Range Report: Ugly Duckling Dan Wesson .22

Looking good, both the target and the gun. You know if you feel that barrel is a bit heavy you can find a lighter shroud if you're patient. Don't know if you know it but the DW small frame revolvers are very easy to work on with no need for a gunsmith.

Very Nice Revolver and good shooting. Nice polish!

Nothing ugly about a Dan Wesson.....

Man, J-Bar, that’s nice shootin’ and a nice shooter too. I am glad you went ahead and bought that Dan Wesson. Looks like it was well worth the money.

For $400 dollars every time you pick that Dan Wesson up there ought to be an ear to ear grin on your face.

I am in love with your revolver, now I have to find one just as pretty & just as smooth

I'm glad you bought it. DW 22's are fairly rare. Most common is the 357, then the 44, then the 22. Probably 10 357's made for every 44, and 20 357's made for every 22...when you get into the weeds with 41 mags, 32 mags, 45 colts, any of the 4 super mags, and so forth, you are on a true tiny fraction of the total number of guns produced.

You scored, flat out. Lucky I wasn't the dealer, I would never back down on a DW price. They're too good to back down.

And PS....There's nothing ugly about that revolver.

Thats some nice grouping, J! Better then Ive ever managed with my .22 DW, lol.

I have only encountered a few Dan Wesson’s revolvers. A friend had one back in the 90’s and I have seen a couple at gun shows, but truth be told I was never looking for them. I would have probably found or seen more if I was. But, I have never seen a Dan Wesson .22. The only ones I have seen have been in photos on this forum. I must say I wouldn’t mind having one myself.

Pat Riot said:

I have only encountered a few Dan Wesson’s revolvers. A friend had one back in the 90’s and I have seen a couple at gun shows, but truth be told I was never looking for them. I would have probably found or seen more if I was. But, I have never seen a Dan Wesson .22. The only ones I have seen have been in photos on this forum. I must say I wouldn’t mind having one myself.

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Honestly, I like my .357 DW M15 better. Its hands down my most accurate centerfire handgun, only edged out by my S&W M17 as my most accurate handgun overall.

A lot of guns can have honest scars... I have a S&W 58 .41MAG that has some. At one time, I'm guess this was a carry piece, or had been left laying on top of something caustic... 2 flats of the cylinder are pitted. What it loses in aesthetics it certainly makes up for in character and shooting ability... and it looks like your DW does, too. Good catch!

J-Bar said:

My first job after graduating from college the first time was in a manufacturing facility. About half the time I was on the production floor, the other half I was in my office close to the secretarial pool. There was a very attractive young woman in the secretarial pool (she was married, I was married; I was just admiring the flowers). She survived a car wreck even though she went through the windshield. The accident left her with significant facial scars, and she was very self-conscious about them for a long time. But I still thought she was a beautiful woman. The scars simply made her unique, and did not make her unattractive. I thought of her while shooting the abused Dan Wesson .22 revolver I bought yesterday. (See "Please Advise Me On Dan Wesson Price" in this forum.)

Before going to the range, I cleaned the revolver. I used Flitz polish on the exposed surfaces and it brought back some of the old bluing's luster. I tested several brands of .22 LR ammunition, and she has a definite preference for Federals. None of them were terrible, but this one stood out. The target was 10 rounds shot at 10 yards over a rest. If I shoot offhand, a shaky old man with cataracts shows up and the groups suffer.

Overall I think she's looking better! The scars are still there, but I don't care.

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Well written J-Bar. Good shoot’n too!

I'd take any ugly DW that shoots like that over a pristine safe queen any day of the week.

Several of my best-shooting handguns were bargains because of some honest wear.

Congratulations on the awesome DW.

I've had about a dozen 15-2's and a couple of 715's, a 44, but never a 22. The last DW to collect. I don't care about the oddball calibers and even less about the 1911's.

Did someone say 1911? I have a DW 1911A2 that shoots as good as the OP’s 22. No MIM parts on a DW 1911, all forged and hand fitted. Only wish I could afford more of them.

I have owned not one, but three Dan Wesson 22's over the years. Two had the 6" barrel, the other was a 4" er. Unlike a lot of people I've never had any interest at all in the interchangeable barrel feature, feeling I'd simply rather had another gun than have to change out the barrel.

All three of them were great shooters, but they were heavier than a Smith and Wesson K-frame. That stands to reason since they're more the size of an L-frame than K. I really liked the one with the 4" full shroud barrel. The trigger on that one was fantastic and it just looked like a million bucks. One of the only non-Pythons I liked with a full shroud barrel. Unfortunately I had to sell that one during a period of unemployment, the other two I just traded off for other bright shiny things I couldn't live without.

Great guns though. You did well OP, both cleaning up and shooting.

Nice shooting! I’m glad to see the previous owner just did some cosmetic damage and not anything permanent.

As was stated there are other barrel/shroud combos you can get to lighten it up a bit. CZ had 4” .22 VH shrouds on sale several months back for roughly $200, you could check to see if they’re still for sale.

The best part about a second barrel/shroud in a different length or style is it’s like having a whole ‘nuther gun .

Congrats on a nice purchase, DW guns will grow on you.

Stay safe.

J-Bar

Nice restoration work on your Dan Wesson! What's even nicer is that it shoots even better then it looks, which isn't all that bad anyways!

You can give me an Ugly Duckling that shoots as great as that over a Safe Queen Swan any day!

A little TLC is a force multiplier that a lot of people do not understand when buying a used firearm. Sometimes it is not as bad as it would appear and that makes it even a better bargain. Looks like you did well for the price.