Dan Wesson 740

[matt56]

For a year or so now I've always had one eye open looking for a Dan Wesson Super Mag.  I see quite a few plain jane model 15s around but never anything that I had to have. Truthfully the model 15 is the only revolver I've ever seen for sale in person. The only super mags I've seen are on auction sites and the prices are really getting out there.  I did find this one via gun broker but since there were no bids on it I wound up inspecting and buying it face to face.  The price was a few hundred dollars higher than I wanted to pay but it came with 2 barrels, 80 factory Remington rounds and 60 new rem brass.   One of the barrels is brand new.  I'm starting to really believe you can't pay too much for a gun you really want, especially ones that aren't produced anymore.   

Not knowing nearly anything about Dan Wessons before yesterday I did a little research.  This is a Palmer Mass. gun which some might shy away from but this particular one passed all the pre checks.  From what I can tell this is a model 740-V8S.  740 being the stainless 357 maximum.  V8S being a 8" vented slotted shroud.  This is my favorite looking variation.  The barrels were wrapped in a vapor paper dated in big bold ink "September 1992." If these are the extra barrels shipped with the gun this may be an indication of when the gun was produced.  I do not know if the Hogue grips are original or not.  All of my DA shooters wear Hogue's anyways so I was not turned off by this at all.  

It did not come with a barrel tool so I've been looking around on EWKs website and I think I'm going to get one there.  I really look forward to shooting this one.  
 


Here is the 740 next to my 629-4.  

[wildcatter]

Nice revolver!

[JM]

First 44 Magnum I ever shot was a blued DW.

[awp101]

That's a great looking piece of steel, I'm really digging it!

May 27, 2018 9:58:35 GMT -5 matt56 said:

I'm starting to really believe you can't pay too much for a gun you really want, especially ones that aren't produced anymore.

Absolutely right. You didn't pay too much, you only paid too soon.

[bradshaw]

matt56.... a note on the Model 40 (blue) and your stainless M740.

The 8-inch barrel and slotted shroud was specifically configured to meet the 4 pound weight limit for Production category guns in IHMSA silhouette. Barrels for original DWA M40 came with 1:14-inch twist. Changed not long after to 1:16. Somewhere towards the end of production in Monson, Massachusetts, .357 Maximum barrels were made with 1:18-3/4” twist, S&W’s twist for the .357 Magnum. To my knowledge, all barrels for the stainless M740 have 1:18-3/4 twist, plenty sufficient for the excellent Speer .358 180 grain Flat Point. Sufficient also for stubby 200 grain bullets.

Most likely I was the first to shoot .358 rifle bullets in the M40 Super Mag .357 Maximum “Vent 8” Silhouette.” The Hornady .358 200 Spire Point is match accurate in the 1:14 twist, but not so in the 1:16 twist. The Hornady .358 200 Round Nose (along with Sierra .358 200 RN) is match accurate in 1:16. Did not try these bullets for match accuracy in the M740 with its 1:18-3/4” twist. My idea of MATCH ACCURATE is 5x5=6-inches @ 200 meters. Some old salts out there may say, “Bradshaw is getting soft.” Truth, however, abides no man or woman can consistently equal this with an iron sight sixgun. Steel shooting at the highest level abides no gun or bullet incapable of shooting tight----to enable the shooter to shoot tight. Ruger, Smith & Wesson, Dan Wesson, and of course Freedom Arms all have made revolvers capable of this accuracy and tighter, so I cut only so much slack.

Dan Wesson barrels are notable for true bore and groove uniformity, details the accurate sixgun cannot do without. Dan Wessons are known for excellent chambers and excellent chamber-to-bore alignment. The big frame DW is built on a stretched Model 44 .44 Magnum. Stop notches are purposely cut to the side of the chamber----not over it-----so far offset and angled, that some early guns exhibited THROWBY, and unlocking on discharge. Chambers in the big frame Dan Wesson are strong.

BULLET TORQUE in a right hand twist inclines the barrel to tighten in the frame. On the DWA and DW, blue Loctitie applied to threads on the frame end of barrel will secure the barrel against thread creep. To loosen, heat is applied the the barrel socket of the frame. Some silhouetters used red Loctitie, but the red requires more heat to soften. In any event, do not use muscle alone to break the bond of Loctite; use a good heat like butane (oxyacetylene is too hot!). Blue Loctite may also be applied to the muzzle nut.

The muzzle nut is not hardened. Thus, it is best to clamp the barrel shroud in padded vise and to PUSH the spanner wrench into the castellations before turning. DWA tried a hardened muzzle nut at my request, but warpage prevented smooth tightening, which turned the barrel and made it impossible to set cylinder gap. DWA immediately returned to the soft nut.

Anti-Seize Compound is a valid grease for frame and muzzle threads. The barrel may not creep in .357 Maximum, but the risk is present that eventually the cylinder will bind. The affect occurs sooner in .44 Mag.

M740 barrel are chrome-moly, nickel plated. Dan Wesson Arms never made a stainless barrel. Your hammer and trigger are formed from powdered metal, nickel plated.
David Bradshaw

[oddshooter]

David,

Thanks so much for the DW review. I have one and I had no idea of the history and specs. I erroneously assumed all stainless steel.

I don't know that I've ever seen the Bullet Torque effect on my sixgun. Once I set the B/C gap; it seems to stay pretty stable at .003 on all cylinders, I've measured. I can usually hand loosen the barrel. I don't think I shoot over 200 rounds at a time and fairly slow. Maybe not as much heat?


Is there a bullet that likes the DW 1:18-3/4" twist more than others. Is there a bullet that doesn't like it? How do I ring the most accuracy out of my DW 740? (besides: practice, practice, practice)
Is there a recipe you might share from your own shooting of the 740?

Prescut

[matt56]

Wow David thanks for all the info! I had no idea about the different barrel twists. I shoot the 200gr .358 Hornady Interlock out of my max contender barrels and they are phenomenal. I was actually thinking about getting some Starline 360 DW brass and loading the Hornady 200gr up for this gun. It looks like this would be permissible with the extra cylinder length however I did not consider the twist rate.

I see EWK makes an 8" 1:12 twist barrel. Perhaps this is an option to consider? I really want to give long distance revolver silhouetting a try

[bradshaw]

Dan Wesson died while splitting firewood at his home. I never met him, depending on personal accounts from Ron Ricci, IHMSA Region One director at the time I came onboard in 1977. Dan Wesson, like Bill Ruger and Warren Center, attended Ricci’s IHMSA matches as and saw first hand Handgun Silhouette action at its finest. The loss of Dan Wesson is a loss for the Revolver Movement, as his contributions are worthy of continuing development. The DWA Model 15 is know among sharpshooters as a superbly accurate .357 Magnum. About the size of a S&W M-19, the DWA M-15 handles loads you do not visit upon the S&W K-frame. The M-15 achieved spectacular results in the hands of Louisiana’s Philip Braud and Massachusetts’ Skip & Cheryll Hird; probably a few others.

DWA introduced the M-44 in 1981 or ’82, basically the same time or a few seconds after the actual release of the Ruger Redhawk. I had the first M-44 released to the wolves and passed it around to whomever wished to bust steel with it. The M-44 brought to silhouette a double action of ample strength with very FAST LOCK TIME, SUPERB ACCURACY, and a single action trigger tunable for a LIGHT, CLEAN BREAK. These attributes thrust the Big Dan into the hands of six gunners tired of shopping for the combination of intrinsic accuracy and practical accuracy. There are shooters who just cannot do their best with the grip and lock time of a single action. They need a double action, even if they never fire it DA.

The Dan Wesson M44 and stretch M40 share a few design concepts with the Redhawk/Super Redhawk. Namely, solid frame construction (no sideplate) a cylinder which locks at the front, and a modular trigger assembly----which permits elimination of the sideplate. In the words of Bill Ruger, Jr., “the solid frame absorbs stress symmetrically. A sideplate frame absorbs stress asymmetrically.”

The interchangeable barrel concept fell on its face with the revolver; it thrives on Warren Center’s Contender, where both front and rear sights are on the barrel and a pin all it takes to swap.
David Bradshaw

[Ken O'Neill]

My 740 V8S was extremely accurate. I used IMR 4227 and 180 Speer or Hornady "FMJ" Silhouette bullets for that game, back in the day, and used Loctite on the barrel and muzzle nut.
Personally, I'd forget about using the Remington 158 factory loads, saving or selling them as collectables.

[matt56]

I'm not sure what I'll do with the factory ammo, probably just leave it sit for now. I was thinking of pulling it down for the brass but right now I really don't need any more max brass.

[oddshooter]

EWK barrel with a 1:12 twist rate. Now I am lost. that makes 4 different twist rates.

Please someone, How does twist rate react with the different bullet types and weights on this supermag?

[bradshaw]

May 28, 2018 9:59:50 GMT -5 oddshooter said:

EWK barrel with a 1:12 twist rate. Now I am lost. that makes 4 different twist rates.

Please someone, How does twist rate react with the different bullet types and weights on this supermag?

*****

The 1:12 twist was unnecessary for any bullet practical in the Dan Wesson .357 Maximum. A 1:14” twist stabilizes the long & pointy Hornady .358 200 grain Spire Point. The 1:16 twist does not, leastwise for silhouette accuracy. A 1:16 twist stabilizes the long Hornady and Sierra .358 200 grain Round Noses, both of which happen to have a short wheelbase. So far, Ruger’s 1:16 seems to hold the Bradshaw-Martin cast, powder coat .358 194 grain SWC GC @ 200 yards, with some pretty damn straight furrows through snow 240 yards after punching plywood @ 100 yards. The traditional 1:18-3/4” twist stabilizes the long Speer .358 180 Flat Point.

The 1:12 twist is proper for a .35 Whelen to stabilize a .358 250 grain spitzer. Lands with this faster twist might tear some cast bullets, although that would have to be determined via the individual revolver, bullet, and load.
David Bradshaw.

[matt56]

May 28, 2018 9:59:50 GMT -5 oddshooter said:

EWK barrel with a 1:12 twist rate. Now I am lost. that makes 4 different twist rates.

Please someone, How does twist rate react with the different bullet types and weights on this supermag?

I just found out via email from EWK that the 1:12 twist .357 barrel does not fit a 740.  These are .357 magnum barrels.  

[bradshaw]

May 29, 2018 21:56:38 GMT -5 matt56 said:

May 28, 2018 9:59:50 GMT -5 oddshooter said:

EWK barrel with a 1:12 twist rate. Now I am lost. that makes 4 different twist rates.

Please someone, How does twist rate react with the different bullet types and weights on this supermag?

I just found out via email from EWK that the 1:12 twist .357 barrel does not fit a 740.  These are .357 magnum barrels.  

*****

DWA threaded barrels different between the M44 and M40 to prevent screwing a .357 Maximum barrel into a Model 44 .44 Mag frame. The smaller Model 15 frame, a sideplate gun with different lockwork and cylinder arrangement, has a barrel socket too small for the .44 tenon, so no interchange is possible. As a practical matter, Dan Wesson barrels rank very high on the accuracy scale. During the era I shot steel, a Production gun was dead stock, immune to custom touches which in fact other shooting disciplines walled off the Blue Collar Shooter. In the competitive arena, deep pockets buy every edge possible. When shooters are limited to production revolvers, the result is determined by performance alone. Therefore, to play a barrel had to be factory original and shoot dead nuts. Rules which specialize participation erode the GUTS of a game, and this should be remembered by aspiring sharpshooters. Performance based upon work, skill, and determination deserves honor on a production level, an open playing field.

Not sure what the aftermarket 1:12 .357 for the M-15 is about. Perhaps a theory of accuracy. Are there reports available to cancel recorded extreme performances from factory Dan wesson barrels with 1:14, 1:16, and 1:18-3/4-inch twists?
David Bradshaw

[matt56]

Thanks for all the input.

I picked up another Dan Wesson today. This is a 15-2 from the Monson era. Very nice gun with beautiful bluing (not purpling). There is a close serial number in the registry from 1978.