.357 Revolvers
- Thread starter Vapor
- Start date
I wish I had a fraction of the Dan Wesson .357 Revolvers I could have and sometime did buy back in the 80's & 90's for $200 or less....often less.
Xae289
.223 Rem
The GP100 5" is a nice gun. Their triggers aren't as good as Smiths or Colts, but have a lot of room for improvement with a good trigger job. I like the 686 a little better, but you really can't go wrong with either as far as I'm concerned.
I just got a 5" S&W 625, (.45 ACP) full underlug to complement my near-identical 629 (.44 Mag). N-Frame Smiths are a bit bulky to carry, but not too bad. The S&W 627 only weighs 2 oz over a GP100 and gives you 8 rds of capacity. The L-Frame 686 Plus weighs 1 oz less than the GP100 and gives you 7 rds of capacity.
Colts are very fine guns, but expensive. Only worth it if you want something that doesn't just work well but also looks very good.
Taurus... eh. On paper they look good, but more quality problems than Ruger and Smith with worse/slower customer service. I'd only buy one I could hold and inspect to make sure the timing and lockup look good.
I just got a 5" S&W 625, (.45 ACP) full underlug to complement my near-identical 629 (.44 Mag). N-Frame Smiths are a bit bulky to carry, but not too bad. The S&W 627 only weighs 2 oz over a GP100 and gives you 8 rds of capacity. The L-Frame 686 Plus weighs 1 oz less than the GP100 and gives you 7 rds of capacity.
Colts are very fine guns, but expensive. Only worth it if you want something that doesn't just work well but also looks very good.
Taurus... eh. On paper they look good, but more quality problems than Ruger and Smith with worse/slower customer service. I'd only buy one I could hold and inspect to make sure the timing and lockup look good.
Define "Snub Nose". Is a S&W L frame with a 3" barrel and snub nose? There seems to be no concensus on this, with some saying it would be and others saying it isn't.
@Vapor, I have a S&W 586 L-Comp which is S&W's medium-heavy frame in .357 Magnum, 7 shot cylinder and a 3" barrel w/ integral compensator port. I regularly carry it in a leather OWB holster though it is not my primary. It's overall dimensions in terms of height and length are very similar to a Glock 19 while it's weight at 40oz loaded is nearly twice that of the Glock. Despite the heft I find it comfortable to carry and it conceals readily under most cover garments. I think the shape of revolvers, being narrow at either end and thick around the cylinder, fits the natural contour of the body whereas a flat semi auto feels more like having a plank strapped to your side.
The velocity loss from a 3" vs a 4" barrel is very minimal so I think the 3" is the best length for a carry gun.
I use my carry comp for woods walks and for those times when I am in a Marty Robbins type mood. There is something about having a potent cartridge like .357 Magnum at your disposal that gives a certain authoritave feeling.
As for the gun itself..... It's quite excellent ONCE S&W fixed it. It had light strike issue out of the box. My little 340PD J frame also needed repair right out of the box. S&W makes a wonderful revolver but their QC has become shit. Once they are sorted I like the S&W better than the Ruger but the latter is much less likely to need to go back to the factory.
Ruger also offers a 7 shot, 3" version of the GP-100. That general configuration regardless of make I find to be a very all round usable carry revolver, convenient to carry yet still fun on the range. A great deal of fun actually.
Bustedknees
.308 Win
Answer 1. No
Answer 2. No
Ive got a 3 inch GP100, 4 inch S&W 686 and a 7.5 inch Dan Wesson.
If you look at ballistic testing, there is very little difference between a 3 inch and 4 inch 357 revolver. In fact, with many loads, the 3 inch outperforms the 4 inch.
The only one I carry is the 3 inch GP100.
I don't like the lock on the S&W and the Dan Wesson is a POS.
After a lot of testing in gel and on deer, I either carry Remington Golden Sabre 135 grain JHP, or 155 grain Underwood BJHP.
If you look at ballistic testing, there is very little difference between a 3 inch and 4 inch 357 revolver. In fact, with many loads, the 3 inch outperforms the 4 inch.
The only one I carry is the 3 inch GP100.
I don't like the lock on the S&W and the Dan Wesson is a POS.
After a lot of testing in gel and on deer, I either carry Remington Golden Sabre 135 grain JHP, or 155 grain Underwood BJHP.
repete
.338 Win Mag
I'd be happy to relieve you of that "POS" Dan Wesson, I need it like I need a hole in the head, but I'm willing to make that sacrifice.Ive got a 3 inch GP100, 4 inch S&W 686 and a 7.5 inch Dan Wesson.
If you look at ballistic testing, there is very little difference between a 3 inch and 4 inch 357 revolver. In fact, with many loads, the 3 inch outperforms the 4 inch.
The only one I carry is the 3 inch GP100.
I don't like the lock on the S&W and the Dan Wesson is a POS.
After a lot of testing in gel and on deer, I either carry Remington Golden Sabre 135 grain JHP, or 155 grain Underwood BJHP.
View attachment 255622
Hochulsucks1234
.44 mag
Thats some good gun porn. I have been longing for a Marlin 1894 Cowboy model in 357 (simply because I have one in 45 and 44). Hard to find. But I think I am going to end up getting a newer Ruger made one. Enough time has went by to prove that Ruger did it right with Marlin.
There were only two craftsmen left at Dan Wesson when they quit revolvers, and Serba? went to custom 1911's (ultimately selling out and starting Fusion Firearms in FL) that could really exercise the demons out of DW Revolvers: I expect Norb is long gone from this World, and I can't remember the guys name, but his FFL Name was "B-Flats" Gun(smithing) near Norwich, NY He too may be long gone.
This is/was the name of the Shop, but I'm wondering if maybe it's his Son or someone bought him out; it's certainly not the veriforce, but this seems to be his contact:
5908 State Hwy 51
Burlington Flats, NY 13315
Contact
Phone: 6079650007No Pictures, but I have a DW in .44mag, .445Super Mag, and a .45LC and they ain't going no where...sadly, not even the Range anymore.
Last edited:
I'm just saying, it's not so cut and dry.
The S&W 627PC w/ 2.5 barrel, aka the "bloodwork" revolver is considered to be properly a snub nose and the 327 "Pugnose" is a snub but both are rather larger than an L frame 3" which is not generally considered a snub nose.
A medium frame 3" revolver carries just fine IMO. 40oz isn't monstrously heavy, about the same as a 1911.
Vapor
.308 Win
My oldest brother worked at Dan Wesson in Norwich doing final fitting and assembly on 1911s and then revolvers until about 2020. They didn't pay very well, and he said only a few people with true gunsmithing skills still worked there.
He used to give out the shirts and hats pretty often. Not sure if I still have one around.
He used to give out the shirts and hats pretty often. Not sure if I still have one around.
Vapor
.308 Win
I just ordered a 19 round Glock 19x magazine to console me until I can afford a good revolver.
If I don't have power, I can give volume of fire hahaha
If I don't have power, I can give volume of fire hahaha
No need to stop there, as the 19X uses the same mag as the Glock 17/19 IIRC. Glock offers a 33 round magazine that fits the Glock 17/19, and other firearms - including the Ruger PCC 9mm carbine (available in standard or takedown versions) with the Glock magazine adapter.
Vapor
.308 Win
Thanks for the info.
I do like this revolver but it's had issues gor years. Not sure when it was made.....you can see the serial number if there is a way to find out the year.
When it does work, it works great and has a great trigger. It's a little front heavy, but tolerable.
It's issue is light primer strikes and a non rotating cylinder. I changed the springs, then the factory did something 2x, I'll find the paperwork and tell you what they did.
A friend of mine who is really good with revolver work says there might be a slightly out of spec "part"......cylinder, hammer...., or something might be bent. He says the tolerances on this gun are tight and a small defect could be the issue. But he hasn't seen or held it.
Sometimes it goes through several cylinders, then it gets light strikes, then won't rotate until I unload it and spin it and wiggle it a bit.....then it works for awhile.
repete
.338 Win Mag
Just for shits and giggles, try opening the cylinder and looking at the firing pin hole in the frame, is the face flat? Or does it look kind of heaved up? Some DWs seemed to have a problem there, after repeated firing the hole closed up causing the pin to stick in the hole, locking the action. The solution is pretty simple, drill and tap an oversize hole and install a sleeve with a new pin hole in the center.Thanks for the info.
I do like this revolver but it's had issues gor years. Not sure when it was made.....you can see the serial number if there is a way to find out the year.
When it does work, it works great and has a great trigger. It's a little front heavy, but tolerable.
It's issue is light primer strikes and a non rotating cylinder. I changed the springs, then the factory did something 2x, I'll find the paperwork and tell you what they did.
A friend of mine who is really good with revolver work says there might be a slightly out of spec "part"......cylinder, hammer...., or something might be bent. He says the tolerances on this gun are tight and a small defect could be the issue. But he hasn't seen or held it.
Sometimes it goes through several cylinders, then it gets light strikes, then won't rotate until I unload it and spin it and wiggle it a bit.....then it works for awhile.
They can be fickle sometimes...The .45LC went back for rework of the action, and it's super smooth and accurate.Thanks for the info.
I do like this revolver but it's had issues gor years. Not sure when it was made.....you can see the serial number if there is a way to find out the year.
When it does work, it works great and has a great trigger. It's a little front heavy, but tolerable.
It's issue is light primer strikes and a non rotating cylinder. I changed the springs, then the factory did something 2x, I'll find the paperwork and tell you what they did.
A friend of mine who is really good with revolver work says there might be a slightly out of spec "part"......cylinder, hammer...., or something might be bent. He says the tolerances on this gun are tight and a small defect could be the issue. But he hasn't seen or held it.
Sometimes it goes through several cylinders, then it gets light strikes, then won't rotate until I unload it and spin it and wiggle it a bit.....then it works for awhile.
I had a second .445SM that had a Cylinder issue: it too was "reworked" and a new, non-fluted cylinder fitted, (Brother has this one)
My Blued, 8"VH went to B-Flats and it's as smooth and nice as the other two...the .44mag is in a Bicentennial Edition Display case and unfired.
That .445 Super Mag. was the brainchild of Elgin Gates (who also created and sued Remington for stealing his idea for the .357 Maximum) and it'll make you say "holy-shit!" when you touch off a round.
Jmac00
.475 A&M Magnum
I LOVE my S&W 629 Classic 44mag. When it comes to wheel guns, the 629 is all I carry
Get a revolver because you think theybare cool, not because they are "more powerful". For self defense against humans a semi auto IS more effective. My primaries are either a S&W Shield Plus or an M&P Compact. I love my 586 and I doncarry it occasionally but I 8n no way think the latter is a better CCW than the former. Maybe a good .357 Revolver has advantages for woods carry with stout .357 loads being more than enough for any critter in the eastern US. Buffalo Bore has a 180gr .357 load @ 1450fps from a 4" barrel which equalling lower end .44 Mag loads would be adequate for defense against large bears in the west.
I keep the good ol' Remington 125gr SJHP in my revolver though. Classic police load with a long record of proven effectiveness on the street.
Vapor
.308 Win
My primary reason for a .357 is 1) already have a long gun in that caliber ,and 2) I would feel better with it vs a black bear. My main point here is already agree with you.
I actually was thinking in some situations I would carry my lcp max as a back up gun because of the higher capacity.
Yes they can be fickle
It just aggravates me because I'm not an idiot. I know how revolvers work and have tuned plenty over the years.
But this damn thing has a gremlin.
It's like the one time my buddy bought a 1977 Chevy k10 square body truck.
The previous owner sold it because in 10 years, he could not get it to run.
My friend called me because HE couldn't get it to run. I asked him if he had any recent head trauma. This dude and me have been building, swapping, racing and everything else with old vehicles sinse the early 1980s!
He said he tried everything.
He brought it to my house and after an hour of tinkering......I couldn't get it to fire. That literally hasn't happen in 40 years.
So, he left it here and I tore the engine apart...a Chevy 5.7 350 from the 1970s, one of the most dependable and rock solid engines ever built.
We knew it wasn't fuel, air, spark or compression. So, it could ONLY be something internally not allowing the engine to turn fast enough.
I checked everything....timing chain, crank, water pump, valves, rockers, bearings, cam.....everything was in spec.
The engine was absolutely immaculate with 54,000 original miles.
Well, it still wouldn't start!!
All new electrical, including wire harness, complete fuel system upgrade, complete engine tear down and inspection.....still just chugged.
We ended up putting an old V6 Buick Dauntless I had laying around in it and it's been his daily driver for 2 years, runs great.
My point is.....there is something deeply disturbed in this revolver. One day I will figure it out. A new cylinder, hammer and internals would fix it, but I want to try to keep the original parts.
I need to find the original measurements and spec numbers, then I can fix it......maybe.
Been there as well!Yes they can be fickle
It just aggravates me because I'm not an idiot. I know how revolvers work and have tuned plenty over the years.
But this damn thing has a gremlin.
It's like the one time my buddy bought a 1977 Chevy k10 square body truck.
The previous owner sold it because in 10 years, he could not get it to run.
My friend called me because HE couldn't get it to run. I asked him if he had any recent head trauma. This dude and me have been building, swapping, racing and everything else with old vehicles sinse the early 1980s!
He said he tried everything.
He brought it to my house and after an hour of tinkering......I couldn't get it to fire. That literally hasn't happen in 40 years.
So, he left it here and I tore the engine apart...a Chevy 5.7 350 from the 1970s, one of the most dependable and rock solid engines ever built.
We knew it wasn't fuel, air, spark or compression. So, it could ONLY be something internally not allowing the engine to turn fast enough.
I checked everything....timing chain, crank, water pump, valves, rockers, bearings, cam.....everything was in spec.
The engine was absolutely immaculate with 54,000 original miles.
Well, it still wouldn't start!!
All new electrical, including wire harness, complete fuel system upgrade, complete engine tear down and inspection.....still just chugged.
We ended up putting an old V6 Buick Dauntless I had laying around in it and it's been his daily driver for 2 years, runs great.
My point is.....there is something deeply disturbed in this revolver. One day I will figure it out. A new cylinder, hammer and internals would fix it, but I want to try to keep the original parts.
I need to find the original measurements and spec numbers, then I can fix it......maybe.
I had a Delta Elite that was just didn't like to chamber rounds, maddeningly unreliable, finally the solution was a new Barrel and link despite not being able to find anything out of spec.
Nephew has a Toyota Truck with the 22R engine: bulletproof, reliable, great engine: couldn't get any power out of it; turns out the engine that was in it was a salvage yard Carb engine installed in place of an EFI engine and it just didn't work.
Back to the SBC: I wonder if someone changed the Cam Shaft or inadvertently used a reverse rotation crank/engine? (twin engine Marine applications often used one each)
Well revolvers are fun anyway. Lots of versatility for woods work too. You can easily swap in some snake shot if needed and revolvers cycle everything regardless of power level which is nice.
I've even gotten some enjoyment out of drilling to minimize reload times. I've gotten my time down to 4 seconds or so from a speedloader. Still a damn sight longer than swapping out a magazine which I can do in less than a second.
Nevertheless the revolver has a certain panache semi autos don't possess.
On the other hand no gun can make me giggle with glee quite like the M&P Carry Comp which can mag dump 15 rounds all on a mini IPSIC silhouette @ 15 yards. I cannot do that with the L Comp.........maybe with .38s, I haven't tried that yet. I don't generally shoot .38s though since they aren't any cheaper than .357s these days.
"I may not be able to hit the son-of-a-bitch, but I'll keep his ass pinned down!"
Funny you say that, before covid one could buy a box of 158gr. RNL for $10. a box of fifty, and once it hit, there wasn't anything beside NOS to be had anywhere, even then it was 25~50 a box! WTF!!!
If you were a Reloader and someone found out you did 38's they might give you a huge box full of Brass and their old Steel Dies. (nobody uses anymore) The "Wonder 9" was the crippling shot to the Revolver World making them unpopular with new or more active shooters, but eventually "what is old, becomes new again" and that may be the trend, at least for a little while.
Digging around the other day I came across a big ammo can full of assorted "Police Trade in" .38special ammunition that came from Century Arms, a very long time ago, so next Range trip out comes the S&W M10 and it was discovered my Revolver shooting skills now suck...only way to correct that is trigger time...I can't wait 'til Spring when a Range Trip doesn't require snowshoes.
Vapor
.308 Win
So a funny thing happened. I'm going to go look at a couple of 2". Taurus .357s tomorrow for dirt cheap tomorrow. I still want a nicer longer barrel, but this price is good enough for me to want to grab one up just for fun
It's funny YOU mention that. About the snowshoes on the range. In early December I procured a 1k round case of quality 9mm then the holidays came and immediately after that this dreadful cold snap with all the snow and ice hit and I have not shot one single round. It's sunny and warmish now but everything is a mud pit so still no joy. I think I will use the interval to stack a little .357 away and when conditions become favorable I will resume punishing steel at the range.
It would be interesting to shoot the L-Comp and Carry Comp back to back.
Spiritual siblings but quite different guns.
Vapor
.308 Win
I started work last night at 6:30pm and it was 50. By the end of my shift it was 22 and freezing rain. Now it is about 29 but no wind and bright and sunny. If it went so damn soggy everywhere this would otherwise be good weather to shoot