With new Heirloom and Specialist models, Dan Wesson is keeping a foot in both the vintage and contemporary 1911 market. 

The newest version of the Specialist debuted at the 152nd NRA Annual Meetings in Indianapolis over the weekend, adding an optics-ready slide to the .45 ACP rail gun. The factory cut has three optic plate options, while a front fixed Novak-style fiber-optic night sight and a tactical rear sight are also mounted. 
 

The MSRP on the Dan Wesson 1911 Specialist Optics-Ready is  $2,299. For reference, the standard Specialist is $2,179. 

Dan Wesson Heirloom

The company's Heirloom 1911 series is typically only offered in limited runs each year, usually just in .45 ACP. Now, for the first time, Dan Wesson is rolling with a .38 Super chambering for this top-shelf Government Issue-sized pistol. Made with premium parts while remaining eminently shootable, the pistol uses hand-fit 70 Series frames and slides paired with a match-grade barrel. 

One of the big selling points is that these are rock-solid guns and that DW refuses to use any MIM small parts in the construction of an Heirloom. The idea is that it is built to withstand the test of time and is made to be handed down from one generation to the next – still as accurate and dependable as it was on day one. 
 

With a 9+1 capacity, the 2023 Dan Wesson Heirloom in .38 Super has an MSRP of $2,399.

Photos and video by Samantha Mursan, copy by Alexander Reville and Chris Eger, video editing by Ben Philippi, copy editing by Melea Burke.