While at the Colt/CZ Media Day at Gunsite Academy, CZ/Dan Wesson announced the release of the long-awaited DWX, and a few additional firearms. I am aware the DWX was announced at the 2019 SHOT Show, but production was plagued with supply chain issues due to Covid and all that entailed. Yes, that whole debacle was a mess. No matter what you think of that SNAFU, it affected many of us in all sorts of ways.
The DWX is a bit of a hybrid of the traditional 1911-style pistol and the CZ 75 — both proven platforms. The ergonomics are the same at the CZ 75 — so much so, the stocks are interchangeable. The pistol utilizes the P09/P10 magazines, making additional magazines readily available and inexpensive. The capacity in 9mm is 19 rounds.
The adjustable rear sight is from the Shadow 2, and the front sight is a standard Dan Wesson front sight.
The trigger functions the same as a 1911 trigger — a sliding trigger with a 1911 hammer and sear. The ambidextrous safety, magazine release, and reversible magazine catch are all similar to the 1911. So, if you are familiar with the 1911-pattern pistol — or the CZ 75 for that matter — you will feel at home with the DWX’s manual of arms. As with all Dan Wesson pistols, there are no MIM parts.
However, the DWX uses a linkless bull barrel, so there is no barrel bushing like the P09. A standard Picatinny rail is machined into the full-length dust cover. With an MSRP of $2,099, I believe that is a lot of gun you’re getting for your money.
There were 8–10 examples at the media day. Quite greedily, we fired countless thousands of rounds through the test guns. There were no issues throughout the day, even though the guns were handled by scores of shooters. Accuracy was as expected, easily getting hits on the 12-inch steel at about 25-five feet.
Check out the full range report and review for Gunsite.
CZ brought along two pro shooters, Jared Fox and Alexis Pena, who truly shelled down the corn with the DWX. I would see this pistol serving well as a carry/defensive gun, as well as a stand-alone match pistol. This is a preview of the DWX, and I expect a test sample soon for a more in-depth review.
Although the Dan Wesson DWX is billed as a competition pistol, it would make a helluva home defender as well. What is your first impression of the DWX? Share your answer in the comment section.