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View Full Version : My new dan wesson valkyrie 9mm commander



shlike
06-27-2018, 03:15 PM
I have been wanting to add a 9mm 1911 commander to my carry fleet. I originally was going to purchase a DW Guardian 9mm from a member on my local gun forum, but he backed out of the deal at the last minute. That turned out to be a blessing in disguise, as I found this new Valkyrie at my LGS. The Valkyrie is a discontinued model, so I was able to get it for about the same price as a new Guardian, even though it normally sells for hundreds more.

The frame is lightweight alloy, so the gun is lightweight and carries very well. It doesn't have the bobtail like the Guardian, but you can see in the photos that the grip is slightly rounded which helps reduce printing. The fit and finish on this gun is simply outstanding. There is literally NO slide-to-frame movement; the gun feels like it was carved out of a single piece of billet. The duty finish is flawless, and the G-10 slimline grips cause the gun to fit my hand just right. I now understand why Dan Wesson 1911's are so sought-after.

Because of the very tight tolerances, the manual has a very specific break-in schedule to follow for the first 500 rounds: Shoot 50 rounds then field strip and clean, 50 rounds then field strip and clean, etc. They also recommend only round-nose FMJ ammo be used during the break-in (no Hollow Points). The manual also says that, because of the tight tolerances, one should expect to experience malfunctions (mainly slide-related, not going fully into battery, etc) during the break-in period. So it was with some trepidation that I took it to the range for the first time, expecting malfunctions, etc. I was very pleasantly surprised that I actually experienced NO malfunctions at all. I cheated and fired 75 rounds instead of 50 before field-strip and cleaning. The gun was dead-nuts accurate (requires a 6 o'clock hold) and performed flawlessly; a pure joy to shoot.

I am very pleased with this purchase. Once broken in, it will be one of the primary guns in my carry rotation.

See this link for specs and full details:
http://danwessonfirearms.com/product/valkyrie-commander/

https://photos.smugmug.com/My-First-Gallery/i-JFfVJ5M/0/e02f2297/XL/IMG_0030-XL.jpg (https://jamesschleicher.smugmug.com/My-First-Gallery/i-JFfVJ5M/A)
https://photos.smugmug.com/My-First-Gallery/i-SQBkRBt/0/955a0725/XL/IMG_0032-XL.jpg (https://jamesschleicher.smugmug.com/My-First-Gallery/i-SQBkRBt/A)
https://photos.smugmug.com/My-First-Gallery/i-2jZ2DPq/0/45f2e777/XL/IMG_0035-XL.jpg (https://jamesschleicher.smugmug.com/My-First-Gallery/i-2jZ2DPq/A)
https://photos.smugmug.com/My-First-Gallery/i-DJcGm9N/0/da00591f/XL/IMG_0034-XL.jpg (https://jamesschleicher.smugmug.com/My-First-Gallery/i-DJcGm9N/A)
https://photos.smugmug.com/My-First-Gallery/i-gpZMpZk/0/2f32f270/XL/IMG_0033-XL.jpg (https://jamesschleicher.smugmug.com/My-First-Gallery/i-gpZMpZk/A)

Bawanna
06-27-2018, 04:09 PM
NICE! Very Nice!

leftysixty
06-27-2018, 05:14 PM
Agreed, very nice indeed :biggrin1:

yqtszhj
06-27-2018, 05:34 PM
I like those sights too.

ltxi
06-27-2018, 05:36 PM
Yeah, DW produces excellent 1911's. I turned to them a couple years back when I was looking for a 3'5 " bbl lw in 9mm. Got an ECO...very nice gun.

Barth
06-27-2018, 07:12 PM
Congratulations on a fine firearm.
My DW V-Bob manual was very specific about what types of oil to lubricate.
FP-10, Militec-1 or Dan Wesson Rail Lube (No CLP or Hoppes).
I'm using Militec 1 with mine.
I also cheated with the breakin :p
Lubed it up and ran 300 FMJs followed by 200 Federal HST JHPs straight up.
Had one early fail to return to battery (FMJ) and that's it :cool:

Cool thing about my V-Bob is I could field strip it with my bare hands right out of the box!

Enjoy your DW

V-Bob with a Tripp Cobra 10 round mag -
https://i.imgur.com/EtT7PXl.jpg

finpro
06-27-2018, 09:45 PM
I have a DW Classic Commander Bobtail, a previous version of a V-Bob, and a 9mm ECO. I had some problems with the Bobtail when it was new, but the ECO has been fine after the first several mags. The Bobtail was my first 1911 pattern pistol and I found I prefer a normal 1911 grip profile that keeps the entire backstrap against the hand, which makes for better shooting. Of course, the reduced bobtail grip profile conceals better. Another shooting versus carrying tradeoff...
I am especially fond of the ECO, which carries and shoots very well. FYI, Wilson Combat makes 9 round 9mm magazines for Officer grip size pistols that are only slightly longer than 8 round mags.

Alfonse
06-27-2018, 09:49 PM
Congratulations. That is a beautiful, and functional, 1911. I expect you will enjoy it.

Bawanna
06-27-2018, 10:52 PM
My CBob daily carry with some hippo tooth I made some grips out of. Not for the Cbob unfortunately.

https://s26.postimg.cc/51xkwffzt/Cbob_Hippo_Tooth.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

AIRret
06-28-2018, 04:29 PM
What a beauty……I'm jealous!
Keep us posted on the break in!!!

shlike
06-28-2018, 05:17 PM
Congratulations on a fine firearm.
My DW V-Bob manual was very specific about what types of oil to lubricate.
FP-10, Militec-1 or Dan Wesson Rail Lube (No CLP or Hoppes).
I'm using Militec 1 with mine.
I also cheated with the breakin :p
Lubed it up and ran 300 FMJs followed by 200 Federal HST JHPs straight up.
Had one early fail to return to battery (FMJ) and that's it :cool:

Cool thing about my V-Bob is I could field strip it with my bare hands right out of the box!

Enjoy your DW

V-Bob with a Tripp Cobra 10 round mag -
https://i.imgur.com/EtT7PXl.jpg

I am the OP. My manual also listed and approves the use of Mil-Tec Tw25b grease, which I have been using on the rails. The manual also approves and recommends the use of Kroil as a bore cleaner solvent. I've never used that, so I ordered some and will give it a try. I will be doing phase II of the break-in this Sunday, and based on how well the first session went, I will probably cheat and go 100 rounds instead of 50 before cleaning again, maybe even try a mag or 2 of carry ammo (230 gr. Gold Dot JHP and 185 gr. Critical Defense). I will report after the range session.

Bawanna
06-28-2018, 05:41 PM
I use TW25B a lot on all my guns. Kroil is a very light penetrating machine oil. Never heard of using it for a bore solvent but I'm sure it would work.
It's the ticket for stuck bolts and such for sure.

Hardly ever use it but always have a can handy, when you need it, you need it.

got2hav1
06-28-2018, 06:34 PM
I'm DW fan myself. Stopped looking at 1911s after buying my V Bob. Congrats on the new Valkyrie.

https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1024x768q90/924/cQRvwE.jpg (https://imageshack.com/i/pocQRvwEj)

https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1024x768q90/923/JAGRRc.jpg (https://imageshack.com/i/pnJAGRRcj)

lantern
06-29-2018, 04:46 PM
The ball cuts set that badboy off. I'm currently scrounging up the bucks to get an Ed Brown custom to go along with my Dan Wesson guardian. LOVE that gun.


https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4407/36015600453_2f35f60c97_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/WSznfv)

AIRret
06-30-2018, 07:26 AM
OK, please educate me….I'm familiar with Kroil loosening stuck bolts but have never heard of using it for a bore cleaner.

shlike
06-30-2018, 02:14 PM
OK, please educate me….I'm familiar with Kroil loosening stuck bolts but have never heard of using it for a bore cleaner.

OP here. I'd never even heard of Kroil until I bought my DW Valkyrie. The owner's manual says under the section for Cleaning Supplies: "High-quality cleaning solvent (barrel only) Solvents can discolor your Duty Finish. Kroil is also recommended and Duty Finish safe. | Oil-based cleaner (polymer safe) for the rest of the gun | High-quality gun oil such as FP-10, Miltec-1, Mil-Comm TW25B grease or Dan Wesson Rail Lube."

I have pretty much standardized on Lucas gun care products (oil and grease) for all my guns. I find that the Lucas grease works extremely well on rails. It coats well and stays on the rails, so I will probably end up using that on the DW as well. I don't know what, if any special qualities Kroil might possess that would cause DW to recommend it, but I went ahead and bought a can and will give it a try. In the end I suspect most high-quality products will work equally well.

Phase II of the break-in tomorrow morning at the indoor range. It's too damn hot to do anything outside...

I'm now officially a DW fanboy. Already planning my next purchase; most likely a V-Bob Commander in .45 caliber.

AIRret
06-30-2018, 05:31 PM
Thanks for the info. shlike.
Looking forward to your report on the Phase II tomorrow!

ltxi
06-30-2018, 06:01 PM
Hoppes #9 and Rem Oil. If grease needed for some particular reason I have some Wilson's around somewhere.

gb6491
07-01-2018, 09:39 AM
Congrats on the new gat shlike! :)

lantern, that Guardian is a sweet looking piece.:cool:

Regards,
Greg