I did a visual and more cosmetic review of the weapon in this thread, so I won't go over that stuff again.
http://www.firearmstalk.com/forums/f57/sarges-new-dan-wesson-cco-18477/
I got out to shoot this thing more than just a shot or two down a buddies lane yesterday, along with my new Valor (that will be a separate review).
When trying out a new pistol I always do the same thing - I run the target to 20 yards out, and then fire one round per second, 5 rounds per magazine, stopping to reload the magazine each time, until either 50 or 100 rounds are down range through the weapon. Since time was limited yesterday, I ran 50 through this, and 50 through the Valor, alternating weapons every 5 rounds. Both targets were downrange hanging side by side.
The guy in the lane next to me was trying to keep pace with me, so I moved to double taps about 20 rounds in. I know, I know, but I'm very competitive guy and I wanted to take it up a few notches. After he put a round off the floor somewhere into his second magazine, he stopped packed up and left. Double tapping is definitely a perishable skill.
The Officers frame on this weapon hits me just below halfway down my palm in a shooters grip. Although I never have a problem with "normal" officer frames, I did notice a new comfort level with the CCO due to the small radius on the butt of the frame. It just let my palm "form" around it instead of having a point there to poke me. Again, it wasn't a problem before, this is more of a pleasant surprise that just added to the joy of shooting this weapon.
The CCO has an alloy frame, so the lighter weight added to the muzzle jump somewhat, but it wasn't uncontrollable by any means. If you look at the pic and realize that roughly half of these were double taps, you can imagine that it was well in the realms of being comfortable to shoot. The trigger broke cleanly every time, and there were no problems with the weapon at all.
Given more time, I would have done a slow fire exercise as I feel this weapon is way more accurate than I will ever be. The rapid fire/double tap test is my way of gauging in some approximation how a weapon will perform in a situation. Given a ransom rest, no doubt that target would look drastically better than it does. As you can see, quick accuracy is more than adequate at 20 yards let alone 20 feet for a self defense situation.
The tritium sights feature a large white ring around the front tube, which makes it VERY easy to pick up on follow up shots.
The chainlink pattern on the frontstrap and the MSH is quite effective and makes the weapon very stable in the hand under recoil. To be honest, I would have had to think between shots to notice any difference between the chainlink and the checkering on my other weapons while shooting.
The thumb safety snicks on and off with a definite feel. No "mushiness" like I have on another of my 1911's. There is no doubt when you draw that you have put the safety into the fire position, and no doubt that you will not brush it off without noticing you have done so.
Overall, I think the CCO is a great package and being the commander slide on the alloy officers frame makes it almost perfect for concealed carry. The only think I can find to NOT like about this weapon is the plunger tube, which I covered in my cosmetic review. Other than that, I think DW has hit it out of the park with this one. If you get the chance to handle or shoot one, you should. You'll be glad you did.
Sarge
Sarge's CCO shooting review....
Linear Mode
