Any Dan Wesson fans out there?

J

Jack 99

New member
I was just looking over the old Dan Wesson fixed barrel model I bought back in '92 or 93. Dan Wesson came out with these prior to going bankrupt. They were well made and cheap for a while so I picked it up (thank you student loans). It's a sweet .357 with a Good to Excellent trigger right out of the box and is more accurate than I am. The latch is a little awkward at first, but you get used to it. Biggest selling point: came with a 5 inch barrel which is just about optimum in my book (why can't Smith and Ruger figure this out? The jump from 4 to 6 inches is too much, IMHO).

More than got the $300 or so I paid for it out of her.

Anyway, I just wondered if there were any others of us, secreting away our Dan Wessons and keeping it a little secret like your crazy old uncle Cliff that had to go away for a while....

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"Put a rifle in the hands of a Subject, and he immediately becomes a Citizen." -- Jeff Cooper
 
I really liked this Dan Wesson I saw less than a year ago at The Sports Authority. It was going back to the factory for busted up sights that arived on the gun. It was 299.00, and I thought it was worth it even with the broken sights. Seems like The Sports Authority has quit selling handguns now.

I liked what I saw of this D-W,
Ben

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AOL IM: BenK911
ICQ # 53788523
"Gun Control Is Being Able To Hit Your Target"
 
DW is open and making guns again. They will work on old DW's.

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"All my ammo is factory ammo"
 
About 14 years ago, I bought a stainless, VR 357 pistol pack. I installed my own aftermarket spring and just shot the heck out of it. I love the gun. I even went so far as to install a scope on the 8 inch barrel shroud. As has been said, the gun is much more accurate than I am. I whittled down one of their grips to fit my wife's smaller hands and she shoots 38's in it all the time.

The only drawback may be the trigger. It still seems to stack a little and could still use a little action tuning and smoothing. The gun is still tight and locks up nice and tight. The only problem I ever hadwas the ejector rod unscrewing and backing out once in a while, but a drop of Locktite cured that.

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Ron

Detroit Area Chapter
Terra-Haute Torque & Recoil Society
 
www.danwessonfirearms.com

I currently have 2. Both small frames. Love 'um!!! Very accurate. The interchangable barrel assemblies really makes for a versatle system.

The Wolf spring kits and some polishing really work wonders on the action. They have got to be the easiest, most straight forward DA revolver action ever designed.

I'm trying to decide right now whether to buy a model 7460 in .45acp/.460roland with the comp barrel assembly, or wait until the new "Pointman" 1911 comes out next spring.

Wish I could afford both...

Joe


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Go NRA
 
Glad to see them back. Dan Wesson fills a niche that no other major manufacturer really does.

I haven't seen any new ones around, though. Any good? I know when I picked up my Stainless Fixed Barrel I kicked myself after seeing the EXCELLENT (no exaggeration) bluing job on another DW that was sitting there (.44 mag, interchangeable barrel design).

Surprised to hear about the trigger problems. Mine was as close to a perfect out of the box trigger as I've ever seen.
 
Heck yes, I'm a lover and supporter of Dan Wessons. In fact, my user name (dw445sm) says it all - it's because the favorite and most used Wesson I own is their .445 Supermag. I bought it in Nov. of 1988 when they first came out. It's the 20th gun they built, as the serial number says. It's stainless, with an 8" heavy barrel, slotted shroud, to meet IHMSA (silhouette shooting organization) specs. They build very accurate guns & have shot 3 near perfect scores in outdoor silhouette (39 targets down out of 40) which is tough to do since the last 10 targets are at 200 meters (220 yards)! Hitting life size "ram" targets with a handgun, any handgun, is not easy. The belly to top of the back measurement on these ram targets is only 12". I just picked up their new model in .414 Supermag (lengthened .41magnum case) but haven't shot it yet. First have to get brass and load my own. Prior to these 2 guns, also have their 44 mag (8" blue), 357 in 10" blue and my wife has their .22 in 6" stainless. I basically started shooting IHMSA matches in 1978 with a S&W 357, Model 28, but due to the sights not reaching out to the 150 and 200 meter targets in this sport, bought the DW 357 in '80 or '81 and started really taking alot of targets down. So, I guess the old and new DW companies have made some money off me.
They make good guns. You should be only happy with yours! Wayne
 
Wayne,

Could you comment on the quality of the new DW you picked up. How does it compair to the 1980's vintage models?

Joe


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Go NRA
 
Joe:
The DWs I bought in the 80's have a lot of miles on them now, but as far as I can remember the fit & finish was good. Only had a couple of minor problems with the 357 and the 44, but they were used a lot for IHMSA shooting, and the factory did right by me (back in the 80's). The .414 I just got 3 mos. ago (stainless, vent, heavy, 6" barrel) has very good fit & finish also - can't see a single cosmetic flaw anywhere. Single action trigger pull is surprizingly light for a gun that isn't broken in yet. Barrel shroud is serialized too, just the number, not the words "Serial No." like on the frame. Barrel shroud also has "414" etched into it on the left side near the front (as well as the DW insignia), and on the right side has ".414 SuperMag" etched in with another small insignia indicating "First Series". Cylinder lockup is good. Sights are white outline. Hogue mono grips with finger grooves (probably well needed when this thing goes off). Haven't shot it yet. Starline makes brass I believe. It's bigger brother, the .445 Super Mag I have shot a few times at an indoor range - nearly soaked my shorts the first time it went off. Picked up both eyebrows off the floor. The concussion and the noise are fantastic. Much nicer to use it outdoors at 50 to 200 meter metallic silhouetts. Let us all know what you next acquire! Wayne

[This message has been edited by dw445sm (edited December 03, 1999).]
 
Oh, hell yes! I like the locking system, the removable shrouds and quick change barrels. I'm on the verge of puchasing a hand cannon and the DW is being seriously considered.
 
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