Feeler gauge adjustment Dan Wesson mod 15?

P

PugetSound5

New member
Hi. I have a couple of questions regarding a Dan Wesson model 15VH (of Monson MA manufacture). And yes, it’s a beauty and I can see myself buying a new DW pistol pack in the future. :D
Trigger feels good too.

I’d like some info on the proper use of the feeler gauge. I feel, after doing it a few times, that the gauge (0.06) has to left between the barrel (forcing cone; is that what’s that portion of the barrel is called?) and the cylinder until the shroud assembly has been tightened (but please correct me if I’m wrong on that point).

Now, what I have for a manual is the reprint of a magazine article, which says that the barrel should be “hand-tight” against the gauge. My question is, how tight? Should the gauge be removable without any forcing, meaning that you’d tighten the barrel just so against the gauge and then un-tighten it just a tad to let the gauge pull without forcing? Or should the barrel be tight enough against the gauge that there is friction when the gauge is pulled out? This last procedure does not quite feel right to me…

The other question is about grips. I have looked at the system by removing the grip on mine and it’s pretty nifty but… are grips for this older model still made? By whom? Or better yet is Wesson Firearms still using that same system on the new guns?

Finally, I read about the transfer bar safety and it said that it protects against the “accidental” fall of the hammer. Anyone care to explain this one?

Thanks in advance for the info,

PS5
 
Hi,

Hand tighten then back off to allow the gauge to slip out then tighten the barrel nut.

The transfer bar will only rise up between hammer and firing pin when the trigger is pulled fully to the rear. If the hammer should fall without a trigger pull (as in somebody taking too much off the single action notch in an attempt at a trigger job), the hamemr cannot impact the firing pin.

I'm not sure but I imagine the new Dan Wesson is still making frames the same way. Hogue and pachmayr both used to make grips for the Dan Wessons (.22s, .32s and .357s use "small frame" size) in both frame sizes.
 
I don't use the guage on my 744. I hold the pistol up to the light and tighten the barrel until I can't see light between the barrel and cylinder, and then I back it off just a little, and run the cylinder around to make sure there is no dragging. I'm guessing its around .02 gap. I've had no dragging doing this, even with extended shooting and I'm getting amazing accuracy.
 
RE: Brian Bush

I don't use the guage on my 744. I hold the pistol up to the light and tighten the barrel until I can't see light between the barrel and cylinder, and then I back it off just a little, and run the cylinder around to make sure there is no dragging. I'm guessing its around .02 gap. I've had no dragging doing this, even with extended shooting and I'm getting amazing accuracy.

Couldn't that create a problem (from heat) if the gap is too narrow? In rec.guns, I have read some stuff about some Taurus revolver users having cylinder lockups due to small gap/tolerances.

PS5
 
It hasn't created a problem yet, and I've run some pretty hot loads in extended shooting sessions. FWIW, mine has seemed to be pretty hard to heat up at all. I know of others that run a smaller gap as well, .02-.04 seems to be the "sweet spot". Remember .06 is a maximum gap figure, not a minimum.
 
On cylinder gaps:

Some of you are saying ".02" when you mean ".002". Considering that we have a novice inquiring into these matters, I would recommend everyone use the correct term.

I have a nice .38Snubbie with a gap right at .002". There is a velocity increase gained with that sort of gap, you lose less pressure behind the round as it's travelling down-tube. In a marginal caliber or short barrel, esp. .38spl from a 2" barrel, that tight gap may be the difference between a hollowpoint opening or not.

The "downside" to that gap is that depending on load, somewhere after about 40 rounds it may start to get sticky. I have to swing the cylinder out and wipe down the front of the cylinder and back of the barrel every 50 shots or so. It only takes seconds, and isn't anything that would keep the gun from working in a fight so long as you keep it normal-grade clean.

So you'll always see me recommending a gap near .002 to .003.

On transfer bars:

To fire, your hammer needs to hit the transfer bar, which hits the firing pin, which hits the primer. If the hammer falls forward without the transfer bar in the "up" position, the hammer will hit the frame and the firing pin won't be touched.

The transfer bar rises with the trigger pulled back. With nothing on the trigger, you can pound on the hammer with a *carpenter's* hammer and the firing pin won't move so much as a fraction.

The other option is the hammer-BLOCK safety. Pulling the trigger removes a barrier to the hammer's full forward movement. The hammer has the firing pin directly mounted on it.

The differences between the two are minimal.

The hammer-mounted firing pin can be somewhat fragile. Drop the gun fully cocked, and it can break off. Reliability of the two safety mechanisms themselves are pretty similar, with a theoretical nod going to the transfer bar. The T-Bar system needs a slightly heavier mainspring because each time one part of the system whacks another there's slight mechanical loss...that's why old S&Ws and Colts from the 60's/70's often have better trigger feel than you can get with a modern Ruger, DW or transfer-bar based S&W.

I've handled a DW model 15, and was very impressed. My only complaint is the cylinder release location but I could adapt if I had to.

Oh ya: Packmeyr sells good rubber grips for the DWs...I'm very fond of the Compac:

http://www.pachmayr.com/clrgcg.html

Hey, they still make the Gripper for DWs too:
http://www.pachmayr.com/clrggg.html

And the Presentations, although that sure ain't my cuppa:
http://www.pachmayr.com/clrgpg.html

--------------

As to DW prices, here in Calif anything that's not on the current list but you get a chance at private-transfer may fetch a premium. With the probable upcoming total ban on the sale of anything but electronic "smart guns" in a few years, people are on a buying frenzy to get all possible needs squared away. So if you're in Calif, $900 for that "pistol pack" via private transfer at a dealer may not be all that crazy.

God I hate this state.

Jim
 
Thanks Jim. Excellent info all around. Much appreciated. For the cylinder gap, I understood that we are talking 2 decimals numbers here :)

In ref to the price of a used DW pistol pack in CA, as discussed in another thread, it's a sad situation indeed. But my take on this is that in CA like in other states, the pendulum can swing, particularly with the option of voting in popular referenda. In WA, where I live, we had one a few years ago to abolish preferential treatment based on race or gender. It passed. We very recently had another one that dropped the annual automobile tab to $35 (it used to be anywhere from several hundred to over a thousand bucks depending on the value of a car). In CA, they had that big tax revolt and referendum in the seventies (and plenty more "propositions" since then) and you can multiples examples of it all around the US. It does not take that many signatures to get things going. People get fed up about something and they have that referendum option to change things. Some states have been switching to less restrictive CCW laws and the President is pro-second amendment. I remain optimistic on this.

PS5
 
Brian, no sweat, normally I wouldn't have even mentioned it but the most common source of feeler gauges for most people are the automotive type. So it's critical people get the right stuff :).

PS5: while I detest this state's laws, I'm not by any means giving up. I'm the lead plaintiff and lead investigator in a lawsuit against my Sheriff and others in Contra Costa County, Calif regarding misconduct in the CCW system here. My website hasn't been updated in a while because during discover, I can't risk showing my hand but trust me, it's going wildly, shockingly, flamboyantly well :).

The goal is to turn the whole state shall-issue via judicial decree. We're well on our way to pulling it off.

Jim March
Equal Rights for CCW Home Page
http://www.ninehundred.com/~equalccw
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top