Dan Wesson Valor
- Thread starter sparrow
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The Valor used to be the top of the DW line-up and is a very nice firearm. Excellent fit & finish, clean lines, & decent trigger. The only thing I wasn't fond of were the sights.
Now the rub; the current asking prices are a little out of line IMO. In 2015 it was a $2K gun competing with the Springfield TRP and an easy pick. Now, it's $2800 (Armseast) which is firmly in Les Baer territory. If it was my money I'd buy a Baer Premier II and save a couple hundred dollars.
Now the rub; the current asking prices are a little out of line IMO. In 2015 it was a $2K gun competing with the Springfield TRP and an easy pick. Now, it's $2800 (Armseast) which is firmly in Les Baer territory. If it was my money I'd buy a Baer Premier II and save a couple hundred dollars.
I have a Bruin which has the same level of fitting and finishing as the Valor (but with the features of the Silverback). It is a phenomenal package. I was quite surprised actually. Better machining tolerances and finishing would be hard to attain at anything close to the price imo. Very clean 4lb trigger. Custom shops will build you a better and lighter trigger for a lot more money but for a factory package, its as good as it gets.
You can order them new at Wanstalls for $2100cad. This is in line with the US pricing as I have seen them in the US from $1400-1800usd depending on variant. $2100-2200cad is pretty reasonable considering most mid-range 1911s are around $1500cad these days.
You can order them new at Wanstalls for $2100cad. This is in line with the US pricing as I have seen them in the US from $1400-1800usd depending on variant. $2100-2200cad is pretty reasonable considering most mid-range 1911s are around $1500cad these days.
May be going up if you look at North Sylva's last post concerning the DW line. Nice guns, but no longer worth the asking price up here. I wonder if IRG or ##### could bring them in for $2k or so - then I'd say go for it. Edit: Looks like Gdawg knows where to look. For $2100 I'd say go for it.
The only firearms we don't get heavily marked up here is some of the European stuff. With the current exchange rate Pardini, FWB, Matchguns, Walther etc. target guns are actually a better price up here than the States. Same with Anschutz rifles and the X-Series Sig guns.
NS as the distributor includes a ridiculous mark up on their Canadian MSRP, but you'll notice all the dealers (the competitive ones anyway) will sell for far less.
Also Armseast is typically very competitive and the Valors on their sight are out of stock so I suspect they are just listing the distributors MSRP
As others have already mentioned, Dan Wesson makes an outstanding 1911. A small production shop than occupies a unique niche between full-on custom shops like Wilson, Nighthawk, Baer, etc. And the mass market produces like Colt and Springfield.
The Valor is, and always has been, the flagship model but all DWs are built to th same standard and have the same internal components.
I will agreee that years ago, back when I bought my first Valor, the DW line was an outstanding value. The level of quality for the price was unmatched by anything on the market. Today, with the Canadian dollar not fairing as well against the US buck, they are noticeably pricier here. But still worth the investment.
That is, as long as you buy one from the US and avoid the extortionist Canadian distributor!
Since being bought by CZ, DW has increased their pricing but even though the are more expensive now (even in the States), they still are very much worth the investment. Just not at the prices the Canadian distributor is demanding.
IRG has a decent selection on their US website. Definitely worth having a look. Or, if you don’t mind a little more paperwork and time, buy one on gun broker and have IRG or Prophet River import it for you.
The Valor is, and always has been, the flagship model but all DWs are built to th same standard and have the same internal components.
I will agreee that years ago, back when I bought my first Valor, the DW line was an outstanding value. The level of quality for the price was unmatched by anything on the market. Today, with the Canadian dollar not fairing as well against the US buck, they are noticeably pricier here. But still worth the investment.
That is, as long as you buy one from the US and avoid the extortionist Canadian distributor!
Since being bought by CZ, DW has increased their pricing but even though the are more expensive now (even in the States), they still are very much worth the investment. Just not at the prices the Canadian distributor is demanding.
IRG has a decent selection on their US website. Definitely worth having a look. Or, if you don’t mind a little more paperwork and time, buy one on gun broker and have IRG or Prophet River import it for you.
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