Are the Dan Wesson revolvers still any good?

[2ndAmendmentNut]

For quite a while I have thought about getting my hands on a DW revolver, probably a 357mag but would love a 357 max. I like the idea of being able change out barrel lengths, but I have to ask is this really that great a feature?

If being able to change barrels easily is so great how come no one else has coped that idea?

How is trigger pull both double and single action?

Do they hold up to large volume shooting like the Rugers and Smiths?

I understand the condition and number of barrels will be a factor in price, but in general what should I expect to pay for a used but not abused DW?

I know when looking at other double actions to check for proper function, trigger pull, over all appearance, etc, but is there anything special I need to watch out for on the DW revolvers?

Input will be appreciated, thanks.

[Ctkelly]

http://www.budsgunshop.com/catalog/product_info.php/cPath/654_774/products_id/411537306

Heres a 357 up for sale at buds gunshop with three barrels. Seems pretty nice.

I owned a 445 supermag....it was one of the more finicky rounds to load for that I have dealt with. Trigger pull was okay in double action, single action was pretty good. All in all it was well built, but nothing really super special about the gun.

On the 357 frame there are a few gunsmiths out there that will work on them. On the large frame like the supermag, I havent found any that specialized in them necessarily. So finding someone to work on them might be a challenge.

When Bob Serva was heading up the DW company he would often put guns up for sale on gunbroker. Now that CZ bought them out and Bob is out on his own Im not sure how well they stack up to the old ones.

[machinisttx]

Google "dan wesson forum". You'll find a ton of info there on them.

I just picked up a Dan Wesson Model 44(.44 magnum) with 6" and 4" barrels + tools + extra grip. It's a beast of a gun. Lots larger and heavier than my M29 S&W. I have no doubt that it will digest loads that would shake the guts out of the 29.

The tensioned barrel system is a great idea, but does have some faults. The major one is that the barrel can come loose when you're shooting, leading to damage. A minor one is that if the barrel is ported, as in the case of my DW M44, lots of carbon and other crap builds up inside the shroud and makes barrel/shroud removal a real pain....and it's that much more stuff that needs to be cleaned regularly. IMO, it didn't make it because most folks weren't capable of properly maintaining them and/or didn't want to mess with it anyway. AFAIK, more silhouette competitions were won with DW revolvers than anything else.

[44man]

There was one period sometime in the 80's when the company changed hands, I don't remember the full story but they turned out JUNK. Barrels were not straight in the frames, cylinder fronts wobbled and a few internal parts did not do their job.
I don't know the span of time involved with the poor guns. I do know earlier guns were great. I am sure all problems have been taken care of.
My friend has a DW .45 auto of more recent production and I drove Dave nuts by shooting several 1/2" groups at 50 yards from Creedmore with it. He talked me out of my SRH but I can't talk him out of his .45! [smilie=b:
You can check a gun if you can hold it. The barrel and frame should line up and a feeler gauge at the cylinder gap should show the same at all chambers.
I would say it is the hardest gun to buy, sight unseen, unless you know when it was made.

[2ndAmendmentNut]

I thought of a few more questions last night.

Occasionally on gunbroker.com and other online auction sites I see DW revolvers with just one barrel or no barrel at all, are DW barrels interchangeable with each other or are they fitted to each gun? (obviously the barrels would have to be the same caliber and model number.)

[Marvin S]

Don't S&W copy the tension bbl design in some of their new guns. I have a 15-2 DW with 6" bbl, bought it at a pawn shop about two years ago for $225.00. It looked to hardly have been fired.

[jameslovesjammie]

Dan Wesson hasn't made any revolvers since about 2002. Anything being seen are either used guns or new old stock. The guns could be had as a pistol pack (multiple barrels) or a single barrel/receiver. Barrels can be changed out as long as they are the same caliber and frame size. The best Dan's were the guns manufactured at the Monson facility. You will find out where they were made because it is stamped on the frame. I have shot a few model 15's (.357 magnum) and one .357 SuperMag on the Dan platform. My experience was a...weird double action pull. Smooth, but heavy and different feeling. The single action was very good and light, but not quite as good as a Smith.

[wellfedirishman]

I have a DW 357 Max, it is a huge heavy piece of steel, and shoots great.

Here are some groups 25 yards offhand:
http://i295.photobucket.com/albums/mm138/wellfedirishman/dan%20wesson/DanWesson357Maxwithtarget25yardsoff.jpg

With a bag rest, it will put 6 shots in an inch at 25 yards.

The double action is definitely a bit different from a Smith or Colt, but once you are used to it, it shoots great.

The 357 Max prefers heavy bullets (180gr and up). And they have to be seated well out. In the pic I have 357 Mag cases (all I have) with the bullet seated as far out as it will go while maintaining a crimp.

If you shoot little 38 specials in the gun, the groupings are terrible, in my experience. I understand it is due to the jump from the bullet through the long cylinder to the rifling.

I have the same gun in 22LR also, which is pretty fun, and a good deal lighter:
http://i295.photobucket.com/albums/mm138/wellfedirishman/dan%20wesson/DanWesson22pistolpack.jpg

[2ndAmendmentNut]

Thanks guys for the helpful input. So Monson is the location of where the good ones were made. Anybody have info in which DW to avoid?

[machinisttx]

Dan Wesson hasn't made any revolvers since about 2002. Anything being seen are either used guns or new old stock. The guns could be had as a pistol pack (multiple barrels) or a single barrel/receiver. Barrels can be changed out as long as they are the same caliber and frame size. The best Dan's were the guns manufactured at the Monson facility. You will find out where they were made because it is stamped on the frame. I have shot a few model 15's (.357 magnum) and one .357 SuperMag on the Dan platform. My experience was a...weird double action pull. Smooth, but heavy and different feeling. The single action was very good and light, but not quite as good as a Smith.

Good to know. IIRC, my .44 has Monson as part of the address. Don't have it handy or I'd check.

[wellfedirishman]

When I had questions I went here, these guys know their DW stuff:
http://www.danwessonforum.com/

Good luck.

[ebner glocken]

I have a DW in .44 mag and love it. The single action pull is nice while the DA isn't bad at all, it just takes some getting used to. Of the handguns I own the DW sits at a possible tie for number one with my BFR for accuracy. Unfortunatly free time hasn't allowed to shoot the two enough to be conclusive.

It's a fairly large and heavy gun, very accurate. Worst part is keeping the shroud clean (mine is ported). Second to that is rembering to keep the lock nut torqued. Shooting 6.0 grains of bullseye behind a 200 gr. DEWC is most accurate and recoils extreamly little.

Ebner

[machinisttx]

I have a DW in .44 mag and love it. The single action pull is nice while the DA isn't bad at all, it just takes some getting used to. Of the handguns I own the DW sits at a possible tie for number one with my BFR for accuracy. Unfortunatly free time hasn't allowed to shoot the two enough to be conclusive.

It's a fairly large and heavy gun, very accurate. Worst part is keeping the shroud clean (mine is ported). Second to that is rembering to keep the lock nut torqued. Shooting 6.0 grains of bullseye behind a 200 gr. DEWC is most accurate and recoils extreamly little.

Ebner

Mine is ported too and the previous owner apparently didn't care for cleaning. The shroud absolutely did not want to come off.

[BLTsandwedge]

[QUOTE=2ndAmendmentNut;669279]If being able to change barrels easily is so great how come no one else has coped that idea?"

This is a great question. To take it further, why have so few offered 1911 conversion kits to 9MM, .40 etc? Plenty of .22 conversion kits, but very few in centerfire- and none that I can find in 15-20 minutes of driving '1911 conversion kits' and other adwords through Google and Yahoo.

It seems to me that a revolver frame that is compatible with a number of conversion kits and barrel lengths would be a great product offering. We know TC does something similar- with evident success. The $64 question: Is there more net income to be made in selling a complete firearm with proprietary components or a frame that offers "options" i.e. conversion kits and/or barrel lengths? Common wisdom says that a complete, proprietary gun for each caliber/barrel length would drive more revenue (not net income)- that would likely be true. But common wisdom also tells us that conversion kits would be less expensive to manufacture, therefore subject to a greater markup. A greater margin on markup would lead me to believe a greater net income percentage per unit sale.

In any case, the only thing I can figure is that conversion kits/tensioned barrels and the like- things that we can call "options" for a universal platform don't sell well enough. But I dunno.....

[theperfessor]

I can see one problem and its liability, not technological. What if you made a conversion kit to turn a 357 into a 32 mag., then some dipstick puts a 357 cylinder and a 32 barrel together on same frame. Wonder what kind of pressures that would produce?

The technical solution would be to make cylinders and barrels of different lengths so you couldn't produce mismatched product, or have same frame size with slightly different thread diameters and pitches, limiting you to use cartridges of same nominal caliber in certain frames, i.e. 32, 38/357/9mm, 10mm/40, etc.

The Contender and autoloaders don't have this problem as barrel and chamber are integral units, preventing most mismatches. Revolver are another matter, liability-wise.

[machinisttx]

I can see one problem and its liability, not technological. What if you made a conversion kit to turn a 357 into a 32 mag., then some dipstick puts a 357 cylinder and a 32 barrel together on same frame. Wonder what kind of pressures that would produce?

The technical solution would be to make cylinders and barrels of different lengths so you couldn't produce mismatched product, or have same frame size with slightly different thread diameters and pitches, limiting you to use cartridges of same nominal caliber in certain frames, i.e. 32, 38/357/9mm, 10mm/40, etc.

The Contender and autoloaders don't have this problem as barrel and chamber are integral units, preventing most mismatches. Revolver are another matter, liability-wise.

IIRC, a custom gunsmith was making a switch barrel/cylinder single action in exactly the manner you describe.

I do not know how it could be made to work properly with the DW system though.

[theperfessor]

I'm not really a 1911 guy, but I believe there is a difference in the ejector used in 9mm vs 45 models. I think most of the conversion kits replace the slide assembly and have their own ejectors. Maybe somebody that know a lot more about 1911s will comment on this. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

[runfiverun]

nope you do change the extractors too,or it causes problems