Dan Wesson Pointman 1911: 15,000 Round Review

The 1911 pistol is an American icon and Dan Wesson makes some of the best! The pistol we're looking at here is the Dan Wesson PM-9 "Pointman" 1911 chambered in 9mm parabellum. This pistol is a full size, all stainless steel model with adjustable sights.

The pistol was purchased new in early 2020.

Three years and fifteen thousand rounds later, what is the verdict?  

5.4 million people purchased a firearm for the first time during 2021 according to the National Shooting Sports Foundation® (NSSF®), the firearm industry trade association. Source

Shop the Dan Wesson PM-9 Pointman 1911 at Guns.com

Once the new pistol was unboxed, cleaned and lubed, it was off to the range for a function check.

Dan Wesson recommends a 300 round break-in for the pistol with cleaning and lubrication every 50 rounds during the break-in period. Two gun oils are recommended: FP-10 and Breakfree CLP.

Recommended by Dan Wesson, find FP-10 at Amazon and Break Free CLP at Brownells

Following the manufacturers recommendations is always a good idea and since this pistol is a tightly fitted all stainless pistol, I did just that. There were no issues during break-in at all.

The gun proved to be a tack driver with head shots from 25-yards being no problem!

Head shots on this IDPA target from 25 yards were no problem

Following the initial range session I found that the rear sight had started to come loose.

This is not unheard of with Dan Wesson 1911s and a drop of loctite on the rear sight retaining screw is all it took to make it rock solid.

Dawson brand magazines proved to be a problem for this PM-9 and occasional failures to feed the top round during slide lock reloads were encountered. When this happened, the round would nosedive during feeding and jam the pistol.

Wilson Combat magazines solved this problem and I never had the issue again - ever.

Shop these reliable Wilson Combat magazines at Palmetto State Armory

That was it for the problems.

One of the beauties of the 1911 is how customizble it is. I tailored my Dan Wesson Pointman to meet my needs by installing the following parts:

• Wilson Combat Medium Length Trigger - available at Palmetto State Armory
• Wilson Combat Ambi Thumb Safety - available at Palmetto State Armory
• Wilson Full Length Recoil Spring Guide Rod - available at Palmetto State Armory
• Smith & Alexander Mag Well

This pistol has been my go-to pistol for three years. It was used for IDPA competitions, plinking, and teaching classes. It was fed a steady diet of factory ammo, mostly Blazer aluminum and brass cased 115 gr FMJ.

In early 2023 it was the pistol I used while writing an article on Shooting the Massad Ayoob Group (MAG) Qualification. This is a 60-round police style shooting qualification. For the article I shot the qual at standard, double, triple and quadruple speed.

During my practice sessions for the very challenging Quad Speed Qual I intentionally did not clean the pistol. I did however keep it well lubricated with Lucas Extreme Duty Gun Oil.

By the time I was done with the project the pistol had gone 5,414 rounds without any cleaning and was filthy!

In over 5400 rounds the pistol never once had a malfunction of any kind. No failures to feed, fire, extract or eject. No sticky magazines during high speed mag changes. Nothing. This is a testament not only to the genius of John Browning and the quality of Dan Wesson products, but also to Blazer ammunition and Lucas Extreme Duty Gun Oil.

A once filthy pistol now clean and lubricated. Fresh recoil and firing pin springs installed. Ready for more!

Average of 10 trigger pull weights is 4 lbs 13 oz, unchanged from when this PM-9 was new.  See the Lyman Trigger Pull Gauge at Amazon.com

Over three years and approximately 15,000 rounds the Dan Wesson Pointman 9 has proven to me beyond any doubt to be a reliable, durable and accurate 1911 pistol. I could not ask more from a handgun and recommend it highly.