Colt v. Dan Wesson

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BarryLee

New member
Ok, I realize it may come down to personal preference, but I am still interested in your opinions.

I’m considering the purchase of a new 1911 probably in the $1000 to $1300 range. Initially I was pretty set on a Colt XSE, but have recently been looking at the Dan Wesson Heritage. On paper they seem similar and the price points are also pretty close. The Colt is a classic and the brand most closely identified with the 1911, but the Dan Wesson seems to get a lot of good reviews.

So, any opinions either way? Anything else I should consider? I currently own a stock Springfield Armory GI Model, so no need for anything in that range.
 
A couple years ago I faced a similar choice. I chose the Colt Gold Cup Trophy. I'm not sure exactly why except I guess I was just biased towards the Colt.
 
I like Colts but I like Dan Wessons better. The Heritage will run a couple of hundred dollars more than the Colt XSE. For that you get a better fitted handgun and a bit better internal parts. That doesn't mean today's Colt is "loose" or that they use bad parts. IIRC, Colt has three MIM parts and a polymer mainspring housing. The Heritage has neither.

Both companies have good reputations for service. I recently needed service on a recent Dan Wesson purchase and they re-cut the barrel ramp (the main issue), tuned the extractor, and swapped out mags within a week.

One big difference is the trigger pull. The Colts I have purchased and tried in recent years have about a six to six and a half pound trigger pull with a bit of grittiness that works itself out with shooting. The Dan Wessons all have clean, crisp trigger breaks at about four to four and a half pounds. You can get a trigger job on the Colt for a reasonable price (some can do it themselves). But, it's one more thing to consider..
 
I own a DW Valor, but give your business to Colt, although the DOD will keep the military side of their business afloat, I'd hate for their 1911 product line to go the way of their revolver product line.
 
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I own a DW Valor, but give your business to Colt, although the DOD will keep the military side of their business afloat, I'd hate for their 1911 product line to go the way of their revolver product line.
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Wow, can't agree with this on ANY level. Colt continues to get what they deserve, cannot imagine why anyone would choose to funnel money toward a group that is clearly inept at business.

Especially if you are directing it away from another manufacturer that continues to show that they "get it" in Dan Wesson.

I also think the DW is a better handgun and made from better parts. I also believe it's better looking, but that is a very personal angle.
 
I own several Colts and several DWs. Colt makes a good gun, DW makes a better one in my opinion. I find the DWs to have very good triggers right out of the box. Not so with at least some of my Colts. Generally I think the fit and finish on the DWs is better than the Colts.

I like Colts, but given the choice will always go with a DW over a Colt any time.
 
The scuttlebutt would say that the Valor is better, but I am hesitant because Dan Wesson is a CZ product and I find CZ a bit overrated online vs. my own personal experience/observations. As a counterpoint, Colt seems to be run by the managerial equivalent of rhesus monkeys.

That being said the Valor seems to be a truly wonderful pistol by all accounts and the one I held seemed really nice. I'd go Valor. If I went Colt I'd go Series 70.

I think either way you're probably going to get a pretty nice gun. We're spoiled for choice these days.
 
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Hate to follow the crowd, but I agree, the DW is the better option. Better pistol to start with and better service too. I have two DWs, both prior to the sale to CZ, but I have shot several of the more recent offerings and they are very well made.
 
Okay... The Valor and the Heritage are at either end of the Dan Wesson line. Heritage may be the lowest price 1911 they offer and the Valor is at or near the top, maybe?

Meh, either is a better buy than the Colt. ;)
 
I've owned a couple Dan Wessons and a bunch of Colts over many years. Colt builds a quality gun, but I wouldn't hesitate to buy the DW. The overall DW build quality, i.e. precision fit of quality components, finish and trigger quality are just at a higher level than Colt's IMHO. I have owned more Colts than all other manufacturers combined, but I would still pay more for a Dan Wesson. Of course, some will have nothing but a Colt. It doesn't matter that another manufacturer's pistol may have a finer finish, better trigger, a more precise fit of component parts, etc. The Colt must be better,,,,,because it's a Colt. ymmv
 
Wow, can't agree with this on ANY level. Colt continues to get what they deserve, cannot imagine why anyone would choose to funnel money toward a group that is clearly inept at business.

Especially if you are directing it away from another manufacturer that continues to show that they "get it" in Dan Wesson.

I also think the DW is a better handgun and made from better parts. I also believe it's better looking, but that is a very personal angle.
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Again, my own DW Valor is staying with me. And back in the day a lot of pistolsmiths paid their mortgages from Colt 1911 repairs, nobody misses the collet-bushing guns, but these have all been fixed anyway.

However I'm very impressed with the 1911's that Colt is putting out these days, the examples I've seen of the Series 70 Gold Cup reissue guns have all been very nice, and these are good shooting guns in capable hands.
 
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Colts these days are great but the DW is a better out of the box gun at that price point. Even as you move up the Colt food chain to the Special Govt combat the valor is a better gun IMHO.
 
Even as you move up the Colt food chain to the Special Govt combat the valor is a better gun IMHO.
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From a Ransom Rest the Valor is probably a little more accurate than a Colt Special Combat Government model in .45 ACP. But I used to shoot with a guy that had a Special Combat Gov't, it was hard chromed with adjustable sights in .38 Super with a little extra gunsmith work on it, i.e., this was converted to Series 70, reliability tuned, 2-1/2 lb glass rod break trigger, EGW angle-bore bushing, and other stuff, but this is standard stuff for a really excellent 1911 range gun. And he could certainly shoot dime sized groups with that gun, I could usually hold my own but he always cleaned my clock! And most good target work is all about the Indian and not the Bow & Arrow!
 
For me honestly at the $1600 price point I would not pick a Colt or a DW. In terms of accuracy it is never the guns fault in my hands. It is always on me. I am yet to actually encounter a gun that I can out shoot.

At the $1600 price range you are moving out of production guns into semi-custom guns. At $200+ it should be custom IMHO.

That said I still think that DW is the best production 1911 on the market.
 
I haven't fired a Dan Wesson, but I handled a PM7 and the tolerance is very tight, the build is robust, and the quality of parts is without question superior.

But I can tell you that my next 1911 will be a Colt, not a Dan Wesson. I have to have a Gold Cup National Match in Royal blue, even if it kills me.;)
 
Started shooting at a very early age, younger than 10. 70 years ago most of what we see on the market now didn't exist. I don't own a Colt firearm, may never own one. The reason being some of my current 1911's appeal to me more than Colt's offerings. I own a Springfield Range Officer 9mm, a STI 9mm, a DW Guardian 9mm and a couple of SIG .45's. Currently, I'm shooting SIG X-Series, Witness, CZ, Grand Power and HK more than my other guns. But, I keep thinking a STI 2011 would be nice; and a....................... would also be nice to own and shoot (fill in the blank). m/b a Colt, but it would be model specific, if I discovered one I liked.
 
Sevens said:
Wow, can't agree with this on ANY level. Colt continues to get what they deserve, cannot imagine why anyone would choose to funnel money toward a group that is clearly inept at business.
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What do you think Colt "deserves"? Considering that Colt's manufacturing (the civilian, 1911 side of the business) sells every gun they make without investing heavily in full-page ads in every gun magazine in the known universe (a la Kimber), it's difficult to understand how they could be labeled "inept."

I think your prejudices are showing.
 
For me honestly at the $1600 price point I would not pick a Colt or a DW. In terms of accuracy it is never the guns fault in my hands. It is always on me. I am yet to actually encounter a gun that I can out shoot.

At the $1600 price range you are moving out of production guns into semi-custom guns. At $200+ it should be custom IMHO.

That said I still think that DW is the best production 1911 on the market.
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Agree 100%. There is a LN Les Baer Premier II sitting in an LGS's gun case for $1,400.00, and I think that's the best 1911 for $1,400.00 that I know of. But that hard chromed Colt Special Combat Government in .38 Super would be mine if I could get this guy to sell it to me for the price I want to pay for it!
 
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