Marriage Made In Heaven

The Gun Thing

Longtime Reader DarrellM sends me this snippet from Dan Wesson:

It started as an experiment — a grand melding of Dan Wesson and CZ pistols. Borrowing the crisp single action fire control group of a DW 1911 and combining it with the ergonomics and capacity of a CZ, the resulting pistol emerged as something great.
…
Designed initially for competition use, the DWX has evolved into much more than that, with both full-size and compact variants. Its locked breech barrel system is simple, ditching the standard 1911 link system and using CZ-style takedown via the slide stop. The easier take-down will be familiar to any hammer-fired CZ owner, as is removing the Match-grade barrel due to the bushing-less barrel system that resembles a P-10 or P-09/P-07. Double-stack magazines boost the capacity of the full-size to 19+1 with flush bases, and many standard 1911 parts enable gunsmiths and competitive shooters to tune the X just the way they like it. Sights are easily customized, using a 1911-style dovetailed sight in the front and a CZ Shadow 2 style sight cut in the rear.

Here’s what it looks like:

Apart from the front-slide serrations (ugh) and the somewhat gay red accents (double ugh), this “marriage” pushes all my buttons.  Reader Darrell admits to being a fanboi of both the 1911 and CZ 75 (as am I), but the only thing that puts both of us off is that the suggested retail price for this lovely thing is not a true marriage:  it’s too much Dan Wesson and not enough CZ,  i.e. at nearly $1,800 it’s out of reach for both of us.

That said:  a 1911 single action with 20-round capacity and easy takedown?  Hand me mah smellin’ salts, Prissy…

Put some lovely wooden grips on it, lose the cherry-colored trigger and resist the urge to carve out the front serrations, and I’d be very  tempted to sell a kidney or something.

On the other hand, there’s always the CZ 97 B:

…even if it does only hold 10 rounds of .45 ACP.  (Full disclosure:  I once owned a CZ 97, and loved shooting it.  But it’s no carry piece, lemme tell y’all — it’s a heavy beast.  Still, I should never have sold it, because now that I think about it, the 97 would make a perfect bedside gun.  Oh well.)

10 comments

  1. Seriously, red? Please.
    Those slide serrations will murder your fingers in high speed tactical shooting.
    Bet that handle is pretty fat, being all double stacked as it is.
    Yes, that $1800 needs to be halved, at least.
    Other than that, why isn’t that thing in my stable?

    1. I’ve fondled both the CZ SP-01 and the Shadow2 (also double stack 9mm, and I’m pretty sure what the frame is largely based on. Actually thinner than a Beretta 92, by a noticable amount.

  2. I gather CZ 75 grips will fit the gun, wood or other anodized colors for the metal ones. It is zoomy looking, a race gun, I assume. The article says there will be a compact version as well, which might float my boat, but not at that price. CZ made a single action version of the 75B, though I think it’s been discontinued. There are aftermarket SA triggers out there.

    I have a 97B, great gun, but dang, it’s big. There’s a vid on YT of a 10mm conversion of a 97, if you’re into such things:

    https://youtu.be/iIK6cFPevmE

  4. Dayum!

    19+1? Yeah, I’d give up the 9mm to carry that puppy around.

    edit: oh, it is a 9mm. still…

    (Fantasy land here – I don’t live in a free country – but if I did…)

  6. Sadly, that price is in line with CZ’s SAO competition models, which have pretty solid triggers for a non-1911. But I’m not buying any pistols that aren’t red dot ready; 50 year old eyes don’t like iron sights. Kim, do you have any experience with Zastava rifles? Being left handed means I have to hunt to find good inexpensive rifles and Zastava is importing Mauser 98 style rifles, such as this one: https://www.gunbroker.com/item/832120797.

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