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April 6, 2018
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I have this Dan Wesson 357 Mag it's designated by documentation and pricing receipt as a Dan Wesson Model 15 2V2 and was wondering if I can find out more about it and maybe it's approximate value. I took a cleaning patch to the barrels and only got some dust so I'm assuming it's only been factory test fired. Can't find one with the blue case lining and with the Bluing on it. It looks like black chrome in normal light and a more silverish color in bright sun light. Have spoken to several FFL's and non have seen one quite like it and one store has been in business over 50 years. Photos are included. It was manufactured about 4/1976 according to the documentation that was under the foam. Any assistance would help serial number is #7300XX. Been researching it for several days. Current owner of Dan Wesson has no records of this firearm.
I was told they did make limited runs of some firearms. Everything is original. It's been sitting in a safe since the mid 1980's
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Dans Club
December 4, 2011
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First off welcome to the forum.
Please stop by new members and introduce yourself.
Check that serial number, it has too many digits.
The gun appears to be a fairly common 15-2 vented shroud 357 magnum pistol Pac, hence the 15-2V designation.
Not sure what you mean by blue velvet, factory colors were bare foam, gold velour, brown velour. The reds and blues are usually done by owners.
Values vary widely based on your part of the country, time of year, gun condition, etc.
On Gunbroker pistol pacs are bringing 1500 and up.
Nice Pac by the way.
Anything worth doing is worth doing well.
My father
If a man designed it, and a man built it, then a man can fix it.
My grandfather
March 25, 2008
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I have a question on the serial number 7300xx is twice as high as any number I've ever seen. did you add a couple zeros.? nice looking pack! Did it come with the keys and looks like the base plastic for the case handle is missing which is quite common.
April 6, 2018
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Nope it's 6 digits double checked it.
Documentation also shows Model as "Dan Wesson 357 Magnum 15-1 V2V". Can't find anything else out about it. Contacted CZ-USA and they have no idea either. They said there were so many limited runs and special editions in the Dan Wesson line that they have no clue? Ran a cleaning patch through the barrels and no residue. It does have the factory test cartridge in the case. Wanting to contact Rock Island Auctions Monday.
Owner's wife says it's in the case just as it came when purchased. Her husband passed over 10 years ago.
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February 4, 2017
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How about a picture of the serial number and the documentation for posterity here amongst DW fans?
"LIFE IS TOO SHORT TO SPEND IT WITH AN UGLY GUN!" - John Taffin
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December 4, 2011
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Still looks like a 15-2, has the 15-2 rear sight. There is a 15-1 but it has a different rear sight. I agree, lets see the documentation on that model/serial number. There may be a missing link here we have not seen before.
Anything worth doing is worth doing well.
My father
If a man designed it, and a man built it, then a man can fix it.
My grandfather
April 6, 2018
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Most of the documentation is in the pictures. I have to get the gun to get a pic of the serial number.
Dans Club
March 2, 2008
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Based on the style of barrel tool, and the first three digits of the S/N, that is a 1977 gun. My first gun was a 15-2 #7261x purchased in 1977, I am very sure on the year for mine.
I went to a bookstore and asked the saleswoman "Were is the Self Help Section?" She said if she told me, it would defeat the purpose.
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December 4, 2011
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I don't mean to sound condescending, so don't take this as a criticism or a denigration of you or the gun, but that just looks like a run of the mill 15-2 pac to me with blue fabric. I've got a number of pacs like it as I'm sure a LOT of forum members have also. The bluing looks decent. Palmer guns tended to have a better polishing job than the Monson guns with more of a deep blue mirror look. But this is a Monson gun as it was made in 1976 according to the literature and that was before the Palmer years of production. If this gun were a .38 special it would be a model 9-2 and THAT would be uncommon in a full pistol pac. Perhaps Dan Wesson's weren't popular in your area and that is why nobody has seen one before. Also, that pac is 42 years old now so younger guys may not have seen one before, understandable as there not as common as S&W.
Members older than 50 will remember the days when you could go to the local gun store and buy a complete pac like this for $350. Frankly, I wish I'd bought dozens back in the day, I'd retire on what they have appreciated to today.
The black case and the 1976 date on the paperwork establish this as an early model. The earlier cases didn't originally come with any fabric, just bare foam. It's possible the owner put the blue fabric in the case to liven up the gray foam or to help protect the gun. I have never seen an original pac with black case with any fabric in it nor have I ever seen a factory case with blue fabric, not saying it didn't come that way, only that I have not seen one prior.
Where are you seeing 15-1V2V? I didn't see that in the paperwork. The parts diagram lists 14-2 and 15-2. A 15-1 was a pork chop gun. This is a -2 gun because it has the straight shrouds.
I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that the serial number is 5 digits 73xxx as that would be an earlier gun, consistent with a black case, pinned front sight and the hammer spur which looks serrated and not cross hatched like the later guns. Also, the highest six digit serial numbers seen to date are in the upper 300000 series. To have one with a 73xxxx would be about double what has previously been seen. So unless that is a custom number, something that was done back in the day, I'll bet the number is 73xxx. No early gun in a black case with pinned front sights would have had a 73xxxx serial number, it's just too far out of the range for the 1976 time frame. I have a gun in the 70000 serial number range that looks just like this one as well as others in the 50000 range that also look like this, so I'm going to stick with my assertion that the serial number is 5 digits, unless we see photos of the roll marked number to prove otherwise.
As to value, they are fetching up into the $2000 range on auction so if someone is offering her $2200, that would be about right. I doubt it will fetch much more than that at auction, and depending on the auction house, there may be a sellers commission to be paid.
In fact, if I were bidding on this gun, I'd subtract a few bucks for the blue fabric as it's not consistent with the age of the gun. A yellow or dark tan would be a closer approximation of an original offering but still not in character with a 1976 black cased gun.
Anything worth doing is worth doing well.
My father
If a man designed it, and a man built it, then a man can fix it.
My grandfather
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March 25, 2013
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Everything Scorpio told you is 100% correct except I think the value is closer to 1600 then 2000. If someone will pay you 2200 you should take it.
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February 4, 2017
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And, I added with a sly wink (
)...
If you were offered 22 for it, why has it been on Armslist for the past few days at 19 and change?
Me also thinks if you can't get an answer here...you ain't gettin' an answer. Least ways, not one you wanna hear.
"LIFE IS TOO SHORT TO SPEND IT WITH AN UGLY GUN!" - John Taffin
April 6, 2018
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I'll get a picture when I can. Thanks for everyone's input.
April 6, 2018
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Put it on armslist to get a feel for what it might go for. Lots of interest but she wants more? It's her gun to sell. I just got a chance to take a few pics. We will see. Personally I'm just doing her a favor no commission on my end. Glad to get all of your input. Maybe she'll believe me that I could get $1700 for it and that's about it. I'm surprised I was offered over 2K for it. This shop has 1000's of firearms in it's inventory and I was Leary when he gave me the $2200 price to buy it out right. I'll be in Rock Island in a week or so so I'll bring it to them for appraisal.
Thanks.
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