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I have been wanting to add a 9mm 1911 commander to my carry fleet. I originally was going to purchase a DW Guardian 9mm from a member on my local gun forum, but he backed out of the deal at the last minute. That turned out to be a blessing in disguise, as I found this new Valkyrie at my LGS. The Valkyrie is a discontinued model, so I was able to get it for about the same price as a new Guardian, even though it normally sells for hundreds more.
The frame is lightweight alloy, so the gun is lightweight and carries very well. It doesn't have the bobtail like the Guardian, but you can see in the photos that the grip is slightly rounded which helps reduce printing. The fit and finish on this gun is simply outstanding. There is literally NO slide-to-frame movement; the gun feels like it was carved out of a single piece of billet. The duty finish is flawless, and the G-10 slimline grips cause the gun to fit my hand just right. I now understand why Dan Wesson 1911's are so sought-after.
Because of the very tight tolerances, the manual has a very specific break-in schedule to follow for the first 500 rounds: Shoot 50 rounds then field strip and clean, 50 rounds then field strip and clean, etc. They also recommend only round-nose FMJ ammo be used during the break-in (no Hollow Points). The manual also says that, because of the tight tolerances, one should expect to experience malfunctions (mainly slide-related, not going fully into battery, etc) during the break-in period. So it was with some trepidation that I took it to the range for the first time, expecting malfunctions, etc. I was very pleasantly surprised that I actually experienced NO malfunctions at all. I cheated and fired 75 rounds instead of 50 before field-strip and cleaning. The gun was dead-nuts accurate (requires a 6 o'clock hold) and performed flawlessly; a pure joy to shoot.
I am very pleased with this purchase. Once broken in, it will be one of the primary guns in my carry rotation.
See this link for specs and full details:
http://danwessonfirearms.com/product...rie-commander/
The frame is lightweight alloy, so the gun is lightweight and carries very well. It doesn't have the bobtail like the Guardian, but you can see in the photos that the grip is slightly rounded which helps reduce printing. The fit and finish on this gun is simply outstanding. There is literally NO slide-to-frame movement; the gun feels like it was carved out of a single piece of billet. The duty finish is flawless, and the G-10 slimline grips cause the gun to fit my hand just right. I now understand why Dan Wesson 1911's are so sought-after.
Because of the very tight tolerances, the manual has a very specific break-in schedule to follow for the first 500 rounds: Shoot 50 rounds then field strip and clean, 50 rounds then field strip and clean, etc. They also recommend only round-nose FMJ ammo be used during the break-in (no Hollow Points). The manual also says that, because of the tight tolerances, one should expect to experience malfunctions (mainly slide-related, not going fully into battery, etc) during the break-in period. So it was with some trepidation that I took it to the range for the first time, expecting malfunctions, etc. I was very pleasantly surprised that I actually experienced NO malfunctions at all. I cheated and fired 75 rounds instead of 50 before field-strip and cleaning. The gun was dead-nuts accurate (requires a 6 o'clock hold) and performed flawlessly; a pure joy to shoot.
I am very pleased with this purchase. Once broken in, it will be one of the primary guns in my carry rotation.
See this link for specs and full details:
http://danwessonfirearms.com/product...rie-commander/
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