find much online, but their CS seems hit or miss and I haven’t seen anything at all about their custom shop. I traded a few emails with a gunsmith there to get rough quotes. He answered some questions but not all so hopefully he’s better at gun smithing than CS. The fact that they don’t have a standard price list struck me as odd. SACS on the other hand has a great reputation and I have experience with them, but they are currently only accepting limited work. I should probably note that this will mainly be a range toy, but I’m not trying to buy something with questionable reliability front the factory. I’d appreciate any opinions.


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[Trooper224]

The TRP is a great bang for buck gun and the RO isn't too far behind. However, the DW is a significant step up in all areas. I've had two TRPs over the years and have two ROs in the safe, one in .45 and one in 9mm, that I used for competition when I was still running the 1911. I also have a DW Valor that was my last carry 1911. Get the Dan Wesson.

[JHC]

The TRP's front checkering has long been 20 LPI checkering. Not the "octo" treatment. It's very aggressive. I like that. But I never shot it 500 rounds/day either.

[shakazulu12]

Just a thought, already worked over for you and in your budget.

https://www.benchmark-precision.com/...-operator.html

[TC215]

I’ve been shooting 9mm 1911’s since 2011 or 2012, and until a year or so they were what a shot primarily and carried on duty. I have a lot of rounds through them.

It’s no secret I like Dan Wesson, but I also own of have owned multiple Wilsons, Ed Browns, Baers, etc. In my opinion, if you want a 9mm 1911, DW or Wilson are the way to go. They seem to do them better than anyone else. The Springfield 9mm’s I have shot had issues.

I’ve had two Dan Wessons built by their custom shop. They are easily on par with my Browns and Wilsons, and much more affordable. I have a third on order right now.

I’ve never had an issue with their customer service. I’ve used them to get custom work done on guns I was sending in, to switch front sights out to fix POA/POI issues (which they do for free), and to fix the ambi safety on my Specialist that went bad after several years of duty use. They’ve been good to me, which is probably one of the reasons I keep buying their guns.

Also- DW started using flush cut/reverse crown barrels in 2016. If you get a new Specialist it will come with one.

I think the Specialist is one of the best deals there is. I doubt you can find another 1911 with those features (rail, magwell, ball cuts, Clark rib, flush cut/reverse crown barrel, handfit, etc) at that price.

If you want the LE/MIL pricelist, email Andrew at aeager@cz-USA.com.

[JHC]

Just a thought, already worked over for you and in your budget.

https://www.benchmark-precision.com/...-operator.html

That's pretty neat.

[HopetonBrown]

The Warren Springfield 9mm that TLG had a brace of seemed to run fairly well for him.

[Wake27]

Just a thought, already worked over for you and in your budget.

https://www.benchmark-precision.com/...-operator.html

I saw that before Christmas but haven’t been able to find it on the site since, including today. Not sure why.

I’ve been shooting 9mm 1911’s since 2011 or 2012, and until a year or so they were what a shot primarily and carried on duty. I have a lot of rounds through them.

It’s no secret I like Dan Wesson, but I also own of have owned multiple Wilsons, Ed Browns, Baers, etc. In my opinion, if you want a 9mm 1911, DW or Wilson are the way to go. They seem to do them better than anyone else. The Springfield 9mm’s I have shot had issues.

I’ve had two Dan Wessons built by their custom shop. They are easily on par with my Browns and Wilsons, and much more affordable. I have a third on order right now.

I’ve never had an issue with their customer service. I’ve used them to get custom work done on guns I was sending in, to switch front sights out to fix POA/POI issues (which they do for free), and to fix the ambi safety on my Specialist that went bad after several years of duty use. They’ve been good to me, which is probably one of the reasons I keep buying their guns.

Also- DW started using flush cut/reverse crown barrels in 2016. If you get a new Specialist it will come with one.

I think the Specialist is one of the best deals there is. I doubt you can find another 1911 with those features (rail, magwell, ball cuts, Clark rib, flush cut/reverse crown barrel, handfit, etc) at that price.

If you want the LE/MIL pricelist, email Andrew at aeager@cz-USA.com.

Thanks for that feedback, good to know. I’m surprised that I haven’t seen anything on the flush cut/crowning, you’re sure they do it on that model? I don’t have a requirement for the ball cuts but they do look nice. And I like how clean the slide is without all of the branding.


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[TC215]

Thanks for that feedback, good to know. I’m surprised that I haven’t seen anything on the flush cut/crowning, you’re sure they do it on that model? I don’t have a requirement for the ball cuts but they do look nice. And I like how clean the slide is without all of the branding.

It's my understanding that they made the switch on all the models, though it was never advertised.

Here's a pre-2016 9mm:



And here are two I got in 2016:

[HCM]

The Warren Springfield 9mm that TLG had a brace of seemed to run fairly well for him.

His did get good results from his but subsequent batches of Warren 9mm SA's had issues as did the first batch of Lipseys SA 9mm Combat Operators. That was supposed to be a TRP level gun done by SACS. Myself and two other PF members had issues requiring trips back to SA.

Even at the TRP level SA QC is hit or miss.

I recommend DW - particularly since the OP qualifies for LE/ MIL pricing.