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.