Dan Wesson 357 opinions

[dtknowles]

This scope has been mounted to this shroud for decades with just stock rings. I can't say who's rings they are not marked but it is secure. It is offset from the bore a bit but like a side mounted scope that does not affect proper function.



Sorry the pictures are crappy but I think you can get the idea. Just rings clamped to the rib.

Tim

[pull the trigger]

I'd love to find a set of those rings, they'd be perfect.

[atfsux]

My first ever handgun was a 6in. Model 15-2. I loved that thing and never should have got rid of it. But I was a teenager, and stoopid. Turns out the lock work is a tiny bit less stout than S&W, and mine needed re-timing as a result. Of course, that may have had something to do with the steady diet of derloudenboomer krackenflasher magnum slightly beyond maximum handloads I fed it all the time.

[Ed K]

Turns out the lock work is a tiny bit less stout than S&W, and mine needed re-timing as a result.

Can't say I've heard that one before.

[racepres]

Turns out the lock work is a tiny bit less stout than S&W, .

What is this assumption based on?? First I ever heard such a thing

[atfsux]

What is this assumption based on?? First I ever heard such a thing

That was the information my gunsmith I took it to informed me of. This was back in the mid-80s, at a place no longer around called Matt's 10X Gunsmithing in Peoria, Arizona. Matt himself was a former police armorer from somewhere out of Commiefornia before he fled to Free America, and had extensive experience with S&W, Colt, Ruger and Dan Wesson revolvers. His position, as he explained it to me at the time, was that he liked the Dan Wessons because of how much easier they were to slick up their triggers and actions, but that the downside was their slightly greater susceptibility to getting out of whack from a steady diet of heavy recoiling loads. I just took him at his word because he was certainly more qualified than me to comment on such things, and I have simply regarded those statements as gospel since then. Not that I've sought out the argument, but I haven't had any other gunsmith argue against that position.

[M-Tecs]

I've heard claims that the DW stood up better to heavy double action shooting like PPC competitions than a Python but not as good as a S&W. That was mostly timing issues.

some pics of the lock work here https://www.danwessonforum.com/forum...ge-joe-method/

[rintinglen]

@ Atfsux. I find, IME, that your gunsmith's opinion does not parallel mine.

The Dan Wesson 44's actions were much more durable than the S&W's of that era. That is not opinion, that is fact. The Silhouette shooters of those days proved it time and again. Further, I find the S&W action to be much more amenable to reason when it is time to lighten and smooth things. I realize that different people can have different experiences, but I am scratching my head trying to figure out how my experience can be so different from his.

[racepres]

That was the information my gunsmith I took it to informed me of. This was back in the mid-80s, at a place no longer around called Matt's 10X Gunsmithing in Peoria, Arizona. Matt himself was a former police armorer from somewhere out of Commiefornia before he fled to Free America, and had extensive experience with S&W, Colt, Ruger and Dan Wesson revolvers. His position, as he explained it to me at the time, was that he liked the Dan Wessons because of how much easier they were to slick up their triggers and actions, but that the downside was their slightly greater susceptibility to getting out of whack from a steady diet of heavy recoiling loads. I just took him at his word because he was certainly more qualified than me to comment on such things, and I have simply regarded those statements as gospel since then. Not that I've sought out the argument, but I haven't had any other gunsmith argue against that position.

Sounds like what My experience and Gunsmith type friends said...Except the two are Reversed. There were Multitudes if "Gun Experts" back in the day, who Hated on The DW (and the Ruger BTW) saying they were made of Pot Metal etc.. Luckily, I listened to Experience..

[Ed K]

Something else sounds funny about that gunsmith: saying of Dan Wessons "how much easier they were to slick up their triggers and actions" compared to S&W. My experience is that nobody is ever really completely satisfied with a Dan Wesson DA. The SA however can be quite good and for target, hunting, silhouette the DA doesn't generally matter so much. Anyhow bashing on the guy is not all that constructive and I realize you said you were relatively inexperienced and just took his word for it. The point is don't be afraid of a Dan!

[Thin Man]

Years ago when I worked at our local police department the officers were allowed to carry any handgun with which they could qualify. Lots of various firearms were seen being worn then. Came the day when a knowledgeable handgun shooter came to work carrying a Dan Wesson. He bragged how he could swap out the barrels in different lengths to suit him. One of the other officers asked if he could handle the DW and gave it a good look-over. When he handed it back to the owner he stated: "I have carried a lot of different pistols on this job but I have never carried a PARTS GUN on duty." The very next day the DW owner came to work wearing a different handgun. Ouch...

[dtknowles]

When something is this good, it is hard to get enough of them.



357 Max
357 mag/38 spcl
32-20
.22 rf

4, 6, 8 inch barrels,

Tim

[pull the trigger]

That's more than I've seen in my life

[hlvabeach]

Here's a DW Pistol pack I picked up last month from Gun Broker. Manufactured sometime in 2018. It came with a 4", 6", and 8" barrel. I've been shooting it with the 6" barrel. I am very impressed with the trigger pull and accuracy.

Sent from my SM-N986U using Tapatalk

[georgerkahn]

hivabeach -- how times have changed a bit? My Dan Wesson 15-2V was made in 1978 and the pistol pac case has cloth-covered foam. (The case I purchased apparently belonged to a chain-cigarette smoker and it seemed to take "forever" using bright summer sun and aquarium filter charcoal to 99.999% get rid of the smell!) The molded plastic of yours sure seems a better approach! I posted (January 6) here above; re-posting the photo of my pac to make it easy to see "then" versus "now". For mine, I have the 2 1/2", 4", 6", 8", and 10" barrels; mine being their "bright blue" (as opposed to the stainless, as yours is) model.

[Bmi48219]

A lady at the range last week came in with a NIB DW 357, I’m guessing a 6” barrel. She had just picked it up that afternoon and the LGS pickup label was still taped on the case.
At 21 feet it was hitting 4-5” to the left. I tried it and got about the same results. On closer inspection you could see the front sight was an easy mil or so off to the right.

[TCLouis]

A lady at the range last week came in with a NIB DW 357, I’m guessing a 6” barrel. She had just picked it up that afternoon and the LGS pickup label was still taped on the case.
At 21 feet it was hitting 4-5” to the left. I tried it and got about the same results. On closer inspection you could see the front sight was an easy mil or so off to the right.

Loosen the nut, turn the "shroud" a tad, tighten the nut, might fix that.

[M-Tecs]

Loosen the nut, turn the "shroud" a tad, tighten the nut, might fix that.

The shroud has a locating pin. You cannot rotate the shroud. Not sure about the older models but including the 15-2 and everything after that has the locating pin.

[dtknowles]

A lady at the range last week came in with a NIB DW 357, I’m guessing a 6” barrel. She had just picked it up that afternoon and the LGS pickup label was still taped on the case.
At 21 feet it was hitting 4-5” to the left. I tried it and got about the same results. On closer inspection you could see the front sight was an easy mil or so off to the right.

Is there not enough adjustment in the rear sight to get it to aim to the point of impact?

Tim

[missionary5155]

Bought our 1st DW .357 in 78 in Chatanooga, TN. Fired at least 2000 of rounds through it using 180 grain GC WW slugs pushed with 296 ( I will not post that load) through a 10" barrel steel critter competition. Still have that revolver and after many more K's of .357 rounds loads with 200 grains down to 155 it is still as accurate as day one. I watched many SW .357's get scraped on the steel critter line.
We also have a pile of them now. Never will sell one. All shoot well. Most are excellent. 32-20 right up to the .445 Supermag. They are superb and well made.
Did have one used model 15-2 bought used that someone bent the crane on it. DW fixed it free.
We also have many SW's and they are OK. Lighter made for carry and OK accurate for general life. But they will not take what a average DW can be subjected to.
Then add in the easy barrel change and cylinder gap control plus the barrel tension and there is no comparison to any other factory made revolver.
Yes I am biased ! But near 50 years shooting DW's and most of the other options has done that.