Info Please. S&W15-3/Bill Davis

M

Michaelm45

New member
I was looking at a model 15-3 today. Dealer said it was a bill davis target model.
It had a very heavy slab sided barrel, adj.front sight and a hole in the front trigger guard.
The action didn't seem that smooth and a heavy (I thought) sa pull.
Blueing not great and a ring around cylinder. All this for $300.
Does anyone have any information or thoughts on this??
Thanks in advance.
 
Huh! By your description, this sounds like a heavily modified target with a BAD trigger tuning. Pass at that price and condition. It sounds like a POJ.
 
If it is a Bill Davis custom gun it will likely have some indication of his name or initials somewhere on it - probably on the slab barrel. It might not either.
It is common practice for custom gun makers to buy the most basic version of the gun because they don't need any more than that. For instance this originally 4in barrel gun would be fitted with a new precision barrel (6in most likely). The 6in barrel version (Model 14) would have cost more to buy originally (in 1992 $425 vs $375). If it is a Davis gun it's getting on a bit now.
No reason why it shouldn't still be good if it's been reasonably well looked after. I expect it would be fitted with one of his grips (rubber, single finger groove - I have several of them and they are great).
The trigger job should be smooth with no perceptible staging - if it is heavy then that might be the way the last owner liked it - easy fixed - just back off the spring tension enough to make it light enough to set off Federal primers.
If it is a genuine Bill Davis gun it's worth having a careful look at - it's a piece of history. BTW all used blue guns have 'the ring' - can't be avoided. The only pull to consider is the DA - SA will be fine once the DA is right.
 
Sir William, Thanks, I think I will take your advice.

Blue Heeler, It looks like a PPC gun and most likely has had some hard use.
Reasonably well looked after is the question I'm asking myself. It does have the rubber grips. I think Bill Davis has closed his shop. Don't know if hes still around? I was kicking the history thing around because I met him some time ago in an S.F. gun shop.

Thanks again.
 
a real bill davis custom will have his signature etched on the side of the rib.

some of his custom guns did have a heavy DA pull, depending of customer specs, but it should be very smooth. they seldom touched the SA trigger pull, unless requested by the customer, as everyone was shooting DA at 50 yards. every PPC gun i saw, that had been through a couple of seasons, had a rind around the cylinder.

i can't imagine why there would be a hole in the front of the trigger guard...anyone else seen or heard of this?

bill's shop, in sacramento, has been closed for years...his son jeff wasn't that interested in taking it over.
 
last summer i bought a 15-2 with leather holster and an outstanding action for $150. because they only chamber 38spl, there's alot of good ones around for good prices.
 
OK. Bill Davis was the only guy capable of matching the smooth roller action of an Edgecombe. The action should be smooth and break like glass in single action. From the description, it isn't. There could just be gunk and aged oil residue. It sounds more like somebody has been at it. It would be a great restoration project. A buyer would have to be able to purchase it at around $199.00 to make it worth the time and money of restoration.
 
Someone told me the hole in front of the trigger guard was for adjusting the trigger stop. This didn't make any sense to me because the trigger would have to have a hole in it also.
I'm going to take another look at this latter this week.
I happened to see another Bill Davis at another shop this weekend. It was built on an N frame and was .44 mag. Looked real sharp. I didn't play with it.
Price $600.
 
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