By: Friedrich Seiltgen
Copyright © 2023
DAN WESSON FIREARMS
Dan Wesson firearms began in 1852 when Daniel B. Wesson’s great-grandfather, D. B. Wesson, co-founded Smith & Wesson. One-hundred years later, carrying on the family heritage of firearms innovation, Dan Wesson founded Wesson Firearms Co., Inc in 1968. With a goal of making the world’s best revolver straight out of the box and a reputation for perfectionism, Wesson developed the Model 12, .357 Magnum. Soon after, Dan Wesson produced the model 15 and model 715, which revolutionized the world of revolvers with their switch barrel design and the ability for consumers to change barrel lengths from their own homes.
The father of modern silhouette shooting, Elgin Gates, once accurately said of Wesson: “He was one of the great men of the firearms industry and of his time; one of those individuals who made things happen, who kept the handgun world honest because he built the best guns that brains and material could turn out. Because of that, the others dared not do less.” Indeed, Wesson set the standard for quality revolvers with the 1977 release of the Large Frame 44 Magnum, followed by the 1982 SuperMag frame series. In 1996, almost twenty years after Wesson’s death, Robert Serva purchased the company and moved its factory to Norwich, New York. It was there that Dan Wesson developed its first 1911 in 2000, changing the brand’s future.
In 2005, Dan Wesson was acquired by CZ-USA, and the brand took off as the standard for quality, American-made 1911s. In the following decades, Dan Wesson produced some of the finest 1911 handguns on the market, including staples such as the Pointman, Heirloom, and the 10mm Specialist. As Dan Wesson looks to a future of growth and expansion, the innovative tomorrow of firearm technology and design waits.
THE DWX FRAME
The DWX is a mélange of 1911 and CZ. The CZ-75 profile frame features a 1911 style ambidextrous manual safety, a 1911 grip safety, and standard ambidextrous safety with a 1913 Picatinny rail for lights and lasers.
Improved grip features include 25 LPI mainspring housing and checkering with a flat housing, plus a textured front strap on the frame. Other features include a Commander-style square hammer, Flat K-style trigger, and aluminum hand grips.
THE SLIDE & BARREL
The front sight is a fiber optic 1911 style dovetail, while the rear is a CZ Shadow 2 style with a serrated rear face which lessens glare. The slide has forward serrations for a solid purchase for manipulation and press checks, and the DWX features a match-grade 4.95-inch barrel.
SPECIFICATIONS
Type: Hammer Fired, Semi-Automatic, single action
Caliber: 9 x 19 mm
Magazine capacity: 19 Rounds
Sights: Adjustable Rear, Fiber optic front
Barrel Length: 4.95 Inches
Overall Length: 8.5 Inches
Height: 5.85 Inches
Width: 1.5 Inches
Weight: 45 Ounces
MSRP: $2,099
URL: www.danwessonfirearms.com
THE VERDICT
The DWX feeds from available CZ 19 round P-09, and P-10 magazines and components from 1911 and CZ are available for further customization.
Go to www.danwessonfirearms.com for more information and stop by your dealer to check this out.
That’s all for now, folks! Please keep sending in your questions, tips, and article ideas. And as always – “Let’s Be Careful Out There.”
Friedrich Seiltgen is a retired Master Police Officer with 20 years of service with the Orlando Police Department. He conducts training in Lone Wolf Terrorism Counterstrategies, Firearms, and Active Shooter Response. His writing has appeared in RECOIL, Soldier of Fortune, The Counter Terrorist Magazine, American Thinker, Homeland Security Today, and The Journal of Counterterrorism & Homeland Security International. Contact him at [email protected].