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mustang69

A couple new 1911's for the collection

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Living in free America (New Hampshire) has provided me a couple of opportunities to add to the collection while I've also refocused on what I collect.  Two new acquisitions since moving here include the following:

The first is a Dan Wesson Valor Commander in Stainless. I walked into the FFL I use up here and it was in the display cabinet.  Someone bought it a couple months ago from Buds and needed to sell it after never taking it out of the case.  Brand new, never shot, still had the tags on it.  Listed for $1100, I offered $1000 and they took it.  Street price for these have come down since DW is discontinuing the model but I still think I stole this!   I can't say enough nice things about this handgun.  I have no idea how they machined it out of a single block of steel, but the fit is so close to perfect I can't imagine how they did it any other way.  Fantastic shooter at the range.  It just felt "right".  I especially like that DW doesn't make the slide into a billboard.  Nice and clean.  At the range my 5-shot groupings were one big hole at 10 yards when I did my part.

The second is a Rock Island in .22TCM that also came with a 9mm conversion barrel.  I've only shot the .22TCM barrel, and boy is it fun.  Think .22lr recoil with .44mag muzzle blast.  After the first mag I had all the range officers asking me what the hell I was shooting since they never saw one before.  The cartridge is a bottle-nose - think 9mm case necked down to a .22lr bullet.  That's not how it's made but that's how it looks.   The downside of it though is it needs to go back to RIA - failure to feeds on rounds 4 & 5 on every mag where the slide wouldn't completely strip the next round from the mag and return to battery.  The recoil spring feels ridiculously light, almost like the wrong one was installed at the factory.  Not the best groupings either at the range.  I have other RIA 1911's that are excellent shooters so I'm hoping this one can be sorted out.

I love my 1911's...

Dan Wesson Valor.JPG

1911 .22tcm.JPG

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4 hours ago, Ray Ray said:

Try the 9mm barrel in the RIA and see if it still has issues.  I like the idea of the 22 TCM, I just don't know what it could do gooder than say a 9mm or 40 S&W.

Precisely. 

When i shot it when RIA came out with TCM at Shot, I asked, what’s the point? The answer was... why not? 

It was an attempt at a new caliber in the popular let’s take an existing round and neck size it down to get more velocity, aka 357 Sig, and others.

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1 hour ago, Maksim said:

Precisely. 

When i shot it when RIA came out with TCM at Shot, I asked, what’s the point? The answer was... why not? 

It was an attempt at a new caliber in the popular let’s take an existing round and neck size it down to get more velocity, aka 357 Sig, and others.

Yeah, It is supposed to have very similar characteristics compared to the FN 5.7x28

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21 minutes ago, carl_g said:

Yeah, It is supposed to have very similar characteristics compared to the FN 5.7x28

Ah yes, that brings it up.

They wanted the feel of 5.7 but at a lower cost and better availability to both produce and let you reload.

With 5.7 I know there was a big ammo shortgage after some of it was banned as armor piercing.  Not sure the ammo situation today.

I will say, from what I do remember, I really did not like, er rather enjoy shooting TCM and much preferred it in 9mm and 45. 

For a novelty caliber... I enjoy 45 GAP. lol.

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3 hours ago, Ray Ray said:

Wasn't that your first gun?  If I remember 

Spot on.

So second new gun I bought was a Glock 37.

But the first gun I owned, was the one my brother gave me, the Springfield XD in 45GAP.  Was rusted out from humidity as others XDs were, so sent in and they refinished the slide.  Joy to shoot, especially with 230 grain reloads. 

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5 hours ago, Maksim said:

Precisely. 

When i shot it when RIA came out with TCM at Shot, I asked, what’s the point? The answer was... why not? 

It was an attempt at a new caliber in the popular let’s take an existing round and neck size it down to get more velocity, aka 357 Sig, and others.

The novelty is exactly why I got it.  I already have 9mm, 22lr and .45acp 1911's (more than a few of each, actually).  Shooting the .22tcm is unique to say the least.  When you compare the felt recoil against the barrel blast, the two just don't seem to fit together but here they are.  If I were a long-distance handgun shooter the round might make sense in that respect since it's a fast, flat trajectory with 2000fps from a 5" barrel.  For me it's a novelty.  Something different to take to the range once in a while.  The whole reason I got the setup with the 9mm barrel was in case RIA ever discontinues making the ammo.  They're the only ones that make the round so far.  Yes I could reload but it's not like brass is readily available for it either. 

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2 minutes ago, mustang69 said:

The novelty is exactly why I got it.  I already have 9mm, 22lr and .45acp 1911's (more than a few of each, actually).  Shooting the .22tcm is unique to say the least.  When you compare the felt recoil against the barrel blast, the two just don't seem to fit together but here they are.  If I were a long-distance handgun shooter the round might make sense in that respect since it's a fast, flat trajectory with 2000fps from a 5" barrel.  For me it's a novelty.  Something different to take to the range once in a while.  The whole reason I got the setup with the 9mm barrel was in case RIA ever discontinues making the ammo.  They're the only ones that make the round so far.  Yes I could reload but it's not like brass is readily available for it either. 

Any issues finding ammo?  Have not followed back up on the support. 

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Just now, Maksim said:

Any issues finding ammo?  Have not followed back up on the support. 

Actually, yes.  I bought 300 rounds a couple months ago and have been cycling through that.  Went to buy more and it seems to be out of stock everywhere.  My distributor said RIA makes it once a year, and when it's gone it's tough luck until the next batch.  Prices seem to fluctuate as it gets scarce too.  I've seen it advertised from $16 to $25 for a box of 40 grain JHP.

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31 minutes ago, Maksim said:

Do you reload? 

If they make it once a year, that is pretty scary. 

I havent gotten into reloading.  Maybe in retirement.  At this point i think getting brass would be tough.  I wouldn't reload used because i saw too many split throats on my used brass.  You can supposedly make cases from 5.56 brass but that seems like a lot of work.

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9 hours ago, shooter28 said:

Is DW discontinuing the Valor line or just in SS? I’ve always thought the Valor was a beautiful 1911 and is on the list of things to pick up. 

I was told the entire Valor line has been discontinued.  Dan Wesson web site lists the entire Valor line as "Limited Production/Discontinued".  Supposedly because it is too expensive to produce with all the hand-fitting.  I've seen them priced around $1250-$1300 which seems like a hell of a deal given what you get.  I've had Kimbers and Springfields that cost more.

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17 minutes ago, mustang69 said:

I was told the entire Valor line has been discontinued.  Dan Wesson web site lists the entire Valor line as "Limited Production/Discontinued".  Supposedly because it is too expensive to produce with all the hand-fitting.  I've seen them priced around $1250-$1300 which seems like a hell of a deal given what you get.  I've had Kimbers and Springfields that cost more.

Dang. I was looking around after I read this and saw that the Commander line was being discontinued. I saw those prices around what you mentioned. The full size 5" models still seem to be hovering around $1700

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49 minutes ago, mustang69 said:

I was told the entire Valor line has been discontinued.  Dan Wesson web site lists the entire Valor line as "Limited Production/Discontinued".  Supposedly because it is too expensive to produce with all the hand-fitting.  I've seen them priced around $1250-$1300 which seems like a hell of a deal given what you get.  I've had Kimbers and Springfields that cost more.

The issue is... Smith and Wesson can produce the Pro series in that price range.

Really with Dan Wesson, I believe the big issue is that outside of core gun owners, the typical gun owner, or new gun owner has never heard of Dan Wesson.  

The other aspect is, while I love the look of the Dan Wessons, the last few I played with at Shot Show... I would not say the fit and finish was up to par with my perception of Dan Wesson.  

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