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June 18, 2019
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Greetings one & all,
I am a newbie. I have just inherited a Dan Wesson .44 Magnum 744v. I know nothing about it. It came with a spare, ported, 8" barrel. The 8" barrel installed is not ported but the shroud is. The porting on the barrel does not align with the porting on the shroud, when installed it sits a half inch in front of it. So, a couple of what some would consider mundane questions.
Should the barrel porting and the shroud porting align exactly?
How the heck does one tell if either barrel will take a Magnum load? Neither of them are marked.
Could they be for plain .44 loads only?
I'd appreciate any help you knowledgable folk can give when you have time.
Many thanks.........Kegs.
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February 22, 2009
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Be sure to visit the new Members Introduction Thread!
It's called power porting- not a great system but what you describe is normal. The barrels only fit the 44 mag frame and will absolutely handle magnum loads.
Technically, the glass is always full; half liquid, half air....
July 2, 2019
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You inherited a fantastic revolver. I'm looking to acquire a 44 or 744 at some point myself. From what I can tell, the 744s are nowhere near as plentiful as the 44s, so their value is even greater.
There's another thread I started regarding the porting methods used on 44s because I wasn't familiar with it either. All of those that are, however, agree with exactly what Rwsem stated above: the holes in the barrel and the ports in the shroud do not align. In addition to that, however, you'll want to keep the barrel and shroud very clean because it seems the two can seize up together when extremely fouled and not properly maintained. From the sounds of it, most owners of 44s seem to prefer the non-ported barrels inside those ported shrouds.
Unfortunately, the barrels were never marked for caliber. There's no problem with putting full-house 44 magnums through the revolver though. It's a very strong gun and people routinely put 300+ grain bullets through them.
Enjoy and welcome to the forum.
June 18, 2019
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Hey Guys,
really, thanks a lot to you all. Getting the hang of it now, it all fits together. I appreciate your time.
I don't believe this rig has ever been fired, still smells of factory grease and not a blemish.
Would like to get a handle on it's age though, serial number 00316* Anyone point me in the right direction?
Thanks again, Lads.......Kegs.
February 16, 2016
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Kegs Allen said
Would like to get a handle on it's age though, serial number 00316* Anyone point me in the right direction.
to the 
https://www.danwessonforum.com/wp-content/files/DanWessonSerialNumbers.pdf
June 18, 2019
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Thanks a lot, Stinger, got it pinned to 1981. Nice one.
Best.......K.
June 8, 2009
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Would you please describe the porting on the barrel? Number of holes, shape, and location (within the groove or?). Follow-up to the talk within "Ported Barrels for 715s?" below.
Thank you.
March 25, 2008
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you have a nice early 44m with that serial number range you should have the short hammer spur, still very good a little hard to mount a scope and get your finger on the spur under the scope but few seem to hunt that way. 
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