Just so you don't think I'm making this up: (My wife accuses me of that sometimes!)
From the old archived Dan Wesson Website:
http://web.archive.org/web/20010826091600/http://www.danwessonfirearms.com/FAQs.htm
INTERCHANGEABILITY
Cylinder/caliber interchange?
We don't sell cylinders, crane assemblies or extractor assemblies and only allow replacement of these components and assemblies to be performed at our factory service department.
The reason for this is that each double action cylinder is different and a number of parts and assemblies have to be fitted specifically to each individual cylinder and frame to ensure that the chamber in battery position ranges with the barrel.
For this same reason cylinders cannot be interchanged on a double action revolver allowing caliber changes. Beyond that, we thread the frame end of barrels of each caliber differently to prevent putting a barrel of one caliber on a frame with a cylinder of a different, especially a larger, caliber--basically, we want to keep our owners and shooters around! We also do not change the cartridge capability of our revolvers, as this would negate the accuracy of BATF records regarding your revolver, and we certainly wouldn't want to upset the folks at BATF, now, would we?
Sounds like they have had a change of policy. Sounds good to me. I never have liked the "restricted" status some manufactures put on parts.
I am curious if they are selling these as "conversion kits" meaning that they are threading the 22LR barrel to the 357mag specs, or if the 22 & 357 barrels have been threaded the same all along. I will check tonight & report my findings for informational value, anyway it sounds like you will be getting what you wanted, which is great. My purpose in posting was just so you wouldn't spend a couple hundred dollars on parts you couldn't use. Sounds like that's not the case and that's a good thing.
An expensive lesson from a while back:
After much searching I purchased a stainless DW 41mag from a seller on an online auction. I paid a premium for it, as the 41mags had seemed to dry up and were hard to find. A new baby & job changes forced that revolver to sit in the safe for almost a year before I had the chance to shoot it. Upon firing, all six cases split down the side. Accuracy was poor. Come to find out I had actually been sold a 44magnum with a 41mag shroud. (Before you flame, remember that a 44 mag is actually a .429 - not much difference).
44 mag barrels threaded right in, 41 mag did not. Too much time had passed to go back on the selleing dealer, who may not have known either if he never fired the gun.
So, in addition to paying a premium for the gun, I had to buy another proper barrel shroud before I could sell the gun. (I already had 2 44 mag pistol pacs, so I had no interest in keeping it.)So, be careful what you buy!
