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February 9, 2026
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Hello Folks !
I live in France and just got given a Dan Wesson Supermag by a friend at the range. Theses are pretty rare around here, also it is very hard to get spare parts.
Already showed it to a gunsmith that told me it wasn't worth it. But you have to know that in France most of gunsmith won't take time to have a look at any problem that loos to complicated, they spend most of their time trying to sell brand new guns and don't lose much time fixing "exotic" ones.
The only option I got now is to try and fix it myself.
There are two issues :
- Cylinder is wobbling when it is not locked into the frame, there is play on the crane axis.
-> I removed the cylinder using your fantastic guide on the forum, and noticed that the axis (shown on the picture) can be taken off the crane. Not sure it is normal because the crane looks to be one single part. What do you thing about it, and how to fix ?
- When the hammer is cocked, the cylinder doesn't rotate, the hand moves but get stuck on the extractor, it has to be done "by hand" , I guess the hand might be worn of and has to be replaced. Apart from that the cylinder locks properly.
-> There are absolutely now way to get a hand in France and I see that most people on eBay won't deliver it. Maybe someone got an idea ? By watching the picture does it looks worn off ?
Thanks for reading !!!!
April 18, 2016
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I once sent a Luger recoil spring to some one in Europe. Wolfe refused to ship it to them. It was simply a spring for the purpose of assorted regulations. A Dan Wesson hand is not a "firearm", at least in the U.S.
P.S. I once sold a pistol to someone in France. That WAS a project complying with assorted regulations.
DWF Supporters
March 5, 2024
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monstreplant said
Hello Folks !I live in France and just got given a Dan Wesson Supermag by a friend at the range. Theses are pretty rare around here, also it is very hard to get spare parts.
Already showed it to a gunsmith that told me it wasn't worth it. But you have to know that in France most of gunsmith won't take time to have a look at any problem that loos to complicated, they spend most of their time trying to sell brand new guns and don't lose much time fixing "exotic" ones.
The only option I got now is to try and fix it myself.
Picture 1
There are two issues :
- Cylinder is wobbling when it is not locked into the frame, there is play on the crane axis.
-> I removed the cylinder using your fantastic guide on the forum, and noticed that the axis (shown on the picture) can be taken off the crane. Not sure it is normal because the crane looks to be one single part. What do you thing about it, and how to fix ?
Picture 2
- When the hammer is cocked, the cylinder doesn't rotate, the hand moves but get stuck on the extractor, it has to be done "by hand" , I guess the hand might be worn of and has to be replaced. Apart from that the cylinder locks properly.
Picture 3
-> There are absolutely now way to get a hand in France and I see that most people on eBay won't deliver it. Maybe someone got an idea ? By watching the picture does it looks worn off ?
Thanks for reading !!!!
To be clear, there are two "shafts" on the crane... the upper one that the cylinder rotates around and the lower one the cylinder assembly pivots on when opening the gun. In both cases, there should be no wobbling
I am not a DW expert nor a gunsmith in general, however I can say, on my .357 Supermag, the cylinder does not wobble on the upper shaft when opened... just rotates smoothly. When opening/opened the lower shaft is stable without any movement in any direction, just a smooth pivot.
The lower crane shaft should not, I would expect, not to come apart easily. The lower shaft would appear to be a press fit and should not "pull out" without significant effort. If that one is loose, I do not know how one could mechanically "tighten" the fitment up. Depending on how loose it is, shim stock might do... not sure if that is proper gunsmith method but a consideration. Given that the "splines" (don't know the proper name for the groves on the end) would press in the crane to make a tight fit; if those are damaged such that they no longer can grip the shaft then JB Weld is Desperation Plan B (I know, DW fans, please suppress you gag reflex to that suggestion)... something has to take up the excess space... if you can't find a good machinist to make proper adjustments and can't find a replacement then if done carefully (being sure the lower shaft stays exactly parallel to the upper one) it should do for some range shooting.
I would guess the 3 prime candidates are #33, #38 or #43. The condition of #33 should be assessed for excess ware so the hand gets stuck... or else the pull back spring is weak.
I have both a hand and spring and willing to ship to you.
That's as much "help" as I can give.
Dans Club
December 5, 2008
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Your hand (#38) does not look excessively worn to me. I think that when the cylinder falls slightly out of alignment that it causes the hand to bind against the ejector star. If you solve the cylinder alignment problem I believe that should make your other problem go away.
I'm sure you can find a good machinist in your area. I think that is your best option. Most of our local gunsmiths don't know anything about Dan Wessons either and tend to do more harm than good.
Good luck and let us know how it goes.
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Dans Club
March 25, 2013
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The crane may be bent by someone Bogarting the cylinder closed. That is flipping the gun to close the cylinder like Humphrey Bogart was wont to do in his movies. It should never be done to a revolver.
I have had success in shipping parts ,even a barrel tube ,to Columbia by mixing them in with a box of junk parts like screws ,tubes ,etc. Lamp parts are good for that.
Keep sending pictures and we may be able to figure it out . Gunsmiths everywhere are woefully ignorant of Dan Wessons. They can ruin a Dan. Dan Wessons were designed to not need a gunsmith for most repairs. Being not easily able to get parts is a terrible problem but if we can figure it out I am sure. Some Forum member can mail you a pile of lamp parts.
Dan Wessons are extremely durible. Almost as durible as the finest revolvers ever made, Manurhins. A shot out barrel is easily replaced in minutes. If you can get barrel tubes sent. There are a lot of extra 357 Supermag barrels floating around. DW included an extra barrel with every gun . It was their solution to the problem of forcing cone erosion from using too light bullets in the hunt for speed.
They look very much like the tube inside a lamp fixture BTW. Manurhins are what Dan Wesson could have been if they spared no expense. Manurhin even copied Dan Wessons in the late eighties by having interchangable barrels and shrouds. They also had interchangeable calibers( Cylinders), something Dan Wesson never did.
Your 357 Supermag, a model 740, is a fabulous ,iconic revolver worth ever effort to get fixed. They can chamber 38 Special, 357 Magnum, DW 360, 357 Maximum and 357 Supermag.
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