- Location
- Southeastern Michigan
Fred is my new Dan Wesson pistol. Why, Fred? A friend has the same pistol but it is a bobtail and called “Bob.” Fred is a stainless steel Commander sized 10mm pistol and hold 8 rounds plus one in the chamber. Dan Wesson semiautomatic pistols are handmade with only 10 leaving the factory per day.
I took the new pistol to the range yesterday along with my Glock 21 sporting its 10mm barrel. The Glock was the first pistol shot. I did this because I was sure shooting the single action Dan Wesson would effect my firing of the Glock. Yes, the trigger on the Dan Wesson is that much better and easier to use. The Glock has been prone to jams when other shooters fired it but I have never had a problem. Fate reared her ugly head and I had bobbles when I fired the Glock from a bench. I held the G21 in a strangle hold and the troubles disappeared. Off hand all shots went into a grapefruit sized hole at 10 yards.
Fred was next and Fred is cutting new teeth. What do I mean by this? The Dan Wesson suffered from repeated jams during the session. It ejected the spent rounds but the next round ran straight into the feed ramp and stayed there. The jams were annoying but easily cleared. The ammo used was 180gr CCI Blazer and loads put together using new brass. In both cases, the bullets were flat nosed and that may be the cause. When I purchased the Dan Wesson the gunsmith said if I have problems to bring it back and the glitches are easily corrected. I plan to shoot another 150 rounds through the Dan Wesson and see if the problems go away, if not, I will return it.
This Dan Wesson was made in 2004 and it is beautifully made with few faults. The trigger pull is on a par with a custom trigger but there are sharp edges on it. I will have them removed. The slide stop does not always land in the opening for it on the slide; many times, it only catches a little position of the opening. The rest of the pistol has a carry bevel and nice grips. The main spring housing is flat and I intend to change that to an arched one. Fred has Novak night sights and Novak sights work very well with my vision.
It is now time for how Fred did on the targets. Forget the jams, this is the most accurate pistol I have ever fired at 10 yards. Off the bench, Fred produced a single hole, 1” group. Fred’s match barrel and fine trigger pull are the main reason for its stellar groups.
I want to say that the 10mm round produces recoil and it is not for an occasional shooter. If you become used to its recoil it is a top performer. I have a lot of respect for the 10mm and I would not hesitate to use it for whitetail deer or if necessary bear defense. Once Fred’s teething problems are gone, it will be among my favorite handguns.
Lastly, I talked to Dan Wesson and the informed me they would fit a 45acp slide and barrel to Fred for about $365 and do it in a two-week period. This is food for thought.
Regards,
Richard
I took the new pistol to the range yesterday along with my Glock 21 sporting its 10mm barrel. The Glock was the first pistol shot. I did this because I was sure shooting the single action Dan Wesson would effect my firing of the Glock. Yes, the trigger on the Dan Wesson is that much better and easier to use. The Glock has been prone to jams when other shooters fired it but I have never had a problem. Fate reared her ugly head and I had bobbles when I fired the Glock from a bench. I held the G21 in a strangle hold and the troubles disappeared. Off hand all shots went into a grapefruit sized hole at 10 yards.
Fred was next and Fred is cutting new teeth. What do I mean by this? The Dan Wesson suffered from repeated jams during the session. It ejected the spent rounds but the next round ran straight into the feed ramp and stayed there. The jams were annoying but easily cleared. The ammo used was 180gr CCI Blazer and loads put together using new brass. In both cases, the bullets were flat nosed and that may be the cause. When I purchased the Dan Wesson the gunsmith said if I have problems to bring it back and the glitches are easily corrected. I plan to shoot another 150 rounds through the Dan Wesson and see if the problems go away, if not, I will return it.
This Dan Wesson was made in 2004 and it is beautifully made with few faults. The trigger pull is on a par with a custom trigger but there are sharp edges on it. I will have them removed. The slide stop does not always land in the opening for it on the slide; many times, it only catches a little position of the opening. The rest of the pistol has a carry bevel and nice grips. The main spring housing is flat and I intend to change that to an arched one. Fred has Novak night sights and Novak sights work very well with my vision.
It is now time for how Fred did on the targets. Forget the jams, this is the most accurate pistol I have ever fired at 10 yards. Off the bench, Fred produced a single hole, 1” group. Fred’s match barrel and fine trigger pull are the main reason for its stellar groups.
I want to say that the 10mm round produces recoil and it is not for an occasional shooter. If you become used to its recoil it is a top performer. I have a lot of respect for the 10mm and I would not hesitate to use it for whitetail deer or if necessary bear defense. Once Fred’s teething problems are gone, it will be among my favorite handguns.
Lastly, I talked to Dan Wesson and the informed me they would fit a 45acp slide and barrel to Fred for about $365 and do it in a two-week period. This is food for thought.
Regards,
Richard
