I recently acquired a new Dan Wesson 715 manufactured in 2015 and thought I would give a short review of it and then compare it to my Ruger GP100 six inch stainless. I also bench rest tested both guns for accuracy.
As you might imagine the DW715 has a much better fit and finish than a GP100 (since it also costs almost twice as much that should be expected) but I was impressed with how much better the fit and finish is. The barrel shroud is near perfect. The internals are all polished right from the factory (though there is still some polishing to do that can slick things up) and the action is very smooth. I will assume that most readers are familiar with the removable barrel system and the basic functionality of a DW715 revolver (i.e. placement of the cylinder release, rotation of the cylinder counterclockwise, tensioned barrel, cylinder barrel alignment, etc.). So I will focus on things I have not seen commented on much in the other gun reviews I have read on dedicated reviewers' websites. So here are some highlights I did not see elsewhere:
The whole top surface of the gun has a matte finish to reduce glare on the sights. This is a super nice feature that you don't notice until you spend a good amount of range time with the gun. It is also subtle, so that it blends well with the overall looks of the gun.
I love the weight of the barrel shroud. I shoot DA revolvers alot and I have never encountered a softer recoiling 357 mag. Ever. I attribute much of this to the weight of the barrel shroud. I know that internet reviews are prone to hyperbole so I will be careful not to exagerate here, but shooting 38 special out of this gun is near to the recoil levels of a .22. I brought a Ruger SP101-22 to the range as well and truely the recoil was almost that low. Recoil out of my GP100 with 38 special was substantially greater. 357 mag was also very little recoil, and most of it was straight back, not flipping up. There was much greater muzzle flip with the GP100 six inch (which is not a hard recoiling gun by any means.)
Another factor making the DW715 so nice is its bore axis. The bore is quite a bit lower than the GP100. This greatly contributes to recoil reduction and control for follow up shots. Recoil feels more straight back rather than wrenching your wrist upwards. There's not much to say about this factor other than to note its importance. Like saying that one truck comes with a V6 and another comes with a V8. Easily noted, but the importance and value of that factor is immense.
The trigger pull was nicer out of the box than any DA revolver I have encountered ever. It was substantially better than my GP100 and also better than any S&W I have shot. Weight of the pull is about 10 pounds. To be clear, however, it is not the weight of the trigger pull that makes this trigger so nice. I have polished my GP100 internals and installed a wolf spring kit making my GP100 trigger very nice too, and about the same weight of a trigger pull. Rather, it is the length of the pull and the axis of the DW715 trigger that makes it so nice. The length of the pull is roughly 2/3 the distance of that of a Ruger or a S&W. One wonders how the pull is able to fully lift the hammer in so short a distance with such a light weight, but whatver the mechanics, the results are a much shorter DA trigger pull. Moreover, it feels like the axis of the trigger pull is longer, making the pull feel more straight back rather than rotatng closly around an axis. In addition, the trigger surface itself is much wider than the GP100, making the trigger more tactile and easier to control. Single action tigger pull is about four pounds with a very crisp clean break.
The rubber grip on the gun is excellent and fits my hands very well. I have a hard time telling the difference between it and the Hogue grip on the GP100. They are about the same. There is also a lot of DW grips on the used market from their past production days. So there are lots of options. Personally, I'm happy with the stock grips.
I will note that the cylinder is recessed in such a way that it appears to be cut for moon clips, but I could never verify if that is the case, or if there are moon clips available for it. I would appreciate any input on that if anyone else has information.
The sights on the DW715 are nicer than the GP100. I would note in the past that a bump in the range bag on the GP100 could send my sights off zero, and they flex up and down to the touch. Always worries me that they might be a little off on my nextt trip to the range. The DW sights are sturdier and each click from adjusting them is more positive and more tensioned. It appears that the sights have a little tensioned bar that fits in a groove with each adjustment and holds that new adjustment more firmly. I much prefer them.
On to accuracy. I was (and am) a little doubtful about whether the tensioned barrel stuff really helps accuracy all that much, but whatever it does, the DW715 was substantially more accurate than my GP100 six inch. A few notes about accuracy before I go into the details of my bench rest testing. First, because of the tensioned and removable barrel system, there is not much real estate between the lands and grooves that are visible from the end of the barrel, and the nut that is used to secure and tension the barrel. But, I was pleased to note that the gun came with a very small target crown cut into the end of the barrel in the room between the internal edge and the external edge of the mouth of the barrel. Since this gun is supposed to be focused on accuracy, I was pleased to see attention to that detail. In addition, the ability to adjust the cylinder gap helps with accuracy, and the cylinder barrel alignment is superb. I would also note that the lock up for each chamber of the cylinder is much better than my GP100. Almost no movement at all.
To test accuracy, I shot 300 rounds of 38 special through the gun, and about 70 rounds of 357 mag. I shot corresponding amounts from the GP100. The same brands of ammo in the same amounts went through both guns. I wanted to get enough groupings over and over to get something close to statistical significance, not just anecdotal evidence. Shooting was done at 25 yards and 15 yards exclusively. I would shoot a cylinder from each gun on two targets side by side, alternating which gun I shot first and which tarrget it shot at, so that most other factors were equalized. Shooting was done with sandbags in single action and offhand in double action rapidfire.
On average I was grouping my 25 yard shots at about 4 inches from the GP100 and at about 2.25 inches from the DW715 from the sandbags in single action. This was true for both calibers, 38 special and 357 mag. Groups were slightly larger for the 357 mag, but not much, and were the same amount larger for both guns, so I chalk that up to shooter skills (or lack thereof). At 15 yards I was grouping at about 2 inches from the GP100 from sandbags in single action. about 1.5 inches from the DW715. So in my mind, the DW715 has proven itself the more accurate gun.
In rapidfire DA shooting, the DW715 really shined. I would do a draw and empty the cylinder in about 6-7 seconds. All of these were done with 38 special at 15 yards. The DW715 groups averaged about 4 inches center to center. The GP100 about 7.5 inches. The ability of the DW715 to absorb the recoil both due to the weight of the barrel shroud and the bore axis making the recoil come more straight back made it much easier to get rapid shots on target, plus the shorter DA trigger made it easy to keep the sights aligned through the full DA pull.
So overall, the DW715 is a superior gun, and it should be given that you pay about $1050 for one compared to about $600 for a GP100 six inch (these are 2015 prices). But what you get is worth the money, especially given that a S&W performance center will cost a little more and deliver a little less (IMHO). I love S&W revolvers, and obviously Ruger's too. But in my opinion the DW715 is the best money to value right now for a full sized 357 mag DA revolver. I can't wait to pick up some additional barrel lengths from the CZ store. I'm really glad CZ has decided to bring back this excellent revolver.
As you might imagine the DW715 has a much better fit and finish than a GP100 (since it also costs almost twice as much that should be expected) but I was impressed with how much better the fit and finish is. The barrel shroud is near perfect. The internals are all polished right from the factory (though there is still some polishing to do that can slick things up) and the action is very smooth. I will assume that most readers are familiar with the removable barrel system and the basic functionality of a DW715 revolver (i.e. placement of the cylinder release, rotation of the cylinder counterclockwise, tensioned barrel, cylinder barrel alignment, etc.). So I will focus on things I have not seen commented on much in the other gun reviews I have read on dedicated reviewers' websites. So here are some highlights I did not see elsewhere:
The whole top surface of the gun has a matte finish to reduce glare on the sights. This is a super nice feature that you don't notice until you spend a good amount of range time with the gun. It is also subtle, so that it blends well with the overall looks of the gun.
I love the weight of the barrel shroud. I shoot DA revolvers alot and I have never encountered a softer recoiling 357 mag. Ever. I attribute much of this to the weight of the barrel shroud. I know that internet reviews are prone to hyperbole so I will be careful not to exagerate here, but shooting 38 special out of this gun is near to the recoil levels of a .22. I brought a Ruger SP101-22 to the range as well and truely the recoil was almost that low. Recoil out of my GP100 with 38 special was substantially greater. 357 mag was also very little recoil, and most of it was straight back, not flipping up. There was much greater muzzle flip with the GP100 six inch (which is not a hard recoiling gun by any means.)
Another factor making the DW715 so nice is its bore axis. The bore is quite a bit lower than the GP100. This greatly contributes to recoil reduction and control for follow up shots. Recoil feels more straight back rather than wrenching your wrist upwards. There's not much to say about this factor other than to note its importance. Like saying that one truck comes with a V6 and another comes with a V8. Easily noted, but the importance and value of that factor is immense.
The trigger pull was nicer out of the box than any DA revolver I have encountered ever. It was substantially better than my GP100 and also better than any S&W I have shot. Weight of the pull is about 10 pounds. To be clear, however, it is not the weight of the trigger pull that makes this trigger so nice. I have polished my GP100 internals and installed a wolf spring kit making my GP100 trigger very nice too, and about the same weight of a trigger pull. Rather, it is the length of the pull and the axis of the DW715 trigger that makes it so nice. The length of the pull is roughly 2/3 the distance of that of a Ruger or a S&W. One wonders how the pull is able to fully lift the hammer in so short a distance with such a light weight, but whatver the mechanics, the results are a much shorter DA trigger pull. Moreover, it feels like the axis of the trigger pull is longer, making the pull feel more straight back rather than rotatng closly around an axis. In addition, the trigger surface itself is much wider than the GP100, making the trigger more tactile and easier to control. Single action tigger pull is about four pounds with a very crisp clean break.
The rubber grip on the gun is excellent and fits my hands very well. I have a hard time telling the difference between it and the Hogue grip on the GP100. They are about the same. There is also a lot of DW grips on the used market from their past production days. So there are lots of options. Personally, I'm happy with the stock grips.
I will note that the cylinder is recessed in such a way that it appears to be cut for moon clips, but I could never verify if that is the case, or if there are moon clips available for it. I would appreciate any input on that if anyone else has information.
The sights on the DW715 are nicer than the GP100. I would note in the past that a bump in the range bag on the GP100 could send my sights off zero, and they flex up and down to the touch. Always worries me that they might be a little off on my nextt trip to the range. The DW sights are sturdier and each click from adjusting them is more positive and more tensioned. It appears that the sights have a little tensioned bar that fits in a groove with each adjustment and holds that new adjustment more firmly. I much prefer them.
On to accuracy. I was (and am) a little doubtful about whether the tensioned barrel stuff really helps accuracy all that much, but whatever it does, the DW715 was substantially more accurate than my GP100 six inch. A few notes about accuracy before I go into the details of my bench rest testing. First, because of the tensioned and removable barrel system, there is not much real estate between the lands and grooves that are visible from the end of the barrel, and the nut that is used to secure and tension the barrel. But, I was pleased to note that the gun came with a very small target crown cut into the end of the barrel in the room between the internal edge and the external edge of the mouth of the barrel. Since this gun is supposed to be focused on accuracy, I was pleased to see attention to that detail. In addition, the ability to adjust the cylinder gap helps with accuracy, and the cylinder barrel alignment is superb. I would also note that the lock up for each chamber of the cylinder is much better than my GP100. Almost no movement at all.
To test accuracy, I shot 300 rounds of 38 special through the gun, and about 70 rounds of 357 mag. I shot corresponding amounts from the GP100. The same brands of ammo in the same amounts went through both guns. I wanted to get enough groupings over and over to get something close to statistical significance, not just anecdotal evidence. Shooting was done at 25 yards and 15 yards exclusively. I would shoot a cylinder from each gun on two targets side by side, alternating which gun I shot first and which tarrget it shot at, so that most other factors were equalized. Shooting was done with sandbags in single action and offhand in double action rapidfire.
On average I was grouping my 25 yard shots at about 4 inches from the GP100 and at about 2.25 inches from the DW715 from the sandbags in single action. This was true for both calibers, 38 special and 357 mag. Groups were slightly larger for the 357 mag, but not much, and were the same amount larger for both guns, so I chalk that up to shooter skills (or lack thereof). At 15 yards I was grouping at about 2 inches from the GP100 from sandbags in single action. about 1.5 inches from the DW715. So in my mind, the DW715 has proven itself the more accurate gun.
In rapidfire DA shooting, the DW715 really shined. I would do a draw and empty the cylinder in about 6-7 seconds. All of these were done with 38 special at 15 yards. The DW715 groups averaged about 4 inches center to center. The GP100 about 7.5 inches. The ability of the DW715 to absorb the recoil both due to the weight of the barrel shroud and the bore axis making the recoil come more straight back made it much easier to get rapid shots on target, plus the shorter DA trigger made it easy to keep the sights aligned through the full DA pull.
So overall, the DW715 is a superior gun, and it should be given that you pay about $1050 for one compared to about $600 for a GP100 six inch (these are 2015 prices). But what you get is worth the money, especially given that a S&W performance center will cost a little more and deliver a little less (IMHO). I love S&W revolvers, and obviously Ruger's too. But in my opinion the DW715 is the best money to value right now for a full sized 357 mag DA revolver. I can't wait to pick up some additional barrel lengths from the CZ store. I'm really glad CZ has decided to bring back this excellent revolver.
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