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Sidearms & Scatterguns Dan Wesson Valor vs Springfield TRP

hitman44

Gunny Sergeant
Full Member
Minuteman
Jun 24, 2019
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Leaning toward the Dan Wesson but found a a good deal on the TRP.

Both 45, both non railed.

Thoughts?
 
Dan Wesson. I bought one of their blemished models and it had better fit and finish than my friends' Springfield and Kimber 1911s in the $1500-$2000 price range.
 
I have a Valor, but I have finger-banged many a TRP. I haven't done a detailed strip of a TRP (or shot one, for that matter), but I really don't think you can go wrong with either one.
 
I had aValor in 9mm. Should have kept it.
I had a 10mm, should have kept it.
Currently have a 9mm Vigil I almost sold. Am going to be shooting this soon. Also’ I need to replace the A-2 in 45 as I no longer own
 
I have a DW Specialist, my brother had a TRP. He now has a DW. I’ll echo that the build quality/parts are better on the DW.
 
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I have both and prefer the TRP

Having said that I carry a worked over DW Guardian 9mm as my CCW
 
I've had a few 1911s over the years but dont have one now. Assuming I'm only going to have one, should it be .45 or 9? Only 45 I have left is a Sig 220, everything else is 9mm. I doubt I'll ever carry it, just a range gun for the most part. Still just doesnt seem natural to have a 1911 that's not a 45.
 
Anyone know the difference between the Valor, Heritage and Pointman?
 
From what I recall they stopped making the Valor. I could be wrong. The Pointman was more along the lines of a competition pistol. Bomar style rear sights and FO front. The Heritage is their “budget” model.
 
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I have the Valor in 45ACP as well as a very high end Wilson Combat.

The Dan Wesson is my favorite 1911; its even more amazing when you can't really tell a quality difference between it and a 1911 that is almost 3x the price.

Springfield has some MIM parts if I remember right.
 
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FFL and sold guns for 17 years and have dealings with companies.

Never sold / owned a DW but if you have to deal with CZ for warranty that I have, I wish you the best of luck!!! DW has limited warranty.

Springfield on the other hand has no equal for warranty. Full life time warranty. They will even make changes to off the shelf pistols for no charge. I had a customer bring one he blew apart, reloads, he had different powders left over and mixed them to finish off his cases. SA never blinked with a new pistol even due to the customers fault that he admitted too, he just wanted it repaired.

SA gets hit with MIM parts but if you do your research you will find out that's not a bad thing these days but the word is tainted not the parts. SA had few returns to me with so call inferior internals than others using what is called better internals.

I have a TRP the right pistol for a reason. Mine is tight, locks up, very good trigger and amazing accurate. My opinion with some experience selling and owning 1911s for quite sometime, TRP is the top shelf for the coin and the mid priced range 1911. There are better deals on price points and its not a one off custom but its closer to the customs than it is the price points, real close to many and the reason I have mine.
Not that DW is bad, I have played with them and I still prefer SA and I do think the Valor is discontinued.

1911s should be 45.


good luck
 
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A few years ago I sent my TRP Operator to SACS for a complete make over. It turned out super nice. I had the entire pistol gutted and outfitted with machined parts I sent in. Only thing original are the barrel, slide, and frame. I had the front serrations machined off as well.
With that said, I carry a DW Eco 9 when I'm off and when I'm working, a Springfield Professional is on my hip. The MIM parts in the Pro have yet to disintegrate on me.
 

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I'll likely only keep one. The TRP was basically free with my cabelas bucks, even if it it still came in 300.00 less than the DW
 
Guess i should have stated which is better for the money. As in, is the DW 500.00 better?
 
Although I originally came to this sight, to read the comparisons for my own interest, a comment posted reminded me of something, that ultimately made my mind up.

The person had described the Warranty offered by Springfield, as a strength for the brand. I personally have utilized the warranty they offer, from one of my Springfield XD models. As with the previous comment, the damage to my firearm was from my own wrong doing. It is a Springfield XD Subcompact 40, with a 3” barrel. After shooting over 40K rounds, much of which powerful reloads, I managed to chip away at the slide block, as well as damage to my barrels feed ramp.

I emailed them my issue, pictures, and admitted to fault. They sent me a packing slip, and I sent it off at no charge.

2 weeks later I received my firearm, along with a detailed list of everything they had done. All springs were replaced, internals were replaced, and a brand new berrel was installed. They had not only fixed the two issues, they had literally sent me back a brand new Gun.

Going above and beyond, all while not questioning a single fault of my own, speaks volumes for the quality Springfield stands by. They are a top notch company, and have excellent customer service.
All that said, I do own a TRP 1911. I was thinking of adding a Dan Wesson to the collection, and wanted to see thoughts, wondering if a DW purchase would be a downgrade.
I don’t want to spend similar money, to find less quality. Although I doubt DW slacks in the quality department, I can’t imagine the Customer service is as good as SA.
for those curious, the TRP is an amazing firearm. Since day one it has shot everything I have loaded, without a single hiccup (the majority being reloads).

From what I’ve read, the Springfield HRT Professional (FBI) model is supposed to be extremely good quality, built from their custom shop.
 
Don't forget this is what Springfield Armory stands for. They were willing to sabotage the fellow industry so they could get a few more sales in Illinois.

I debated the Springfield MC Operator and a Dan Wesson Specialist, and happily voted my dollars to DW.

 
Don't forget this is what Springfield Armory stands for. They were willing to sabotage the fellow industry so they could get a few more sales in Illinois.

I debated the Springfield MC Operator and a Dan Wesson Specialist, and happily voted my dollars to DW.


I did hear something about this a few months back when speaking with someone. But they did not quite go into the details I had read in this article you attached. It is definitely an eye-opener for sure. At the end of the day, it would be hard to deviate away from the warranty experience though. But choosing to stay clear, based off of this, is definitely understandable.
 
Dan Wesson Valor over the TRP for sure. SA was making some "Master Class" 1911's that were really impressive for the price the last few years. They are hand fit with #'s parts and the quality would compare a lot closer with the DW at a similar price. I have a SA Silent Operator and it punches above its price tag. That said they may have watered down the "Master Class" label. Their new Vickers model carries it but there's no talk of hand fitting and the MSRP is much too low compared to the Silent Operator to be in the same build quality class.
 
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I have spent a good amount of time with both in years past, and in terms of function, I would say you can’t go wrong either way. I will say the TRP is the only gun I recall shooting where I noticed the aggressivess of the front strap checkering, which I liked, but not everyone did.

I would go with the one that “calls” to you more, as that will likely matter more in your decision than any of the minor differences between the two, as I would expect both to shoot great.
 
I have owned both and agree the Valor is a higher quality gun. However I enjoyed shooting the TRP much more. The bull barrel on the railed version and that super aggressive checkered really did it for me.
 
My TRP is amazingly accurate and always goes boom. I never shot a dan wesson. I do own a Wilson Combat and I have to say my TRP outshoots it. It may just be that the TRP has a target sight and my Wilson has a combat sight. So the TRP would naturally outshoot it for groups. I can say this you will never feel outgunned when you own a TRP, its a great gun!
 
It is an older thread, and I hope the OP has made a choice and is loving it by now.

That being said; if fit and finish are important to you, as well as a lack of MIM parts...then the DW is going to make you happier than the Springfield.

Not bagging on the TRP. I have ~150 rounds through one of their Operators in my life, and they are a good pistol for the money. I also own two Colt CQBP (custom shop) pistols...and my DW Specialist is noticeably better fitted. Actually my DW is better fitted than all five of my Colt custom shop pistols.