What say you guys and gals, looking to buy a Dan Wesson 1911, which one of the two I have listed in the title would you buy, and why. Looking at the full size 5 inch 45 ACP models.
What say you guys and gals, looking to buy a Dan Wesson 1911, which one of the two I have listed in the title would you buy, and why. Looking at the full size 5 inch 45 ACP models.
Can't speak to the Vigil, but I have a Valor that served as my EDC until I hung up the 1911 for good. The Valor is an excellent pistol. In order to get anything tangibly better you'd need to skip the semi-customs all together and go full bespoke custom. Highly recommended.
We may lose and we may win, but we will never be here again.......
I have a duty treat Valor. It's the flagship for a reason.
Mine only has around 800 rounds fired, but it's always a joy to shoot. Fit and finish is great, no isses. Passes a 10-8 ejector test without issue. I perfer full thickness grips to the thins it ships with. I think its the best 1911 you can get before the price becomes higher than I can manage.
I grew up one town over from Norwich, NY. And i bought the pistol just before moving out of state. So some of it's sentimental I guess.
-Cory
Last edited by Cory; 10-12-2018 at 06:03 AM.
If I read correctly the fundamental difference is frame material. As a .45 5” I’d probably do the valor, but that’s only because I already own several lightweight commanders. If you do not yet, the new hotness is the 9 vigil commander.
If you plan to shoot it a lot, get the Valor. If you plan to carry it a lot and shoot it less, get the Vigil.
It looks like the Vigil is just a "melted" Valor with an aluminum frame. is that accurate?
Would the Specialist be considered the closest thing to a Valor with a light rail?
I think I'd like to have a Specialist for the nightstand, Vigil CCO to carry, and Pointman-9 for matches.
Only thing is that the PM9 doesn't appear to have the same high-cut front-strap as the Valor, the Vigil, and the Specialist. Which, I suppose, being stainless it wouldn't be hard to correct.
For a range blaster I'd go with the steel frame. If it's gonna ride in a holster much at all, aluminum.
An aluminum framed CCO is about as intrusive to carry as a Glock 43, an aluminum full-size is marginally more work to carry.
My first shooting mentors (4) own well over 100 1911s between themselves having started their training with Cooper in the late 70s. To a person they would say that the more you stray away from the all steel .45 cal, 5 inch baseline, issues with the gun go up, sometimes exponentially. If you plan on carrying this gun and only putting a few hundred rounds thru it per year, or you simply want what you want, and YOU ALREADY OWN A 5 INCH, ALL STEEL, .45 CAL 1911, BUY THE LIGHTWEIGHT, otherwise, buy the all steel gun, shoot thousands of rounds thru it per year and drive on.
FWIW and at the risk of stating the obvious, purpose designed belts mated to quality holsters make carrying/concealing an all steel 5 inch, .45 cal 1911 relatively easy.
david of vcdgrips.com
Unless you just have to have an aluminum frame, go with the Valor.
+1. I love shooting 1911s, but am not a fan of them for carry, but if I were going to carry one I'd want the lighter weight frame.Originally Posted by M2CattleCo
The CCO size is what I think is best for carry. However, I will say if I were to carry a 1911, I'd want a CCO size in 9mm. If someone would make a quality double stack 9mm CCO size gun, that would get me really excited about a 1911 as a carry gun.An aluminum framed CCO is about as intrusive to carry as a Glock 43, an aluminum full-size is marginally more work to carry.
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