Customer Reviews for CZ-USA Dan Wesson 1911 Guardian 8+1 .45 ACP 4.3"

Excellent firearm. Great service from Bud's as always.

Great gun. Have used many 1911s. The Dan Wesson Guardian is flawless in my opinion and extremely accurate. Best 1911 this side of a custom gun, and you have to pay a ton more to get anything beyond the Guardian.

Great service from Bud's. The Dan Wesson Guardian is a beautiful gun.500 rounds⁸⅘ and no problems. Good shooter and trigger.

Just recently received this item. It is the first 1911 I have owned, though I had a great deal of experience using .45’s during my military career spanning the 1960’s to the 1990’s. I have not had this Dan Wesson to the range yet, but the build quality and fit & finish is stellar. I’m confident this will become my daily carry piece once break-in is complete and my custom ordered shoulder rig arrives. More than satisfied with my purchase.

Sweet,
I feel safe with this in my hand. LOL
Could carry concealed if I wanted, matched with a Alien Gear Cloak tuck 3.5 IWB holster.

Very nice high quality 1911. Gun is tight and nicely finished. The crowned barrel and barrel bushing is a nice touch. Have put about 100 rounds through it and it shoots nice and accurate. The only thing that bothered me was that the slide stop is extended a little but straight out, so for me it scrapes the thumb of my support (left) hand. Most extended slide releases extend back and don't do this for me. Easy swap. Might just be me. I do think the quality is there and is one of my favorite.

I am a 1911 lover, I have two colts. One gold cup and one plain Govt model. I really like this Dan Wesson Guardian. I have not had a chance to fully run it througg a big day of shooting. But I love the fit, finish and feel. My first notice was how light it was in weight. I was a little concerned when i felt the weight that it may be difficult to keep from riding up in rapid fire shooting. But this was not the case at all. I loaded 4 mags and ran through all of them pretty fast at 15 yards and all rounds were in a 3” circle. I love the gun.

Out of the box I ran 250 rounds of 230 gt Geco ammo through it and 60 rounds of Honaday 185gr Hp without issue. Sights were dead on. Finish is excellent, this gun is the 1911 I’ve wanted for a longtime I donot need a custom model now that I have the Dan Wesson.

I purchased the Guardian in 45 ACP with the intent of making it into my primary carry gun as a replacement for my Colt LW Commander in 38 Super. The bobtail modification helps with comfort and concealment, and the lightweight alloy frame makes all day IWB carry more pleasant than with an all steel model. With full power defense loads, it does have noticeably more recoil, but it's easily controlled and quick to realign for follow up shots. The front strap checkering is aggressive enough for a good grip, but not so much it will chew up your hands or clothes. Trigger is smooth and crisp, reset is very quick, slide fit and barrel lock up are excellent. I also own a Valor VBOB, the fit and finish are almost identical. The duty finish is holding up well so far, and 300+/- rounds to date down range with no malfunctions. It feeds hollow points and flat-nose rounds just as well as it does ball ammo, smooth and clean. The ramped barrel is a nice touch, no worries about hollow points gouging the alloy frame. It's a high quality, accurate, well made firearm for much less than a Brown, Wilso, or Nighthawk. Great value for the money!

Received my Guardian in 45 ACP the other day. Put 200 rounds through it today at an indoor range. I used the two Dan Wesson mags that came with it, plus three Wilson Combat 8 rnd mags. I used inexpensive aluminum cased Federal ammo. Had the target set at 20 feet to start. The first two rounds made one hole at the point of aim. I was impressed and very happy. In 200 rounds, not a single malfunction. I shot at various distances out to 75 feet, and if I did my job the groups were fantastic. The only issue was that none of the Wilson mags would lock the slide back after the last round. These same mags operate the slide lock fine in a Kimber Custom Target.

Great experience. Day after I ordered my Guardian, there was a $120 price increase. I thought, “Oh no, they’re not going to honor my price”. No need to worry, pistol arrive at my FFL a day early, perfect condition. Paid the original price, which was a great one. Very happy with Buds. My first Buds gun, not my last.

Great experience. Day after I ordered my Guardian, there was a $120 price increase. I thought, “Oh no, they’re not going to honor my price”. No need to worry, pistol arrive at my FFL a day early, perfect condition. Paid the original price, which was a great one. Very happy with Buds. My first Buds gun, not my last.

This is a beautiful gun and it shoots great. Fit is exceptional. Delivery to my local FFL was quick and painless.

I'm so pleased with this 1911 I might buy another one....just to look at. Amazing how well made and how accurate it is. Buds took my other DW in trade and although I liked the old one it was an ECO which was too small to comfortably shoot a lot. Transaction was smooth and very fast.

Pistol arrived in no time forms Buds as they always do. Once in hand the quality and craftsmanship are unmistakable. The finish is perfect, slide to frame fit is tight, trigger is crisp. I've owned 1911's from Springfield, Kimber, Sig, Colt, and Smith and Wesson and this one takes the cake. First range trip out and it fed everything flawlessly. It ate through cheap blazer ammo and self defense loads from Hornady and Remington without any issues. Accuracy was definitely not a problem. The guardian has made its way to #1 for daily concealed carry.

Awesome dealing with Buds. Quick shipping.

Great gun. Very concealable with the bobbed mainspring, lightweight, accurate and reliable. What's not to like. Bud's was very good as well on this one. Helped me to work through an issue when my FFL flaked out on me.

Handsome and very functional as a concealed carry weapon.

Love this thing, bought it as a Christmas present to myself, shot some HST's and Winchester white box through it to get her going, ran right out of the box without a hiccup. The trigger is light, the pistol seems to be extremely accurate, and no pictures do this gun justice, she's a purdy one!

I have owned, handled and shot a slew of firearms working behind a gun counter for many years. I've personally owned a Taurus DT1911, Sig C3 and Springfield Loaded Stainless ( and loved them all ). Taurus tends to get a sub-par rap, but I had no reason to complain at the price point I was able to get mine for. I still would recommend them for anyone just starting out and would like to stay within a smaller budget. My Springfield ( which I still own ) has been superb. I love the look of the full length guide rod but needing tools to break it down is slightly inconvenient. When I clean my firearms I go all out; I dim the lights, light some candles and turn on Barry Manilow or Michael Bolton. Making sure I have an allen key around is pretty petty. I did switch out the smooth wood grips for some Kryptek grips from VZ but other than that, she's been a dream. Full figured, full steel track driver with zero malfunctions to date. ( 700-800 rounds ). The Sig C3 opened my eyes on how versatile the 1911 platform could be. After giving it my normal frog lube treatment ( my preferred lubricant by far. Get on it! ), it was the smoothest action I had ever felt. With the GI guide rode, I could have it disassembled and ready to shoot in 60 seconds. The Frankenstein frame/slide combo was ideal for carry but the officer frame was JUST too short for my liking. I LOVED the look of the commander length slide and although my lanky, gorilla hands fit on the grip, getting that grip wasn't a natural process. The Sig C3 left my heart hurting but it's an awesome firearm. I had long been looking at the Smith and Wesson PC1911 4.25" to replace my Sig C3 but then I discovered the offerings from Dan Wesson. I couldn't get any range time with either, so I fondled them as often as I could and probably longer than the local gun shop associate was comfortable with. Although I still have unsettled feelings about the Smith, the Dan Wesson Guardian has been burying those feelings quickly. I could go on about the fit, the finish, the grips, and yada yada yada but those tangibles are only part of what makes this gun special. Don't get me wrong, all of those things are amazing. But to me, this ( and MAYBE with the Valor as well ) could be the BEST bang for your buck commander 1911's out there. Anyone who knows 1911's also knows you don't always get what you pay for ( sometimes more, sometimes less ) and that after a certain point, you see extremely diminishing returns. ( a $2000 1911 is rarely twice as good as a $1000 1911, from my experience ). The alternate colored night sights ( my rear is yellow while the front is green ), the amazing stippling on the front AND on the grips ( yes, the black part on the grips is stippled and provides very positive traction ), the "duty style " finish, Ed Brown parts and the tender love & care of a good hand fitting..... You usually don't get that kind of treatment under $2500-$3000. But for $1400? I buy this gun again if I had to do it over. And again. And again. Note: My thumb safety and barrel bushing were both extremely tight upon arrival but after 300 rounds, they've both worn in perfectly. The safety is positive with no fear of false engagement and the bushing is very snug but I can still break it down with just my hands.

I own and operate a lot of handguns and rifles, from Taurus, Colt and Remington wheel-guns, to Sig Sauer, CZ', Beretta and Colt pistols; and the Dan Wesson 1911 .45 Guardian, including fit/finish, handling and looks, is the finest one I own. I was going to purchase a .45cal CZ . but, after agonizing a bit (a lot) over the $500.00 difference, I went for the Dan Wesson Guardian. And, I am glad I did after putting over 500+ rnds (450 hand-loads) downrange w/o a hiccup, as well as the other fine attributes of the Guardian, I am glad I kicked out the extra dough. Per usual, Buds did a fine job of facilitating the purchase of this outstanding weapon.

This is one of my favorite handguns. Very light for a .45, the aluminum frame really makes a difference if you plan on carrying it all day. I took off the wood grips and put some tactical alumagrips on it. I also lightened the trigger to 3lbs. Other than that it is perfect. Magazines that came with it are first rate. I see the price went up though, I only paid $1200 for it 6 months ago..

The Guardian is the perfect carry gun. Great shooing gun I t shoots better than a person will every shoot. Shot 200 rounds no jams. Shot the red out of the target. A beautiful gun. Well balance and designed. The Guardian is well worth the money. You cant beat a Dan Wesson. My second Dan Wesson. Go for it. .

This is my second Dan Wesson 1911. The fit & finish on this pistol is superb. The black Duty Treatment looks and feels like it will last and last.

This is the perfect carry 1911. Lightweight (aluminum frame), bobtail, night sights, series 70 firing system (no extra firing pin safety parts to malfunction), no MIM parts, slim grips, checkered front strap, good trigger, good finish, GI length guide rod (no tool needed for field strip). After 1st trip to range, I am fully confident in this pistol. 200 rds fmj, 50 rds jhp. No failures. Absolutely worth the hard earned money, and no need to spend more or look elsewhere. Like I said, the perfect carry 1911.