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November 30, 2009
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Hello!!
I'm new to Wesson's but not revolvers. I've always been a Ruger owner, and never even considered a Wesson due to availability in my area. I just bought an older .357 Supermag in stainless (I felt it was a good price, and couldn't pass it up). It has the 8" barrel and came with an extra barrel, holster, and tool. I think it's one of the earlier models (lower 2000 range) from the Monson factory. It wasn't cycling the cylinder right, so thinking it was a barrel gap problem, I took it apart and cleaned it. It appears to be cycling right now, but I can't put it back together, since it didn't come with a feeler guage.
My question is 2-fold...where can I buy a guage? (hardware store?) also I'm told it is .002" for the Supermags? is that correct? thanks for any responses!
January 22, 2008
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Hi Kevenn,
to the 
Wow, two new members in two days, who both purchased a .357 SM. 
You can use regular feeler guages from an auto parts store. .002 is a good choice unless the cylinder binds on the barrel. The maximum should be no greater than .006.
Your Dan Wesson .357 SM is likely to be a model 740V8S.
And as always 
-Wayne
April 25, 2008
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Hi kevinn! to My first Dan Wesson was a 740-V8S for silhouette, still is a favorite today. You are correct, all you need is a .002" feeler gauge. Let us know how you like shooting it once you get it back together.
The Savantist
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Range Officers
Dans Club
February 28, 2009
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Kevenn:
Welcome to our little corner of the world. You'll love your 740; more power than a regular .357 magnum and less recoil.
Wayne is correct that your barrel designation is probably V8S; that would be an 8 inch barrel with a vented rib (4 horizontal cuts through the top rib) and slots (the barrel shroud has 2 cutouts on each side which expose the actual barrel underneath.
Also, as Wayne also said, any .002 feeler gauge will work. However, since it's a Monson gun, the front face of the cylinder will not be perfectly flat. What I do, and I use .002 on all of my Dan's, is rotate the cylinder to each position and make sure that the gauge will fit at all positions and the barrel will just drag on the gauge at the tightest position.
I know it's already been said, but you gotta post some 
.
Enjoy your new toy.
-Mike
November 28, 2009
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lol I have always looked for another dan wesson since I sold mine in 98 just couldn't find one at the right price!
"I don't believe in repeat offenders I believe in dead offenders." Ted Nugent
Dans Club
March 2, 2008
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Welcome kevinn! Whereabouts in MI are you? I'm originally from Farmington Hills, but haven't lived there in many years.
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
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Range Officers
May 2, 2009
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Congrats on a fine purchase! Gotta love the SM's... Make a quick trip to the hardware/auto store and get yourself a set of feeler gauges and you'll be shooting in no time !
SHOOT
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Moderators
January 24, 2009
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Welcome aboard & congrats on such a cool gun for your first entry into the world of DW revolvers!
DWF Supporters
Dans Club
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November 17, 2008
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Welcome aboard, The guys have you covered so I will just say to the .
LB
Wisdom is merely the realization of how little one knows, therefore I am wise.
November 30, 2009
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Thanks for the welcome! I'm actually from the Upper Peninsula of Mich (God's country).
I did find an old car gauge, but the smallest it had in the set was ".003" so I set it really tight hoping it would end up around ".002"...it ended up being too tight and the cylinder wouldn't turn. It appears this happens when you "tighten" the barrel nut. So I backed off to around .004-.005 and after tightening the nut my .003 gauge slides in freely with a little friction. I know this is .001 too much but my cylinder cycles thru flawlessly now!! The manual does state the gauge should only have slight pressure on the gauge, but my concern is being .001-.002 too much, do you think there is any concern here? I would think for a 20+ year old gun this wouldn't be bad. I'll post picts later!
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Moderators
January 24, 2009
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I think you'll be ok with it set at .003, but you may still want to set it .002 when you find the right feeler gauge later on.
If the barrel turns when you're cinching it down, you may want to get the barrel & nut threads a little cleaner...it may be dragging on dirty threads. Then use some light oil (I use Remington oil) on the threads when you reassemble.
Dans Club
March 2, 2008
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A Yooper! I spent some of the best weekends of my college career travelling back and forth to Menominee with a roommate 
When you are setting B/C gap, be sure to check all chambers, and set your gap on the tightest one. There can be some variation chamber to chamber
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
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Range Officers
May 2, 2009
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when you set the gap--after you think you have the gap right where you want it, open the cylinder and hold the gun so you can press on the end of the barrel with your thumb while you tighten the nut...it won't move.
SHOOT
November 30, 2009
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[Image Can Not Be Found]
Actually Escanaba, only 1 hour away from Menominee!
[Image Can Not Be Found]
Here's picts of my new DW! On top of everything you see here I got about 10 boxes of blank brass, the .357 Max reloading dies, a holster, and about 1/2 box of unshot ammo. You can see by the handle the 'DW' shields must have fell out at one time, because they were glued back upside down. One more question, is it normal to be able to turn the cylinder to the left (counter clockwise looking down the barrel) with the hammer down? I can't do that with my Ruger's, and was wondering about the benefit of that?
I'm still adjusting the gap, and I think I got it close...I did find one high spot and set the gap to that, and no problems!! Anybody have the high spot machined down, or is it even worth it?
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January 24, 2009
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kevenn said:
One more question, is it normal to be able to turn the cylinder to the left (counter clockwise looking down the barrel) with the hammer down? I can't do that with my Ruger's, and was wondering about the benefit of that?
Are you pressing the trigger a little first to release the cylinder, or just grabbing the cylinder & turning? If you're simply turning it, that's not how they're supposed to behave & may need some fixing.
The grip medallions may not be glued in, they sometimes spin when shooting. Remove the grip & look inside, you should be able to see a small hole in the wood just behind the medallion. Get a stiff paperclip, bend a short 90º on the end & use that to press into the hole & pop the medallion out. Then reassemble, with a dab of glue.
Good looking gun, and the extras are a nice bonus.
November 28, 2009
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kevenn said:
[Image Can Not Be Found]
Actually Escanaba, only 1 hour away from Menominee!
[Image Can Not Be Found]
Here's picts of my new DW! On top of everything you see here I got about 10 boxes of blank brass, the .357 Max reloading dies, a holster, and about 1/2 box of unshot ammo. You can see by the handle the 'DW' shields must have fell out at one time, because they were glued back upside down. One more question, is it normal to be able to turn the cylinder to the left (counter clockwise looking down the barrel) with the hammer down? I can't do that with my Ruger's, and was wondering about the benefit of that?
I'm still adjusting the gap, and I think I got it close...I did find one high spot and set the gap to that, and no problems!! Anybody have the high spot machined down, or is it even worth it?
Dang man I used to live in Marinette for about 6 years. I know Escanaba. I worked for a company out of Stephenson Mi for about 2 years. Nice see someone close to me that's into DWA'S. Nice score there.
"I don't believe in repeat offenders I believe in dead offenders." Ted Nugent
November 30, 2009
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I'm actually from Marquette, but I've been in Escanaba for almost 10 years now. Small world isn't it?
I'm a little concerned now about my cylinder…I can turn it counter-clockwise (with some slight pressure) with out touching the hammer or trigger. It's locked solid in the opposite direction (the direction it advances when pulling the trigger) what would cause this? Possible the latch at the bottom of the frame isn't coming up far enough? I did spray with Rem-oil when I first cleaned the gun, I may have to concentrate on it some more. Any other adjustments I could do?
I really appreciate the great info!!
November 30, 2009
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Sorry for the double post, if I should be posting in a different topic let me know.
It appears I do have a lockup-latch problem...another user posted you should be able to pull the trigger back 1/2 way and spin the cylinder. When doing so the latch should lock-up at every slot...mine doesn't. It stays in the down position. I'm wondering if it's just gummed up or totally faulty??? Is there a better way to examine it w/o taking to a gunsmith? I hate to just spray a bunch of Rem-oil in the latch hole w/o knowing where the excess is dripping to...any help would be appreciated!
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Range Officers
May 2, 2009
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If your's isn't popping up fully, it may be REALLY gummed up. I'd personally pull the grip off and soak the action with solvent and then oil it up really good just to see if you can get it working.
SHOOT
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