Dan Wesson .45 acp TCP thoughts?

[HCM]

When I said double stack I meant striker fired compacts. Glock19 gen 3, czp10sc, MR920 elite, and the psa dagger. I don't have the money for a decent 2011/double stack 1911. I have been watching the platypus closely. I might actually hold off and see what they bring to the table with shot show coming up. Some are saying they may introduce a bull barrel and steel frame.

The Dan Wesson TCP just looks cool to me. The ergonomics, duty coat, bull barrel, checkering, and the price. It's cheaper then a duty coated specialist. My only concern is recoil that is why I asked. After reading this thread I think I'm going to cross it off my list.

The reason why I'm not concerned with rotating platforms I want to try it all. I've never owned a .45 or a pistol that costs more then 1k. I'm still getting my feet wet. If I carry a piece I'm going to put the time behind it first.

Thoughts on "philosophies" of gun ownership / shooting.

Most people / "gun guys" are not shooters. They buy guns that get fired once or twice or, in many cases, not at all. Some of these people own lots of guns and/or buy/sell/swap/trade these guns regularly.

PF is... different. PF was founded by shooters. The mission statement being "for students and teachers of the pistol." The concept being software / training / skills over hardware. That doesn't mean we're not interested in hardware, but usually when it provides some tangible advantage rather than just novelty.

There are people in this thread who carry (or carried) guns for a living for "go look for trouble" purposes. Even for normal self defense (i.e. "get out of trouble purposes) idea of a traditional carry rotation i.e. completely different guns for different days of the week, none of which are well vetted or a high level of skill with is somewhat anathema.


Even for highly skilled shooters there is some loss of performance (10-15% ?) until one acclimates to the nuances of the particular platform.

Plus buying the necessary support gear (Holsters, magazines, sights/optics, etc) can often cost as much as the gun.

The consensus is the best way to build skill is to pick a decent gun ( and associated support gear), stick with it as a baseline, then buy ammo focus on developing software / skills. Then buy another identical copy (or two) of your main gun so you have an identical training gun and an identical spare if one breaks, is lost/stolen, or taken into evidence after a defensive shooting. Everything breaks if you shoot it enough and I've sent a co-worker home with my gun after an officer involved shooting in which his was taken as evidence because the closest spares were 5 hours away. It happens.




Of course monastic dedication to "the path" can get... boring, or result in burnout. So there are some options.

One is the Serial Monogamy model - Run a gun / platform for 6 months to a year then switch to something new for 6 months to a year. Rinse and repeat. This essentially is what PF founder Todd Louis Green did with his long term test/reviews. However it can get expensive buying two guns and associated support gear over and over. .

The other is the "shoots for fun" model. This is what I, and some others here do. I have two similar "working" guns - currently a SIG 320 and P365XL (previously a Glock 17 and 26) which are my consistent duty / carry / training /competition guns. These are my" working" guns and the focus of serious training.

I have other guns that I take to the range and shoot for fun / experience, but I'm clear on what they are, and are not. This could be anything from a 2011 or LTT Beretta to an alternate "plastic people popper" such as the Walther PDP to a century old Colt revolver.

Along these lines, if you look at the total $$$ you have in several budget and mid priced guns you actually have the funds for a decent higher end gun or two. It's a matter of do I want 8 "ok" polymer striker fired pistols' or do I want 2 higher end pistols with lights, optics, and all accoutrements for the same $$ ? It's just a matter of what you want.

[Ichiban]

Thoughts on "philosophies" of gun ownership / shooting.
...
It's just a matter of what you want.

Sorry. I just couldn't help myself.

[Cory]

@spiro this may be your first thread that goes completely off the rails, and turns into the type of awesome thread where real knowledge is gained by everyone. Judging by @HCM 's post it has serious potential. Hopefully it's not your last.


@HCM, I have Beretta 92s I consider my serious guns. I have some others I consider fun, including my Dan Wesson. I'm curious do you shoot different courses of fire with your fun guns? Or do anything different to differentiate them from ypur serious guns? Besides carry and dedicated training and practice, I mean. I assume you dont dry fire with fun guns, but what else differentiates them for you?

[HCM]

@spiro this may be your first thread that goes completely off the rails, and turns into the type of awesome thread where real knowledge is gained by everyone. Judging by @HCM 's post it has serious potential. Hopefully it's not your last.


@HCM, I have Beretta 92s I consider my serious guns. I have some others I consider fun, including my Dan Wesson. I'm curious do you shoot different courses of fire with your fun guns? Or do anything different to differentiate them from ypur serious guns? Besides carry and dedicated training and practice, I mean. I assume you dont dry fire with fun guns, but what else differentiates them for you?

I’m normally using them to compare / contrast with my baseline Ie. Run the same drills with both in one session or run baseline one session and another platform the next.

I do some dry work with the “fun” guns but it’s not consistent like with the working guns. It may be to work on different things like DA trigger or manual safety manipulations.

Sometimes just plinking at steel to relieve boredom and get a mental reset.

[psalms144.1]

Spiro - I had a DW CCO in .45 ACP. Carried like a dream. Not really comfortable to shoot, even with the slightly longer barrel. Reliability was fine with our issued 230gr JHP ammo, but, again, not fun, so I didn't shoot a terribly large amount of ammo through it.

If you're looking for a great value reliable defensive 1911 in .45 ACP, you probably will be happy. If you're looking for a fun range toy, I don't know that you'll get what you want.

[spiro]

Spiro - I had a DW CCO in .45 ACP. Carried like a dream. Not really comfortable to shoot, even with the slightly longer barrel. Reliability was fine with our issued 230gr JHP ammo, but, again, not fun, so I didn't shoot a terribly large amount of ammo through it.


If you're looking for a great value reliable defensive 1911 in .45 ACP, you probably will be happy. If you're looking for a fun range toy, I don't know that you'll get what you want.

Thank you for the review that is about what I expected. I wish we had a range that carried a couple different Dan Wesson pistols to try out.

[Robinson]

You might consider a DW Specialist Commander 45. It has a little extra weight up front due to the accessory rail so should be relatively pleasant to shoot, but is the standard Commander length. It should work fine in a holster designed for a full size 5" railed 1911 such as made by JMCK. I've considered it myself but I've gone the steel CCO route for now.

[SW CQB 45]

I am sure it's a good piece.

as with any lightweight frame .45 acp, there will be more felt recoil.

In the late 90s into the 2000s, I carried a SW PC 4563 alum frame .45. I was much younger and stronger, and the recoil and follow up shots was a non-issue. I much preferred the DA/SA to anything out there at the time (we were not allowed 1911 carry till 2008).

I do shoot a lot and double that with dry manipulations. After about 8,000 rounds of hard ball... the once tight tolerances of this piece were gone. Still an accurate and reliable piece, but a true aficionado of fitted SW PC guns could tell my 4563 had some rounds through it.

So its a trade off, lighter frame easier carry. I once had an alum frame Dan Wesson Valkryie Nina that was a dream to carry. I would sometime have to touch my side to make sure it was still there.

But if you plan to make this your range toy and defensive carry and you have about 10K in hard ball to train with, I feel an all-steel commander would be a better choice in the area of durability.

What would be cool if your budget allowed, get the TCP and an equivalent all steel piece and now you have a carry piece and a steel copy for hard use.

Me personally, I am old school and prefer the traditional look of a 1911. While the TCP looks cool, will it fit properly in a leather holster with the bull nose and different cut slide. Sorry, I will pass on the TCP.

Here is a video and if you click stop and play (hey I am very 1980s in my technology) while the guy on the video is shooting, there are some shots were the TCP recoils up a pretty good ways.

I am not a fan of single stack 1911 9mm but if I were, it would be an alum frame piece in traditional form.

good luck with your decision.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cw1TXsETkgc