Quack
Member
Happy Sunday everyone.
(photo's taken with a Nikon D300, 90mm Macro lens and ring-flash)
I managed to have to some time this morning to detail strip my DW Guardian #51. I bought the Guardian because I like to have similar guns to the .45ACP 1911's that i have. I was thinking of a few options to do this, such as building one from a Fusion frame kit, buying a STI Ranger II then bob-tailing it, or having the Springfield Custom Shop build one for me. Before I made up my mind, the Guardian was announced and that sealed the deal.
The Guardian is a bob-tailed Commander length 1911 with a forged alloy frame. The frame finish is hardcoat anodize, which is similar to the finish of AR-15's. The slide is forged stainless steel with Dan Wesson's new "Duty" coat finish. The Duty finish is supposed to be a ceramic type coating, but Dan Wesson remains secret about their Duty Treatment. In person, the color of the Duty coat and Hardcoat are pretty close, but in pictures show a variance due to the Hardcoat being a little more porous.
The front strap had 25lpi checkering, which provides a secure grip. While i prefer 20lpi, the 25lpi is better than the 30lpi that i had on my Kimber.
In this photo, you can also see that DW uses Check-Mate mags, which 2 are included with the Guardian.
The fit is on the top end of "Production" guns, though some place the Dan Wesson's in "Semi-Custom" territory, wherever you want to place it DW did a great job.
The sight's are Novak cut sights that I believe are made by Champion/Kensight, which is the same company that Brown and Baer use. The rear dot's are yellow instead of the typical green. While i will replace the rear sight with a 10-8, the yellow appear's slightly dimmer than the green front dot. This effect is due to the color spectrum, with the human eye picking up green easier.
The slide stop has a nice shelf on it for those that use it as a slide release. It can be easily manipulated by a right-handed shooter's thumb.
I'm not sure if they make their grip safety or have it made for them. It is similar to the Ed Brown grip safety, but the beavertail itself is slightly thicker than the one on my Kobra Carry. You can see in this photo that the rear sight has a gap between the frame. It doesn't bother me since i'll replace the rear sight anyway.
On thing that i noticed is that DW marked the MSH to the gun it was fit to. Unlike other manufacturer's that scribe the number's onto the parts, DW etches them. This shows the attention to detail when they build a gun.
(photo's taken with a Nikon D300, 90mm Macro lens and ring-flash)
I managed to have to some time this morning to detail strip my DW Guardian #51. I bought the Guardian because I like to have similar guns to the .45ACP 1911's that i have. I was thinking of a few options to do this, such as building one from a Fusion frame kit, buying a STI Ranger II then bob-tailing it, or having the Springfield Custom Shop build one for me. Before I made up my mind, the Guardian was announced and that sealed the deal.
The Guardian is a bob-tailed Commander length 1911 with a forged alloy frame. The frame finish is hardcoat anodize, which is similar to the finish of AR-15's. The slide is forged stainless steel with Dan Wesson's new "Duty" coat finish. The Duty finish is supposed to be a ceramic type coating, but Dan Wesson remains secret about their Duty Treatment. In person, the color of the Duty coat and Hardcoat are pretty close, but in pictures show a variance due to the Hardcoat being a little more porous.
The front strap had 25lpi checkering, which provides a secure grip. While i prefer 20lpi, the 25lpi is better than the 30lpi that i had on my Kimber.
In this photo, you can also see that DW uses Check-Mate mags, which 2 are included with the Guardian.
The fit is on the top end of "Production" guns, though some place the Dan Wesson's in "Semi-Custom" territory, wherever you want to place it DW did a great job.
The sight's are Novak cut sights that I believe are made by Champion/Kensight, which is the same company that Brown and Baer use. The rear dot's are yellow instead of the typical green. While i will replace the rear sight with a 10-8, the yellow appear's slightly dimmer than the green front dot. This effect is due to the color spectrum, with the human eye picking up green easier.
The slide stop has a nice shelf on it for those that use it as a slide release. It can be easily manipulated by a right-handed shooter's thumb.
I'm not sure if they make their grip safety or have it made for them. It is similar to the Ed Brown grip safety, but the beavertail itself is slightly thicker than the one on my Kobra Carry. You can see in this photo that the rear sight has a gap between the frame. It doesn't bother me since i'll replace the rear sight anyway.
On thing that i noticed is that DW marked the MSH to the gun it was fit to. Unlike other manufacturer's that scribe the number's onto the parts, DW etches them. This shows the attention to detail when they build a gun.
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