SwampWolf
Member
Colt versus Dan Wesson? Colt sometimes; Dan Wesson other times. In the case at hand? Colt every time. I love those Trooper MK IIIs.
Colt Trooper MK III or Dan Wesson?
- Thread starter Huntolive
- Start date
- Status
rick melear
Member
I have a 4” Trooper and a 6” DW. The Colt has the legacy the Dan is the winner. Both excellent revolvers, pick the one you like.
Here's the Dan Wesson I chose over the Colt and GP100 I picked up and a spur-of-the-moment bargain is part of a package deal for 455!
Not sure which I love more.
Definitely glad I picked up a GP100. It has 5 inch barrel. Although I can't see exactly the Practical rule this will fill in my collection and thought I might sell it to make up for other purchases that is going to be very hard for me to do. it's just such a tank and the lock-up is incredible!
I will say the double action trigger on both is pretty heavy but the single action trigger on the Dan Wesson is quite nice.
So now you think you see which Dan Wesson it is where should I look to get extra barrels and shrouds for it perhaps it 2 or 3 in and a 6in?
dr3d
Member
- Joined
- Sep 29, 2016
- Messages
- 21
Barrels ... always several on gunbroker; often offered on ebay as well. You will find a small forum of enthusiasts if you go look'n. That is a gateway to the best of everything available.
And JMB did not design that Model 15 but a fellow named Karl R. Lewis did. My Monson 715 is one of two examples of Lewis' design genius in my collection. He also designed my BLR for Browning. I bring him up 'cause you inadvertently pitted his Dan Wesson Model 15 against his Colt Mark III. You chose well, and the Ruger is also a solid choice. Enjoy'm.
Brief biography of Lewis: http://031d26d.namesecurehost.com/rgc/index.htm#bio
Let us know what you think after shooting the Dan Wesson. I have a Monson made Dan Wesson model 15 I bought from a pawn shop for $100 in the mid 90's. I consider it my most accurate handgun. You might want to go over to danwessonforum & nose around there is a lot of information there.
Thanks again guys!
So someone wrote Dan Wesson every time over Colt. This sort of shocks me because even though I've heard good things about Dan Wesson in general Colts of always seemed practically unaffordable. Particularly cobras pythons etcetera. So does it really just depends on the model or is Colt a bit of a brand name oversold phenomenon?
What I'm looking for is pure function reliability and durability and minimal maintenance and worry. But I do likes me a smooth trigger!
So someone wrote Dan Wesson every time over Colt. This sort of shocks me because even though I've heard good things about Dan Wesson in general Colts of always seemed practically unaffordable. Particularly cobras pythons etcetera. So does it really just depends on the model or is Colt a bit of a brand name oversold phenomenon?
What I'm looking for is pure function reliability and durability and minimal maintenance and worry. But I do likes me a smooth trigger!
Colts aren't bad guns, but you definitely pay a premium for the name. I've shot several but only ever owned a few because while I am a fan of high quality guns, it almost always seems like colts are priced about twice what I feel their quality level is worth. That's pure opinion though & your milage may vary. It's one of those things where if colts speak to your soul get one, be happy & and forget what you paid for it, but on the other hand if they don't speak to you enough to justify the cost, well, there are plenty of other options out there that are still very good and maybe better at a much more reasonable price.
DW's are hard to beat for the $$$. Easy enough to change bbl.'s, bbl shrouds, sights, grips along with setting the bbl gaps from 1/1000th to 7/1000th's. The bbl.'s can be tensioned/tuned to a specific load along with using bbl.'s with 1 in 10/1 in 12/1 in 14 & 1 in 18 3/4 twists.
Those dw's pictured above were sent out & had trigger work done on them. The heavy bbl shrouds are paired with 1 in 10 custom bbl.'s with muzzle breaks for hot loads with long/heavy bullets.
The troopers are ok as are the gp100's. But I'd pick the dw over either one of those revolvers. The accuracy & ease of customization of the dw's are worth taking a hard look at.
Those dw's pictured above were sent out & had trigger work done on them. The heavy bbl shrouds are paired with 1 in 10 custom bbl.'s with muzzle breaks for hot loads with long/heavy bullets.
The troopers are ok as are the gp100's. But I'd pick the dw over either one of those revolvers. The accuracy & ease of customization of the dw's are worth taking a hard look at.
jar
Contributing Member
I own more Colt revolvers than Dan Wesson revolvers but if I'm shooting for self defense I pick one of the Colts or a Smith. If hunting or shooting for accuracy or long distances it's the DW.
Colt New Service in a Hunter Field holster:
Dan Wesson 15-2 in a Bucheimer PrefectFit holster:
Dan Wesson 15-2 in a Bucheimer PrefectFit holster:
Last edited:
CraigC
Sixgun Nut
Somehow I don't think there is a bullet heavy enough to warrant a 1-10" twist. 
Ok, thanks,
so how do I ascertain the exact model of my DW (Pictured above under OP Huntolive)
I see folks writing model 15, 15-2, mine has no model # I can see. Where is it hidden?
I want 2 b sure I am getting the right extra barrels for it if I invest in those.
so how do I ascertain the exact model of my DW (Pictured above under OP Huntolive)
I see folks writing model 15, 15-2, mine has no model # I can see. Where is it hidden?
I want 2 b sure I am getting the right extra barrels for it if I invest in those.
jar
Contributing Member
With mine it is only on the paperwork that came with the gun. But I don't think there were many if any changes between the 15 and 15-2. At the time I bought mine there was the 14-2 that was the service version and the 15-2 that was the target version. You have a 15-2, target adjustable rear sights and a changeable insert in the front sight (came in red, white and yellow IIRC). It's been awhile so memory fuzzy on this part, but I think the sold rib shroud was on the 14-2 and the vented on the 15-2. They are interchangeable though so either will fit and function.
Somehow I don't think there is a bullet heavy enough to warrant a 1-10" twist.
No big surprise there, it takes a skilled reloader to really understand that a bullets weight is only secondary to the real reason for faster twists.
I'm
Thanks, so what do you look for to identify the model? Are there many DW revolver models? Or because of changeable barrBa s are there just a couple?So I could basically buy almost any set of DW revolver Barrel and it would work? Any Performance difference between vent rib and solid?
Other than old "pork chop" style Dan Wessons, which yours isn't, pretty much any barrel shroud for a medium frame Dan Wesson will fit. This is true even with different calibers of the same frame size although the barrel itself is caliber specific of course.
CraigC
Sixgun Nut
Yes, I'm sure that's it. Only a "skilled" reloader can take advantage of a twist rate that is double what is actually necessary.
The real reason for faster twists is technically bullet length, with considerations for velocity. Weight is typically an easier gauge, as longer bullets are also heavier. In the real world, the .357's standard twist rate would stabilize bullets in the 250gr range but since such bullets would have no practical application, or physically fit within the parameters of most cylinders, it is a moot point.
Your "real" world & mine are 2 different things.
Sounds like you need to go tell companies like Clark Customs how it's done. They have made 1 in 11 and 1 in 12 twist bbl.'s for ppc revolvers for decades. Heck they make 1 in 10 twist bbl'd for the s&w model 52's. From the Clark Custom website:
We are now offering our new .38 Special, Stainless Steel, Smith & Wesson® Model 52 barrel! Machined with a 1-10 twist for greater accuracy.
Guess you never herd of using colt bbl.'s ( 1 in 14 twist) on s&w frames for nra bullseye. But then again you have to be accuracy minded to be able to understand how to use different twist rates on revolvers.
CraigC
Sixgun Nut
It's relatively common knowledge that due to their shape, long bearing surface and lack of a nose, full wadcutters at low velocity will shoot better with a faster twist. But that's NOT what you said. You said...
Which was the context of my response. Not wadcutters at bullseye velocity. PPC and bullseye revolvers are not shooting "hot loads with long/heavy bullets". As I said, in the context of heavy loads with heavy bullets (I hate the term "hot load"), there are no bullets heavy enough that are applicable to the .357 that would not be fully stable in the standard twist. In my experience, it's only those who have little understanding of twist rate in handguns that even bring it up.
If you would tone down the condescension in your posts, you might have a construction conversation.
robhof
Member
Another plus for the DW, my 1st revolver was a 357 model 15 DW and it shot dead on right out of the box, got extra barrels for it from Ebay and could carry with 2" or long range with 10". I currently own a 357 Max model 40 that is also a tack driver and can easily take deer size game too. DW made them with full under lug barrels with ribbed flat above barrel, solid flat above barrel, also partial underlug, and even with slotted cutouts to reduce weight, the Supermag with full under lug and no slots didn't originally make IHSMA weight so DW offered lighter options.
You've been nothing but condescending since I posted in this thread. Glad to see that you think statements like these are constructive.
"Somehow I don't think there is a bullet heavy enough to warrant a 1-10" twist.
"I'm sorry you don't understand the concept of fast twist bbl.'s on pistols/revolvers. You seem to turn a blind eye to the fact that many firearms mfg's of 9mm's use 1 in 10 twist bbl.'s. You also seem to be stuck on the fact of a "heavy bullet". 9mm's don't use heavy bullets but yet ruger/glock/sig & others use 1 in 10 twist bbl.'s on their 9mm firearms. That's called a "CLUE".
If you understood why they use a 1 in 10 twist with the 9mm's then you would understand why a fast twist/1 in 10 twist would be useful with "hot loads with long/heavy bullets" in a revolver chambered in 357. Heck the fast 1 in 10 twist would be the cat's meow with 110gr bullets in that 6" bbl @ 100yds+. Dan Wesson got it, they'd make their 10"/12"/15" bbl.'s with 1 in 14 twist's instead of their standard 1 in 18 3/4 twist's for the 2 1/2"/4"/6"/8" bbl.'s they sold. Freedom arms gets it, all their 357 bbl.'s are 1 in 14 twist. Forrest r gets it and uses 1 in 10 twist bbl.'s for specific loads.
That's the whole point of recommending dw revolvers they are easily customizable. The same revolver can be setup with a low profile front sight with a short bbl/shroud for holsters 1 day. And the next day be setup with a 10" bbl with a vented rib with a scope/high-viz sights/whatever. They are also customizable with different bbl lengths/twists.
hemiram
Member
A model 15 has the "Pork Chop" tang on the back of the barrel shroud, like this gun does:
A 15-2 barrel shroud doesn't have the tang at the back of the shroud, it has a pin that sticks out of the frame to fix the barrel, like this:
Either is fine, but I greatly prefer the looks of the 15-2.
A 15-2 barrel shroud doesn't have the tang at the back of the shroud, it has a pin that sticks out of the frame to fix the barrel, like this:
Either is fine, but I greatly prefer the looks of the 15-2.
CraigC
Sixgun Nut
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".
As I said, the reason for the faster twist in the .38Spl is specifically for wadcutters. Not for "heavy" loads in the .357.
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.
As I said, the reason for the faster twist in the .38Spl is specifically for wadcutters. Not for "heavy" loads in the .357.
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.
Kookla
Member
- Joined
- Feb 17, 2015
- Messages
- 1,115
I have a special fondness for the old pork chop barrels, especially the ones with that star nut at the end.
You're not going to get barrels cheap these days. Thing is, any time someone gets a Dan Wesson the first thing they usually want is extra barrels, and since many Dan wessons were sold without extra barrels and since the newly manufactured barrels are pricey, it's a supply and demand kind if thing. Most people will find that they switch barrels only rarely anyway.
- Status
Similar threads
- Locked
