Dan Wesson Guns? How are they?

T

twoblink

New member
Well, looking at wheel guns for home protection, I figure a nice 357Mag should scare off bad guys...

A friend recommended Dan Wesson's. How are they? I think (stretch that brain) Dan Wesson was the part of Smith & Wesson that was actually the gun designer and not the business man?

I don't even know if I can get a Dan Wesson in California anymore... (Anybody have that link to the SB15 list??)

But I wanted to know how reliable and accurate the Dan Wes's are, I thought the interchangable barrels would come in handy, short barrel for home defense, and long barrel at the range...

Thanks...

Albert
 
Handled the new Dan Wesson firearms at Shot Show. For those seeking a replacement to the Smith & Wesson "post agreement" guns, this is it. The quality is very much improved and the triggers are sweet. They now have new finishes also, "flame" (looks like case hardened, but prettier) and soon to be blacked stainless that looks just like the blued guns from the old days. Only thing I could find wrong with the gun line was the price. They are expensive.

Had a pistol pack of theirs in the late seventies/early eighties. The gun was extremely accurate and reliable. Only problem I had with the gun at the time was that it was not a S&W.

Robert
 
very accurate but unusual guns...that's why they are accurate.

flat crowned muzzle - compensates for out of squard bullet bases
removealbe barrel/shroud - controls barrel vibration and allows consistent barrel gap
cylinder release on crane - two point lockup

and that doesn't even address the interchangable front sights or grips
 
twoblink

Dan Wessons are great guns. I have accumulated several models in various calibers and love shooting them all.

The Dan Wessons never really caught on with the general shooting public as they lacked the Colt and S&W mystique but they developed a tremendous following amoung Silhouette shooters. 9mmepiphany hit on the key features so no need to repeat.

Daniel B. Wesson was a business associate and good friend of mine. He was a free thinker, and very innovative in all his endeavors. He had a great Libertarian approach to life. If you would care to drop me an e-mail I would be happy to answer any questions, or fill you in on the history of Wesson Arms as he explained it to me.

By all means get that Dan Wesson revolver. The new owners are very good to deal with. I have called and e-mailed them about accessories and parts and they have been outstanding.

Take Care
 
I've had my Dan Wesson .357 for 13 years now. I love the features! Interchangable barrels, easily changed grip shapes.

Mine came as a vent rib 8", but since then I have acquired a vent rib full lug 6" and vent rib full lug 4". Each barrel makes the gun take on a completely different character.

Double action trigger almost as smooth as a Smith, and the single action trigger, at least on mine, is better than a Smith or my Python.

Bought mine for $220, and I still see an occasional one at a show for under $300 used. I haven't seen one of the new-production models yet.

The only caveat is the stability of the company. They have reorganized or gone under a couple of times in the past fifteen years. Thank goodness they keep coming back!
 
The main objection to the Dan Wesson was always that it took two hands to open the cylinder. With an S&W, the cylinder is opened with the thumb of the firing hand while the off-hand can be reaching for a speed loader. With either gun, extraction is by using the palm of the off hand, and the larger ejector rod of the S&W or Colt is easier on the hand than that of the DW.

The interchangeable barrel business sounds nice, but I never knew anyone who actually did swap barrels on a regular basis. Mostly, if you want a 6" barrel, you buy one; if you want a 3" you buy that. You don't do a morning and evening barrel swap.

Jim
 
jim - i guess we come from different schools of reloading a revolver, granted i grew up with colts. i was taught to pull/push the cylinder releasewith my strong hand thumb while pushing out and catching the cylinder with my weak hand thumb and fingers, that way the cylinder, and crane, was supported all the way out. the ejection rod was punched with the s/s palm before the s/s hand dropped down to fetch the speedloader.

i found that reaching for speedloaders with my w/s hand slower because my arms were cramped against my body...of course i was a bit thinner at that time :o. would your w/s activate the ejector rod before or after reaching for your speedloaders? i might also have been influenced my a gunsmith friend who told me never to release the cylinder and "flick" :eek: the cylinder out because it put undue stress on the crane.

you're right about constantly changing barrels, but i knew people who used different barrel lenghts but liked to keep the same action and custom carved grips while on duty (4"), match shooting (6"), hunting (8-10") and "beer/money" shooting (2.5"). while shooting NRA PPC (leg match), i saw folks changing front sight blades (different heights) as they shot at different distances rather than changing the rear sight setting. :cool:
 
Hi, 9mmepiphany,

It depends on how much of a hurry you are in. I usually roll the gun a bit to the right (I am right handed), then unlatch the cylinder with the thumb and ease it open with the index finger. I don't use the Hollywood wrist flick either in opening or closing.

I usually reach for the speed loader with the weak hand, then eject the empties with the weak hand palm and reload. I also am pretty good at rolling the gun in the strong hand and hitting the ejector rod with the thumb, though that takes some practice and is a no-no on some ranges.

The real rule in defense shooting is to get the job done with the first shot. You not only don't have to reload, but you save ammo.

Jim
 
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