Well, this weekend has brought crapy weather and too much work around the house to go shooting yet, but as promised here is a detailed review with photos of my new (used) Dan Wesson Black Valor VBOB.
I will start with a couple of shots and thoughts on some of the individual components.
The barrel bushing is an EGW part (I believe) that is thick and beveled. It appears to be a very high quality part, and is fitted tightly to the barrel - but not too tightly. A wrench makes field stripping easier, but it is do-able by hand as well. The bushing is not finished in 'Duty Treatment' like the slide and frame. I thought I would have liked it to be black as well, but the more I look at it, I do like the look of it in the natural stainless.
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Next up is the slide stop. I REALLY like the flat ledge/shelf style of this part. The serrations are a nice touch too. I believe this is the same slide stop that Nighthawk used on my two prior pistols - sans the serrations. Dan Wesson does not include the relief notch on the slide stop to help the user avoid the 'idiot scratch' upon re-assembly. This would be a nice touch if they would do so, but personally I do not have a problem with it as is.
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A couple shots here of the barrel, lugs, throat, and feet.
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A look inside the slide, shows the serial number matching the frame - all critical parts are truly fitted and marked to each other. No visible tooling marks or anything else to speak of.
![Image]()
I will start with a couple of shots and thoughts on some of the individual components.
The barrel bushing is an EGW part (I believe) that is thick and beveled. It appears to be a very high quality part, and is fitted tightly to the barrel - but not too tightly. A wrench makes field stripping easier, but it is do-able by hand as well. The bushing is not finished in 'Duty Treatment' like the slide and frame. I thought I would have liked it to be black as well, but the more I look at it, I do like the look of it in the natural stainless.
Next up is the slide stop. I REALLY like the flat ledge/shelf style of this part. The serrations are a nice touch too. I believe this is the same slide stop that Nighthawk used on my two prior pistols - sans the serrations. Dan Wesson does not include the relief notch on the slide stop to help the user avoid the 'idiot scratch' upon re-assembly. This would be a nice touch if they would do so, but personally I do not have a problem with it as is.
A couple shots here of the barrel, lugs, throat, and feet.
A look inside the slide, shows the serial number matching the frame - all critical parts are truly fitted and marked to each other. No visible tooling marks or anything else to speak of.
