![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.gunsamerica.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Dan-Wesson-ECO-17.jpg\" "\\"Dan")
<\/a>The ECO on top of a full sized Dan Wesson.<\/p><\/div>\n
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Read more at CZ:<\/strong> https:\/\/cz-usa.com\/product\/dw-eco-45-acp\/<\/a><\/p>\n Buy one on GunsAmerica:<\/strong> https:\/\/www.gunsamerica.com\/Dan Wesson ECO<\/a><\/p>\n I spend a lot of time around single action pistols. This is partly because I’ve had a life-long obsession with the nostalgia of the fighting 1911. Then there’s the added benefit of living in Arkansas, home to companies like Nighthawk, Wilson, and Gun Crafter. I know my way around the platform, and have a short list of favorite guns. That said, it has been a few years since I carried a single action with any regularity. That’s all about to change. I’ve finally found the perfect out-of-the-box single-action carry gun: the Dan Wesson ECO.<\/p>\n [one_half]<\/p>\n The short grip requires a short mag (but it will still hold 7 rounds of .45 ACP–9mm also available.)<\/p><\/div>\n [\/one_half][one_half_last]<\/p>\n With the ECO’s shorter girp, a full sized mag sticks out slightly. Short mags fit flush.<\/p><\/div>\n [\/one_half_last]<\/p>\n Having just clearly stated that I love single actions–and then inferred that I don’t carry one–I should explain myself. I used to carry a full sized 1911 whenever I could open carry. If I were going into the woods, that’s what I took with me. I wore it in a leather OWB holster, strong side, and I wasn’t really concerned with how fast I could draw the thing. Just knowing I had seven rounds of .45 ACP was good enough. And when I was carrying concealed, I carried a Colt Mustang.<\/p>\n Lately I’ve been going to the woods with a big .357–primarily because of the increase in terminal ballistic performance. The single-action .380 was too much for summer-time carry, so I moved to a polymer framed mouse gun. The 1911s all had something about them that kept me from carrying them. Sometimes it was size. Sometimes it was texture on the frame, or the sights. Sometimes, I just got tired of lugging around all that steel. In short, there wasn’t anything that couldn’t have been addressed with some assistance of a gunsmith or an armorer, but that costs real money.<\/p>\n I’ve run a lot of single-actions through the review process, and I consistently have a bone to pick. Not here.<\/p><\/div>\n When the folks at Dan Wesson showed us these guns, I was impressed. We reviewed one of their full sized guns this summer<\/a>. It shot great and looks stunning. The ECO is noticeably smaller, more compact, and it is as if someone had a checklist of all of my requirements for a concealed carry single action.<\/p>\n Size.<\/strong> While I will often try to conceal a big gun, I need a gun for EDC that I can always carry. Summer–winter. While the ECO is larger than some .380 mouse guns, it maintains a very thin profile and manageable frame and grip length. This is a true officer sized 1911. 3 inch barrel, shortened frame under the grips. And the frame is aluminum, too, which helps with the weight.<\/p>\n Power.<\/strong> There are a slew of great .45 ACP carry rounds. While they’re slow (when compared to 9mms) they hit hard. There’s nothing wrong with the round, as far as I can tell.<\/p>\n The G10 grips are rock solid, and offer excellent texture. Frame ad backstrap cut at 25 LPI.<\/p><\/div>\n Grip texture.<\/strong> I like for a grip to bite my hands. Carry guns should have aggressive texture. Some grouse about what the sharp edges of G10 might do to their clothing, but I’ve never seen any wear on my clothes that I thought was more important than the option of having a good grip.<\/p>\n Frame texture.<\/strong> After carrying a couple of heavy pistols with no front strap texture, I’ve decided that a nice set of lines or some checkering is a must. The ECO has a shortened grip, but it is still big enough to hold with three fingers.<\/p>\n Ambidextrous safety.<\/strong> When I train, I try as many hypotheticals as I can. That includes left handed shooting and one handed manipulations. Having an ambidextrous safety is helpful for lefties, but it is also a benefit for all of us in certain circumstances. Perhaps because the ECO is meant for low-profile carry, the ambi safety was left off. It is a simple enough addition.<\/p>\n Fast sights.<\/strong> The ECO has a straight-8 two dot system instead of the typical 3-dot line up. The front sight is also much more prominent. As you drive to a target the front sight is easy to pick up, and the flat black serrations on the rear offer a good frame for the front. The sights also glow.<\/p>\n [one_half]<\/p>\n That small spot glows, but is smaller than the white spot on the front, so you won’t mistake the two in the dark.<\/p><\/div>\n [\/one_half][one_half_last]<\/p>\n The front bead.<\/p><\/div>\n [\/one_half_last]<\/p>\n One handed manipulation.<\/strong> While we’re talking sights, I’d like to praise the designers of the ECO for going the extra mile with the ledge on the sights. Most compact pistols have slanted sights that are designed to prevent snags. The ledge on the rear sight of the ECO, though, is a great place to catch a belt, or a heel, or a counter top when trying to rack the slide.<\/p>\n [one_half]<\/p>\n The rear sight has a ledge for one handed manipulation.<\/p><\/div>\n [\/one_half][one_half_last]<\/p>\n A single point and plenty of flat black for accurate work.<\/p><\/div>\n [\/one_half_last]<\/p>\n Quality parts.<\/strong> This one is harder to nail down than most of the others, and difficult to test in a review. But the ECO makes some bold claims. The gun has a one piece guide rod and a flat would recoil spring that is rated for 15,000 rounds. They’re pretty serious about the quality.<\/p>\n [one_half]<\/p>\n The safety engages the slide cut precisely. These details will tell you how well a 1911 is made.<\/p><\/div>\n [\/one_half][one_half_last]<\/p>\n The ribs on the top cut glare. The attention to detail is on par with what I’ve come to expect from Dan Wesson guns.<\/p><\/div>\n [\/one_half_last]<\/p>\n Apart from the ambidextrous safety, there’s only one thing missing from the ECO–serrations on the front of the slide. The rear serrations are fine, but the smooth texture in front of the trigger guard won’t be easy to work with wet hands. Is this a deal-breaker for me? Hell no. Nowhere near. I understand why they’re not there, I think. I have a hard time putting my hand on the slide without connecting with the rear serrations. It isn’t as long as a full-sized frame. And those extra cuts mean more machining and more money.<\/p>\n The texture of the grips is perfect, but I’m ambivalent about the colors.<\/p><\/div>\n This is a fair question. There has to be something wrong with it, right? Every gun has some odd personality quirk, or a strange way of behaving. If my effusive love-fest above wasn’t a good indication, I really like this gun. There is only one thing that I would change out immediately, and it has everything to do with my vanity. I love the feel and texture on these G10 grips, but I think they’re a bit much. I won’t say they’re ugly–I’ve seen some ugly ass grips. But the black on white pattern is garish. And it draws attention to the gun. If this were to flash out from under a coat tail, it would draw attention. Not that a gun won’t. They draw attention. But a nice subtle grip color might be less conspicuous.<\/p>\n This has been a hard gun to review. My first impressions of it were so uniformly positive that I just knew something would go wrong. I halfway expected that the short barrel would have too much muzzle rise for rapid target reaquisition. Not the case. The internals on guns like this are not as easy to tune as those on a full sized 1911, so I had expected failures. But there wasn’t anything about it that let me down. I did most of the shooting for this review the week after returning from a 1911 skills class, and I was really pleased with how well the gun ran, and how well I ran the gun.<\/p>\n The price may be a stumbling block for some. The $1,662 MSRP is steep (if you’re accustomed to the price tags on polymer pistols or import 1911s). I see it differently. If you were to compare the ECO with other 1911s built for concealed carry, it actually comes in close, or under.<\/p>\n Read more at CZ:<\/strong> https:\/\/cz-usa.com\/product\/dw-eco-45-acp\/<\/a><\/p>\n Buy one on GunsAmerica:<\/strong> https:\/\/www.gunsamerica.com\/Dan Wesson ECO<\/a><\/p>\n [one_half]<\/p>\n A full magazine from 25 yards, standing.<\/p><\/div>\n [\/one_half][one_half_last]<\/p>\n Five from the holster at 7 yards, as fast as I could clear leather.<\/p><\/div>\n [\/one_half_last]<\/p>\n [one_half]<\/p>\n The targets illustrate my bad habits. Too much finger on the trigger. The gun is better than I am.<\/p><\/div>\n [\/one_half][one_half_last]<\/p>\n The trigger pull felt a bit heavier than I would like, but it is something that can be adjusted.<\/p><\/div>\n [\/one_half_last]<\/p>\n [one_half]<\/p>\n<\/a><\/a><\/a>Enter the ECO<\/h2>\n
What do I want in a 1911 for EDC?<\/h2>\n
<\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a>What would I add?<\/h2>\n
<\/a>So what’s wrong with it?<\/h2>\n
In the end<\/h2>\n
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