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January 3, 2013
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This middle aged lady just became the new owner of a DW 744-V over the holidays. Am new to guns in general and hope to have an instructor teach me all I need to know in near future. For now is under lock and key. Meanwhile I am hoping to find out more about it.
I guess my reasons for searching out this forum are mostly to learn as much as I can about it. and to see if someone could direct me to an instruction manual?
Now a bit about it. (Have learned so much today about guns in general just from trying to do research on this...) SS with 6 and 8 inch barrels, ported and non ported liners, 3 grips (2 wood and one I believe pachmayr), tool, spacer (?), 2 extra sights, a belt buckle, patch and case. The city is Monson (not far from me), and the belt buckle is signed on back with year 1979. Is this the year of manufacture? Was DW anything to do with S&W?
Have been reading up on ported and unported. My findings seem to be that ported is only good for range shooting when trying for accuracy and less kick (although more noise, excessive gasses, flames, and debris that can be expelled are the trade off.) These attributes make it inappropriate for defensive or general carry...am I correct?
Looking forward to your responses,
Granny Get Your Gun.. 
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Dans Club
February 22, 2009
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Welcome to the forum! We love pics of Dans. Sounds like you've got a great setup. This should help you out for now:
http://stevespages.com/pdf/danwesson_large-frame.pdf
Best Regards, Ron
Technically, the glass is always full; half liquid, half air....
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Dans Club
December 4, 2011
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Welcome! If you want an actual paper manual, they come up on ebay and Gunbroker all the time. I think you can find pdf files of them online as well.
Sounds like a nice pak you have. I'm not sure on the year. You can use the serial number registry on this site to help date your gun.
Like Ron said, we like 
.
Anything worth doing is worth doing well.
My father
If a man designed it, and a man built it, then a man can fix it.
My grandfather
Dans Club
March 2, 2008
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Welcome to DWF, and here's some history:
http://dwcollectors.org/history
In a Dan Wesson you have Barrel Assemblies (B/A) made up of the Shroud which enclose and secure the Barrel (which you are referring to as the "liner".
On your shrouds you are seeing two small (about 1/4") oval ports near the muzzle end. Your barrels have a series of holes (6?) around the circumference of the barrel at the muzzle end if ported, no holes if non-ported. If you shoot with a ported barrel, be sure to disassemble the B/A regularly and scrub out the shroud and clean the barrel ports or you might end up with
which is a major pain!
BTW-If you are near Monson, we might be (almost) neighbors, I'm just south of Hartford.
Steve
I went to a bookstore and asked the saleswoman "Were is the Self Help Section?" She said if she told me, it would defeat the purpose.
George Carlin
January 3, 2013
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Thanks everyone for all your input. Read up more on the co. - thanks Steve. And yes we are close...Berkshires here. Thanks Ron for info...very helpful. I will also look for a paper manual on suggested sites from Scorpio just to complete the "pack". (ocd?) Anyways....I will post pictures as soon as I can. I think it needs a good exterior polish/shine, but looks to be in really good shape. Hard to tell but some barrels look as if never used...not sure. Kind of excited to get to know the feel of this...a bit intimidated too. Have to learn how to care for it as well.
I see some pics on web that show different size barrels, maybe on the 357.....is this capable too? And if use a shorter barrel (4-6") or longer (8-10") is there anything to be wary of? Not that I am going to be doing alot of experimenting until I have this thing well in hand...so to speak. It has the 8" unported on now.
Steve when would I use the ported vs the unported barrels? And what type of bullet for each? From what I read this gun can use the 44 or the 44 special. What would be the difference? Is there target cartridges that can be used in place of these to reduce costs?
Alos is there any difference in the sights I have with this other than color?
So sorry for all the questions...def. feel like the amateur I am..hehe. Thanks again everyone for the quick informative responses. I look forward to talking more. Also am sure you will be thrilled to hear of any progress I make in my education, right??? 
Bev
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January 24, 2009
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Questions about DW's are never a bad thing around here, this group can gab about them all day long.
For an approximate manufacture date, click on "Serial Number List" just above the Firing Range at the right shoulder of this screen.
Sights; if all your sights look alike other than color, then color is likely the only difference. There are other shapes & heights of sights available if you need something different. Generally a taller front sight is handy on a shorter B/A & a shorter one on longer B/A's, but definitely take it to the range first & see how your current sights are. Chances are they will be fine as is.
Ported barrels; it's best to shoot jacketed bullets through ported barrels, as opposed to lead. The reason is that the holes drilled in the barrel will act sort of like a cheese grater with lead bullets, by allowing small amounts of lead to shave off as it passes by the holes. Jacketed bullets will do this too, but a whole lot less. Honestly, we have had many discussions regarding the ported B/A's & most of us have agreed that they can be more of a pain than they're worth, due to the fact that they need to be disassembled & cleaned after each range trip. The standard barrels do not, and there isn't that much difference in recoil control.
Barrel sizes; DW's are designed to easily interchange B/A's, so you can swap anything from a 4" (hard to find) to a 10" onto your gun, 6" to 10" are most common with 44's. Shorter barrels will give more felt recoil, longer ones will give less. However, longer ones will also add weight & feel more nose-heavy, so you can swap different lengths until you decide on your favorite. I like longer barrels personally, while others here like shorter ones. To each his/her own.
Ammo; yes, you can use .44 Special or .44 Mag in your gun. The difference is that the .44 Spl has a shorter cartridge & uses less powder, therefore less recoil. The same goes with .38 Spl & .357 Mag...same bullet, shorter case. If you do shoot the Spl ammo in your gun, make sure to scrub the cylinder well after each range trip. The reason is that because it has a shorter case (cartridge), it doesn't sit as deep in the cylinder as a Magnum case does, so it builds up soot in the short area in front of the case...if not cleaned, in time this can make it difficult to get Mag cases in & out when you decide to shoot those.
aboard & congrats on becoming a new gun owner. You came into gun ownership with a "bang" by landing a large caliber DW, that's not a common combination for beginners.
Oh & for giving the outside of your stainless gun a good shine, I recommend "Flitz" liquid polish, it works awesome!
Dans Club
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April 20, 2010
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Welcome to the forum from PA, it looks like the guys have answered your questions pretty well. If you come up with any more just fire away.
It is my personal experience that the ported barrels on Dan Wessons do very little to help recoil, but but make things dirtier and add crud between the barrel and the outer shroud.
-Lonwolf
"The lion and the tiger may be more powerful, but the Wolf does not perform in the circus"
Dans Club
March 2, 2008
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Another opportunity for cleaning Stainless is Mother's Mag Wheel Polish, available at any Auto Zone type store. This along with some soft cloths can give you anywhere from a clean up to a high polish, depending on how much time you spend with it.
I owned a 744 6VH for a couple of years and never really cared for it, too heavy and bulky. If I'd ever gotten a 4" for it, I'd probably have kept it. Even then, a .44 would be way more than I want to carry
I went to a bookstore and asked the saleswoman "Were is the Self Help Section?" She said if she told me, it would defeat the purpose.
George Carlin
January 22, 2008
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Dans Club
December 5, 2008
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Welcome to DWF Winde! You will love shooting your 44. My first DW was a 44 with 6inch barrel. It came with 2 - ported & non ported. I have retired the ported barrel for all the reasons cited above. I now have 3 44's including a 744 Pac like yours. It's not a carry gun for me, but good for home protection. Although I also have a few 357 DW's, the 44 is my favorite for shooting. Incidentally, it's the one my wife prefers too. You'll be surprised at how tame the recoil really is.
Let us know how it goes at the range!
August 17, 2012
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I've got pretty much the same setup you have and I like semi wadcutters for target loads, yeah they lead the barrel up a little but I shoot a dozen or so jacketed rounds afterwards so cleanup is easier. lead bullets in the ported barrels DO make a real mess inside the shroud. I hardly ever use the ported barrels anymore.
A 44v is a big gun for carry purposes, hope you've got a big purse. Oh,and Welcome home.
Ed
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Dans Club
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November 17, 2008
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.Wisdom is merely the realization of how little one knows, therefore I am wise.
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Dans Club
February 22, 2009
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I clean scratches in my stainless firearms with 3M Scotchbrite tan pads. Provided your firearms are brushed stainless it's a very good match. Don't use on the ribs though- those need #80 glass beads to get the matte right.
Technically, the glass is always full; half liquid, half air....
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