Dan Wesson DWX Review: 1911 Trigger, 19+1 Capacity

The Dan Wesson DWX is a hybrid that takes the single-action fire control of a Dan Wesson 1911 and grafts it onto a double-stack, CZ-pattern steel frame. The name spells out the recipe: D and W for Dan Wesson, X as the crossover with the CZ 75. You get the flat, crisp trigger that built Dan Wesson's custom-grade reputation, feeding from 19-round magazines instead of an eight-round single stack. That one change fixes the 1911's single biggest competition liability, capacity, without asking you to learn a striker-fired or DA/SA trigger.

Mechanically, the barrel lockup and takedown follow the CZ 75 pattern, lining up the slide stop CZ-style with a bushingless, locked-breech barrel, while the slide itself rides on external rails like a 1911. The controls, too, are pure 1911: a bilateral thumb safety, not a CZ decocker, so the gun runs cocked-and-locked. If you have shot a 1911 or a 2011, the manual of arms is immediately familiar. If you have shot a CZ Shadow 2, the grip angle and bore axis will feel like home. For a wider look at where it sits among double-stack single-actions, see our best 2011 pistols guide and our broader best full-size 9mm pistols ranking.

The DWX trigger is the reason this pistol exists, and it delivers. Guns and Ammo measured the single-action break at 3.5 pounds, sitting at the bottom of Dan Wesson's stated 3.5 to 4.5 pound range, with the short reset and glass-rod wall that 1911 shooters chase. There is minimal take-up, a clean break with no creep, and a tactile reset you can ride during a fast string. This is a true single-action-only trigger, not a striker-fired imitation of one.

That trigger feel at 19+1 capacity is the DWX's entire argument. A custom 1911 will match the break but gives up eleven rounds. A striker-fired competition gun matches the capacity but cannot touch the trigger. The DWX is the answer for shooters who refuse to compromise on either. For shooters cross-shopping the trigger against other match guns, our best competition pistol by USPSA division guide breaks down where a single-action gun like this fits, and our best 1911 pistols ranking covers the single-stack guns the DWX is built to outgun on capacity.

The full-size DWX holds 19+1 of 9mm and feeds from CZ P-09 and P-10 F magazines. This is the quiet advantage that does not make the headlines. Staccato and SIG P211 magazines are proprietary, expensive, and occasionally backordered; CZ P-09/P-10 F mags are mass-produced, inexpensive, and sitting on shelves everywhere CZ pistols are sold. A competition shooter burns through magazines, and a DWX owner restocks for a fraction of what a 2011 shooter pays.

The DWX is also offered in .40 S&W for shooters chasing major power factor in divisions that reward it, though 9mm is the dominant configuration and the one most buyers want. Whichever caliber you run, plan your magazine inventory before your first match. Four to six magazines is the working minimum for a USPSA or IPSC stage rotation.

Dan Wesson builds the DWX to the same near-custom standard as its 1911 line, and it shows in the fit. The full-size gun wears a 5-inch barrel, weighs 43 ounces in steel, and measures 8.52 inches overall with a 5.85-inch height and 1.52-inch width. That mass is a feature on a stage: the steel frame soaks up recoil and keeps the fiber-optic front sight tracking flat under fast splits, the same physics that makes the heavy CZ TS 3 Orange and CZ Shadow 2 such effective competition guns.

The slide is stainless with a black duty finish, the sights are a fiber-optic front paired with an adjustable rear, and a Picatinny light rail is molded into the dust cover for a weapon light or competition setup. The grip texture and undercut trigger guard let you ride the gun high, and the bilateral thumb safety sits where a 1911 shooter expects it. The one thing the standard model does not give you is a factory optic cut, which is the single most common complaint and the reason the optics-ready variant exists.

To run a red dot on a DWX, buy the DWX Compact Optic Ready variant or have the standard slide milled; the iron-sighted standard model ships without an optic cut. The optics-ready gun accepts a micro red dot directly on its milled slide, putting the DWX in line with the optics-division platforms that now dominate USPSA and IPSC match participation. For a ranked breakdown of which dots hold zero on a hard-recoiling competition pistol, see our best pistol red dot guide.

If you are buying the standard 92001 specifically because you prefer irons, the fiber-optic front and adjustable rear are a genuinely good setup for a competition gun and division-legal without a dot. Just go in knowing that adding a slide-mounted optic later means milling, not a plate swap.

The DWX's competition is the true 2011, and the honest comparison is about ecosystem versus price. A Staccato C starts at $2,599 MSRP and brings a modular grip module you can size to your hand, a deep aftermarket, and a holster catalog that fits nearly every duty and competition rig made. The DWX gives up the modular grip and the breadth of holster support, but it lands the trigger and the capacity for roughly a thousand dollars less. If budget is the deciding factor and you do not need grip modularity, the DWX wins on value.

The SIG P211 attacks the same problem from a different angle, using P320 magazines to undercut traditional 2011 magazine cost. Our coverage of the SIG P211 GT4 and GT5 breaks down that approach. Against both, the DWX's edge is the CZ heritage: the low bore axis, the proven Shadow 2-style ergonomics, and the cheapest magazines in the segment. Its weakness against both is the standard model's lack of a factory optic cut. Use our side-by-side compare tool to line the DWX up against the CZ Shadow 2 and the 2011 field, or drop it into the builder to plan an optic and magazine loadout.

The DWX comes in three broad configurations. The full-size 92001 reviewed here is the 5-inch, 19+1, steel-framed competition gun. The DWX Compact shrinks the footprint to a 4-inch barrel, 7.5-inch overall length, and 15+1 capacity on an aluminum frame at 30.8 ounces, with a tritium front and a fixed Battlehook rear sight. The aluminum frame and shorter slide make the Compact the more carry-friendly option, though it is still a substantial pistol.

The DWX Compact Optic Ready adds a milled slide for a micro red dot to the compact platform. Across the line, the steel full-size gun is the recoil-management champion for stage shooting, while the compact models trade some of that weight for a more wearable package. Match the variant to the job: full-size for the range and the match, compact for everything closer to carry.

The Dan Wesson DWX is the value answer to the 2011 question. It delivers a 1911 single-action trigger at 19+1 capacity, on a steel frame that flattens recoil, for around $1,520. That is well under a base Staccato or SIG P211, and the CZ P-09/P-10 F magazines it feeds from are the cheapest in the segment. For a shooter who wants the trigger and the round count without paying full 2011 money, nothing else lands the same package at this price.

The tradeoffs are real but narrow. The standard model has no factory optic cut, so buy the optics-ready variant if a dot matters to you. The holster and parts ecosystem is smaller than a Staccato's or a 1911's, and at 43 ounces the full-size gun is a range and competition pistol, not a carry piece. Inside those constraints, the DWX earns its place near the top of any double-stack single-action shopping list. Cross-shop it in our best 2011 pistols and best budget 2011 pistols guides before you buy.