From http://www.dan-wesson.com
The Dan Wesson Firearms Revolver
Most revolvers are modifications of designs which date back more than a century. The Dan Wesson Firearms revolver is a modern design, created for strength, accuracy, simplicity, and durability. Its unique barrel/shroud interchangeability makes it not only more versatile than traditional revolvers, but also far more consistently accurate. Dan Wesson Firearms’ manufacturing methods produce parts to exacting specifications, which result in performance and handling qualities without equal in the handgun field.
The accuracy of the Dan Wesson revolver is well established and documented. Its performance in metallic silhouette competition is legendary. Experienced competitors know that the Dan Wesson revolver shows undeviating accuracy at distances where other revolvers faltered. In competition, hunting, law enforcement, protection, or simple enjoyment, the Dan Wesson revolver stands alone.
The Dan Wesson revolver incorporates many distinctive features that contribute to smooth performance, tight groups, and rock-solid reliability. Here are some of the most important.
FRAME: The Dan Wesson frame is noted for its strength. Each revolver, regardless of caliber, is designed and produced as a magnum revolver, rather than a traditional design upgraded to handle magnum loads. Dan Wesson was often accused of over-engineering, to which he readily pled guilty as charged.
ACTION: Dan Wesson revolvers have a short, fast double action and a crisp, clean single action pull. An adjustable trigger stop eliminates any trace of backlash. The mainspring is a coilspring rather than the traditional fragile flat spring. These revolvers have fewer parts than other revolvers, and the parts were designed for utmost strength and simplicity in assembly and function. Initial assembly requires very little fitting, and repairs, if ever necessary, are easily made. New Dan Wesson Firearms customers are often amazed at the smoothness of the action. Although it is was true that on other revolvers, owners would have to pay for some extra gunsmithing to get a double or single action trigger pull this good, on the Dan Wesson it is included at no extra cost.
CYLINDER: Dan Wesson cylinders are produced from aircraft quality heat-treated steel and are stronger, with heavier chamber walls, than other revolver cylinders.
CYLINDER LATCH: The latch or cylinder lock is up front, next to the barrel, assuring positive alignment between the cylinder and the barrel. It also keeps the latch out of the way of the shooters thumb while firing, eliminating the possibility of accidentally opening the cylinder during recoil. The cylinder/crane assembly locks shut to the frame with its latch in the crane itself, not at the rear of the cylinder and the front of the ejector rod or at the rear of the cylinder alone. Rear lockup is equally strong; a spring-tensioned ball bearing in the frame that snaps into a perfectly machined recess in the center of the solid extractor. Systems that latch the cylinder only at it's rear or in conjunction with the ejector rod allow the crane to move slightly away from the frame under stress. This results in varied chamber alignment with the barrel and loss of consistency in round-to-round accuracy. This locking configuration allows one-handed opening and extraction while the other hand prepared for reloading, so necessary in timed competition shooting.
BARREL/SHROUD: From the very beginning, all Dan Wesson revolvers have been distinguished by their unique system of interchangeable barrels and shrouds. The desirability of the barrel-change feature is obvious. There is no other gun that enables a swap to 2 1/2", 4", 6", 8" or 10” tubes in less than a minute. But to a handgun competitor, the Dan Wesson barrel design makes sense in another way. The design is such that it's locked front and back, both at the breech and at the muzzle by the enclosing shroud and barrel nut. This reduces vibration, and keeps the tube under a slight but constant amount of tension. With this secure foundation, there is less variation in the flexing of the barrel from round to round, and consequently better accuracy. In addition, the shroud on the Dan Wesson revolver protects the inner barrel as well as the ejector rod from being accidentally damaged.
RIFLING: Dan Wesson revolver barrels are produced from aircraft-quality heat-treated steel using cut (broached) and swagged rifling. This results in very sharp and crisp edges to the lands and grooves - and a better "bite" on the bullet. The barrel muzzle is flat and square with the bore, assuring that the bullet exits the muzzle at all points simultaneously.
BARREL/CYLINDER GAP: The width of the B/C gap can be carefully and precisely controlled by screwing the barrel slightly in or out. This contributes to superior accuracy. With every revolver, a precise feeler gauge is included for setting the proper tolerance between barrel and cylinder.
FIRING PIN: All Dan Wesson revolvers have the firing pin contained in the frame, rather than exposed on the hammer. This protected it from damage caused by accidents or misuse.
GRIPS: The unique frame design of the Dan Wesson revolver can accommodate an infinite variety of grip shapes and sizes. Old-style two-piece grip panels restrict the size and shape of the grip that can be used. The Dan Wesson uses a one-piece grip which is stronger and could be shaped to fit any shooter or shooting requirement. The grips are held to the frame by a heavy bolt that screwed into the frame extension. Interchanging grips is simple, done by pulling off the installed stock, positioning the new one and replacing and tightening the screw.
FLEXIBILITY: The Dan Wesson offers the opportunity to own a revolver virtually custom-built to personal requirements. Choices include a wide range of barrel lengths, shroud configurations, grip shapes and materials and sight configurations. Whether a customer chooses a basic revolver or an elaborate, cased multi-barrel system, their Dan Wesson revolver is uniquely their own, built to their exact specifications
I just can't handle that. That's why I by multiple Smiths! And with all this Colt talk lately, I might have to look into that. You guys are costing me money!!!