I thought that some people might be interested in this pistol since it’s on of the few 1911s with an optics cut from the factory. Better yet, it’s a very reputable manufacturer, and I have 2 other Specialists in calibers that are thought to be less reliable but are doing pretty well all things considered.
So, this gun uses a plate system and the gun comes with a standard height rear sight plate with standard height from sights. The rear plate can be swapped for any number of standard footprints such as RMR, DocOptic, ACRO, etc. Each plate has an optics cut to mount rear irons behind the optic but the front sight height will need to be r et placed depending on the intended red dot. DW has a chart for recommended front sight heights with different plates.
Fit and finish are on par with my other specialists. That means a slight step down from WC, EB, or a TRP Pro. Accuracy and recoil were identical to this manufacturers. I fired 100 rounds of 230 grain AE with no FTF or FTE. It passed a 10-8 extractor test with flying colors.
Interestingly, I had a series of failures to lock back the slide with 2 Wilson ETM mags at the 20-round mark. These mags would also struggle to lock back the slide when hand cycling it, and would drop the slide on ejecting the mag when locked back. This only occurred with 2 of the Wilson ETMs; a 3rd ETM and all other mags had no trouble with the slide. Moreover, the problem vanished after the first cleaning at 30-rounds. It didn’t recur. I’m unsure if this is a true failure with the gun since it had strong lock-back with the factory (Tripp?) mags and only briefly occurred with an aftermarket mag, albeit a generally high quality after market mag.
Accuracy seems to be on par for DW. I spent most of the 100 rounds clearing a plate rack at 20 yards. I’ll do more formal accuracy testing in the coming weeks as I get past the 500-round break-in period that DW advertises. Once that is complete, I’ll probably add an ACRO and new front sights.
Total Rounds Fired:
-100 Federal 230 grain AE
FTF 0; FTE 0; Passed 10-8 Extractor Test
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Originally Posted by NPV
