TIme For A Gun Manufacturer to Revive the....

DanChamberlain

Interchangeable Revolver Barrel!

With Ruger doing the polymer receiver thing with revolvers, I'm thinking it's time they bring back the concept of different barrel lengths too. Only now, they wrap the steel barrel insert with a polymer shroud similar to the old Dan Wesson style. Instead of an ugly barrel nut, they could use a short compensator or something along that line. Imagine a SP101 or GP100 with three barrel lengths.

I'm just dreaming.

SirGeorgeKillian

Dan, between here and Facebook, you have been philosophical lately :jester:

If only there was a cheap way to tool up for such an undertaking to put this manufacturers license I have access too to good use...

DanChamberlain

With the exceptional accuracy of the old Dan Wessons, I just don't know why the concept wasn't adapted to more manufacturers offerings. With the mold-ability of polymer, it seems like a no-brainer. A revolver barrel wouldn't generate enough heat to cause a problem there and there are some really heat resistant polymers.

bullsi1911

DanChamberlain wrote: »

Interchangeable Revolver Barrel!

With Ruger doing the polymer receiver thing with revolvers,

Wait... What? I know Taurus has a poly abomination, and I knew there were Russian prototypes of a top break poly .357 about 10 years ago, but Ruger? When did that happen?

bullsi1911

knitepoet wrote: »

When they introduced the LCR
edited to add:
http://ruger.com/products/lcr/features.html

Duh... Too early in the morning. Forgot about the lcr

tennmike

That would be one of the best new 'old' innovations to come along again. The Dan Wesson system seemed to have figured out how to control the cylinder/barrel gap and cylinder timing thing pretty well. It sure would be handy to be able to change from one chambering to another without a lot of hassle.

Just kind of thinking that nobody offers such now is due to lawyers telling them not to due to possible litigation from a few hairballs not following directions and blowing themselves/revolver up. Think .357 Mag barrel and a .44 Mag cylinder. Goes to that old thing about we can't have nice things due to the proliferation of stupid people.

shush

DanChamberlain wrote: »

Interchangeable Revolver Barrel!........... old Dan Wesson style.

One I have always liked, some time before Dan Wesson though;

Merwin Hulbert.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0b5rlvggPbc

shush

Perhaps a touch of the Nearly Men;
Go straight to 3.20;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CvvbXdoVWao

stepmac

I don't know how many times I've heal a Dan Wesson pistol and decided not to buy it. Even when they were new and common. They are very well made and I think they worked fine. I just never felt a need for one, and I don't think many folks did.

Fisheadgib

I'm not sure if a plastic shroud would work with a system like the Dan Wesson as the rigidity of the shroud was important to the proper tension of the barrel. Even if some polymers could withstand the heat, I don't think any polymer could be hard enough to tension the barrel against.

DanChamberlain

The neat part about polymer manufacture is the ease at which metal inserts can be injection molded into the component. It would be simple thing to mold inserts for rigidity and metal surfaces that would mate with other metal surfaces. Piece of cake.

Fisheadgib

cpj wrote: »

Meh.

But then I've never gotten the point of the DWs.

They were accurate, well made, and good looking, who would want that?

Fisheadgib

cpj wrote: »

Those are fine attributes. Switching barrel lengths ain't.

Being able to swith barrels was a bonus. It wasn't detrimental to the other features of the gun and it made it more versatile. I had three barrels for mine.

DanChamberlain

I had one with barrel lengths from 2.5 or 3 (I can't recall) 4, 6, and 8. If it had been in a serious caliber that started with a .4 instead of a .3 I'd still have it. It pointed like a laser and even accounted for an uncounted number of skunks at the dump and one really fat woodchuck at 70 steps. I only used the 8" barrel a couple of times. The 6" was perfect. Mine had the flush barrel nut and solid rib as opposed to the ventilated ones. The interchangeable grips were a cool feature before anyone else was doing it. It was an innovation that was ahead of its time and now it's considered an anachronism. Yet, people like the idea of switch barrel rifles.

Fisheadgib

If you don't get it by now, you're not going to get it. I'm sure there's more than one member here that owns a given model of revolver in different barrel lengths or configurations like they do with an AR. The pistol pack listed for 500.00 in 1980 and with four barrels, two grips, and a couple different sights, you had several different pistols in one case. The pistol was nice enough to stand on it's own with just one barrel and never even using the barrel swapping feature. Like I said, that was just a bonus and if you ever handled a Dan Wesson you wouldn't be so negative about them. The fit and finish of mine was better than any of my Smith and Wessons and I constantly kick myself for letting it go. A month after I sold it, I offered the guy I sold it to 100.00 more than he paid to get it back and he liked it too much to sell it. When funds allow, I will definitely own another.
I think if that pistol was reintroduced and marketed a little more effectively, it would sell. Look at all the crummy pistols out there that sell like crazy because of effective marketing.

Fisheadgib

cpj wrote: »

And speaking of "good" marketing, maybe Taurus could make the Judge a switch barrel. They could have a picture of a judge in his black robe fondling something beneath it. He could then jump up from behind the bench and shout "GET A LOAD OF THIS, BABY! I MADE IT LONGER!"

:roll2: As crazy as that sounds, in this day and age it would probably work.

DanChamberlain

Let's not forget the DW locked up at the front of the cylinder as opposed to the rear. It provided the tightest double action locking mechanism of any existing double action revolver. Innovation was Dan's middle name.