Dan Wesson called me today

[El Hombre]

Bill,
DW never made a dedicated 44 spl, so cylinders as such don't exist. You could contact the factory & see if they would custom build one. Ask for Keith Lawton. He does most of the custom work, and I believe all the service on the revolvers now. They are great folks to work with. The custom cylinder could be the same length as you 44 mag, just the shorter chamber cut, that would solve the length isuue.
An easier, cheaper solution if you handload is just shoot downloaded 44mags.
Use one brand of brass for your magnums & a different brand for your "special" loads. I do this with 45LC. I have some hot loads that are great in a DW or T/C, but unsuitable for a SAA. Also use a red ammo box for the "hot" stuff and a blue one for the cowboy gun safe loads.
Just a suggestion.

 

[El Hombre]

Waldo,
I hate to hear that. I actually thought with a proper barrel, it might work. I never thought about the rimfire aspect either. Well, at least you don't have a bunch of parts you can't use.

The DW 22lr has a spotty reputation. I never have been able to get mine to shoot as accurately as I feel it should. Different ammo, different barrels, I still am not happy. I have a 22mag that is a tack driver. I have heard the same complaint from other DW 22 owners.

I wish DW would have made a 17 rimfire. I prodded the former president, Bob Serva about it a couple times and the answer was a solid NO.
At the NRA convention in Louisville this year I had a great conversation with Keith Lawton. It was then that he told me the revolver production is gone. The assembly line has been converted, and all knowledgeable revolver employees were gone,except himself. To restart production would require a complete new assembly line, with new equipment & personel. He estimated the revolvers would have to sell for $2,000 each to recoup the cost. I ask him about outsourcing production, and while he didn't discount it, he said there were no plans. Interesting though that they still build barrel assemblies on order, and service the revolvers. I hope they return to production someday.

 

[El Hombre]

Waldo,

Maybe the hammer is part of the conversion Kit?? That would require the removal of the sideplate and solve the rimfire issue. But then that would not be a simple swap.

 

[El Hombre]

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.asp?Item=106067126

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.asp?Item=105898486

A couple DW 22s for sale. Not mine.

 

[Waldo Pepper]

El Hombre you are not missing nothing with the 17 HMR revolver. I just got rid of a S&W 647 8 3/8" barrel PC 17 HMR with 2x7x32 scope a couple of weeks ago, loud, expensive to shoot and not a good shooter beyond 50 yards.

I could easy out shoot it with my S&W 610-3 with holographic sight or my Marlin 981T with a 4x12x40 AO Barska on top. But if you are interested my friend still haves it in his gun shop, or did last Friday. It is a beauty and is not the standard finish, but polished stainless although not as glossy as nickle finish. Most likely probably half the problem with accuracy was me, I could not get used to the long heavy barrel was probably most of the trouble. I can't remember if it was shade over half a box or box and half I shot through the gun, not enough I know, but enough to find out I just didn't like the gun.

 

[Waldo Pepper]

I have been watching the one, but it looks to be a dog, and I am current high bidder on the other one and still not at the reserve. My bet is the reserve is most likely $500 plus and that is more then I want to spend for a plinker.

All I want is a good reliable shooter, not a collectors safe queen with a bunch of barrels that I would never use. Yes I know this one does not have extra barrels, but you know what I mean.

I wanted to off a $200 bid but it will not take my bid because he has a $325 low minium on the gun and it is not worth that I believe or at least to me it is not.

 

[CajunBass]

For what it's worth, when I got mine, the dealer was asking $400.00. I got it for $350.00. Of course I didn't have to pay shipping or FFL fee, which would have added at least $50.00 to the price.

 

[Waldo Pepper]

$350 for a good shooting plinker is not bad, I bought a NIB Ruger MkIII 22-45 Hunter in what looks like black anodized finish over stainless Steel but I guess its a blue finish.

That said I did pay $500 OTD for a very nice (98%) S&W K-22 model 48 22 WMR Target Masterpiece mfg in 1959 last Christmas and it is a tack driver with either the LR or Mag cylinder.