Previous Post
Next Post

Reader Jason Bayne writes:

I was given the opportunity to spend some time with a brand new Vigil Commander in 9mm, Dan Wesson’s new entry-level 1911 pistol. The Vigil is currently available in both 9mm and 45 ACP in four configurations; full-size government with a 5” barrel, a full-size government with a 5” threaded barrel, a commander with a 4.25” barrel, and a CCO (the commander 4.25” barrel on a shorter officers frame).

All Vigil pistols have an aluminum frame with a hard black anodized finish, and a stainless steel slide finished with Dan Wesson’s “duty finish” (black nitride).

The Vigil Commander 9mm I tested was unfired and brand new in the box when I got it. The preservative/oil that is normally on all new Dan Wesson pistols had already been wiped off. Upon disassembly before firing the Vigil, I noticed the rails and barrel had already been properly lubricated.

The normal break-in procedure as outlined in the manual instructs the owner to clean and lube the pistol every 50 rounds for the first 500 rounds. My plan was to run 350 rounds through the new Vigil, but I wasn’t going to be able to break it down and clean it every 50 rounds.

Instead I added a little extra lube to the rails and the hood of the barrel before I started shooting. I also decided that during the course of shooting the 350 rounds, I would lock back the slide every 50 rounds or so and reach in through the ejection port to wipe off the feed ramp and whatever else I could reach with a cotton patch, and also put a drop of oil on the hood of the barrel.

When I disassembled the Vigil to lube it, I couldn’t help but notice how similar the Vigil is to my daily carry gun, the recently discontinued Dan Wesson Valkyrie commander 9mm. I’m a big Valkyrie fan, owning three of them in 9mm, two commanders and one CCO.

With the exception of a few parts and several cosmetic differences, the Vigil appears to be basically the same gun as the Valkyrie. That’s impressive given the Valkyrie’s MSRP is (was) over $2000 and the Vigil’s is just under $1300. A quick look on Gunbroker tells me a new Vigil can be had for about $1000 to $1150 right now depending on model.

The Vigil seemed so similar to my Valkyrie, I felt compelled to take out the Valkyrie I was wearing on my hip to see just exactly what the differences were between the two pistols. Here are the differences I noted:

  • The Vigil doesn’t have the ball end mill cuts and carry cuts found on the muzzle end of the Valkyrie slide. Other than providing a place to grip when press-checking your pistol, these cuts are largely considered cosmetic.
  • While the Vigil has a different looking (skeletonized) trigger, the trigger pull is the same excellent and clean 3.5 to 4 lb pull that all my Valkyries have. The Vigil’s trigger is free of creep, breaks crisply and has the same super short reset. The trigger on the Vigil is so eager to reset, after firing a shot the trigger virtually leaps forward to reset on its own just like the Valkyrie’s. I simply can’t tell the difference between the two trigger pulls.
  • The Vigil has what appears to be a less expensive grip safety without a memory bump.
  • The slide stop hole isn’t recessed on the Vigil, but it is on the Valkyrie.
  • The sights are the same, but the Vigil lacks the Valkyrie’s tritium lamp on the back sight, only the front is tritium on the Vigil.
  • The Vigil has a different hammer than the Valkyrie. I think both look great.
  • The Vigil has standard thickness 1911 wood grips and the Valkyrie has thin G10 Grips. I generally prefer the thin grips on 1911 pistols, but while I was shooting the Vigil I found I really liked the factory wood grips. The pebble textured sections offer plenty of grip without being abrasive. If it were my gun, I would probably keep the factory grips on it.
The Dan Wesson Vigil next to the Considerably more Expensive Dan Wesson Valkyrie (Discontinued)

 

The Dan Wesson Vigil next to the Considerably more Expensive Dan Wesson Valkyrie (Discontinued)

All the other parts on the Vigil appear to be the same as the more expensive Valkyrie, including 1) a stainless 9mm match barrel with a reversed crown that’s cut flush with the thick stainless flange, 2) a black hard anodized aluminum frame, 3) a stainless steel duty finished slide, 4) thumb safety, 5) slide stop, and 6) two Dan Wesson branded Checkmate 9mm magazines. Further, the machine work inside the slide and frame is as perfect and meticulous on the Vigil as they are on the more expensive Valkyrie.

The Vigil also came fit just as tight as all of my higher-end Dan Wesson pistols. That includes the slide-to-frame fit, barrel to bushing fit, and the fitting together of all parts in general. It’s the typical outstanding fit and finish I’ve come to expect from Dan Wesson 1911 pistols.

In my experience, it’s heads above the fit and finish on the Colt, Kimber, and Springfield 1911 pistols I currently own or have owned in the past. There is simply no comparing the fit and finish of a Dan Wesson Vigil to similarly priced 1911 pistols from the manufacturers named above.

You also can’t compare the quality of the parts used to build the pistols. Kimber and Springfield make extensive use of MIM parts in their 1911 pistols. Colt even uses four MIM parts in their 1911 offerings. Dan Wesson, on the other hand, uses zero MIM parts in their 1911 pistols not a single one in the entry-level Vigil. Most of the parts are forged and tooled steel, and from what I understand many of the parts are made in-house.

Because of the quality of Dan Wesson parts, you would do much better to compare any Dan Wesson to more expensive semi-custom 1911 pistols made by Wilson Combat, Nighthawk, and Ed Brown. Some of those guns cost two to three times as much as the higher-end Dan Wessons and four times as much the Vigil, a difference I find hard to justify given Dan Wesson’s level of quality.

All of this got me thinking, if Dan Wesson has managed to offer a 1911 pistol that approaches the quality of semi-custom pistols like a Wilson or Nighthawk at near Colt, Kimber, and Springfield prices, they’ve pulled off a major coup in the 1911 world. And if the Vigil is as accurate as my higher-end Valkyrie, handles as well, and shoots as softly, that would spell trouble for those other brands.

So, is it time for those other 1911 makers to close up shop? Before pronouncing that, let’s take a look how the Vigil handles and shoots.

Range Tests

I tested it with a reasonable selection of different manufacturers’ cartridges, bullet types and weights. I Included in my selection one of my favorite 9mm carry loads, 147gr Federal HST. 

I also brought along my favorite 1911 range magazine for the test, a Wilson Combat 10 round ETS magazine. I have fired thousands of rounds through this particular magazine without a hitch and wanted to use it for this test.

A quick note about the groups below. While it may appear the groups below are consistently lower than the bullseye, that was entirely the result of the targets hanging higher than normal. My favorite local indoor range in South Florida — and possibly the best gun store ever — Delray Shooting Center just renovated their range. As a result, the targets hung a bit higher than usual. For me to aim at the now higher bullseyes on my small homemade targets felt unnatural. So I simply let the bullseye sit above the front sight higher than usual so I could aim more naturally, and not at a consistent upward angle for 350 rounds.

As I slowly shot my way through the first magazine of American Eagle 124gr FMJ, I noted how much the Vigil felt like my soft-shooting Valkyrie.

I ran 100 rounds of the American Eagle 124 gr ammo through the Vigil without incident. It functioned flawlessly.

When I finished the first 100 rounds, I put a cloth patch on the tip of my pinky and stuck it inside the ejection port, wiped down the feed ramp and whatever else I could reach. I then closed the slide, put a drop of FP10 oil on the hood of the barrel, worked the slide a half dozen times and moved onto the brown box Remington UMC 115gr ammo.

As I worked my way through the 100 rounds of Remington UMC 115gr, I decided to see if the Vigil handled as well as my Valkyrie when shooting rapid fire drills. I’d fire a round, let the front sight drop back down on the target and quickly pull the trigger again, then repeat until empty. It usually takes me just under four seconds to do this with a fully-loaded nine-round mag in my Valkyrie, and the result is always about a 3″ group.

The Vigil performed identically to my Valkyrie in rapid fire. It’s so soft-shooting gun that the sights don’t come off target much at all after firing a round. That’s exactly what you want in a defensive firearm; the ability to put as many rounds on target as quickly and as accurately as possible.

I find my polymer double and single stack 9mm carry guns like my GLOCK 19 tend to bounce around quite a bit after each shot. I couldn’t possibly put nine rounds in a three-inch group in under four seconds with any of them. Though my GLOCK 19 is only a few ounces lighter than the Vigil, it exhibits much more recoil and the trigger takes forever to reset.

Both factors have a huge impact on the size of my rapid-fire groups. The lack of recoil exhibited by the Vigil and its quick-resetting trigger makes it much easier for the shooter to put fast and accurate fire on a target. The soft-shooting Vigil does exactly that.

I don’t know what Dan Wesson does to these lightweight aluminum-framed guns, but all my aluminum Dan Wesson 1911 pistols shoot softer than my all-steel 9mm government 1911 Colts, Kimbers, and Springfields. Not just a little softer, but noticeably so.

I’ve even tried to swap out parts on my Colts and Kimbers to get them to shoot as soft as my Dan Wesson Commanders, all to no avail. While the recoil has softened up a little by installing different recoil springs and mainsprings and switching to a non-radiused firing pin stop, they still don’t shoot as soft as the aluminum-framed Vigil. After many months of trying to figure this out, I just consider this phenomena one of the mysteries of the universe. I don’t fight it anymore, I just accept it.

In the end all of the good attributes exhibited by the Vigil are meaningless if it isn’t reliable with modern hollow point ammo. Depending on the length of the barrel of my carry gun, I either carry Federal HST 124gr or 147gr. Though I usually carry 124gr HST in 4.25” barrels or shorter, I opted to run the 147 gr HST for this test because I wanted to include a 147gr bullet in my selection. The HST ran it flawlessly.

One of the things I love about the Vigil, even when you are running ammo that you know is on the hotter side, like the Federal HST and the Winchester NATO 124gr, you can’t tell it’s hotter when shooting it through the Vigil. The Vigil exhibits the same soft recoil with hotter rounds as it does with the milder loads. I know when I switch from shooting the mild Remington UMC 115gr to the hotter Federal HST 147gr in my GLOCK 19, it’s very clear that you’ve changed ammo. Make the same switch with the Vigil, and it’s not noticeable.

After shooting 345 rounds through the Vigil without a single incident, I closed my range session the way I always do. I loaded my last five rounds and moved the target as far down range as possible at my local indoor range which is just over 18 yards.

The Vigil at Distance

The group I fired is pictured below. I was more than happy with the result. I’ll take a two-inch five-shot group at 18 yards all day long and twice on Sundays.

I’m clearly a Dan Wesson fan. I’m even more impressed with the Vigil given its considerably lower price point. If I didn’t already own three Valkyries, I’d immediately buy a 9mm Vigil commander and a 9mm Vigil CCO and not think twice about the Valkyries. It’s basically the same exact gun with a few minor differences which are mostly cosmetic.

Am I a Dan Wesson fan? You betcha. I won’t apologize for being a fan of a brand that makes high quality firearms that are an incredible value. But I own more GLOCK, CZ and FN pistols than I do Dan Wessons and I think they are great guns as well.

Simply put, I’m a fan of well-made, durable and reliable firearms that represent a good value. I don’t pledge blind loyalty to any one brand. I’ve been shooting, buying, and selling guns for 30 years and there are lots of amazing guns out there. Why would I limit myself to one maker?

In my mind if you take any shooter and let them try any of the $800 to $900 entry-level Colt, Kimber, or Springfield models and then let them try a comparably-sized Dan Wesson Vigil at $100 to $200 more, I’m certain they’ll see the difference. The Vigil is that much better in every respect and represents a real bargain in the 1911 world. It deserves to rub shoulders with the more expensive semi-custom brands.

Specifications: Dan Wesson Vigil Commander 9mm 1911

Caliber. 9mm
Magazine Capacity: 9 rounds
Frame Material: Forged aluminum
Overall Length: 7.9 in
Barrel Length: 4.25 in
Width: 1.45 in
Weight: 30.5 oz
Trigger Mech: Single action
Front Sight: Fixed night sight
Rear Sight: Tactical night sight
MSRP: $1,298

Ratings: (out of five stars):

Style * * * *
It’s a 1911. That means classic, iconic style, but still a typical 1911.

Build Quality * * * * *
Absolutely top notch. It doesn’t get much better than this, especially in an affordable production pistol.

Concealability * * * * 1/2
It’s a thin, 1911 frame single stack. While it isn’t light, it’s one of best-concealing carry pistols made.

Accuracy * * * * *
You’d need a race gun to get better accuracy. The Vigil provides excellent accuracy in a defensive carry gun.

Customize This * * * * *
Like most 1911s, it’s virtually plug and play. Just about any 1911 part can be swapped out. There are thousands of options out there.

Overall: * * * * 1/2
This is an extremely impressive 9mm carry gun with excellent fit and finish at an accessible price. It doesn’t get much better than this.

Previous Post
Next Post

36 COMMENTS

  1. Gorgeous pistol, I’m sure it performs flawlessly – but I’m going to be honest – after owning a series of high-end 1911s, I’ve gravitated toward the Rock Islands. Every single one I have shot has been reliable, pleasurable, and at least half the price of a comparable model – the point where I have sold all of my high end 1911s and only have the Rocks (3.5″ 9mm Tac Ultra and 5″ .45 ACP Rock Ultra).

    • Having acquired the Rock Ultra FS 9mm myself, I agree with you in that Rock Island is producing (in the Philippines) the best price-performance(feature?) ratio 1911 you can get for mass produced guns of this style (Ruger, Remington, Springfield, …).

      That said & having recently getting some hands-on with a Dan Wesson Valor Stainless in 9mm, the author is correct in that the Dan Wesson is better compared to a way more expensive 1911. Unless you’re getting a custom shop piece, the fit/finish/trigger on the Dan Wesson I handled beats Kimber, Colt, Springfield, and their likes. Granted, that has been the only Dan Wesson I’ve ever handled but color me thoroughly impressed.

      Do I regret my Rock Island purchase? No. It’s been 100% reliable and a phenomenal shooter but if I knew then what I know now…I would seriously consider saving up some more pennies & getting a Dan Wesson.

    • I have to agree with you 100%. Im a RIA convert. Same reasons and own 4 RIA 1911s at this time.
      But. I want a CCO and this one seems to fit the bill, except of course the price.
      Ill have to give it a lot of thought.

  2. This is going to sound ridiculous, but that no-bump grip safety is a total non-starter for me when it comes to 1911’s. I mean, I would simply replace it and not throw the baby out with the bathwater if I want something, but does anyone who has used both really like the no-bump one? I find it incredibly uncomfortable and intrusive by comparison-let alone it’s inability to enhance consistent grip like the alternative. how much more can the bump one actually cost? Penny wise and pound foolish IMO. that is all.

    • I absolutely HATE those stupid bumped grip safeties that are all the rage these days. They are pokey, hurt, and make the overall grip thicker fore/aft. To me this may be the best feature of this gun. Only thing I really dislike is the horribly ugly stainless bushing. (really DW, would it be that hard to nitride the bushing to match the slide?)

    • I’m with Mark here. I’ve only got one 1911 but I like the flat grip safety. Tried a bumpy one before I bought and didn’t like it. To each their own!

  3. 10 rounds is starting to get to a reasonable capacity.

    Curious here so a question for the crowd: What gun for campus carry? Like a pistol specifically for that purpose where you might even go so far as to lock the pistol in a safe in your car and swap back to your usual CCW pistol when not on campus?

    I’m just thinking of the *special* circumstances carrying on a large campus might present. Thoughts?

      • 39000 people in a relatively small area, auditoriums with up to 1000 people, magnet for mass shooters, tons of literal teenagers who can/will panic, a huge variety of areas where you can go from a wide open space (shooter with rifle has massive advantage) to building interiors, long straight outdoor corridors, architecture not generally found in most public spaces, building built anywhere from 1860 to present… another five paragraphs of things you don’t generally find in the burbs or downtown…

        • If you are that worried about a shooter who’s armed with a rifle, there’s only one answer.

          Backpack AR-15 pistol. LAW Tactical folding buffer tube adapter, DOLOS quick connect upper, 7.5″ barrel. Carry a few PMags. Carry it around in a Leatherback armored backpack. That way you can have front and rear body armor and a 5.56 caliber shoulder weapon at the ready.

          There aren’t many actual handgun choices for your scenario. You need something with mid- to long-range capability, relatively high ammunition capacity with speedy reloads, yet something easily concealable.

          SIG P210 and three extra magazines? That should give you 100 round range if you can shoot well enough.

          Or you can just stick with your EDC and not worry about statistically improbable possibilities. You’re much more likely to use your firearm in a mugging or straight up self-defense situation, and neither of those two are likely.

    • Me, I’d probably get a low cost double action revolver in .38 on the small side, if round capacity wasn’t an issue.I n an automatic pistol, whew, many options there. Just as an inside, I carried a two shot derringer in my lunch box at a meat packing plant hidden between two slices of bread. This was back in the 80’s when CCW was unheard of.

    • I’d go for a single stack 9mm. Pick your favorite among the Smith and Wesson Shield, Glock 43, Springfield XD-S, SIG 938 or 365, Walther CCP, or the like. I’d want a small gun that won’t likely print, that you could potentially pocket carry if deep concealment is necessary, but is a capable firearm should the situation arise. Just my 2 cents.

    • Since I pocket carry discreet pistols anyway, nothing ever changes for me unless I add a second gun. (Friday night at the movies etc.)

      When I airline travel I’ve decided to carry the well used tcp simply because if it was lost or taken I wouldn’t cry much.

      • Agreed. I pocket carry everday, and add something bigger if I’m going somewhere higher risk. Works well in my very low crime area.

    • pretty much similar rules of thumb as concealed carry outside of a campus:

      Revolver or semi auto you can afford, you like, it’s proven to be reliable, and it feels good in your hand. You are comfortable with the platform, it is chambered in at least .38 special for a revolver and .380 for a semi (9mm preferable imo). And obviously, you can conceal it and it’s not so heavy/uncomfortable it will end up being that gun you leave at home.

      S&W M&P Shield or compact
      Glock 43 and Glock 26, and the likes in other calibers
      Sig P938
      FNH FNS Compact
      Ruger GP11
      S&W Bodyguard, model 637 etc
      Ruger LCR revolver
      Springfield XDs
      Walther CCP

      and some other options

  4. Damn thats alot more gun for 200-300 bucks over the ruger i want… and i love my cz as an aside. But i also love ruger damn it… ok fine ruger pc9 and dw 1911

  5. I really like my Kimber Pro Carry II Two tone 9mm. It has an excellent trigger. So if this Vigil 9mm is that much better, I’m sure I’d love it. This review has me really curious. Another 1911 hasn’t been on my radar, but…

  6. That is definitely a finely crafted handgun. The groups, however, are no better than what I’ve gotten from my $300 Kahr CM9.

    My T9 shoots better than that.

    Kahrs are just very accurate handguns.

    If I buy a 1911, the Dan Wesson just moved to the top of the list, regardless.

  7. Maybe if it had ambi’s. Why is it Les Baer and Springfield are the only ones that get this? In competition you need ambi’s for weak hand only stage or part of a stage. In carry, you need ambi’s in case your strong hand is incapacitated. If you are left handed, you want ambi’s.

  8. This gun is not drop safe. But I think I will buy it because of alleged lower felt recoil. I won’t carry it. It would be a fun gun and a house gun in condition 2 in spite of it not being drop safe. I am amazed that in my life I have had two separate friends at separate times pick up a gun in a house and for some reason pulled the trigger. That is why I only will have a single action gun. It takes an overt action to cock the hammer before taking another overt action to pull the trigger. Flipping off the safety is too easy which then leaves an all too easy trigger pull.

      • When a hammer is down near or against a firing pin dropping the gun on its muzzle or its hammer can if the force is in the right direction cause the firing pin to move forward with enough energy to ignite the primer. Some 1911s have a firing pin safety that prevents this. Often this is called Series 80. Series 70 doesn’t have a firing pin safety.

        Without a firing pin safety, it is considered unsafe to lower the hammer on a cambered round.

  9. I owned a Colt Commander in 9×19 mm years ago loved it I sold it to my brother, I wish I had kept it but I wanted a Gov 1911A1 in .45 acp and the wife said I couldn’t have both.

  10. I have a few Dan Wessons (.45 and 10mm) and they are very nice, but
    I prefer a Springfield XDS sub compact 9mm pistol for carry, (if I’m
    carrying a 9mm). I made my own crotch holster for deeper conceal
    carry, and I can carry my Colt 1911 3″ Defender .45 unseen, which I
    do at work daily.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here