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February 29, 2012
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Not much to add to this except different bullet weights will often shoot higher or lower with different length barrel assemblies, as will high velocity (faster/slower) ammunition as well. It's more of a challenge to hit point of aim with a fixed sight gun, rather than one with adjustable sights.
I personally would also shoot the gun off hand, as sometimes shooting a rested gun will change its POI, but I agree something seems wonky with the rear site looking bent the way it is.
The rear sight should look something more like this on a large frame Dan:
You may also want to try and shoot some lighter 180 grain - 200 grain weight 44 Magnum ammunition in the gun, as well as trying some heavier 300 grain 44 bullets to see where they impact after you get your barrel tool.
You might find that one load hits higher, and one hits lower, and another bullet weight ends up being "just right".
- Bullwolf
September 21, 2014
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The results of this weekend's efforts are excellent, and at the same time inconclusive. The short version is that I now have a Dan Wesson 744 ready for deer season; shooting with a very nice point blank range out to a little over 100 meters. This makes sense with the data I was reading for the the 240 grain moving at about 1400+ feet/second.
The long version follows, with variables that I changed and what I think it was going on.
What I changed:
1) Swapped just the barrel from the spare shroud/barrel combo into the same shroud I was using before. (I need to go back, after deer season, and try the original barrel again. I think it may shoot just fine)
2) Regapped the cylinder/barrel gap to .003 on the tightest spot (it was .011, no surprise that I'm feeling a great deal less blowback from the gases.)
3) (This is the one I think really did the trick) I noticed in other DWforum photos that guns with B-Square scope mounts had the B-Square logo on the same side as the Monson markings on the frame. When I picked up the gun mine was the opposite of this. It seems one of the holes is larger than the other in the mounting bracket and, when the orientation is correct, the larger hole allows the mount to drop lower in the back/higher in the front. I adjusted the set screws and Voila!
At this point, I'm leaving the gun as it is for deer season. It's shooting very consistently. That said, there are a number of things I don't yet know:
A) Does the first barrel have a problem or was it simply the scope mount? My thought is that it was the scope mount. The gun was shooting great groups but they were climbing incredibly fast... that sounds like scope mounts to me.
B) Why was the gun shooting such huge rises with the iron sights if the scope mount was the issue? This has me baffled, and I didn't take the scope off to try to figure it out. As some of you pointed out, it looks like the rear sight has been banged around a bit. It's solid right now and when deer season is over I'll look into it more thoroughly. For now, I think the humbling answer to this question may be that I'm a horrible shot with iron sights. When I fired several groups with the scope and they were rising drastically I removed the scope and fired with the iron sights. BUT, I didn't fire that many shots (being cheap and not wanting to waste bullets) I only fired one shot from each distance and it may have been a complete fluke that these shots patterned with the rising groups I fired with the scope on. I'm hoping this is an error based on small sample size. I'll know when I fire more rounds with the scope off.
C) What could I gain by changing loads? Much of this can be answered with a handy ballistics calculator. I'll be looking for a Whitetail deer load that is accurate and has a the longest point blank range I can get. I don't necessarily want to shoot all that far but, with my rifles, I'm stuck on the idea that the fewer things I have to think about at trigger time the better things go all around. I'll be checking the reloading tab on the Forum as time allows.
For now, I can't thank you enough for your suggestions and coaching (both on the forum and in pm). These are things I would have asked my Grandfather, and he would have liked it. Had this medium for conversation and knowledge sharing been around before he passed I think he would have been on the computer a great deal.
Thanks, again.
Dans Club
April 18, 2014
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DW Brand.....Best revolvers ever made..
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April 25, 2008
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Jdw said
Thanks IHMSA80x80 and Steve CT.Now that you point it out, I compared my rear sight to other photos and it does look as though it is bent a bit and not seating perfectly in the frame. It feels solid right now, so I'm not going to mess with it until after I get a look at the barrel. My feeling is that I might loosen it with more bending and, while it may be a contributing factor, I don't think the drop I gain will make up for a 6 inch rise in bullet flight in the 15 meters between 10 and 25! : ) Did it make that much difference in yours?
I couldn't tell you, as I replaced the bent rear sight with another spare one that I had before I shot the gun.
The Savantist
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