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July 14, 2024
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First off hello I’m new to the forum. Would like to ask if anyone else has experienced low velocity out of their Dan Wesson revolver. Mine is model 15-2 with a 4 inch barrel. Was doing some load testing with 13.7 grs of accurate #7 behind a 125 gr jsp. Used CCI magnum pistol primers. 5 shot average out of my Dan Wesson was 1186 fps. I then fired 5 shots of the same load out of my 4 inch ruger service six and had an average velocity of 1473 fps which is on par with what is usually get with this load. My question is has anyone else experienced drastically lower velocity out of there Dan Wesson when compared to other revolvers? This the first time I’ve chronographed loads thru my 15-2. Any advice would be appreciated thank you.
DWF Supporters
July 12, 2020
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Welcome to the forum from PA!!!!
DWF Supporters
March 28, 2023
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I know nothing about this but being the dumb town guy the only thing that comes to mind is your gap is to large? Just wondering if you have set your gap lately at .006 and then if still getting a lower fps tried making that gap less. Supermags gap runs at .002 so i'm assuming you can run the gap less if you want to as long as the cylinder does not bind! Now everyone can pile on the village idiot!
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Dans Club
February 22, 2009
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^^ that and internal dimension differences can explain it. Everything from cylinder throat and bore diameter to width/ depth of rifling and number of lands/ grooves. Basically, anything that can cause a difference in engaged surface area of the bullet will affect velocity.
Technically, the glass is always full; half liquid, half air....
July 14, 2024
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Thanks for the responses fellas! The cylinder gap was set to .06 using an ewk feeler gauge. My initial thought about these results is that most likely the barrel is “shot out”. But I am new to Dan Wesson revolvers and wanted to ask someone with experience with these revolvers if this is abnormal. I’ve heard of barrels shooting “slower” than others, but in my experience it’s maybe 50fps difference on a five shot average. Not 300 fps haha. The gun is very accurate with .38 spl which is even more confusing assuming my theory of the barrel being shot out is correct. Anyway appreciate the replies! I know it’s a hard question to answer.
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DWF Supporters
June 11, 2016
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Welcome to the Forum from Wisconsin.
May 6, 2024
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There is No Arbitrary differences, like 50fps, in any of My Experiences..In Fact I have one particular load that gets better velocity from a 4" than a 3" barrel, yet lower velocity from a 7" barrel firearm..I chalk that one up to fast burning powder...but, now maybe I shoot it in some other barrels..as that particular 7" handgun shoots most loadings slower anyway!!
Velocity is Not something you can "Pick" you just need to go with the Safe load, and whatever velocity it produces... Do Not worry over it!
If you tighten the BC gap, and it changes that much...Please give a Report.. I doubt it, but, Admit I have limited experience with Jacketed projectiles, and about Zero with Light Weight ones!!
July 14, 2024
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^^ You definitely could be right about the gun not liking the load, but in my experience that wouldn’t result in such poor performance. 50 or even 100 fps off the mark it wouldn’t alarm me but getting 9mm performance out of a middle of the road .357 magnum load makes me think there might be a problem. Same load has been chronographed out of a 3” speed six and gets in the mid 1300s consistently. I don’t think is the load. That load has been a staple .357 magnum load for me because of the consistency and low flash when compared to h110/w296. Guns can be picky but this is down right odd haha
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Dans Club
March 25, 2013
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How do you set the barrel cylinder gap? DW says 6 thousandth on the proudest chamber. That is too much IMHO. Try 3 thousandth and check the speed.
February 1, 2024
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- Please note, for safety's sake and to ensure that someone does not make a mistake, the typical barrel/cylinder gap is supposed to be 6 one-thousandths of an inch. That's 0.006". On two of the above posts the decimal is placed incorrectly as .06" which is actually 60 one-thousandths of an inch or 6 one-hundredths of an inch.
- Tom
July 14, 2024
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Yes that was a typo sorry! .006” cylinder gap. Barrel snug on feeler gauge with cylinder closed. I will definitely try and close that gap a little to see if that helps. Seems to be loosing pressure somewhere. Whether that’s the cylinder gap or just a worn out barrel I don’t know. Bought the gun used (of course) without any knowledge of how many rounds were put thru it. Will update when I get around to shooting it again. Thanks fellas!
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Dans Club
March 25, 2013
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I have many 357 Dan Wessons. Some are well used. I have never yet seen a barrel tube that was shot out. Pawn and Gun shops all have Smiths that are shot out.
October 17, 2017
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What no one is talking about is just how much endplay can be present in a DW revolver. I personally have had up to .008 endplay on my well worn 15-2. So, if you’ve set the C/B gap at .006, you actually have .014 as the projectile is being pushed down the barrel. That’s a lot of velocity loss! Depending on the “vintage” of your 15-2 the cure can be relatively easy, or much more difficult. I was able to correct excessive endplay in my very early model 15-2 by replacing the gas ring with a longer one. Later 15-2’s can be corrected by simply adding shims.
May 6, 2024
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edaniels92 said
^^ You definitely could be right about the gun not liking the load, but in my experience that wouldn’t result in such poor performance. 50 or even 100 fps off the mark it wouldn’t alarm me but getting 9mm performance out of a middle of the road .357 magnum load makes me think there might be a problem. Same load has been chronographed out of a 3” speed six and gets in the mid 1300s consistently. I don’t think is the load. That load has been a staple .357 magnum load for me because of the consistency and low flash when compared to h110/w296. Guns can be picky but this is down right odd haha
First question I have is...Where was your chronograph placed?? 1300 from a 3" any brand barrel is a Serious load..takes a heck of a Charge, and I doubt fast powder will get that!!! Wonders if the Chrono is "picking up" the muzzle blast??? the Jacketed.. original Accurate manual does not go that high with 125 jacketed...stopping at 12.0!!! I used a pretty healthy charge of 2400 to get that velocity from a 4" barrel..according to my old Notes! Which fetched over 1600fps, from my Contender! (10")
Double checking old Sierra manuals go to 13.5 gr of AA#7 but...I have Never used the Sierra Manual in other than my Contender!! Considering it Hot!
At any rate.. I would be looking in so very many other places, besides the Gun..because as you say.. the load is proven in your firearms.
Edit; this is starting to look like a good place to compare Factory Fodder!!
July 14, 2024
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3ric said
What no one is talking about is just how much endplay can be present in a DW revolver. I personally have had up to .008 endplay on my well worn 15-2. So, if you’ve set the C/B gap at .006, you actually have .014 as the projectile is being pushed down the barrel. That’s a lot of velocity loss! Depending on the “vintage” of your 15-2 the cure can be relatively easy, or much more difficult. I was able to correct excessive endplay in my very early model 15-2 by replacing the gas ring with a longer one. Later 15-2’s can be corrected by simply adding shims.
This makes a lot of sense. Never even crossed my mind! Appreciate the response!
July 14, 2024
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racepres said
edaniels92 said
^^ You definitely could be right about the gun not liking the load, but in my experience that wouldn’t result in such poor performance. 50 or even 100 fps off the mark it wouldn’t alarm me but getting 9mm performance out of a middle of the road .357 magnum load makes me think there might be a problem. Same load has been chronographed out of a 3” speed six and gets in the mid 1300s consistently. I don’t think is the load. That load has been a staple .357 magnum load for me because of the consistency and low flash when compared to h110/w296. Guns can be picky but this is down right odd haha
First question I have is...Where was your chronograph placed?? 1300 from a 3" any brand barrel is a Serious load..takes a heck of a Charge, and I doubt fast powder will get that!!! Wonders if the Chrono is "picking up" the muzzle blast??? the Jacketed.. original Accurate manual does not go that high with 125 jacketed...stopping at 12.0!!! I used a pretty healthy charge of 2400 to get that velocity from a 4" barrel..according to my old Notes! Which fetched over 1600fps, from my Contender! (10")
Double checking old Sierra manuals go to 13.5 gr of AA#7 but...I have Never used the Sierra Manual in other than my Contender!! Considering it Hot!
At any rate.. I would be looking in so very many other places, besides the Gun..because as you say.. the load is proven in your firearms.
Edit; this is starting to look like a good place to compare Factory Fodder!!
Chrono is always set 10 yards away to avoid muzzle blast giving weird readings. This load almost perfectly mimics factory loads from Remington and federal. In my opinion it shouldn’t be considered a “hot” load if it’s on par with factory loads tested out of the same gun. From my experience getting in the 1300s with a 3” barrel, especially out of a ruger, is not a difficult or something that should be considered an anomaly. It’s just a true magnum load.
May 6, 2024
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Just kinda wondering where yo Got this load is all...While a given velocity is Not how a safe load is Figured.. I do Not believe this to be Overly Hot..while if you were getting 1300 fps with Red Dot...I would be Much more concerned..
But, I only been doing this since the late '70's...so...do Not have it all figured out!!
Again, it sure would be nice to compare Velocities between these two arms, with another Loading...preferably Factory..
July 14, 2024
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racepres said
Just kinda wondering where yo Got this load is all...While a given velocity is Not how a safe load is Figured.. I do Not believe this to be Overly Hot..while if you were getting 1300 fps with Red Dot...I would be Much more concerned..But, I only been doing this since the late '70's...so...do Not have it all figured out!!
Again, it sure would be nice to compare Velocities between these two arms, with another Loading...preferably Factory..
I appreciate your concern! I’ve been doing this since the late 90’s so you’ve got me by a couple decades haha. My original concern isn’t that my model 15 isn’t keeping up with my other .357 revolvers. My concern is that it’s not even producing moderate velocities with a load that has consistently performed well for me. If I’m not getting over 1200 fps with a 125gr bullet, whether jacketed or hardcast, out of a 4” barrel that’s a red flag for me. As far as where I got the load I can’t remember. Probably a forum post on the The High Road or something like that. I do remember I was looking for a powder to replace blue dot because my local gun shop stopped carrying it. They had AA#7 so that’s the origin of that load. If it was the first time I’ve fired this load over a chronograph I wouldn’t have been concerned but this is a pet load of mine that has never produced anything but consistent results. I stopped at five rounds cause losing that much velocity, and in turn pressure, made me think I had an unsafe situation happening. Got my service six out to make ensure that I wasn’t going crazy, and sure enough it produced the results I expected. New to Dan Wesson revolvers. Not reloading or revolvers as a whole. I’m sure it’s something to do with the revolver just not sure what. Probably the cylinder gap or the end play as suggested in previous posts. I do plan on, as you have suggested, trying other loads. Will definitely update when I do!
Dans Club
February 24, 2013
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To thefrom central IL!!
April 18, 2016
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Weird is right.
A shot out barrel should be obvious by visual inspection.
Any sane cylinder gap isn't going to produce that variation. Ran an experiment with my 44 Mag DW with different cylinder gaps. Not all that much change in velocity but at 0.012 it started spitting crap back in my face.
In the process I discovered that my auto store purchased set of feeler gauges were mismarked.
Never had end shake with a DW. Where do the shims go? I've done shims with a S&W.
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