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January 11, 2015
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Is this gun limited to a specific 357 or will shoot both? What about 38's?
What model number is the Stainless 357 super mag?
Also please confirm it's a fixed barrel
Thanks,
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DWF Supporters
May 11, 2011
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Will shoot the 357 max, 357 mag and 38 special
model would be 740
I've never seen a fixed barrel 357 Super Mag, but that doesn't mean there's not one floating around out there
By the way we all like pics of cool guns so get ready for 
Range Officer
Range Officers
Dans Club
February 28, 2009
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I don't believe there's any such thing as a fixed barrel SuperMag in a Dan Wesson gun.
If you shoot .38's, or .357 Mag's in it be sure to thoroughly clean the cylinders afterward or the powder residue will prevent you from getting .357 Max cartridges into the cylinders.
-Mike
January 11, 2015
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Thanks for your answer
I would love to show you a pic but I don't own it...... yet.
But maybe I will one day.
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Dans Club
March 25, 2013
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There are some issues you should know about if your heart is set on owning a 357 Supermag or Maximum. Originally chambered in Ruger Super Blackhawks, they were withdrawn from the market and Ruger made an attempt to recall or confiscate all the guns sold. In an attempt to obtain maximum muzzle velocity, Silhouette shooters used light bullets and the result was flame etching of the top strap and corrosion of the forcing cone. As I understand it the undersized bullet allowed hot gases to blow past before it entered the forcing cone. Dan Wesson discovered that the flame etching stopped after a short distance. The forcing cone problem was "solved" by including an extra barrel with each gun. There is a 740 on Gunbroker now that has a bit of deterioration of the forcing cone I think. The solution was to use bullets of 170 grains or larger . Using 357 magnum will not be a problem except for the need for scrubbing the cylinders.
January 22, 2008
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DWF Supporters
February 3, 2015
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Ole Dog said
There are some issues you should know about if your heart is set on owning a 357 Supermag or Maximum. Originally chambered in Ruger Super Blackhawks, they were withdrawn from the market and Ruger made an attempt to recall or confiscate all the guns sold. In an attempt to obtain maximum muzzle velocity, Silhouette shooters used light bullets and the result was flame etching of the top strap and corrosion of the forcing cone. As I understand it the undersized bullet allowed hot gases to blow past before it entered the forcing cone. Dan Wesson discovered that the flame etching stopped after a short distance. The forcing cone problem was "solved" by including an extra barrel with each gun. There is a 740 on Gunbroker now that has a bit of deterioration of the forcing cone I think. The solution was to use bullets of 170 grains or larger . Using 357 magnum will not be a problem except for the need for scrubbing the cylinders.
Would this also have happened in the 445 Super Mag or was it not a problem in that chambering?
DWF Supporters
Dans Club
February 16, 2014
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Same for the 445 if you fire 44 mag or 44 special, these shorter cartridges leave residue which if not cleaned out thoroughly will interfere with the smooth chambering of the longer super mag.
February 7, 2009
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Ole Dog said
Silhouette shooters used light bullets and the result was flame etching of the top strap and corrosion of the forcing cone. As I understand it the undersized bullet allowed hot gases to blow past before it entered the forcing cone.
It wasn't Silhouette shooters, it was varmint hunters. In silhouette you only score a point if you knock over the target. The distances are fixed, so a flatter shooting bullet is not that big an advantage. Also, the Rams weigh 47 lbs. The heavier the bullet the better, so silhouette shooters always use 180 or heavier bullets.
Dan Wesson also minimized the flame cutting by specifying a .002" gap between the cylinder and forcing cone. I believe all of the supermag cartridge guns came with a .002 instead of a .006" feeler gauge.
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Dans Club
March 25, 2013
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You are so right NVGDude. That was my point though. Use heavier bullets. Redface, as far as I know there was not the same problem with the 445. Still, the gap is .002 in all the large frames I believe. But you have to keep the cylinder face clean.
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Moderators
January 24, 2009
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Ole Dog said
There are some issues you should know about if your heart is set on owning a 357 Supermag or Maximum. Originally chambered in Ruger Super Blackhawks, they were withdrawn from the market and Ruger made an attempt to recall or confiscate all the guns sold. In an attempt to obtain maximum muzzle velocity, Silhouette shooters used light bullets and the result was flame etching of the top strap and corrosion of the forcing cone. As I understand it the undersized bullet allowed hot gases to blow past before it entered the forcing cone. Dan Wesson discovered that the flame etching stopped after a short distance. The forcing cone problem was "solved" by including an extra barrel with each gun. There is a 740 on Gunbroker now that has a bit of deterioration of the forcing cone I think. The solution was to use bullets of 170 grains or larger . Using 357 magnum will not be a problem except for the need for scrubbing the cylinders.
From what I have read, this was done mainly to appease the overly vocal nay-sayers that were still fuming about the Ruger thing back then. Many (including my own) DW Model 40's still have that extra barrel in it's original wrapper. 
I see it as a testament to DW's "mettle". Others I've noticed have been used, but none of them particularly burnt & unusable. But who am I to say, maybe those had been replaced 6 times over. 
I am only SO old, after all.
Anyway, a shortened account of the final word can be read >HERE< from one of the guys on the front line of the development of the .357 Maxi, David Bradshaw. The man is sharp as a tack & has forgotten nothing...save his wife's honey-do-list.
wdelack said
A nice Wiki;
But as I often notice these days, that Wiki entry is severely lacking. 
Especially where the .375 is concerned. I (or a select few of our DWF brothers) should edit that thing one day & make it correct.
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