dan wesson .357?

[fssmikey]

hi guys, my father passed a few years ago, and he left me his revolver. its a dan wesson .357

heres a bad pic of it.
http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa204/mikefss/16E92086-2192-45C1-92BB-074F9102A37C-5252-00000204D225D591.jpg (http://s199.photobucket.com/user/mikefss/media/16E92086-2192-45C1-92BB-074F9102A37C-5252-00000204D225D591.jpg.html)

its been sitting in his closet for more than 30 years, im wondering, should i even attempt to shoot the thing? or should i just keep it in the safe with the rest of the toys? i have a few years of experience with firearms, but ive never owned a revolver. ive shot a few, but thats as far as ive experienced them.

im guessing a good cleaning and oiling are in order?

[Jake'sDad]

hi guys, my father passed a few years ago, and he left me his revolver. its a dan wesson .357

heres a bad pic of it.
http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa204/mikefss/16E92086-2192-45C1-92BB-074F9102A37C-5252-00000204D225D591.jpg (http://s199.photobucket.com/user/mikefss/media/16E92086-2192-45C1-92BB-074F9102A37C-5252-00000204D225D591.jpg.html)

its been sitting in his closet for more than 30 years, im wondering, should i even attempt to shoot the thing? or should i just keep it in the safe with the rest of the toys? i have a few years of experience with firearms, but ive never owned a revolver. ive shot a few, but thats as far as ive experienced them.

im guessing a good cleaning and oiling are in order?

Look like a nice minty Dan Wesson 15V. They are nice revolvers and were very popular back in the day. They have an interchangeable barrel system, so if you do fire it, make sure the barrel is on tight. They did loosen up, even just bouncing around in a holster. Look and see if you can find the wrench that goes with it, and at the same time, see if Dad had any extra barrels.

Here's a site explaining the gun and how to change barrels.

http://milpas.cc/rifles/ZFiles/Manufacturers/Dan%20Wesson%20Revolvers/The%20Dan%20Wesson%20Revolvers.htm

[Dave James]

Those where great revolvers, and several models where popular in the steel silhouette shoots, I have never see one come loose from carry, or shooting , and I use to shoot the 445 mag , the tensioning on the barrel at two points never let go. I would shoot it.

Pop over to the Dan Wesson forum site and the guys and gals can give you loads of info

[Jake'sDad]

Those where great revolvers, and several models where popular in the steel silhouette shoots, I have never see one come loose from carry, or shooting , and I use to shoot the 445 mag , the tensioning on the barrel at two points never let go. I would shoot it.

It was on our list of approved duty guns back in the 70's, and we kept a wrench at the range to tighten them up during quals. I tightened them for guys a number of times.

Dunno, perhaps banging them holstered into car doors and walls, along with other shock and jostling duty guns get subjected to every day, induced different vibration and stress on the system then shooting them on the range did.

We also have no idea of what condition Dad left it in. I'd check before shooting it after 30 years, but that's just me.

[fssmikey]

thanks for the link, its greatly appreciated. unfortunately the only other things that were with the gun at my mom's house was 4 .38 special hollow points.

i guess im going to have to purchase a barrel wrench, and a feeler gauge. i should have an automotive feeler gauge set at the house, if its within spec, im going to go to the range this weekend and fire a few rounds out of it.

as far as the condition of the gun, its almost mint. my mother told me he only shot it twice. he wasnt much for guns, but he always had this one sitting in his bedside drawer.

[Jake'sDad]

thanks for the link, its greatly appreciated. unfortunately the only other things that were with the gun at my mom's house was 4 .38 special hollow points.

i guess im going to have to purchase a barrel wrench, and a feeler gauge. i should have an automotive feeler gauge set at the house, if its within spec, im going to go to the range this weekend and fire a few rounds out of it.

as far as the condition of the gun, its almost mint. my mother told me he only shot it twice. he wasnt much for guns, but he always had this one sitting in his bedside drawer.

No, I could see it's looks great, I just meant we don't know if he might have had it apart and not tightened back up and set the gap, etc.

Please don't mistake my advice to mean the Dan Wesson's are a problem, just wanted you to know the barrels are interchangeable, and to suggest you check it before shooting it.

It's a fine revolver with a great reputation for accuracy, so enjoy it.

[BillSWPA]

You will be very happy with your Dan Wesson revolver. However, keep in mind that the separate shroud over the barrel results in more retention of heat than you would have with a solid, one-piece barrel. This gun will heat up much more quickly than most.

[Merle]

I have the same pistol and its big brother in 44 mag. They both have 6" barrels with full shrouds. Great and accurate pistols. Hogue makes grips for these.
http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z198/merlebrooks/008.jpg
http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z198/merlebrooks/007.jpg

[fssmikey]

well, i checked the barrel tolerance and it checked out well, so i took the revolver to the range.

shot a few rounds of 38 special, then loaded her up with some federal .357 fmj.

all i have to say is that this is a very serious revolver, and its a dream to shoot. its more accurate than i can ever hope to be. all i need to do is get my hands on a barrel wrench and remove the barrel to give it a good cleaning.

thanks for the advice/help guys!

[ECAM]

They are fine revolvers.

You can look here for parts including the barrel wrench.


http://www.ewkarms.com/zen8/

[RGraff]

Great pistols. I used one in .44 when we shot silhouette. They're a stout handgun, every bit as tough as a Ruger (in my opinion). Love that short hammer throw.