Need Dan Wesson advice

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BoogieMan

New member
I have been looking for a nice .44 mag for some time. My LGS pulled a Dan Wesson with 8" barrel out yesterday for $795. I know I am missing some crucial info but time is short as .44's do not last long in the store around here. http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=295981629The gun at LGS does not have a box, wrench, gages or anything other than the gun. The barrel sleeve is ported but the barrel is not. Trigger is short tight and crisp. very little wear at locking points on cylinder. Smooth DW grip which does not appear to be a re-finish and has almost no wear. Made in Monson.
I know almost nothing about revolvers and much less about DW revolvers. I would love a little guidance on price or concerns.
 
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When I initialy saw it I thought I found a steel. After looking around and reading a bit I am thinking its overpriced at $795 and im glad I didnt jump on it. Why do you think its mixed? What would fair price be? $600ish???
 
I've owned one for years and my 6" shroud is ported but I have a non ported bbl in it. You do not want to shoot lead bullets through a ported DW setup!

The bbls are just drilled all around the end with small holes and since the shroud has the ports in the top, a lot of the gas/fouling just goes into the shroud. It can make the bbl/shroud hard to remove.
DW tech told me to keep the bbl soaked in WD40 to help alleviate this.

That makes a mess also and smokes like crazy.

I don't know if the price is too high but knowing what I know about mine, if I didn't have mine I would buy it. The extras can still be purchased.

My DW .44 magnum would be the very last gun I'd get rid of if I needed to get rid of all my guns.
 
DW revolvers are nice guns in many respects. The ability to change barrels and shrouds, set cylinder/barrel gap, and clean looks are a plus. I don't find the coil spring action as nice as the S&W revolvers. Don't care who makes it, any handgun with ports or a comp is a cleaning challenge.
 
I have a Monson DW Model 44 with an 8” barrel I bought a few years ago. It has vented barrel but not the heavy under-barrel full length lug (which is referred to as a “VH” – vent heavy). It’s a great gun and I would recommend a DW highly. This is my third DW, the other two are .357 Magnums.

The .44 Magnums have an extremely short trigger pull compared to other large revolvers. Like other DW revolvers, the barrels can be easily changed (in less than two minutes) and they even offered “Pistol Packs” with a frame, four barrels - 2” up to 8” - and a couple of grip options. I have one in .357 and it’s very cool. The guns are quite well made and very robust. Because of the tensioned barrel, these guns were almost a required item for long range pistol shooting for years.

For my area (Maryland), I’d say that they have overpriced the gun at $795, especially without the box, papers and most importantly, the gauge and barrel wrench. At most, I’d say it should be around $600. Of course, DW revolvers don’t show up for sale that often and the Model 44 is prized for hunting as well as long range shooting. If .44 Magnums don’t last long in your area, you might want to talk to the shop about the price. (I see that Gun Broker has a Model 744 – stainless steel – “Pistol Pack” with two barrels starting at $850 and currently no bids).

The Monson guns are quite well made and very robust. Because of the tensioned barrel, these guns were almost a standard item for long range pistol shooting for years.

CZ USA bought out DW a few years ago and I was able to purchase a barrel wrench and gauge from them as well as an additional .357 Magnum barrel. They are available on their website and sell for $43. This includes the tool, gauge and Allen wrenches. I was very pleased with their Customer Service.
CZ/DW currently offers additional barrels in length from 4” up to 10” (sadly, no more 15” barrels)

Dan Wesson website:
Revolver parts:
https://shop.cz-usa.com/C-27/REVOLVERS.aspx

.44 Magnum barrel wrench:
https://shop.cz-usa.com/P-20001/Dw-Barrel-Wrench-44-Mag.aspx

Also, a good source of info is the Dan Wesson Forum:
http://www.danwessonforum.com/

I hope this helps,
Matt G
 
Dan Wesson had some growing pains and quality issues. the large frame revolvers were pretty good though. I shot for years in IMSHA competition and they were the most accurate revolvers I've owned. Especially the 357 max in the Supermag. Check out this website before you jump in.

http://www.notpurfect.com/main/dwrev.htm
 
I have a DW 44Mag 6"bbl in SS and it is a great hunting/woods gun. get the right holster and it carries easily all day.
 
I always thought the shrouds were matched to the barrel types, ported to ported & non ported to non ported.
That plus the missing tools & gauges makes it a bit of an also-ran for me.
You can get tools, & gauges from EWK gunsmithing if you decide to jump anyway.
For current values I'd suggest you check the Dan Wesson forums as they are the specialists in that area.
 
I always thought the shrouds were matched to the barrel types, ported to ported & non ported to non ported.
Click to expand...

I originally bought mine in 6" Heavy Vented and ported. After two range trips and shooting cast lead rounds and a call to DW I just ordered a 6" non-ported bbl and swapped it out still using the ported shroud. Always works fine. I've added a 10" and an 8" non-ported, the 10" is heavy and the 8" not.

The plastic on the original wrench finally cracked so I ordered one from EWK.

If I wanted a shooter and it was in great shape, I'd never let not having the accessories get in my way.
 
Two barrels one shroud

When I bought my DW 44 with 8" barrel, new, it came with one barrel shroud and two barrels.

$350 in 1983 from my Base Exchange (military base).

I regret every day having sold my .357 magnum pistol pack (4 barrels, belt buckle and shoulder patch, too).

Get prices on comparable guns and bargain with your retailer, them make as much as you can over the missing feeler gauge, barrel wrench, etc.

The very fast lock time on the DW guns contributes as much (my opinion) to the accuracy as the barrel being under tension (super straight). The fact that the trigger has an overtravel-limit screw also helps keep the gun on target between trigger break and ignition. Very accurate guns.

The guns made in Monson are considered to be superior.

Good luck.

Lost Sheep
 
That price is too steep. Look at Gunbroker errr uhh.. "I'm-broker"..
You should be able to pick up a nice Monsoon 44 mag for 500-600 that has all the stuff also check out gun shows..Armslist..ect
 
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I started out with a .357 Mag with the long barrel for shooting IHMSA back in the day with some pretty stout handloads. I recently sold mine because it had been setting in the safe for years. It was a great gun. Plus I had a 4 inch barrel too.

If it was me I would have to lay $500 in cash on the counter to start out and see what happened from there.
 
IIRC Dan Wesson cautioned not to use their ported barrel with lead bullets, the design would allow too much build up of lead, lube, etc.
 
Considering the pains you'd have to take to fix it if the gun had issues,that price is way too high.

But I once owned a Model 15 357 that was a very fine shooter.
 
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