New to handguns witha DW question

[lloyd430]

Hello folks I am new to hand guns, actually my paper work should be in this week .  Now I am looking for 4 things in my first hand gun, it must be a .22, revolver, atleast a 51/2" barrel,  and have a larger frame so when I want to move up it will be easier....With that said the S&W 617 looks like the ticket- but its the ticket price that I don't like $600 .  SO in my last 9 weeks of window shopping I have found a DW .22 revolver, stainless- but it only has a 4" barrel :'(So here is my question can I still find a barrel and shroud for the gun???  DW store has the barrel, but does not list the shroud....  And I have spent 4 hours searching with no luck for the shroud....  I really don't want to spend a fortune either (my wife thinks the handgun thing is crazy).  In the local gun shopthe DW is only $250-- is that a good deal or is it me?  I am going back there tomorrw to see if they will let me take some digitals of it.

Thanks for any input,
Lloyd430

[RLB]

All you have to do is e-mail Jenny at CZ-usa website...they have alot of barrels and shrounds in stock that they don't list....I bought a 4-6-8 barrel set for my .357mag..they should have them for your .22lr..

RLB.....BTW does your pistol have the exposed barrel nut or is it recessed...they only make barrels for the recess barrels..and you'll need a wrench set...trying to do without one will bugger up your barrel nut..

[RollTide]

1. Finding barrels and shrouds should be no problem, and the factory prices are pretty good.

2.  $250 is an excellent price especially if the shop guarantees the gun to function.

3.  I have never owned a Dan Wesson 22, but I have heard that they are the only caliber Dan Wesson ever made that was not as inherently as accurate as the larger calibers.  I have never heard a axplaination as to why.  What that means is that they are probably about as accurate as a S&W 22 or other major makers.  Maybe some here who actually owns one might give you a little more insight.

Roll Tide

[unspellable]

I have a Dan Wesson 22LR.  When I bought it there was no barrel wrench, a machinist friend whittled one out for me.

As for the early pork chop shroud and external barrel nut versus the later ones, wouldn't the barrel tube be the same for both?

I see 22 barrels, shrouds, and wrenches on eBay from time to time.  Rumor has it that the factory price is often lower than the typical eBay price.  If I were to try and get one on eBay I'd get the factory price first and keep my bids under that.

I have no opnions one way or the other on the accuracy issue.  Just haven't done enough shooting with it.

I did do some chrono runs with it using different cylinder gaps.  A 22 self loading pistol will have a velocity advantage over any revovler with the same barrel length.  In general, I have been leaning towards the self loading pistol over the revolver for 22LR.  But this applies to any 22LR revolver.  Of course the revolver has the advantage of simpler operation for the beginner.

 

[GrantCunningham]

It is true that occasional accuracy problems have been reported with DW .22 revolvers from the late Monson and/or Palmer vintages. The cause seems to have been a bad batch of barrels that somehow got out the door; replacing the barrel has cured all of the problems of which I'm aware.

I don't see too many of the .22 models in my shop, but all of those that I've shot (including my own) have been phenomenally accurate.

[DWTim]

I've heard of more complaints than just barrels from this time period. I don't know about late Monson guns - I have two Supermags that are great in terms of fit and finish (save the scratched barrel in the 375) - but I would never buy a Palmer without personally inspecting it.

I'm also starting to hear stories about guns from the beginning of the CZ buyout period, but not like the Palmer horror stories.

With respect to the .22 caliber DWs, I think it's more of a question of the tensioned barrel being unnecessary than the guns being inaccurate. The 22 is on the same "small" frame as the 357, so it's a big barrel with a tiny hole. It's probably stiff enough as it is.

I do wonder about 22 revolvers. I think that slight problems with timing have a greater effect on the tiny bullets. I haven't had any luck with them. I had a Colt "Buntline" replica and an H&R which were terribly inaccurate. I have a Browning Buckmark that was obviously very cheap to produce, but from a rest it is a straight shooter. The downside is that the trigger is awful, and there's no drop-in solution for it. It'd be nice to have a DW single-action trigger but with the Buckmark's accuracy.

In my area, the 22 DWs are so rare that I will likely never see one. $250 sounds like a cheap one. I would definitely inspect it thoroughly before throwing money down.