Dan Wesson .357 Revolver

[OVERKILL]

A friend and coworker of mine from Houston was down with us in Dallas this last time I was there (a month or so ago) and he always brings with him an assortment of hand guns. He has a 45, a couple of 9mm's, a 40, 380 and this time he brought his .357 revolver for me to play with at the range. I have very limited handgun experience but prefer a revolver over a semi. I've shot a variety of them at this point ranging in size from a small 9mm SIG to the larger framed 1911. However I had rented a nice Colt .357 the last time I was down and was quite smitten with it, and so he told me he would bring his next time we went.

We bought around 300 rounds of ammunition, and he brought another 200+ with him. I put about 250rds through the revolver, it was fantastic! Lots of fun. The range isn't super long, it is the DFW Gun club and I believe it maxes out at around 25 yards? I was shooting a bit left of centre with his gun, but I don't think it is my form, as I was shooting dead centre with the rental

This is the gun:


And here are two six shot groups at 15 yards, fired in rapid succession:


Ammo was primarily the inexpensive PerFecta brand stuff from Walmart, which seems to go bang when you want it to. No idea as to its performance otherwise.

Also, I was disgusted to see the same Federal .308 rounds that are over $30/box in Canada are $9/box in Dallas

Good Lord......

 

[totegoat]

I bought a DW .357 in the early 80's. Been a completely reliable and excellent shooter.

 

[OVERKILL]

Originally Posted By: totegoat
I bought a DW .357 in the early 80's. Been a completely reliable and excellent shooter.


Yeah, it is a really nice gun, I was very happy with how it felt and operated.

 

[bunnspecial]

Dan Wessons have a tendency to be VERY accurate due to the barrel being constantly under tension. Of course, you can also set the cylinder gap and all the other things yourself that would require a gunsmith on most other guns.

I had a model 14 for a while, which is the fixed sight version of the model 15. Mine came with a 2.5" barrel, and it was without a doubt the most accurate snub I've ever shot. I'm sorry I sold it.

If I come across a nice model 15 "Pistol Pack" it will probably go home with me.

Dan Wessons can be rather homely looking guns(IMO, the later full underlugs are better looking than the earlier partial underlugs) and the short hammer throw at least had a bit of a learning curve for me. With that said, I've never seen a bad shooting one, and there's a lot to love about the way they're designed.

 

[Indydriver]

Hate to tell you but that grouping is a trigger flinch.

Can US online ammo sellers ship cases into CN? I buy 1000 rounds at a time when I find $200/$250/$300 US for 9/40/45.

 

[OVERKILL]

Originally Posted By: Indydriver
Hate to tell you but that grouping is a trigger flinch.

Can US online ammo sellers ship cases into CN? I buy 1000 rounds at a time when I find $200/$250/$300 US for 9/40/45.


Interesting. So how come I don't have the same issue with the Colt? That's the confusing part for me. Also, I'm left-handed if that's relevant and was shooting the same way with both guns: Right-thumb cock with a left finger pull.

And no, ammo sales to Canada are a no-go as far as I know, otherwise we'd all be doing it, LOL!

 

[2cool]

I draw another conclusion, Overkill. I think that the group is consistent and tight. The rear sight should be adjusted.

 

[umungus1122]

Originally Posted By: 2cool
I draw another conclusion, Overkill. I think that the group is consistent and tight. The rear sight should be adjusted.

This. Drift the rear sight over.

 

[ZeeOSix]

Colt King Cobra, 357 Mag, 4" barrel is one of my favorite pistols to shoot. Very accurate and doesn't kick a whole bunch since the frame is pretty large, along the same size as the Dan Wesson you shot.

 

[OVERKILL]

Originally Posted By: umungus1122
Originally Posted By: 2cool
I draw another conclusion, Overkill. I think that the group is consistent and tight. The rear sight should be adjusted.

This. Drift the rear sight over.


Thanks! That solves it for me. As I said, I don't have a heck of a lot of handgun experience, just thought it weird that I shot two different .357 revolves and only had the shift to the left, LOL!

The Colt was a nice feeling gun too BTW, but being a range owned piece, I wouldn't even hazard a guess at how many its had down the pipe

 

[bunnspecial]

With the crazy prices of Colt wheelguns these days, I'm surprised that the range would even rent one.

With that said, I have an original Trooper 357 Magnum. This is basically the same gun as the 3-5-7 but with a matte blue finish as opposed to the high gloss Royal Blue of the 3-5-7. The 3-5-7 was-in turn-developed from the Officer's Model Match but(obviously) chambered in 357 Magnum and with a frame-mounted firing pin. The difference between the two is analagous to the difference between the S&W 27 and 28, although I don't think that the Trooper 357 and 3-5-7 were produced at the same time(I seem to recall that the Trooper was introduced when Colt decided to make the Python their premier gun instead of the 3-5-7, and the Trooper was introduced to give an economy 357).

My rambling aside, I love all my 357 Mags, but the Trooper is in a close contest with my 27-2 for my favorite. When push comes to shove, the 4" barrel on my Trooper is a lot more practical than the 8 3/8" on my 27-2.

I'm not as sold on the later Colt coil spring action, such as the Trooper Mk III and Trooper Mk V, but they are still great guns. I'd also buy a Magnum Carry if I could find one for a reasonable price. With them only being produced for about a year, though, at the end of Colt's production of DA revolvers(~99-2000) they are tough to find. The last I saw was on someone's hip at a gun show, and they were asking $1200 for it.