Take a deep breath, wheel gun devotees. Dan Wesson (CZ) is going to be turning out revolvers again. Eagle-eye’d reader Josh J. noticed this pop up on CZ’s web site: “Returning to regular production late summer 2014, the 715 is as it was before — designed and built to be the most accurate, rugged and versatile revolver on the market. Shipped with a 6″ barrel, the new shroud is designated the HV6, a heavy vent shroud profile that tames the .357’s recoil very well. The double action trigger is short and relatively light, while the single action is light and crisp. The target-like SA trigger pull made the Dan Wesson revolver a favorite among competitors and hunters, and the tradition continues in the 715.” We’ll be among the first in line at their NRA booth next month to check it out.
I’m hopeful. I’m skeptical. It was just a few years ago that CZ put these up on their website and then never made them. Hopefully this is more than just vaporware.
They did in fact produce the 715 in a very small numbers in 2012 until there was a fire at their Norwich, NY facility that ended production. I have the 139th off the line and these were production models (not pre-production). They have since started production at a new location with some pre-production models surfacing over the last few months.
S&W is offering 8 shot revolvers, Wesson will have to step it up to compete.
In my day we carried two so that we wouldn’t need some pansy 8 shot revolvers.
It seems that you could build an 8 shot .357 on the huge frame that Dan Wesson used to build those .445 Supermags on. I wonder if they could build one with an interchangeable cylinder/crane assembly and interchangeable barrels. Switch from a 6 shot 6″ .445 (or maybe even .454) to an 8 shot 4″ .357 in a few minutes.
Hmm, if I dual wield those I would get 16 shots instead of 12. Might be worthwhile, as long as it isn’t some odd number per cylinder (it drives me crazy).
Don’t forget you take a penalty on attack rolls with both hands while dual wielding..
Never got why I get an attack penalty while dual wielding. I mean double the guns means double the the firepower. I understand an hypothetical accuracy penalty, but not an attack penalty.
I dual wield way too little, it is hard to find matching guns.
I wouldn’t think that would be practical due to hand/ratchet and timing issues. Different geometries between 6 and 8 shot cylinders. Then there is also bolt/lockup questions.
4″ would sell just as well! Who wants to carry a 6″ cannon unless you’re killing zombies and fighting the Governor?
That is the nice thing about the Dan Wesson system. You can pick whatever barrel length you want and with a simple tool put a new barrel on. You can switch from a 2″ barrel to a 10″ barrel for hunting in seconds.
I don’t understand. The ENTIRE barrel assembly is removed? So the metal above the barrel that holds the front sight as well as the meat below the barrel? I can’t even imagine that that is the case. It looked as if the the barrel might come out from inside the shroud, but not the entire assembly. I’d love you to be right!!
Yep. The entire barrel assembly (rib, barrel, shroud) is one piece. Screw it on and off, then use a gap gauge and retention nut to secure the whole thing. The original pistol pack came with something like 5 barrels, 2 – 4 – 6 -8 -10 IMS.
Picked this for my carry piece for 6 years of police service. Not quite as good a trigger as, but in every other way, a match for the Python IMHO. Beautiful, balanced, accurate piece. Loved mine.
Except for a snubbie, revolvers are not good concealed carry guns. They are just too big for the barrel size. A 3″ barreled revolver is the same size as 4-4.5″ automatic and a 4″ is bigger than a 1911 which is about the biggest gun you can carry concealed. If you live in an open carry state or are out hunting long barreled revolvers are great but not for covert carry.
Ha! Nice Walking Dead reference…
I’m not a wheelgun expert, but if TTAG gets their hands on one of these, I am interested in seeing a review based around the question of how this Wesson revolver compares to a Colt Python…
All things being equal, a 6-inch barrel is more accurate. It also enhances velocity and penetration. Agreed, not the ideal carry length.
I like the looks of under barrel rib. I’ll bet that the added weight helps with recoil rise.
The grip looks all Nosferatu but I bet its effective. Still, want 44 mag so I can get a matching lever gun.
Pictured revolver has no vents in the vented-heavy barrel shroud.
Classic DW revolvers (80s-era) were very accurate, popular for hunting and certain types of target-shooting, but not suitable for rapid-fire that included multiple reloads because the location of the cylinder release latch on the crane/yoke. That area gets REALLY hot, REALLY fast when shooting magnum ammunition. Some folks also felt the removable barrels made it a poor choice for defensive use, due to the larger number of potential problems related to incorrect barrel installation (too far into frame causing reduced B/C gap, possible loosening of barrel or barrel nut, etc.).
Picture of revolver was replaced with a video clip of the revolver, and now I can clearly see the ventilated portion of the rib atop the barrel shroud. The new-style barrel shroud is vented/tapered differently than the old, making the vent portion less visible, especially from the angle in the first photo (no longer shown).
Wonderful! An outstanding revolver. Closer to a K frame than L. So very comfortable to carry. As accurate as the best.
Delbert: not every one can carry a 48 oz. Large frame.
MoveableDO: the barrels are interchanable. The use to offer from a 2 inch to 15(!) Inches. Grips interchange too.
Wow! $1200. Hmmm
Still got my old DW .22 , 4 digit serial number sweat shooting gun great trigger . Just sold my .44 mag. 8 inch heavy barrel SS. The buyer was super happy to find one.
Like already posted they ruled metallic silhouette comp. and great hunting guns .
The MSRP is very steep, and I’d rather have a nice, pretty blued finish than the more pedestrian stainless. For what it’s worth, I’ll wait and see if these turn out to be as nicely made and accurate as the older guns. In the meantime…
Tom
Cool! Always heard about these revolvers and how good they are but never seen or shot one. Nice to know there going back in production.
I own 2 and they are as wonderful as you can imagine. I just hjope that the .22 LR version will come back also.
Looks like my 686 PP 6″. Purty.
The porting has been discontinued as an option.
That “barrel” looks more like a slab of 2 by 4…or something out of a Stalin era locomotive factory. Probably cheaper to make, though. No machine work necessary, no graceful curves, no elegantly tapered roundness. Hmmmm…might as well be a Ruger GP100. I think I’ll buy a S&W Classic instead.
The “slab” barrel is more accurate than a regular barrel with a regular underlug.
I’m not a revolver guy but that is a sweet looking weapon. I’d love to try one sometime.
I have a 6″ .357 from the early 80’s. It is a great gun to shoot and manages recoil very well. I wish I had bought the pistol pack with other barrels. I’ll be interested in what CZ does with the new version.
I saw a 715 for sale on grabagun’s website over a week ago – it’s still there for $922 – and was surprised because I didn’t realize DW was back making revolvers.
This is great news! I always regretted not getting the pistol pack when I had a chance years ago.Dan Wessons were always highly regarded as target guns.
Revolvers are a quaint item. Fun to shoot, definitely would not choose to use one as my EDC though.
When I read this, I got a tingling sensation in my neather regions. I bought my .357 Pistol pak in the early 1980’s and later got the .44 mag pistol pak. I’ve been craving a .22LR pistol pak ever since. They seldom come up for sale used and when they do, the price is out of this world. I live in PA and we can hunt with revolvers and I suppose single shot handguns (no semi-autos allowed). My Dan Wesson 715 was at one time my “go-to” gun when things went bump in the night. Out of all the handguns I own, it is the second most accurate in the collection, and has the second best trigger, beaten only by my S&W model 41 target pistol in both catagories. Just reading this makes me want to get mine out of the box and go shooting. It was always a wonderful sensation to shoot full power .357 mag loads and watch the holes appear in the target right where I wanted them. I did put Hoque rubber grips on both of my Dan Wessons and they really reduce felt recoil and provide an excellent non-slip grip. Not that there is a lot of recoil with either revolver due to the heavy weight of these guns. It might seem that a $1200 list price is a lot, but keep in mind that these can be changed from a 2″ barreled snubby to a 10″ barreled scoped hunting gun in under a minute with 4″, 6″, and 8″ options also available. If these new ones are identical to the old ones, then the old barrels should fit and allow you to change out the 6″ barrel it comes with. OK, I just checked out their website and they still sell various lengths and styles of barrels and shrouds in blued steel and stainless. So you could buy the new revolver and get whatever length barrel/shroud you want essentially giving you two revolvers in one.
hi there are you gun heroes,l own a model 25-2,6inch,since 1975 and what a gun.lt’s a top target pistol and very accurate and has a great trigger pull.Have only used the Dan wesson,in all my c/f [email protected] more can i say!
I acquired a slightly blemished pre-production 715 and love it. The gun’s made for the ages and looks like a work of art. I cannot comment on accuracy. At this point in my development I can barely be described as a mediocre shot. But hope burns eternal….
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