Dan Wesson’s Guardian is an elegant pistol and that’s an adjective that I don’t often use when describing handguns. It possesses classic styling with the addition of a bob-tailed frame and mainspring housing. Finished in satin black, the barrel bushing, long aluminum trigger and stainless-steel skeletonized Commander hammer and barrel contrast nicely with the rest of the gun, while the reddish-brown wood grips add a splash of color. Our test gun is chambered for 9mm.
Built from the ground up as a carry gun, Dan Wesson uses an alloy Series 70-style frame for the Guardian. It is equipped with Novak style tritium night sights for low light shooting and all its sharp edges have been beveled for painless carry. Even the sides of the skeletonized hammer have been broken to prevent cuts. Attention to detail is what makes the difference with the Guardian, and its front strap has what appears to be 40 LPI checkering and DW also checkers the top of the bob-tailed mainspring housing to match. Its thumb safety disengages as crisply as its trigger breaks, and the fitment of the high sweep beavertail grip safety is precise.
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The Guardian’s trigger breaks with 4 pounds of pressure, and the Dan Wesson craftsmen have tuned its overtravel and reset to perfection. I shot the Guardian for groups at 21 yards and found it capable of tremendous accuracy with a three-load aggregate group size of just 1.41 inches. If your needs involve a lightweight Commander-size gun, the Dan Wesson Guardian deserves a look!
