CZ / Dan Wesson 715 Revolver

[whitney]

I am interested in purchasing this revolver in .357 for my back country bush whacking trips.
The primary purpose is bear defense. I am heading into the back country this spring and need a short range alternative. (read crawling through last years bear holes). I usually have a rifle but found myself in a situation where luck saved my a$$. The rifle is too hard to bring to bare quickly in the heavy brush.

Has anyone had range time with one of these? The reviews I have read claim the mass of the firearm keeps recoil to a "feels like a .38". The one thing I find intriguing in most reviews, the recoil is said to be strait back as opposed to flipping up. I really like the idea of a heavy load that does not "flip up" the end of the muzzle making recoil easier to manage. My budget is right around $1K.

Any information is greatly appreciated on this or an equivalent revolver with similar mass.

Link to Manufacturer DW 715 Revolver - CZ-USA

~Whitney

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[The Heretic]

The DW .44 mag 6" heavy rib barrel with porting I owned was a very accurate and nice revolver. At first I had some light primer strikes - sent it back to DW and they fixed it and I had no more problems. That was back in the days when Dan Wesson made DW revolvers.

CZ is known for quality so if I wanted a DW revolver I would not hesitate to buy one made by CZ.

Here is the thing: I have carried this and other revolvers for 'bear protection' from time to time - mostly in Alaska. If that is all you want it for, not for general shooting, then it is going to get heavy real quick.

Yes, most certainly, weight will make a difference in recoil. I have a big heavy .460 Magnum with 5" barrel and comp. The recoil is much much lighter my S&W 329PD scandium 4" unported .44 magnum which is painful to shoot with anything except the lightest of .44 special loads.

Porting makes a difference too. I have shot a number of ported handguns - some before and after porting. And it does make a difference. I intend to port my S&W 329PD, but I still carry it as my woods gun (I intend to carry it today when I go into my back acreage to mark trees for my logging contractor) because it is so light I just do not even notice I am carrying it.

When I carry my 460 magnum I most certainly notice it and I don't want to be tromping around up and down the mountain with all that weight (I wish S&W made a scandium revolver in .45 Colt).

There are revolvers in between titanium/scandium and a big heavy steel framed revolver. I would look for something a bit lighter but not too light if you are concerned about recoil. A 4-5" medium frame, medium weight revolver, preferably with porting. Either S&W or Ruger. For bear defense I would also prefer a .44 magnum which is more versatile and allows you to choose lighter or heavier loads and still be more effective than a .357 magnum against an angry bear.

If you primarily expect to encounter black bears, then a .357 magnum would maybe be okay, especially if you got heavy loads (e.g., Buffalo Bore) but the .44 mag gives you more versatility IMO and with the lighter loads (.44 special) it is still plenty controllable and allows you to up the anty with heavy loads if you expect to encounter brown bears.

I have black bears and cougars on my property, and the occasional feral dog has been seen (not to mention large coyotes), so .44 special is fine for me - a 200 grain JHP at 1000 fps works on any of those animals just fine, and I save the 325 grain JSP at 1300 fps for when I expect brown bears (not in Orygun).

If you insist on a .357 magnum, there is an in between revolver that is on the light side but not too light. The S&W TRR8 - 8 shot, 5" barrel, scandium frame with steel cylinder and barrel. It weighs about 10 more ounces than my 329 PD and the recoil is much milder and the balance is more towards the muzzle. Plus, with the rails, you can put accessories on it that increase the weight and muzzle balance - if you are actually crawling into and thru bear dens, then a light on the barrel would seem to make sense to me.

I like mine. I had a Taurus Total Titanium Tracker in .357 magnum. Between the spongy grips and the porting, recoil was mild. But after 50 rounds it locked up because it came from the factory with a cylinder gap of 0.001" which is much too little and the unburnt powder/etc. jammed the cylinder. So when I saw a TRR8 for sale I jumped on it - larger and heavier, but still about right for a woods gun IMO, and extremely dependable with a very nice trigger.

YMMV

 

[Medic!]

I am interested in purchasing this revolver in .357 for my back country bush whacking trips.
The primary purpose is bear defense. I am heading into the back country this spring and need a short range alternative. (read crawling through last years bear holes). I usually have a rifle but found myself in a situation where luck saved my a$$.

~Whitney

.357 against a bear?
Keep packin the luck.

 

[tj3006]

I enjoy S&W model 29. I squirt250 grain bear tooth bullets out her near max. Good pachmeyer grips make it a pleasure. Make sure what ever cartridge you use for bear defense. Use a deep penetration bullet.

 

[The Heretic]

.357 against a bear?
Keep packin the luck.

It depends on the bear.

BB makes a 180 grain load that does 1400 fps in 4-5" revolvers - would work against a black bear. This would work as well as 200 grain loads at 1000-1200 fps from my .44 mag and have the advantage of having better sectional density so it would possibly penetrate better.

Penetration is important, especially when facing a charging bear - you want to break those front shoulders to slow them down or preferably stop them, and hopefully get thru them to the vitals. Same as with a brown bear, but the bones and muscles are not as massive in a black bear.

 

[tj3006]

i get 1300 and then some with the 250 grain Bear claw, .357 is a good round but Bigger is better when you might not be at the top of the food chain anymore.

 

[The Heretic]

i get 1300 and then some with the 250 grain Bear claw, .357 is a good round but Bigger is better when you might not be at the top of the food chain anymore.

Yes, IIRC the Barnes 325 gr. loads I have would do 1300 fps from a 6" barrel. They are very painful to shoot from my 329PD, but not so bad that I could not put them where needed, if needed.

I just think a .357 magnum with stout loads would be okay in a pinch. But like I said, I prefer the .44 magnum because it is more versatile.

 

[DirectDrive]

1) Black bear or brown bear ?
Makes a difference.

2) I have the original DW Model 15-2 6" "vent heavy" stainless circa '82
I wouldn't say it's a pussycat with full house loads, but it's not brutal.
Interchangeable barrel system. Would not want to pack it.
BTW, the MSRP on that is outrageous.
I would shop for a DW Model 15 on Gunbroker without a doubt if I was shopping that piece.

Trivia:
It is by consensus, the most accurate production wheel gun partly due to the barrel being under tension from both ends.
The Smiths and Colts got destroyed by these DW's on the Production Handgun Silhouette circuit.
A new sheriff was in town.

 

[whitney]

Thank You @The Heretic for the detailed analysis. I will get my reloading manuals out and compare the terminal ballistics of a few of these cartridges. I was thinking of using a hard cast bullet in the style of Elmer Keith. Based on the friendly advice here I will definitely consider something with a little more "punch".

Thanks Neighbors. That is what is so nice about this forum.

~Whitney

 

[gmuspsa]

I have a original DW 357mag 6" heavy barrel in near perfect condition 600.00 if you are interested.

 

[whitney]

I have a original DW 357mag 6" heavy barrel in near perfect condition 600.00 if you are interested.

I have a original DW 357mag 6" heavy barrel in near perfect condition 600.00 if you are interested.

Just sent you a PM

 

[The Heretic]

.357 against a bear?
Keep packin the luck.

 

[whitney]

View attachment 436124

Ha, Ha. You are closer than you know. Hence the reason for changing my primary arms choice.

I went out this morning with a couple firearms to do some "unscientific" testing. I could not find any BB ammunition on the shelf any where so I picked out the closest thing I could find; 260 grain @ 1425 fps in .44 and 180 grain @ 1300 fps in .357.

There is something to be said for math and ballistics calculations, all I will say is there is no substitute for hands on comparisons. Needless to say my search has turned to a .44.
The hog leg I used today was an Interams .44 revolver. I do not like the "cowboy" grips my hand just does not fit right.

I did have a couple offers from neighbors here to sell me a couple fine Dan Wesson revolvers for a very fine price. I must say Thank You for the offers but I must decline at this time. My banker (spouse) will not be too happy if try to talk my way into the Dan Wesson .357 - and a yet undecided .44.

~Whitney

 

[The Heretic]

You might find a little BB in the larger stores, like Sportsman's Warehouse but mostly you would need to get it online.

I agree about the hog leg grips on single actions - they roll up in your hand and are too small for mine. Some people like them, I don't, especially for hard recoiling guns. There are Hogue grips for them some SA revolvers - especially Rugers. But I still prefer DA revolvers - even though I primarily shoot them single action - I prefer the ability to shoot DA if necessary and they are faster to reload.

Ruger makes a very solid revolver IMO and at a decent price, so you might to check them out. If you want even more versatility than .44 magnum, you can try something in .454 Casull, which will handle everything from light .45 Colt up to hot .454 loads. The Ruger SRH is available in 2.5" up to 9" barrels, with several steps in between. My preferences are for 4" to 5" as I find them handy without losing a lot of velocity to a short barrel, but if you do want a snubbie you can get one in .454 and make up for the short barrel by shooting hot loads - the blast and recoil will be significant though, which is why I find 4-5" a good compromise.

 

[The Heretic]

Some people like the .41 Mag as a good compromise between the .357 and .44 mags, but ammo is not as available and choices may not be as wide.

 

[gmuspsa]

here is a simple fact. Its hitting the kill zone that matters not how far the bullet goes in to the dirt after going through the kill zone.
Power is a crappy substitute for accuracy

 

[The Heretic]

This is my polar bear gun:



I rarely carry it because there are not many polar bears in Orygun. It does not hurt to shoot it, even with heavy loads.

This is my regular bear gun:


It hurts to shoot, so I rarely shoot it. I have never shot it with the wood grips. I need to take the grips off my polar bear gun and try them on my "regular bear" gun. I was going to carry it yesterday, but didn't want to bother as the bears that visit my property don't bother me as long as I do not bother them.

 

[DirectDrive]

The scandium frame guns do hurt to shoot.
Bears just laugh and say "You won't shoot that, pal."

 

[BlindedByScience]

Never had to shoot a bear, but I have had a Ruger Redhawk in .44 magnum for darn near four decades. Got one of the very first production models. It was my first quality firearm. Which may sound odd, but a buddy had a Blackhawk and a reloading bench, so that's what I got. It is more accurate than I am, the trigger is amazing, and I'd trust my life on it. I've shot thousands of rounds through it over the years. It's a big softie with .44 specials in it, and it's hella stout. Potent hand loads aren't an issue. If I were in the market for a stout .44 mag, I'd most certainly give the Redhawk a very close look.