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Thread: Dan Wesson 715

  1. #1
    harry mac's Avatar
    harry mac is offline You can't say muntjack without saying mmmmm
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    Dan Wesson 715

    I just managed to pick one of these up second hand in my local "Army Stores", and I'm chuffed to bits with it.
    The one I got is the 4", BB version in a dark grey finish, and it cost me £110, with an additional 6 "cartridges", 5x CO2 capsules and a small tub of BBs thrown in.
    Initial testing was done at 6 yds, just to get the sights adjusted, and once they were done it would keep most of its shots in the black of a 10m pistol target at that distance using steel BBs. Just to see how it handled them, I then tried it with some Gammo, 4.5mm lead ball. With those, accuracy improved quite a bit, and it also seemed a bit more powerful (relatively speaking) with those.
    With that out of the way I started knocking a pop can round the garden, and just generally enjoying myself with it. Using the lead BBs, I was regularly hitting the tin ducks on my shooting gallery target, but it wasn't powerful enough to knock them all the way back onto their magnets.
    I lost count of the number of shots I was getting per CO2 bulb, but it seemed a lot higher than my Tanfoglio Witness; eventually though, the power dropped off and I had to change the bulb.
    Weight and feel of the gun is very good, and it feels just like the Dan Wesson .357 Magnum I used to own "back in the day". Unfortunately, the trigger is nowhere near as good, and the cylinder does wobble about a bit when it's in the open position; but, my real one cost "several" hundred pounds well over 25 years ago, and this one is a "cheap" BB gun, so I think any comparison of manufacturing quality would be unfair.
    The nostalgia box firmly "ticked".
    I just wish they'd made the barrels and shrouds inter-chageable, like the real ones.
    The South of England has 2 good things, the M1 and the A1. Both will take you to Yorkshire.

  2. #2
    Tony.T's Avatar
    Tony.T is offline For vicious attack Pasties, 177, 22 or 12bore?
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    That's really good to know- thanks. I'm on the lookout for the same. I've got a 6'' pellet 715 and now I've got used to it i'm amazed at it's accuracy.
    Anyone got a 2.5/4'' BB example they don't want any more?
    video transferred to DVD, USB etc. Old negs and photos scanned to digital media
    www.digitalconversions.co.uk

  3. #3
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    These are excellent revolvers much better than the early DWs.
    Which nevertheless introduced us to co2 shells.

    I have pellet versions in all lengths all of which are good ,although I find the 6inch a bit heavy after a while ( insert joke)

    Maybe not a Umarex S&W beater but you do have a full swing out cylinder and shells.

  4. #4
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    Old thread, i know, but I just got one too.. 6" 715 pellet version.

    Really nicely built, decent trigger and accuracy, sights adjustable for both windage and elevation.... and I love the shell loading - about as close to the real thing as you are going to get !

    Any more fans, or anything I should worry about ?
    Always looking for any cheap, interesting, knackered "project" guns. Thanks, JB.

  5. #5
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    So I couldn't leave it alone... I know that'll shock you all...

    I was having trouble working out if the barrel was rifled, and it looked like the last 3" was oversize.. well it was, and they all are... I found this video on youtube that perfectly described the rather silly arangement, whereby the "real" barrel is only 2.5 ": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NT1PHdcJUmw

    So I made a new full length rifled barrel this morning.. lucky I have a lathe, so it's less than an hour's work.

    A few points to note...
    - you can make it a bit longer if you wish, but there's no point.. see notes on power testing below
    - the lower, much shorter of the two pins you punch out to remove the shroud can foul the cylinder mount when refitted, so shorten than pin by around 0.3mm before refitting
    - as per the vid, those pins are highly directional - when driven correctly, they come out easy. minimal force required
    - I have the muzzle end slightly larger than the original - just small enough for the spring to move freely after a polish - as this gave a tighter fit in the shroud
    - the throat needed at the breach is fairly minimal - just make sure the pellet doesn't encounter a step when transitioning from the poppet thing that mates to the shells, to the barrel bore
    - I used a 10mm barrel, and there is no need to turn down the main OD - just the two reductions at each end (around 10mm long each) - so whilst a lathe is much the better tool for the job, it's doable redneck style as per the vid. The extra barrel mass belps with the balance too.


    Testing...
    - accuracy was not too bad before but is now awesome - shot the below 6 shot group two handed unsupported in my 5 yard garage range just now - the BB is for scale, not shooting with.
    - power has only gone up about 0.25 FP... I was expecting more. However, the gun is very frugal on gas, so I think there's not enough gas to make much use of the extra barrel length - hence I'd NOT make the barrel longer than stock. Mine was 10mm longer, and had it not been for the group I just shot, I'd have chopped it back to stock length in the hope of gaining a little more velocity. I reckon the 4" version, assuming it has a propper 4" barrel, would be perfect in terms of efficiency.
    - another explanation for the tiny power gain, is that the old barrel is either smoothbore, or has the shallowest scratch rifling ever... the new barrel is conventionally rifled, so that will rob a little power, and also not be quite as good a seal

    I think I'm done... not planning on touching it now

    https://i.imgur.com/CUhvKMh.jpg
    Last edited by Shed tuner; 12-08-2023 at 06:02 PM.
    Always looking for any cheap, interesting, knackered "project" guns. Thanks, JB.

  6. #6
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    You should check the valve stems. Many of the 4.5mm and .177 version only have the 2 port version whereas the 6mm had the 3 port version. You can either drill out the extra third port on the 2 stem or just purchase a 3 port version and substitute for better fps results.
    I’m presently modifying my M29 with a full length, 6.5”, rifled barrel and reworked valve stem.
    David.

  7. #7
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    Thanks David,

    when I need feel like a play I'll be sure to have a looksee inside the valve
    Always looking for any cheap, interesting, knackered "project" guns. Thanks, JB.

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