Wesson Patriot: 8 Years Later
Hello. Eight years ago, I got a
stainless steel Dan Wesson Patriot pistol. Initial shooting proved the pistol
to be utterly reliable with all JHP ammo I tried, be they handloads
or commercial. Likewise, the pistol gobbled up 200-gr. CSWC's, including some
designs that can balk in more than a few 1911-pattern pistols.
The only problem that can be attributed to the pistol was that the MIM magazine
release broke very early on. Dan Wesson promptly sent me another, but I choose
an Ed Brown for replacement.
Though a commercially produced pistol, the DW Patriot was "proofed."
This means that each was tested for accuracy and had to shoot 5 shots into less
than 1.5" @ 50' before they would leave the factory. Included with the
Patriot was a laminated proof target.
Shown with the instruction manual is the proof target that accompanied my
Patriot. The group is well under 1.5 inches.
The DW Patriot boasted a forged frame, fitted match barrel and bushing, and an
external extractor. The latter is a topic of heated discussions, but this one
worked fine and continues to do so. That said, I
personally prefer the traditional internal type.
The barrel chamber is tight and is not tolerant of poorly-loaded, out-of-spec
ammunition. It has never malfunctioned with any factory load, but some
slightly too long 200-gr. CSWC handloads did fail to
chamber; that was my fault. With the same bullets, but loaded to 1.25",
chambering and feeding is perfect.
Initial sighting in was easy and the sights remained stable, holding zero w/o
fail.
Shooting from a rest with wrists sandbagged, I came close but never have
shot a 15-yard group as small as the proof target. The Patriot grouped nicely
in the beginning and continues to do so.(These groups
were fired during the initial shooting of the gun 8 years ago.)
During the years that I've owned and shot the Patriot, I would estimate about
6K rounds have been fired. Most have been 200-gr. CSWC handloads
or standard pressure 230-gr. handloads and factory
rounds.
The pistol has held up nicely. Wear, really more like burnishing, is even on
the frame and slide. There remains some lateral and vertical play
between the slide and frame, but it is minimal. The barrel-to-slide fit remains
solid and tight and the slide well-centered with no rub marks on either side at
the lower front as can be seen on some pistols when this portion of the slide
touches the inside of the dust cover during recoil.
I have made a few changes to my DW Patriot, but very few.
I replaced the FLGR with the conventional GI recoil spring guide and end cap.
This is just the system I'm used to and a change I normally make on any
1911-type pistol I own. (Exceptions are a couple of 6" long slide
versions.)
Grips were replaced, as was the plastic mainspring housing.
I also replaced the front sight. The original was not pleasing to my eye
in either shape or width. It was also a bit high, requiring that the rear
adjustable sight be elevated more than I like. I replaced it with a lower one
having the usual 1/8" width.
In this picture, you can see the original front sight that came on my
Patriot.
Here is my Patriot as it appears today.
These pictures were taken four years ago, but in range sessions from then to
now (the last being a couple of weeks ago), the pistol continues to group
superbly. (I didn't have a camera with me so I didn't photograph any groups.)
The first consisted of a 200-gr. Precision (coated) SWC loaded over 5.0-gr. Bullseye in mixed, fired cases, and ignited with a
Winchester large pistol primer. From this gun, average velocity is 891 ft/sec
with a standard deviation of 10 ft/sec. LOA is 1.25". (I usually get about
860 ft/sec with this load in most 5" guns.)
The second uses Remington's 230-gr. Golden Saber over 6.3-gr. Unique and
ignited with the same primer. Average velocity is 870 ft/sec with a standard
deviation of 14 ft/sec. LOA: 1.22".
This was my best group using the Precision 200-gr. CSWC, which was fired
standing and with a two-hand hold at 15 yards.
Results with the 230-gr. Golden Saber handload
were good (for me) and had almost exactly the same POI as the CSWC at 15 yards.
At 25-yards, I fired a group while seated and with my wrists braced and as with
the previous two shown, it was done in slow-fire.
I fired two groups with the 200-gr. Precision bullet handload
at 25 yards. The first group was poor and was my fault. I was thinking about a
"Beltbuster with cheese" and not shooting.
I managed to focus my thoughts to what I was doing and got a nice group with
the Patriot. Obviously, the pistol has more than enough mechanical accuracy for
most of us and can meet my own perceived needs easily.
I decided to see if a new "Colt Competition" slide could be fitted to
the DW Patriot frame w/o too many problems. Some fitting was definitely
required, but the job was not difficult. A big surprise for me was that the DW
bbl and bushing actually fit the new slide snugly! Using a blue marks-a-lot I
checked lug engagement and things are fine! (These slides were sold a few years
ago and could be found at CDNN as well as other places. The ejection port was
not lowered. I had this one done by a gunsmith who then dropped the slide in
the bluing vat.)
Here is the Colt Competition slide on the DW Patriot frame. The bbl and bushing
are from the DW.
All of this is nice, but the question remained about not only function, but
where the POI would be with regard to this slide's fixed sights.
I got lucky…real lucky! The fixed sights in this combination turned out to
be perfect for me, both vertically and with windage.
Usually, such is not the case for me.
I will shoot the DW Patriot with the factory slide/bbl that came with it, but
it is nice to know that should I somehow break all three extractors and no more
can be found, I'm not out of business with this gun; I'll just slap on the Colt
slide. (Since this was written, I've "heard" that the S&W 1911
extractors will fit the Patriot. I've not tried it or checked this possibility
out further.)
Six thousand shots is not many to some shooters and three lifetime's worth for
others, but so far the DW Patriot appears to be capable of holding the course.
I am not a fan of stainless steel pistols, but will use this one for times when
I'm likely to be sweating on the gun or in inclement weather. I could do
without the forward slide serrations, but the gun works and has proven itself a shooter. For those concerned about possible
galling, I have seen absolutely none. I believe that this problem was solved
years ago after the first stainless autopistols hit
the market and galling problems sometimes appeared. Alloys were altered and the
problem went away.
This DW Patriot proved itself useful over the years. This "table
doe" was popped with the pistol using a 200-gr. Hornady
XTP loaded over 7.2-gr. Unique. Average velocity was 991 ft/sec. (The deer went
into the freezer and was eaten.)
In my opinion, DW built and continues to build fine pistols. The slide glides
smoothly though not so "velvet smooth" as on a slide that has been
custom-fitted and lapped. The trigger pull has remained constant and breaks at
a measured 3 1/2 pounds. More importantly (to me), it breaks cleanly.
The Patriot model is no longer produced by Dan Wesson, but I continue to hear
positive things about their pistols and understand that Dan Wesson is now with
the respected company, CZ and can be found here:
http://cz-usa.com/products/by-brand/dan-wesson/
Mr. Bob Serva, who was in charge of Dan Wesson when I
got this Patriot has moved on to form another company called Fusion Arms. I know
only one person with one but he ordered another and cannot speak highly enough
of his Fusion Arms 1911. Interested persons can find this site at:
http://www.fusionfirearms.com/
I have not seen another Patriot in private hands or in the "Used"
sections of any gun shops I've visited in past years. This could certainly be
due to their limited years in production but I suspect that most Patriot
owners are hanging on to them.
I know that I am.
Best.