Gents, does anyone have any experience with the Long Beach Operator? I may be looking for a different duty 1911 in the near future as my Dan Wesson Specialist and I are having some disagreement with where the rear sight is supposed to stay when I shoot it. I am in contact with DW but am not holding out much hope based on what I’ve read on some other forums. I’m also open to other ideas for a railed 1911, ambi-safety, mag well and stable finish. I would need to stay in the $1500-$1800 budget.
Dan Wesson is known for excellent CS. Not sure what the issue is, but I’ve noticed that the heavier the rear sight, the more likely it is to migrate. I had to put a taller rear on my Rail Gun and I ended up dimpling the slide for the set screw and Loctite on the threads. It never moved again.
I recently procured an LBO from Springfield, and I can’t praise the gun highly enough. It feels and shoots like a dream, and has thus far handled any JHP, FMJ, or even lead-free frangible ammo that I’ve tossed at it. Shoot me a PM if you want the contact info for the LE Coordinator at SA.
I got an email back from one of the 'smiths at Dan Wesson. My Specialist is going to be heading back likely on Friday to see what they can do after they email me the shipping label. So far I’m pretty content with their customer service. I think I’ll still be looking for a 2nd railed 1911 to keep around incase one goes down.
No, the Long Beach is more along the lines of an MC Operator with black AK frame, magwell, and G10 grips. Currently, it’s a catalog item carrying the “LDD” moniker. It doesn’t see the little extra attention to detail that the TRPs do.
Also, Buds has the LDDs/LBOs in stock. I’d be picking one up myself if I wasn’t waiting around to see what the hell this new Beretta is supposed to be.
Pretty much this. I was told by the LE rep at SA that the LBOs are only produced in runs of 50, and that they receive a little more specialized attention during assembly than the mainstream run guns. I wasn’t given any elaboration on what that little bit of specialized attention was.
I finally got the time to get my Specialist shipped off. In regards to DW’s customer service, they replied to my initial email within 12 hours and I had a RMA and shipping label another hour or so after that. The gun got sent home today to see the smiths and try to figure out a permanent solution to my rear sight drift problems. I was quoted a 4-6 week turn around time. I’ll keep this thread updated for anyone else who has to make use of Dan Wesson’s CS.
Just heard back from DW. They are refusing to do anything because I shipped the gun to them with my Trijicon HDs still installed. The email I got back today said “Centered rear sight and tightened set screw. These sights are not warranted due to being an aftermarket item.” I told them during the initial emails as to why I had non-factory sights (to attempt fix the drifting issue) and that I had used loctite on the sights already as a DW rep had said to do on another 1911 forum. I was told to ship it using the sights I had on the gun, my Trijicons. The Specialist is on it’s way back to me now with the issue still unresolved.
Samuse, I would love to go with your idea but my agency’s policy for duty guns is that they have to be factory and any additional work done must be from the factory, meaning I have to have one that runs right out of the box or the factory custom shop. It looks like I’m looking for a new 1911.
I don’t understand how the sight is drifting if you have it loctited and the set screw in. Did you file the sight to size it to the dovetail or was the dovetail just too oversized?
That blows, but if it works well other than that I would dimple for the set screw and call it a day vice buying an entire new gun. Or send it to their custom shop and have the rear sight notch welded and re-cut it would still be more cost effective than buying another gun.
You would not get this crappy CS from Springfield.
I have owned a MC Operator, TRP Operator and a DW Specialist. They were darn nice pistols. the Specialist I had was perfect!
Fit and finish was stunning. However, it was a very low serial number, <10. Overall the Specialist gets a bit more “fluff and buff” attention.
All shot very well.
I won’t ever consider Springfield again after having an Ejector come loose (@ 980 Rounds), and the gun Go Down Hard, in a TRP Operator Half Rail. Sure, Customer Service was great… they even actually drilled and pinned in a New Ejector, versus just press fitting another one in place. Also, too much MIM for my liking.
Unless you must have new, I’ve seen a few Nighthawk, Wilson & Les Baer railed 1911s sell for at or under $2k on gunbroker on the past 60 days. I bet the closer to Christmas we get, a few more will pop up.
I have met some of the chief gunsmiths from SA at Camp Perry, and you would be hard pessed to find nicer. At one Perry, the main gunsmiths, I think his name was Dave, had a Champion Operator left over from the SHOT show thahe had made with a carbon steel frame. He said that he had made several because the alloy frames had not come in time for the show, and he was selling the steel framed Champions for around $1400. Imagine that, a custom hand built Champion for $1400. If I had not purchased an Armalite AR10 the day before, I would have bought it.
Given the quality of my TRP Operator (yesterday my TRP shot the smallest 50 yard group I have ever seen a pistol shoot), Springfield’s commitment to the shooting sports, and the quality of their customer service, I would have no issues buying several more. To prove my point even further, I am 4 months into the 36 month wait for a Professional.