Nother Dan Wesson

[MT Gianni]

I bought a 4" 357 HB 15. The bc gap is such that it will not close on a 0.0015 feeler gauge. It looks to be in great shape but came with no wrench. I will shoot it and see how it does but wonder if anyone runs theirs this tight in warm weather and if there are problems with doing so other than keeping it clean. I last owned a DW in the 90's and sold it for something I had to have. I am interested in how this one will shoot.

[runfiverun]

i run mine pretty tight too.
i generally screw them in by hand.
rotate the cylinder to the tight one, then back the barell out just a titch, and tighten everything down.
just clean the front of the cylinder often.

[Fernando]

Just give it a try - I have 2 and one needs a little more gap than the other.
It will start to bind on a hot day when heated up - it is the one that is less square.
Might self clean with heavier/cleaner loads - I usually run .003ish
Mine both shoot awesome - I think .0015 will be a little tight though.

[Bwana]

You might be interested in this site: http://www.ewkarms.com/zen8/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=5&zenid=53b0847f9afc4a9becf516c4b6f9be64

[missionary5155]

Greetings
I am always on the prowl for a DW. Never will find an end to it.
Barrel gaps are like cylinders..who knows what will be there waiting. But I am of the mind the tighter the better. Why pay for powder just to blow it out the cylinder gap.
Do visit Erics DW accessory site. Do not hesistate to get his DW barrel tool. You will want the small size that comes with the .357 spud. I use his products happily. His 1-12 twist .357 barrels are great for heavy slow boolits. Am trying to convince him (for 2 years now ) do a 1-12 twist run on caliber 41 mag barrels. I want one of all sizes.
Mike in Peru

[taco650]

I've had the barrel on my 44DW set so long I forgot what I set it at but I do remember using the factory feeler gauge on the tightest cylinder. I think the feeler gauage was .002? Oh well, it just shoots and has never let me down. Enjoy your new-to-you 357!

[runfiverun]

the factory feelers are .004

[Bullwolf]

I like to set my Dan Wesson revolvers at .004 as well. I typically use an automotive feeler gauge to get it just where I want. Sometimes at the range, if doing a quick barrel swap, I will use the factory .006 feeler gauge. At home after a cleaning, I like to set it at .004.

Some of the Dan Wesson's out there don't have perfectly square cylinder faces. Those may need to be set on the larger side (.006) on the tightest cylinder to prevent binding due to carbon build up for maximum reliability.

I don't own any Dan Wesson's with wonky cylinders, and I have run things as tight as .002 before without problems on my guns - at under 100 rounds or less between cleanings.

Most of the small frame Dan Wesson's came with a .006 factory gauge, and many of the large frame ones did as well.

62556

Some of the Supermag's came with a smaller .002 gauge, and an spare barrel. Supposedly the tighter barrel/cylinder gap would help prevent flame cutting with the powerful Supermag cartridges.

I've seen a 375 Supermag that had a factory .002 gauge.

My friends Model 15-2 VH pistol pack came with a .006 gauge. My fixed sight, service Model 714 .357 Magnum also came with a .006 gauge. The 44s and 744's that I have seen that still had the factory gauge were also .006.

Recently picked up a 7445 Supermag. It came with a .006 factory gauge.

Part of the fun of the Dan Wesson is being able to change barrels, set your cylinder gap yourself, and experiment around with it for best results. It's a blessing for some, and maybe a curse for others. Mechanically challenged people do poorly with Dan Wesson revolvers. Lost/stripped/stuck fasteners, loose (not tightened down) barrels, overtightened grip screws, and a too tight barrel to cylinder gap can cause problems with a Dan Wesson revolver. In some cases general ignorance of the design increased rumors of spotty quality control issues. To be fair some bad examples did get out due to poor quality control checks, but we have seen the same thing happen to Smith & Wesson, and even some of Ruger's wheel guns recently.

Having the parent company change hands a few times didn't help things either. I have heard people call em orphan guns, say that you can't get parts for them, and heard them even called copies, or knock offs. I have gotten some really good deals on Dan Wesson revolvers from this. Alternatively, I have also seen them outrageously priced and being sold as collectors items as well.

Opinions on them vary from excellent works of art, to total garbage. Most of the examples that I've held in my hands over the years have been well made, with a few rare abused exceptions. When people ask "What's the most accurate gun you've ever shot?" I often hear that Dan Wesson revolver that I will never get rid of, or that I wish I hadn't sold - as the answer.

Love em or hate em, they are definitely interesting.

There's lots more information about em over on the Dan Wesson Forums.
http://www.danwessonforum.com/forum/




- Bullwolf

[dale2242]

My 44 mag came with .006 feeler gauge...... dale

[taco650]

Back when I got mine, I was thinking about starting metallic silhouette shooting (late 1980's). A coworker had been doing it and got me interested. He let me shoot his 8" stainless DW44mag and that was all it took. Redhawks were harder to get a nice trigger on and didn't have the barrell swap option. S&W's didn't handle a steady diet of hot 44 loads as well as the DW either so I got a 6" with the lightweight shroud with the hopes of getting an 8" with the heavy shroud. That never happened but I've still got the gun and probably never will sell it.

[Bwana]

I had one fine one and one piece of garbage in 44 mag. I liked being able to face off the clyinder end of the bbl when it became eroded, generally about .020".

[kweidner]

Mine likes .002 or .003. 357 likes .002 my 41 likes a wide .002 or tight .003.

[missionary5155]

Good morning
All the feeler guages I have seen were .006. I am happy to read there were some .002. I have seen on a couple adds on Gunbroker some Pistol Packs being sold with a multi guage that looked like the guage was plated. Apeared to have several leaves.
Have seen at least one barrel from DW that was not the best squared off on the cylinder end. It was a .357 6 incher that was at least .004 but shot well. Could not see a great accuracy improvement after it was properly squared.
As Bullwolf stated above non/mechanical types have a tough time with the DW system. But then I have known a couple fellers who should not be permitted to handle a tire iron. For me the DW is close to being the perfect handgun shooters revolver.
I also recommend the DW Forum. Some very helpful fellers there that know more about DW's than DW probably did.
Mike in Peru