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December 11, 2012
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Im glad I found this forum! Ive been looking at Gp100s and 686s for a while now and came across what I think will be a decent deal on a Dan Wesson 15. I found a couple on a local trade site and fell in love with the design. I decided to trade my slightly used SigSaur 2022 for a old Monson produced 15. It has a 6" barrel with the rib vent. Bluing is faded but no pitting or spotting. Im gonna look at it tomorrow evening and hopefully do the trade. Im guessing my sig is worth $350-$375. I will have to get a barrel tool and any extra barrels I want but I was looking for a 6" revolver so I will be fine for a while.
Any advice before I look at it?
Here is the picture from the ad...
Dans Club
March 2, 2008
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Welcome to DWF, I think you are set for a pretty decent trade. If you are not very experienced with revolvers, this can help you do a function check:
In addition to checking the general cosmetic appearance, examine the top strap, above the cylinder above the cylinder gap for extreme flame cutting. You may see some scoring but watch for a deep cut. I would also examine the alignment of the cylinder in the frame, even (but not necessarily equal) gaps top/bottom/front/back. Check the front and back of the cylinder for wear that might indicate alignment problems. And dry fire in SA and DA, with permission of the owner. I disagree with the quoted article about dry firing, there should never be an issue (except in a rimfire gun) with a couple of dry fires, especially in a revolver.
Also, always with the Dan Wesson, examine the barrel nut for sharp, clean notches with no evidence of "rounding" or smoothing the notches, which can make barrel removal challenging.
You can learn a little more about how the DW operates by taking a quick run through this Topic:
https://www.danwessonforum.com/forum/reloading/tuning-up-your-15-2-the-average-joe-method/
Good Luck!
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.
George Carlin
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Dans Club
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November 17, 2008
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Welcome neighbor. The DW in the pic is a model 15-2 V6 the flagship of the Monson era. It will be a great gun if you choose to bring her home. Also any questions you have someone here will have the answer. Good luck and enjoy the site.
LB
Wisdom is merely the realization of how little one knows, therefore I am wise.
January 22, 2008
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Welcome! Let us know how the trade goes.
December 11, 2012
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Trade went great. The owner seemed like a good guy and was cool to talk to. The gun shows some holster wear on the sides of the barrel but other than that it looks great. It has a Hogue Grip on it. I have very limited knowledge of revolvers but I tried my best to inspect it before I bought it. The inside of the barrel looks great. The rifling looks good with no weird marks or pitting. The timing looks good from what I can tell. The cylinder/barrel gap looks really tight though. It doesnt make contact but is really tight. I looked down the barrel and shined a light behind the cylinder and timing looks good. I did notice some play in the cylinder. I dont know what is normal or how much play would be acceptable. I want to check and clean the gun thoroughly before shooting it this weekend.
I do have to say though, I am SHOCKED by the trigger on this thing. There is absolutely no creep or play in the SA trigger and the DA is very crisp and short. The SA trigger pull is also very light. Feels lighter than my Ruger 1911 which is around 4 pounds. Im used to semi autos so this wheel gun trigger just seems awesome. Ive heard some bad things said about the Dan Wessons DA triggers but I have no complaints at all about it.
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Dans Club
December 4, 2011
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The barrel/cylinder gap should be .006" and its adjustable. You'll need a barrel wrench to loosen and remove the barrel nut at the muzzel. On the right side of this page is a link to EWKArms, he makes simply the finest barrel wrenchs for our guns. If you don't have one, you need one.
I love the trigger pull on my Dans. Those that have problems usually need to do a tuen up on their guns. See the thread on this forum titled "Average Joe Method" in gunsmithing subforum. Excellent tutorial on doing a tune up to your 15-2.
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
December 11, 2012
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Ive been reading the stickys. Im definitly going to order a barrel wrench. I do have a couple of newbie questions.
The factory rear sight seems loose. I can shake it with my hand. Is this common? Should I just tighten it?
How much play is normal in the cylinder? I know ZERO is what I really want but this is a 30 year old used gun. If I push back on it really hard I hear a click. It doesnt move enough to feel/see it move but I can hear it click a little like it does have some movement. Also Im getting a tiny bit of side to side spinning play. Not much. Probably less than a 1/32.
And lastly, I can grab the barrel with one hand and the frame with the other and twist and I get a small click too like its not completly tight(Has no in or out play at all though). Im almost wondering if someone has had it apart and didnt tighten everything up good? Im really being picky with it before I take it to shoot. This gun is going to purely be a woods/truck gun so it doesnt have to be perfect but I want it to be accurate and shoot everytime.
I really wish I had another revolver to compare it to.
Dans Club
March 2, 2008
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Your cylinder play should not be a problem. Remember that with a DW your cylinder positions front and rear, the front with the latch and the rear against a spring loaded ball. Other revolvers lock at the rear only, and need to be locked up pretty tight at that one point. The DW locks at the front, and centers for position at the rear.
The barrel shroud indexes at the rear with a hole in the shroud and a frame mounted roll pin to keep it aligned, there may be some play in the hole/pin alignment which is easily fixed.
Frankly, there's no other "revolver to compare it to"
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.
George Carlin
December 11, 2012
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Thanks so much for the responses. Im glad Im on a forum where guys know their stuff. Im gonna go shoot the gun today. I already have so many accessories I want to get. Im even thinking of buying an 8" barrel and scope to hunt with it. Ive always wanted to hunt with a handgun and now I really can. The bluing is in a little worse shape than I had hoped but like I said its going to be used. I cant help from want to get it reblued though and get a nice wood grip.
I think Im going to stick around this forum for a while. Seems like their is a lot of good information floating around and no B.S. to contend with.
Dans Club
DWF Supporters
April 20, 2010
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Iron,
Glad you are sticking around, it looks like you got a great first Dan. You are right there are a lot of great guys here who really are very informative.
If you want a very nice wood grip, you might check out LB Custom Grips on the right of this screen. He is a forum member and I dare say gifted at making beautiful grips for Dan Wesson revolvers.
-Lonwolf
"The lion and the tiger may be more powerful, but the Wolf does not perform in the circus"
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