Dan Wesson DWX: The Mother Thread

[Douglee25]

That DWX is intense! 

[Ajohnson15]

21 hours ago, pumpedTSI said:

That pistol looks great.....congrats! The only other "issue" when the gun has an optic mounted is the extractor pin...it needs to be shortened since it now contacts the bottom of the optic base or plate if you have one. This means the optic needs removed to remove the optic...PITA. I actually drilled a relief hole in my optic mounting plate to allow the pin to pass thru into the plate, this means while I still need to remove the optic to remove the pin, now I dont need to also remove the plate. I probably wont remove/change the extractor but once a year so its probably ok.

Now that I have cut the slide the balance is very good and it transitions well for a full size gun.....very controllable and very accurate.

Extractor will last a good 50k, spring might could use the occasional replacement every 10 or 20 though. 

[Seakphotog]

18 hours ago, Douglee25 said:

That DWX is intense! 

Thanks!

[Seakphotog]

Here are the indoor range results with the CZC-DWX today. First target standing 10 yards, 20 rounds at my natural cadence of about a round/second. Still getting used to the gun. Flyer is my fault. Second target standing 50 rounds at 50ft. Still natural cadence. The 2 in the 8 ring on the right are before a dot adjustment. The 8 ring on the left was just my 60 year old central nervous system going haywire. The 3 low shots were me getting tired and dropping them. So, at 50ft, it's better than I am and comparable to my other CZs and 2011s. I'm sure I can tighten that up some once I get used to it and square away the dot a bit. I'll compare it to the Bul, TS2 Green, TSO and S2 Orange at 50ft over the weekend.

 

I also went to outdoor public range in the pouring down rain this morning. I rightly fugured I'd have the place to myself. Shot 4 and 6 inch plates at 10 yards to see how the DWX felt. Shot it side by side with my Bul Air for kicks. Had fun. No issues going fast (fast for me, anyway), doing doubles, etc. I'm just using range ammo - Ammo Inc 115 and 124 gr TMC stuff and also some Fiocchi (am I the only one who thinks Fiocchi is very soft shooting ammo?). Not sure I felt much of an advantage with the chunked/comped barrel - at least between these 2 guns with this ammo. The Bul is heavy with a polymer grip and shoots soft to begin with. I could certainly feel the difference in polymer grip vs steel grip. The DWX felt snappier, but I don't really think it was - recoil seems pretty tame.  Next time, I'll shoot the DWX next to my TS2 Green and S2 Orange to compare them.

 

So, today, I put 350 rounds of mosty Ammo Inc 115 and 124 thru the CZC-DWX. No malfunctions. The trigger is much improved over the stock version. I did notice the disconnector feels a little gritty, so I'll be looking into that soon. Accuracy is at least good so far. I was worried the chunk/comp might cause issues, but all seemed well - groups were more consistent than me, and I didn't notice any key holing or anything else crazy like flyers.

 

 Did the chunk/comp work well or at all? Yeah, it worked a bit with the range ammo I was using. Would I do it again? Probably not the chunk/comp but for sure the action job, slide cuts and tapped mag release with S2 paddle.

 

How noisy is it? Not bad at all, inside or out.

 

How does it stack up against the $2650 Bul Air? Well, the Bul has a nicer fit - my slide has zero - I mean zero - play, and yep, it feels like it's on ball bearings. It's a very noticeable difference vs the CZC-DWX. After shooting them together, I've decided the Bul's trigger is a tad smoother/crisper/better fit. And I think my appreciation for polymer grips has increased - the Bul is soft shooting compared to the CZC-DWX.

 

 But man, having the CZ ergos/grip with the 2011 trigger is pretty dang nice. A hand fit, trigger tuned, "Orange" version of the DWX (with an optics plate) would be an instant buy for me. Dan Wesson really should do that and charge $2750/ just under $3000 if they could.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited April 6 by Seakphotog

[TactDadBod]

Just picked up a DWX, I’m considering the following so any help would be appreciated. Limited optics will be the division.

 

grips:

* Lok boogies with palm swell (short s2 ones for magwell) 

 

magwell:

* leaning towards the CZ tso option

    ~ will this fit in the Idpa box and will it accept 21 round mags with cz basepads?

 

trigger:

* red has to go, thinking I’ll stick with the black Dan Wesson

   ~ what options are there for diy YouTube gunsmiths to do trigger work? Egw ignition kit?

 

Slide:

* this is where I can use some help…            
   ~ being a competition gun I would like to delete the front site and port it or add a comp like the ghangis comp from moonson tactical but I’m uncertain who to use.
   ~ Any suggestions based on experience here would be great. 
 

holster:

* ghost p or red hill tactical

    ~ haven’t decided yet but feedback would be great.
* Ideally I would like to use my true north hanger.

 

Any direction on thumb test and mag release would be very welcomed. 

 

Any guidance on sources etc would also be appreciated.

 

So… if you could do it all over again, what would you do? 

Edited April 6 by TactDadBod

[BMSMB]

Thanks to a gentlemen on this forum, I'm also on team DWX now!

 

Ordered a blue trigger 2.5 weeks ago... but CZ-USA is taking their sweet time to ship it out.

[TactDadBod]

1 hour ago, BMSMB said:

Thanks to a gentlemen on this forum, I'm also on team DWX now!

 

Ordered a blue trigger 2.5 weeks ago... but CZ-USA is taking their sweet time to ship it out.

looks great! What grip and magwell combination are you running there? 

[BMSMB]

27 minutes ago, TactDadBod said:

looks great! What grip and magwell combination are you running there? 

Lok Jaws grips and I believe it's a tacsport magwell

[Seakphotog]

2 hours ago, BMSMB said:

Thanks to a gentlemen on this forum, I'm also on team DWX now!

 

Ordered a blue trigger 2.5 weeks ago... but CZ-USA is taking their sweet time to ship it out.

Nice!

[Seakphotog]

7 hours ago, TactDadBod said:

Just picked up a DWX, I’m considering the following so any help would be appreciated. Limited optics will be the division.

 

grips:

* Lok boogies with palm swell (short s2 ones for magwell) 

 

magwell:

* leaning towards the CZ tso option

    ~ will this fit in the Idpa box and will it accept 21 round mags with cz basepads?

 

trigger:

* red has to go, thinking I’ll stick with the black Dan Wesson

   ~ what options are there for diy YouTube gunsmiths to do trigger work? Egw ignition kit?

 

Slide:

* this is where I can use some help…            
   ~ being a competition gun I would like to delete the front site and port it or add a comp like the ghangis comp from moonson tactical but I’m uncertain who to use.
   ~ Any suggestions based on experience here would be great. 
 

holster:

* ghost p or red hill tactical

    ~ haven’t decided yet but feedback would be great.
* Ideally I would like to use my true north hanger.

 

Any direction on thumb test and mag release would be very welcomed. 

 

Any guidance on sources etc would also be appreciated.

 

So… if you could do it all over again, what would you do? 

Howdy, I put palm swells on every CZ. Can't help with magwell. As for the triggers, the internals are pretty much 1911/2011 so there are tons of YT vids that'd be helpful. CZC did my slide cuts and chunk port (they call it "Comp cut"). I don't yet notice a big advantage with the comp cut but haven't shot very hot stuff yet. Next time out I'll be trying some 9mmm NATO and Geco to see how it feels. If you use CZC for slide work, be prepared to wait for months (3, 4, 5? Mine took 5). Holster - pick your fave. My DWX fits perfectly in my Priorty 1 Bul Air (competion 2011) holster and my Ghost Hydra P Shadow 2 holster. Thumbrest may be difficult. Not many parts available for the DWX and I'm pretty sure the slide stop is proprietary, unless you're gonna drill and tap the frame then I've no idea what might be available. Mag release will have to be drilled and tapped. I have an extended Shadow 2 on mine and the reach is good. As for the optic cut, I had Stonebridge Gunworks do mine.

 

Have fun!

[pumpedTSI]

On 4/2/2024 at 3:56 PM, Seakphotog said:

Yep, my safety was the same way. CZC made it right.

Sorry..........meant mag release...

[pumpedTSI]

On 4/3/2024 at 3:25 PM, Ajohnson15 said:

Extractor will last a good 50k, spring might could use the occasional replacement every 10 or 20 though. 

The "lasting" isnt my concern......its the crudding up behind the extractor lever......removal for cleaning is a chore...

[TactDadBod]

14 hours ago, Seakphotog said:

Howdy, I put palm swells on every CZ. Can't help with magwell. As for the triggers, the internals are pretty much 1911/2011 so there are tons of YT vids that'd be helpful. CZC did my slide cuts and chunk port (they call it "Comp cut"). I don't yet notice a big advantage with the comp cut but haven't shot very hot stuff yet. Next time out I'll be trying some 9mmm NATO and Geco to see how it feels. If you use CZC for slide work, be prepared to wait for months (3, 4, 5? Mine took 5). Holster - pick your fave. My DWX fits perfectly in my Priorty 1 Bul Air (competion 2011) holster and my Ghost Hydra P Shadow 2 holster. Thumbrest may be difficult. Not many parts available for the DWX and I'm pretty sure the slide stop is proprietary, unless you're gonna drill and tap the frame then I've no idea what might be available. Mag release will have to be drilled and tapped. I have an extended Shadow 2 on mine and the reach is good. As for the optic cut, I had Stonebridge Gunworks do mine.

 

Have fun!

Thanks. I appreciate the feedback, especially on the comp cut. 
 

Given the astronomical lead times for slide work I’ll probably just get the optic cut first and hopefully pick up the new Bul blast to compete with and then send this off. 
 

i appreciate your comparison of the DWX and air in an earlier post. 

[Seakphotog]

3 hours ago, TactDadBod said:

Thanks. I appreciate the feedback, especially on the comp cut. 
 

Given the astronomical lead times for slide work I’ll probably just get the optic cut first and hopefully pick up the new Bul blast to compete with and then send this off. 
 

i appreciate your comparison of the DWX and air in an earlier post. 

That's what I did re the optics cut then slide work. I had it cut first to see how I liked it then sent it to CZC for the additional work. If I was gonna do it again, I'd just send a new one straight to CZC and forget about it for a while

 

I'll post a comp effectiveness update later today after I shoot the 25 rounds of 124gr 9mm Nato I found in my stash and the 115gr Geco stuff I unearthed, which is rated at 1214 fps at the muzzle. 

 

Re my Bul Air, the difference in fit vs DWX is very noticeable. When I went out to shoot steel the other morning, I was shooting the DWX first for a pretty long time. When I switched to the Bul and racked the slide, I had a "damn, that's smooth and so much better" moment. That the difference was so striking it surprised me. After the work by CZC the triggers are comparable but the Bul was definitely better than the stock DWX trigger. Of course, my sample sizes are 1, so there's that. I love my Air so much, I'm planning on a Blaze when they're available. I *really* hope my Air is indicative of Bul's comp guns.

[Seakphotog]

So today I dug up the following ammo with which to gauge the comp effectiveness:

 

Winchester 124gr NATO. Claimed 1200 fps 

Winchester 115gr whitebox. Claimbed 1190 fps

Fiocchi 115 gr. Claimed 1200 fps

Geco 115gr. Claimed 1214 fps

Ammo Inc. 115 gr. TMC. Claimed 1180 fps.

 

I don't have a chrono so I've no idea how accurate these claimed velocities are. I shot at least 20 rounds of each ammo. The comp did have a favorite ammo - one that showed off the effectiveness of the comp - it was the Geco ammo. Man, that ammo really flattened out the muzzle rise. It was an "Ah ha, now I'm getting!" moment. Too bad I only have 2 orphan, 50 round boxes of the stuff. Both the Winchester ammo worked pretty well too. I could absolutely feel the comp mitigating the muzzle rise. I honestly didn’t feel much difference between the Ammo Inc. and Fiocchi but they seemed less impacted by the comp.

 

  I may have some other orphan boxes of higher power 115gr or 124gr stashed away. If I do, I'll report back. 

 

As it stands, I'm pretty bummed I can't get a hold of anymore Geco (I can't mail order ammo to my neck of the Alaskan woods - I'm stuck with whatever I can find in stores). The Geco was also very accurate at 50ft. Obligatory target attached. 20 rounds Geco 115gr, 50ft standing.

 

 

Edited April 8 by Seakphotog

[TactDadBod]

On 4/7/2024 at 8:34 PM, Seakphotog said:

So today I dug up the following ammo with which to gauge the comp effectiveness:

 

Winchester 124gr NATO. Claimed 1200 fps 

Winchester 115gr whitebox. Claimbed 1190 fps

Fiocchi 115 gr. Claimed 1200 fps

Geco 115gr. Claimed 1214 fps

Ammo Inc. 115 gr. TMC. Claimed 1180 fps.

 

I don't have a chrono so I've no idea how accurate these claimed velocities are. I shot at least 20 rounds of each ammo. The comp did have a favorite ammo - one that showed off the effectiveness of the comp - it was the Geco ammo. Man, that ammo really flattened out the muzzle rise. It was an "Ah ha, now I'm getting!" moment. Too bad I only have 2 orphan, 50 round boxes of the stuff. Both the Winchester ammo worked pretty well too. I could absolutely feel the comp mitigating the muzzle rise. I honestly didn’t feel much difference between the Ammo Inc. and Fiocchi but they seemed less impacted by the comp.

 

  I may have some other orphan boxes of higher power 115gr or 124gr stashed away. If I do, I'll report back. 

 

As it stands, I'm pretty bummed I can't get a hold of anymore Geco (I can't mail order ammo to my neck of the Alaskan woods - I'm stuck with whatever I can find in stores). The Geco was also very accurate at 50ft. Obligatory target attached. 20 rounds Geco 115gr, 50ft standing.

 

 

For a competition gun… would you say the porting was worth moving into open class, against legit race guns, verses limited optic? 

[42ATK]

I want slightly lighter springs and a *thumb rest [generic]*. do these exist yet?

[Posvar]

5 minutes ago, 42ATK said:

I want slightly lighter springs and a *thumb rest [generic]*. do these exist yet?

Springs are easy. Get a guide rod that takes 1911 springs and go at it. Thumb rest is a hard no unless you drill and tap the frame. 

[42ATK]

2 hours ago, Posvar said:

Springs are easy. Get a guide rod that takes 1911 springs and go at it. Thumb rest is a hard no unless you drill and tap the frame. 

I bought the W74 Tungsten Guide rod for the DWX and the 1911 springs were too long and wider than the guide rod. Can you point me in the direction that makes sense for width? That wouldn’t fix length though…

[tomjerry1]

ISMI has flat wire springs, I believe they go down to 9lb, am waiting for a 10 and 12lb from them, factory is supposed to be 11lb

[Seakphotog]

On 4/9/2024 at 6:18 PM, TactDadBod said:

For a competition gun… would you say the porting was worth moving into open class, against legit race guns, verses limited optic? 

I wouldn't think it'd be worth it. My DWX is just a fun range toy that I'll likely use in our local steel plate matches.  For me, the comp cut was just something new to try.  I wasn't worrying about competing in sanctioned events (since we don't have any in my neck of the woods).

[Ajohnson15]

On 4/7/2024 at 5:45 AM, pumpedTSI said:

The "lasting" isnt my concern......its the crudding up behind the extractor lever......removal for cleaning is a chore...

Eh, I usually just use like a brownells TCE or flush out after a session to just knock most of the crap out without fully removing and can’t say I’ve ever gotten it built up enough to need to actually remove extractor prior spring replacement interval. Running N320 for my reloads which seems to help.

[Ajohnson15]

On 4/10/2024 at 11:08 PM, 42ATK said:

I bought the W74 Tungsten Guide rod for the DWX and the 1911 springs were too long and wider than the guide rod. Can you point me in the direction that makes sense for width? That wouldn’t fix length though…

Shouldn’t be a length issue, guide rod seat length to the end of the recoil spring channel in the slide will match the same length as a 5inch 1911. Diameter of the guide rod is too small though (it’ll work but I personally prefer a tighter spring fit). Again really just need someone to make a guide rod that is stepped up before the seat for a short distance to better accommodate the round wire 1911 springs and then stepped down at the rest of the length to the front at the oem component diameter so the slide doesn’t have to be drilled out.
 

Alternately you could just 3d print - 1.2”-1.75” long .330”ish diameter sleeve and attempt to press it on to your existing guide rod down to the base. Probably would work, (might use an adhesive in addition to the press fit). Probably cheaper than getting another tungsten made.

[TactDadBod]

On 8/18/2023 at 5:19 PM, benlineberry said:

UPDATE

I received my slide back from Primary Machine and couldn't be happier. Excellent work and didn't refinish the slide.

 

Do you find the brass grips to be heavier than you would like? I’m debating between these and the aluminum ones. 
 

was there any noticeable improvement to recoil? 

[Posvar]

The brass grips make the gun heavier for sure but man do they make it shoot softer. Balance feels so good.