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December 6, 2016
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Hi. I'm way down south in Louisiana and the proud new owner of two DW .357s. I'm hoping to find out more info about these weapons and put together at least one complete pistol pack set. 
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January 24, 2009
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Hi & 
to the
I saw your post in the "which model do I have" thread, so thank you for taking the time to also post an intro in New Members.
So you have two "-2" guns there, the 8" barrel with adjustable rear sights is a 15-2, and the 2.5" barrel with fixed rear sights is a 14-2 model. Neither of the Pachmayr grips are original to either gun, however the "Gripper" on the 14-2 is generally accepted as the more sought after of the two...FWIW to you.
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DWF Supporters
June 11, 2016
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Welcome from Wisconsin!
Dans Club
December 5, 2008
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from Florida. Nice pair of Dans. I especially like the Barney effect. The blueing turns purple on many of the older guns, mainly on the frames. Some like & some don't, but it does not affect functionality or life of the gun.
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Dans Club
February 22, 2009
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Welcome to the DWF from Beauregard Parish.
Technically, the glass is always full; half liquid, half air....
December 6, 2016
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Charger Fan said
So you have two "-2" guns there, the 8" barrel with adjustable rear sights is a 15-2, and the 2.5" barrel with fixed rear sights is a 14-2 model. Neither of the Pachmayr grips are original to either gun, however the "Gripper" on the 14-2 is generally accepted as the more sought after of the two...FWIW to you.
Thanks for the info. It's actually worth a lot to know more info about them! Serials are 303xxx (14-2) and 119xxx(15-2). I read that the serial databases are incomplete, but do you have an educated guess on manufacture date?
Also, is either model more collectible than the other? I was thinking about swapping the barrels (and the grips) and keeping the 15-2, because it appears to be in better shape.
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Dans Club
March 25, 2013
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The 14-2 was made around 1980. The 15-2 was made around 1976 or 77. The 15-2 is the more valuable and will show greater appreciation IMHO. The barrel assemblies compatible. The14-2 is a fixed sight gun. If you put the 2" BA on the 15-2 it will not shoot to point of aim. The front sight would be to low. The gun would shoot high. The 8" on the fixed sight gun would shoot low. It is possible to put a sight from EWK on the 8" shroud that would correct that. The grippers can be switched.
Dans Club
March 2, 2008
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Ole Dog said
The 14-2 was made around 1980. The 15-2 was made around 1976 or 77. The 15-2 is the more valuable and will show greater appreciation IMHO. The barrel assemblies compatible. The14-2 is a fixed sight gun. If you put the 2" BA on the 15-2 it will not shoot to point of aim. The front sight would be to low. The gun would shoot high. The 8" on the fixed sight gun would shoot low. It is possible to put a sight from EWK on the 8" shroud that would correct that. The grippers can be switched.
Welcome to DWF, and thanks for posting in new members
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Steve
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December 6, 2016
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Ole Dog said
The 14-2 was made around 1980. The 15-2 was made around 1976 or 77. The 15-2 is the more valuable and will show greater appreciation IMHO. The barrel assemblies compatible. The14-2 is a fixed sight gun. If you put the 2" BA on the 15-2 it will not shoot to point of aim. The front sight would be to low. The gun would shoot high. The 8" on the fixed sight gun would shoot low. It is possible to put a sight from EWK on the 8" shroud that would correct that. The grippers can be switched.
Thanks for the great info! That's a fantastically helpful observation on the barrels. I didn't think about it but I see exactly what you are saying. And the 15-2 seems to be in a little better shape, so that's the one I would like to hold onto. I'll switch the grips and build my pistol pack around the 15-2. I'm partial to a shorter barrel, so a 2" on the 15-2 will be my 1st priority. Thanks again!
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