Colt Trooper MK III or Dan Wesson?

[IWAC]

My Dan Wesson was the most accurate revolver I have owned. I wish I had it back!

 

[forrest r]

The reason for the overly fast twist of the 9mm is specifically so that bullets are more likely to remain stable after penetrating a hard barrier. Match barrels for the 9mm have a much slower twist. As slow as 1-32".
Stable, yes/barrier only a small part of the big picture. You're getting warmer!!!!
Both my "Match" 9mm bbl.'s have 1 in 16 twists, never saw the need to order a KKM 1 in 32 just so I would have to use hotter loads & lighter bullets for accuracy @ the 50yd line. The theory behind the 1 in 32's is less torque/deformation of the bullets axis, IE greater accuracy. Theory & reality are 2 different things. The reality of it is that if the 1 in 32's are sssooooooooo good everyone would be using/posting/bragging about using them in their "match" grade firearms.

As I said, the reason for the faster twist in the .38Spl is specifically for wadcutters. Not for "heavy" loads in the .357.
Interesting for sure, the fast twist is to stabilize a long bullet in a 38spl but not a long bullet in a 357. Somehow you managed to leave out the long bullet part of the long bullet/heavy loads.

CraigC gets it, he knows that a 405gr bullet stabilizes perfectly in the 1-24" twist .454Casull. That Linebaugh uses a slower twist barrel on his custom .45's, both to soften the blow to heavy cast bullets and reduce pressure. Because a 1-16" twist just isn't necessary. But apparently you know better than everyone else. Sure, a fast twist will work but to state that it's necessary for ANY .357" handgun bullet is just plain false.

Now you're reaching for straws!!!!
I never said any fast twist was necessary. The ability to have different twist bbl.'s for the dw's is an asset/bonus.

 

[Walkalong]

If it isn't helpful to the OP......just skip it.....

 

[forrest r]

Why a fast twist bbl for the dw would be a asset/bonus:

Well I guess the obvious reason would be accuracy at longer distances with wc's. The key words are accuracy, stability, bullet performance.

Accuracy:
Don't know of many shooters that don't like accuracy. Using a faster twist bbl in a 357 doesn't affect short bullets but helps longer bullets.
Stability:
The longer a bullet stays stable, the better. The quicker a bullets regains stability when going thru berries/mediums, the better.
Bullet Performance:
By adding +/- 40% more rpms/rotation torque to a bullet the end result is the ability to use a wider range on bullets with a greater range of success.

Ya gotta think to be able to take advantage of a faster twist bbl for the 357


Why a 1 in 10 twist for the 9mm?
Duty firearms/bbl lengths/ammo
Most agencies carry firearms with 4" bbl.'s. Typical carry ammo in in the +/-1200fps range. Bullets/ammo in the +/- 1200fps range will go transonic @ +/- 25yds. When a bullet goes transonic in isn't stable. When a un-stable bullet hits something it looses performance. Faster twist bbl.'s not only stabilize bullets faster/better when hitting berries/people/etc. They stabilize faster after going transonic. There was a lot of hard learned lessons with the 9mm's when agencies began carrying them decades ago.

A 170gr/180gr bullet with a "hot" load in a 4" bbl'd 357 ends up in the +/- 1200fps range. +/-25yds ='s transonic
A 170gr/180gr bullet with a "hot" load in a 6" bbl'd 357 ends up in the +/- 1300fps range. +/-50yds ='s transonic
A 110gr bullet with a "hot" load in a 6" bbl'd 357 ends up in the +/- 1800fps range +/- 125yds ='s transonic

I won't even bother getting into how +/- 40% more rpm's/rotational torque a hp bullet has will increase performance and decrease penetration. You know the home sd/over penetration concern thing. Let alone how the faster twist will increase penetration with standard bullets.

Anyway the different twist bbl.'s are out there for the dw's. Anyone can choose to use or not use them. Myself, I use standard twist dw bbl.'s along with the faster twist bbl.'s. But I also use:
4" bbl.'s with heavy shrouds & muzzle breaks, low profile shrouds & shrouds with high visibility red ramps
6" bbl.'s with heavy shrouds& muzzle breaks & low profile shrouds for carry or scope mounting
8" bbl.'s with a low profile shroud for carry or scope mounting

 

[bikerdoc]

My fellow mod already gently warned a few of you to stay on subject.

At 70 I'm not so subtle. In addition to my own area I will be helping out in this forum for While

You want a warning, suspension or ban?
Cause that is how you get them.
Stay on topic, he helpful, civil and courteous

Back to the o p, I prefer the D W.

 

[Huntolive]

Thanks, I guess I'll just be patient about getting barrels and see what comes along.

 

[hemiram]

Thanks hemeram that helps.
I looked on a couple sites, the barrels are Expensive!
Like $190 for a 2.5" and like $300 for 6"
Where do u suggest I look?
Otherwise buying 2 would be $90 more than I paid 4 the Gun

They are expensive. I've found a few of them over the years that were "cosmetically challenged" on ebay and gunbroker that went about half the normal price. I got a 4" SS .357 barrel, like the blue one shown in the 15-2 picture I posted for $60, and I grabbed it. The barrel tube was really dirty, but in great shape. The shroud had some nick and scratches on it, but a Scotchbrite pad and some rubbing on it got 90% of the nicks out and all the scratches. My big "score" was on Ebay and I found a 6" Blued full lug barrel and shroud in almost perfect shape for $100, and I grabbed it instantly seconds after it was posted. Only thing wrong was the barrel nut had been put on with red loctite and I had to heat it up to get the nut off. Once it came off, I soaked the barrel and nut in nail polish remover and got all the loctite off. One little nick on the bottom of the shroud is the only mark on it. Very pretty to match my 15-2. That gave me a full lug 4" and 6" to match my 15-2, and a full lug 6" and half lugged 4" for my 715. of course, I can switch the barrels back and forth, they are just different colors.

 

[hemiram]

I have a special fondness for the old pork chop barrels, especially the ones with that star nut at the end.

I bet you like the looks of the present day Camaro too. There must have been drugs involved in it's design.

First DW I ever shot was one with that ugly nut on the end. It was a used gun for sale at the LGS near my house. I didn't buy it, but I liked the gun a lot, otherwise. About a week later, I was across town and saw a 15-2 that was in great shape in the used case. I bought it and soon found it had a problem with light primer strikes. The dope who owned it before me had clipped some turns off the main spring to lighten up the trigger pull. A new spring was a quarter, I think, and instantly cured all that gun's issues. I sold it when I needed cash to a friend who was supposed to give me first shot at buying it back, but he sold it to some other guy and he loves it and won't sell it back to me. It was the second gun, and first good one, I ever owned. I bought it about 3 weeks after I turned 21.

 

[Slamfire]

You pay for the Pony. My Colt MKIII is a fine pistol, the trigger is excellent and it is an accurate pistol. It feels good in the hand.



However, I consider part availability an important issue, if something breaks, I want to be able to acquire replacement parts and get the pistol running again. And, Colt gunsmiths are far and few.

In so far as accuracy of Colt barrels, a two time Bullseye Champ and ten times PPC National Champ told me it was not uncommon to see Smith and Wessons with Colt barrels installed, in PPC Competition. These were called "Smolts". He said the Colt barrels were tighter and that made them more accurate. However Colt revolvers were rare, he remembered only one being used regularly in competition, because of the propensity of Colts to go out of time.

 

[DWFan]

Huntolive, your Dan Wesson is an M15-2-4V. The "V", as you might have guessed means vent rib. An "HV" means a full-length underlug. The recessed muzzle nut is the "-2" model. For extra barrels and shrouds, I would look to EWK Arms. He has lots of other parts as well. His barrels are 1:12 twist. He also has an "EH" (extra heavy) shroud which copies the look of the factory PPC revolver and an "RH" shroud with a built-in picatinney/weaver rail. He sells an adapter to put newer shrouds on the older "porkchop" models too. I have a 3" EH barrel/shroud from EWK on my M14-2 (fixed sight). The added muzzle weight makes the gun easy to control even with Buffalo Bore loads.
Be aware that he makes his barrel/shroud sets in batches so you may have to wait for what you want. He has a notification list though.

Distant cousins by marriage.