Anyone have info on the Dan Wesson Model 22?

I am purchasing a Dan Wesson Model 22 in 22LR from a local gun shop. It appears to be in great shape with good lock-up and a smooth action. It comes with a 4" barrel and shroud only, nothing else. The price, as far as I can tell is reasonable. Beyond this, I don't know anything about this particular model. I know a little bit about Dan Wesson, and from what I can gather, they are known for excellent quality, so if its anything like their model 15, it should be a great gun.

Any info on the model 22 would be greatly appreciated, thanks.

There is a Forum for Dan Wesson's. I'm a member over there as well. Lot's of good information.

The Dan Wesson Forum | The Legend Lives On…

Is there anything in particular that you would like to know???

Thanks for the link 824tsv, I have been poking around the Dan Wesson forum for a few hours now, though it appears that the Model 22 was not nearly as popular as the 357 models, but that's not surprising.

As far as what info I would like to know:

- Am I correct in my understanding that DW only makes a couple of frame sizes, and that 22 fits in the category of small frame revolvers? (Despite looking and feeling about the same size as a S&W 28) My interest in this is purely for accessories sake, i.e. grips, holsters, replacement parts if need be.

- I have also read on other forums conflicting reports of good and bad quality and accuracy with these guns. From what I've read overall, I hear that proper cylinder gap is important to accuracy and function and correctly setting the spacing can help smooth out issues with either function or accuracy. I have however read others saying that no matter what the spacing is, they cannot get the gun to shoot accurately, and they are complete junk. I disinclined to believe that every model 22 is bad, but I am wondering from those of you who own or have owned one, if you have had any uncorrectable problems with accuracy and action function.

- Assuming that this gun never came with a set of barrels and shrouds and never or seldom had the barrel removed, is loosening of the barrel nut something to worry about over time? I was planning on picking up a barrel wrench for it and the .006 shim in the off-chance that I may find a 6 or 8 inch barrel and shroud for it for sale someday. I just want to know if the barrel loosening is something to worry about and I should be ordering the wrench and shim right away.

Anyway, no matter what, for the around price I am paying for it, my other choices include revolvers from Taurus, Charter Arms, and Ruger, none of which have ever proven themselves to be very good quality (or at least the 22 cal DA revolvers aren't, Ruger Single Sixes are awesome, but I was looking for a DA revolver). I did look at an older 6-shot S&W 617 for a bit more money, but the gun was very heavily used, and the action did not feel anywhere as smooth as the DW 22. I wish I could afford a S&W 17 or a newer 617, but just not in the cards right now.

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

You're correct; the 22 is built on the 'small-frame.' This is actually a decent chunk of steel, somewhere around the L-frame in mass. It shares grip size with the .357 guns.


The barrel wrench and a shim set is a must, if only for reasons of maintenance. The wrench is available aftermarket (as are additional barrel nuts), and you can pick up a shim set from any auto parts supply store for a few bucks. Make sure you choose the one that ranges from .001 or .002 and up, rather than the larger set for spark plugs.


In my experience, the double-action is not as nice as a S&W M17 or 617, but always appreciated the single-action break. Accuracy and function were normal, as long as the gun was kept clean -- rimfire ammo is a bit dirty, IMO.


You can play with different gaps, as some gun/ammo combos like a couple of thou tighter or looser; my .357 SuperMag liked .002, the .44mag shoots best with .005...


Here's a great source for your stuff; the vendor is a nice guy and friend of the DW community: Dan Wesson Revolvers : EWK Arms



Please let us know how it turns out, and pics are always welcome!

On two occasions, I bought Dan Wessons with accuracy not meeting my expectations. Replacing the barrels solved the problem both times. Both were used guns, and one barrel had been aftermarket ported.

I don't know if EWK is still making .22 bbl's, they may if you special order?

Note about the action...the short hammer throw increases the accuracy while shooting single action, but is a detriment to obtaining a smooth double action pull. In fact, my .22 came single action only.

That's a funny story... I bought that .22 from a trusted acquaintance, so I didn't try it out. It was at a gun show, so it had been wire tied. When I got home, snipped the wire tie, checked if it was loaded, and pulled the trigger. What the.....? A little dis-assembly revealed this was a factory configuration, and not "Bubba", ah, had to mentally apologize to the seller.

I have a little collection of Dan Wessons. Very accurate guns. I have the model 15-2 (357), a couple of 22's , 44's and one super mag in 357 Max. They are all very accurate and have excellent single action trigger pulls. The 22 model was also sold in a "Pistol Pac" which came with 4 barrels, wrench, belt buckle and a patch. The different barrels/shrouds for 22 come up on eBay once in a while but usually go for $300+. You should be able to get a manual off the DW forum site or 'steves pages'.

44wheelman said:

On two occasions, I bought Dan Wessons with accuracy not meeting my expectations. Replacing the barrels solved the problem both times. Both were used guns, and one barrel had been aftermarket ported.

I don't know if EWK is still making .22 bbl's, they may if you special order?

Note about the action...the short hammer throw increases the accuracy while shooting single action, but is a detriment to obtaining a smooth double action pull. In fact, my .22 came single action only.

That's a funny story... I bought that .22 from a trusted acquaintance, so I didn't try it out. It was at a gun show, so it had been wire tied. When I got home, snipped the wire tie, checked if it was loaded, and pulled the trigger. What the.....? A little dis-assembly revealed this was a factory configuration, and not "Bubba", ah, had to mentally apologize to the seller.

Click to expand...

Good to Know... It appears that this gun is in good functioning condition, and the action fairly smooth and not too heavy of a DA trigger pull. Then again, I do have a love for Beretta pistols, which have a fairly heavy trigger pull, so my reference trigger pull weight is probably a little different from others. That said, in comparison to other revolvers I have or have had, I'd say it's on the better end of the quality spectrum, having a DA pull not too dissimilar from that of my S&W 28-2.

The barrel is the thing I was most concerned about, as I have never owned a DW revolver with removable barrels, and have no experience in gauging whether the barrel is ok or not. I wonder if it was ever removed, as it is not coming to me as part of a pistol pack, nor with tools, and I can only assume that it never had either. I will ordering an EWK barrel wrench and getting a shim set so I check everything out, when I pick it up, and/or clean between the barrel and shroud at some point anyway.

I have a Monson built 15-2, 6" that is probably my most accurate revolver. The barrel nut has never come loose. Great quality and with interchangeable barrels/ shrouds/ grips, you will enjoy yours.

Finally picked up my Dan Wesson Model 22. Here she is with her distant cousin, my Smith and Wesson Model 28-2. Took her to the range today for a quick shakedown, and she shoots beautifully. She was however filthy. It's possible that the former owner may not have cleaned her often, or at all. After about 2 hours of scrubbing, she's about 95% clean, but I will need to get a barrel wrench to finish scraping the residue off the frame around the forcing cone. Oh the joys of 22 Long Rifle...

PatriotX said:

The barrel wrench and a shim set is a must, if only for reasons of maintenance.
Make sure you choose the one that ranges from .001 or .002 and up, rather than the larger set for spark plugs.

Click to expand...

What type of shims are you referring to & what are they used for?

.

BLUEDOT37 said:

What type of shims are you referring to & what are they used for?

.

Click to expand...

The shims we are talking about are for setting the correct spacing between the forcing cone and the cylinder face when installing the barrel. Dan Wessons, if you weren't aware, have removable barrels and barrel shrouds, and originally came with a barrel wrench and a 0.006 shim for setting the barrel spacing upon reinstall.

Really we are using the wrong term here. The tool is actually called a feeler gauge and comes in sets like these:
McMaster-Carr

I've owned three DW 22's over the years. Sold or traded them all off for one thing or another, but they were great guns. I probably liked them a little less than K-frame 22's, but only because they're bigger and heavier.

I never had a barrel wrench or a go/no go gauge for any of them and never had a problem. They all shot just fine.

mainegrw said:

Really we are using the wrong term here. The tool is actually called a feeler gauge and comes in sets like these...

Click to expand...

Okay, I understand now.

I actually have a DW 22VH, 6" bbl., that I bought new in 1980, & never heard of any shims before. Thought I was missing something.

I like the "big & heavy" about them. I was never overwelmed with the general accuracy of mine but a Feb-1980 Guns & Ammo article on this revolver noted very good accuracy with certain brands & poor with other (premium) brands. Guess I didn't experiment enough with it. Actually haven't shot mine in years. I feel the need to experiment a little more now.

.

Nice find on the DW, I have some and the are the most accurate hand guns I own. There are some with "problems" depending on where they were made, but for the most part the ones from Monson, Ma. are the best.
As mentioned above DWK arms has parts and tools.
Sometimes called the 5th generation wheel guns, D.B. Wesson and Karl Lewis had some great innovations with the design. For a long time they were a good deal when you found one used, not so much anymore.