Dan Wesson model 15
- Thread starter militant
- Start date
Is it a 15, or a 15-2?
What barrel length?
FWIW I have had my 6" VH for ever & still like it!
The only problem common to them is a light primer strike in D/A mode. If you reload keep this in mind when picking primers. Also check the D/A cocking if you replace the grips as the grip screw length is critical & some aftermarket grip screws are too long & bind up the D/A action.
What barrel length?
FWIW I have had my 6" VH for ever & still like it!
The only problem common to them is a light primer strike in D/A mode. If you reload keep this in mind when picking primers. Also check the D/A cocking if you replace the grips as the grip screw length is critical & some aftermarket grip screws are too long & bind up the D/A action.
I got mine for a pretty good price but it's turning out to be a problem child. I'm not giving up yet, but I have been frustrated.
On the bad side:
It's not great looking, the frame seems to have a plum-color while the barrel shroud looks like it's in better shape. But I don't care all too much about how it looks, especially for the price I paid.
The D/A pull is awful, just awful. It's quite heavy, it's not smooth, it's worse than most Taurus revolvers I've owned or used. I'm accustomed to S&W revolvers, OEM with no work done to them, and this one is just plain awful.
I get light primer strikes all the time when I attempt D/A shooting with it. The grip was difficult to remove as it had corroded or rusted just a bit so it was stuck on there and hard to get off, so I wonder if that has anything to do with the light strikes. The point made above about grip screw length makes me want to investigate it further.
Lastly, some idiot tightened the barrel nut too tightly. Of course I am the idiot, I'm sure you saw that coming.
Is this one of those deals where sticking it in the freezer over night will help me to remove it?
On the good side:
It's got a terrific single action trigger break. Not hair light, but little noticeable over travel and a clean break, I like it.
It's completely in time and this is one of the first things I seem to find in revolvers they haven't been taken care of, so I'm happy this one is right.
It's accurate, no problems with that and no complaints. But I can't enjoy it's accuracy because of the laundry list of other problems.
It's also a problem for me personally because regardless of what I paid for it -- I simply can't sell it because I know it's a problem child. So for me, it's going to be a project gun if I can ever get anywhere with it, and it's also likely to be a handload experimentation device where I can run some of my harsher stuff without worrying about pushing one of my very much loved other guns.
(NO, I'm, not reckless, I'm a responsible handloader, but I think you know what I'm talking about here)
On the bad side:
It's not great looking, the frame seems to have a plum-color while the barrel shroud looks like it's in better shape. But I don't care all too much about how it looks, especially for the price I paid.
The D/A pull is awful, just awful. It's quite heavy, it's not smooth, it's worse than most Taurus revolvers I've owned or used. I'm accustomed to S&W revolvers, OEM with no work done to them, and this one is just plain awful.
I get light primer strikes all the time when I attempt D/A shooting with it. The grip was difficult to remove as it had corroded or rusted just a bit so it was stuck on there and hard to get off, so I wonder if that has anything to do with the light strikes. The point made above about grip screw length makes me want to investigate it further.
Lastly, some idiot tightened the barrel nut too tightly. Of course I am the idiot, I'm sure you saw that coming.
Is this one of those deals where sticking it in the freezer over night will help me to remove it?On the good side:
It's got a terrific single action trigger break. Not hair light, but little noticeable over travel and a clean break, I like it.
It's completely in time and this is one of the first things I seem to find in revolvers they haven't been taken care of, so I'm happy this one is right.
It's accurate, no problems with that and no complaints. But I can't enjoy it's accuracy because of the laundry list of other problems.
It's also a problem for me personally because regardless of what I paid for it -- I simply can't sell it because I know it's a problem child. So for me, it's going to be a project gun if I can ever get anywhere with it, and it's also likely to be a handload experimentation device where I can run some of my harsher stuff without worrying about pushing one of my very much loved other guns.
(NO, I'm, not reckless, I'm a responsible handloader, but I think you know what I'm talking about here)
Sevens, the trigger pull shouldn't be like that. Have you pulled the side plate off? Could be lots of gunk in there. May need a cleaning and some new lube. Replacing the main spring may fix the light strikes as well. EWK sells a kit that's pretty cheap and has a number of goodies.
http://www.ewkarms.com/zencart/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=12&products_id=19
http://www.ewkarms.com/zencart/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=12&products_id=19
Misssissippi Dave
New member
I bought one in the late 70's. I always regreted having to sell it.
Early this year I finally got another one. It has a full lug vented 4" barrel. It is fun to shoot and has made every range trip since I got it. One day I hope to get a complete pistol kit. I generally don't shoot much at 25 yards any more. With the Dan Wesson I can easily keep all rounds in center of mass at 25 yards. Someone that can see better than I can will probably be able to tighten the group size easily.
I have some springs coming in soon to see if I can't improve the double action a little. The single action is close to a 5 pound trigger pull. It feels a lot less since it is quite smooth and breaks clean. Timing is great. My only problem has been easy to fix. Accuracy was not very good. I checked the cylinder gap and tighten the barrel nut properly. It has been great ever since. I prefer to shoot magnum ammo only with the rubber presentation grips on it. They suck up the recoil nicely. The wood grips work well for .38 specials as do the rubber grips. The wood grips do look nicer. I think the grips should be removed a couple of times a year. Then you can clean and lubricate the metal. This should make removing them easy to do and should prevent corrosion under the grips.
Early this year I finally got another one. It has a full lug vented 4" barrel. It is fun to shoot and has made every range trip since I got it. One day I hope to get a complete pistol kit. I generally don't shoot much at 25 yards any more. With the Dan Wesson I can easily keep all rounds in center of mass at 25 yards. Someone that can see better than I can will probably be able to tighten the group size easily.
I have some springs coming in soon to see if I can't improve the double action a little. The single action is close to a 5 pound trigger pull. It feels a lot less since it is quite smooth and breaks clean. Timing is great. My only problem has been easy to fix. Accuracy was not very good. I checked the cylinder gap and tighten the barrel nut properly. It has been great ever since. I prefer to shoot magnum ammo only with the rubber presentation grips on it. They suck up the recoil nicely. The wood grips work well for .38 specials as do the rubber grips. The wood grips do look nicer. I think the grips should be removed a couple of times a year. Then you can clean and lubricate the metal. This should make removing them easy to do and should prevent corrosion under the grips.