Dan Wesson Pointman Nine

 

The Dan Wesson Pointman Nine is one graceful, smooth, reliable and accurate 1911 holding 9 + 1 rounds of 9mm.  This is a full-sized 1911 loaded with features such as a five inch hand-fit match barrel, lowered and flared ejection port, beveled magazine well, carry bevel treatment and hand polished flats. For those to which these things matter, the pistol contains no MIM parts.   The pistol features a hand fit series 70 frame and slide and I can attest to the fact the slide to frame fit is incredibly smooth, tight and that the process of racking the slide is the easiest of any 1911 I have ever handled.  I could not find any information on the grips but they are probably rosewood with well executed checkering.  

Let's count off the official stat's:

1. The overall length is 8.75 inches
2. The barrel length, as already mentioned is 5 inches
3. The overall height is 5.5 inches
4. The pistol is 1.43 inches wide
5. The PM-9 weighs in at 2.42 pounds
6. The trigger pull on mine came in at 2.5 pounds
7. The pistol is pretty pricey an MSRP of about $1600.00.  I have not seen any retailers discounting this pistol due to it's rarity.  With the amount of hand fitting on this pistol the factory just can't crank them out like production guns.

But let's take a look at what else you get with the Pointman Nine: 

The Pointman also has front cocking serrations and a very nice dovetailed red fiber optic front sight.

The rear sight is all black and fully adjustable with a fairly low profile which gives a great sight picture.

One of the things I like about the cosmetic appearance of the Dan Wesson pistols is that they are humble and the company doesn't turn the sides of the slides in billboards.

(Above photo posted at the demand of Grant Cunningham)

The PM-9 designation and Dan Wesson name are tastefully small.

The trigger guard is slightly undercut, the pistol sports an extended magazine release and you can decide how much trigger over-travel you desire via the adjustable hex screw at the bottom of the trigger.

Finding the PM-9's place in this world is interesting to ponder.  CZ/Dan Wesson state in their catalogue that this pistol is designed for carry.  However in today's 4 inch barreled, polymer framed world the pistol is large, heavy and holds fewer rounds.  For instance, in comparison with a Glock model 17 we see that the Pointman-9 is 3/4 of an inch longer in overall length, the barrel is a half inch longer, it is a quarter inch wider, half a pound heavier, and hold 8 fewer rounds than the G17.  But there is a large market of people who eschew Glocks for 1911s and a substantial sub-market of those who only want the best 1911 they can find.  I have owned and handled a variety of 1911s that a go between $2K to almost $4K and none of them have anything on the Dan Wesson Pointman Nine.  The action all the way around this pistol is ultra smooth.  Oh, and for the 1911 detractors, there were no failures to feed or extract.

So let's see the targets!

Here are a few targets at 21 feet:

 The first target below was shot at 21 feet and the one next to it was shot at 31 feet.  The two under them were also shot at 31 feet.

The next two targets were shot at 50 feet.

And the final two targets were fired at 75 feet.

At about $1600.00 the Dan Wesson Pointman Nine is not really an Average Joe pistol but I couldn't pass up the opportunity to see what it offered.  My Doctor has asked for my opinion of shotguns in the past and if he asks about a 1911 pistol my recommendation will be for the PM-9.

Glock "Ready to Rock" G17-22 Package

As regular readers know I frequently write the reviews to Bill's Gun Shop's "Gun of the Month" (Click on the Bill's logo in the sidebar to be taken to their site).  Now, let's be honest, sometimes the "Gun of the Month" doesn't always appeal to a broad spectrum of the shooting public but Bill's does a good job of varying their offerings so that value-priced, moderately priced, and special interest firearms are offered in order to serve their diverse customer base.

The April "GOTM" is a very special package that will have broad appeal.  I am so excited about this package that I am publishing this review early because I just can't wait to tell you about what Bill's has in store for you in April.

This is the Glock "Ready to Rock" G17 and .22 Long Rifle Conversion package specially priced at $1,049.00.  Now you may be thinking that $1,049.00 is a lot of money (and it is) but you need to fully understand what you are getting for your money.  Here it is:

1. You get a Glock model 17 9mm pistol which has been a law enforcement and personal defense staple for about 28 years.

You'd had to have been living under a rock for the last three decades not to know about now legendary reliability, accuracy and ease of handling of the G17, the first pistol that Glock introduced into the U.S. The stand alone price of the G17 is $599.00.

2. You also get a Tactical Solutions TSG 22 STD .22 Long Rifle Conversion slide and barrel which is regularly priced at $359.00.

3. The package includes one Tactical Solutions 15 round .22 LR magazine valued at $29.95 (also included are three G17 magazines as well).

4.  Bill's is also putting a set of Tru Glo TG131GT green fiber optic night sights on the G17 Slide which would normally set you back $124.95 with installation.

5. The package is wrapped up in a Glock Shooting Sports soft-sided range bag normally priced at $19.95.

6. And finally...wait for it...wait for it...you get an RWB 50 round 9mm drum magazine which normally retails for $99.95.

This complete package would have a value of $1232.80 if you were to buy all of these components separately.  

This is one amazing set that makes a lot of sense to include into your personal battery.  This kit gives you both a defensive pistol and a low powered, but same sized, trainer for the shooter that is introducing a son, daughter, spouse, girlfriend or boyfriend into the wonderful world of shooting. 

The Tactical Solutions conversion also gives you a lower cost practice alternative by shooting .22's instead of 9mms.  A lot of companies that have built a .22 caliber version of their service or defensive pistols change the firing system which means that their .22 caliber version has a significantly different (usually lighter) trigger pull than their defensive caliber pistol.  This is not so with the G17 Tactical Solutions .22 caliber conversion as the frame remains the same, there is no difference in the trigger pull for the 9mm or the .22 LR version.

This is not to say that there aren't some differences between the G17 slide and components and the Tactical Solutions .22 caliber set up.

Obviously the bore size for the Tactical Solutions barrel will be smaller than the Glock 9mm barrel.

Naturally, the G17 pistol utilizes the Gen 4 dual recoil spring assembly

while the Tactical Solutions Conversion uses a single recoil spring assemble for the lower powered .22 cartridges.

Lastly, the 15 round Tactical Solutions magazine does not sit flush with the base of the grip.  

While this is a bit unusual it takes about 1 second to get over it once you bring the pistol on target and begin to fire.

Let's start evaluating!  For the purposes of this review I did not fire the pistol in it's G17 format.  I've shot Glock 9mm pistols countless times and I doubt I could write anything that you probably hadn't heard before.  Therefore I spent my time (and a lot of .22 rounds) having a boatload of fun getting to know the .22 conversion kit.

The function of the combined components was superb.  The slide has been perfectly crafted to fit the G17 frame and there were no hitches or hang-ups in the slide to frame movement.  I used CCI Mini-Mag ammunition (I am partial to this brand and load) and there were no failures to feed, failures to eject or any other malfunctions.

For your viewing pleasure here are a couple of targets:

Here is 21 rounds fired at 21 feet.

And here is 54 rounds fired at 35 feet.

You might think that these targets aren't all that impressive and I would agree.  The pistol was so much fun to shoot that I just could not contain my exuberance in order to slow down and shoot bulls eyes.  

So, how do I wrap this evaluation up?  Simple: I want one!