Dan Wesson .45 acp TCP thoughts?

[TOTS]

@spiro,
First of all, welcome to the community. That’s what PF is. This is a different place than other forums. A different kind of person spends their time here than other places. Everyone is serious about actually honing a craft and sometimes we get cranky in our responses. Especially when rehashing or debunking decades old internet lore or tropes bandied about by non-shooting gunstore counter types. (None of these comments aimed at you)

Secondly, focusing on your question- the TCP would be a fine weapon. If you want to carry a lightweight .45 1911. A very true shortcoming is weight and capacity, the latter improved with going 9mm. It’s 2024, you can be confident that the 9mm 1911 code has been cracked. The others are just trying to help you avoid the detriments of shooting a large amount of .45 through a light frame. Or constantly carrying the extra weight to more comfortably shoot .45.

Do what makes you happy- I could definitely understand how shooting.45 and carrying a light weight 1911 makes a man happy!

Personally, I bought a 9mm DW Valor in 17 that now has almost 10K through it with three non-ammunition related malfunctions. I have not cleaned it more than three to five times in that time and it’s often dry. It’s statistically more reliable than my G19. Furthermore, Im still running the same combo of five WC and Checkmate mags for that count.

Final thought- I wouldn’t think it fair to base my opinion concerning an entire platform (1911s) based off of one example of a value brand import manufacturer. Acknowledging that Tosas DOES have a good reputation.

[JohnO]

I can't speak to the TCP I don't have one and have never shot one. What I can speak to is Dan Wesson .45's. I have two Valors that have been flawless. Obviously a 5" all steel 1 911 in .45 ACP. I dress up all my 1911's exactly the same. Including my Ed Browns. Arched Mainspring Housing, Short Trigger, VZ Alien Grips and 10-8 Performance U-Notch (.158) rear sight on all the pistols.

I had the DW Custom Shop build a LightWeight Commander to my specs (see above). I carry it everyday. I don't rotate anything, never understood that concept. When I train I primarily use a Valor. Rational being Steel guns - shoot a lot carry a little, Aluminum guns - carry a lot shoot a little. Typically one day of one class per year I use the LW Commander.

This past August Bob Keller came to town for a class. After arriving at the range I did what I normally do. I took off my LW Commander and stowed it in my range bag with intent to switch to my Valor. Somehow during that time, probably due to greeting the guys showing up I pulled the LW Commander thinking it was the Valor. I used the LWC all that day thinking I had the Valor. Bob Keller even managed to compliment my recoil control during the class. I honestly had no clue. I mention this because I fail to see how removing another 3/4" will render the weapon uncomfortable.

[spiro]

I appreciate the great advice from everyone. Great information here. I'm going to hold off from buying anything for a little bit and restratigize.

[HeavyDuty]

I beleive @HeavyDuty has the ECP, the non railed brother. Hopefully he can chime in.

I have a pair of ECPs, one each in .45 and 9mm. I don’t carry either a huge amount, but they have both proven to be reliable for the amount I’ve shot them and are accurate. I’d buy them again.

[HCM]

I've read several threads on this forum 20 plus pages of frustration with 1911s in 9mm. It's how I found this forum.

Maybe I just don't have enough experience with them.

How old are those threads ?

Regardless of caliber "1911s" is so generic as to be almost worthless. With 1911 pattern pistols you generally get what you pay for.

1911 pattern pistols range from $300 to $3,000. There are various sizes and formats: 3", 4", 4.25", 5" guns, steel or alloy frame, standard bushing set up vs bull barrel etc it all makes a difference.

Magazines are also a factor.

Quality factory 9mm 1911's have largely been de-bugged in the past 10 years but no 1911 is going to be as effortless as a modern polymer service pistol.

As noted Dan Wesson occupies a "best value" sweet spot between price and quality. My own experiences with Dan Wesson, 5" Valor .45 and a 5" Specialist 9mm have been positive.

[Mitch]

A couple of thoughts. First, Dan Wesson historically makes a product that sits perfectly in the inflection point of diminishing returns. Anything more is giving you incrementally less return on your investment. I say that owning tens of thousands of dollars in 1911 pistols from SA Custom Shop, Wilson, Nighthawk, Les Baer, etc. If you want a good value, the Dan Wesson Valor and Specialist have been hard to beat with honorable mentions to the Colt CCU and SA TRP lines. Of course, the .45ACP will maximize the return on investment, 9mm will approximate it, and 10mm will minimize it. I have no idea what .38 Super does as I’m not a Boomer who spends every waking moment (and some sleeping) in a rocking chair on my front porch.

Having said that, anyone who plans on purchasing an ultralight, alloy frame, short .45ACP really needs to shoot that pistol before taking the plunge. This are not fun to shoot. If you want a carry .45ACP, you can have a 4.25” length barrel or an alloy frame, but not both as something will often give. At the very least, short and light 45ACP 1911s will make you slow and inaccurate on follow-up shots, and often less reliable. Thus, my Ed Brown Kobra Carry sits on the ragged edge of comfort and reliability at 35 oz, SS frame, and 4.25” barrel. Those looking for lighter or shorter should seriously consider the Glock 30, IMHO.

Sorry for the thread drift but I’ve always been interested in a Kobra Carry but never got the chance to shoot a commander sized 1911. How big is the difference between that and the government model size? I have a full sized Baer that I have no problem shooting, but I’m not looking for a lot more recoil necessarily.

I’ve been thinking about another 1911 to carry and could go either way between a government model and commander. With no difference in grip size I’m thinking maybe the government model will be the way to go.

[Elwin]

Sorry for the thread drift but I’ve always been interested in a Kobra Carry but never got the chance to shoot a commander sized 1911. How big is the difference between that and the government model size? I have a full sized Baer that I have no problem shooting, but I’m not looking for a lot more recoil necessarily.

I’ve been thinking about another 1911 to carry and could go either way between a government model and commander. With no difference in grip size I’m thinking maybe the government model will be the way to go.

I have limited experience compared to others here, but based on a sample size of at least total four government length .45s I've shot (most of those shot plenty) and one steel frame commander .45 (an Ed Brown Executive), the commander has noticeably more recoil even with the steel frame. It's sharper and faster in addition to just being more, without the kind of rolling push that the government length has. That was enough to settle for me personally that, since I have no problem comfortably concealing a government, I have no desire to go shorter in .45.

If you can handle the weight and length of the 5" gun, I wouldn't stray from that. I've said it before but I'd be much more interested in a government lightweight model if I really wanted to save ounces.

[HCM]

I have the Tisas Stingray and love it! I sent it off to a smith to have reability work and a few other adjustments. I bought the etm vickers mags. It functions flawlessly indoors. When I take it outside and do fast reloads, tac reloads that's when I get bobbles.

This is where the whole 1911's are "art, not science" and "1911s are not Glocks" things start.

The 1911 design is over 100 years old. It comes from a time when skilled labor was cheap and machine time was expensive. The opposite of modern design an manufacturing.

"A smith" covers a very broad spectrum ranging from highly skilled an knowledgeable artists to hacks who ruin guns. I know I've had a few guns ruined by so-called "gunsmiths."

What's done is done, but going forward: Did the gun run before the 'smith worked on it ?

Did it run with the original magazines ? Different 1911s may run better or worse on certain brands / styles of magazines. One gun might run great with ETMs but due to differences in the feed lips, follower, spring, effecting how the magazine presents the round, another gun might run great on Checkmate, Chip McKormick, etc but not run reliably with ETMs.

A gun running / not running indoors vs outdoors doesn't make sense. I'm guessing you mean running the gun "non dynamic" indoors (slow fire / deliberate loading) vs dynamic shooting handling out doors ? Pressure testing guns (1911s, AR-15's etc) such as in classes / competition often reveals issues static / deliberate shooting doesn't. This is often where the "you get what you pay for" starts showing up.

[Sensei]

Sorry for the thread drift but I’ve always been interested in a Kobra Carry but never got the chance to shoot a commander sized 1911. How big is the difference between that and the government model size? I have a full sized Baer that I have no problem shooting, but I’m not looking for a lot more recoil necessarily.

I’ve been thinking about another 1911 to carry and could go either way between a government model and commander. With no difference in grip size I’m thinking maybe the government model will be the way to go.

I got the Ed Brown almost 20 years ago. At the time, it was one of the only (if not only) 1911 with a bobtailed mainspring housing available. It was that feature that attracted me to the gun. Back then, most of us carried strong-side IWB/OWB and a bobtail significantly improved concealment, and subjectively improved the grip. Without that feature, I would not own a commander length 1911 as all of my other models are government length, and AIWB has minimized the impact of barrel length on concealment.

[gtmtnbiker98]

I own four Dan Wesson 1911's, three of which are 9mm (Specialist, Valor Commander, and a TCP). My least favorite of my Dan Wesson pistols is the TCP in 9mm. The ergos of the proprietary VZ grips suck and the flat faced 'K' trigger is simply too long for my hands. Although, I haven't got around to swapping out the shitty trigger due to procrastination and the fact that I don't shoot the TCP all that much.

My fourth Dan Wesson is a Vigil CCO chambered in .45. If you aren't used to stout recoil, you will not enjoy the TCP in .45.