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September 20, 2012
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Alright, I obtained a Monson 15-2 in .357. When I first got it I loved the thing and it shot very well. But as time went on I started running into issues. First off the gun started binding with .357 magnum. It still does and when I do use .357 magnum it binds without fail but never binds with .38 ever. And it binds BADLY. It takes full force both thumbs to where I am hurting my thumbs to pull the trigger back single action. And the issue starts up immediately; less than 4 shots. Double action the trigger will not move at all period. I know about how you need to set the gap to .006 and have done so over 6 times yet the issue persists every time I do it. And before you say it's the ammo it is not, I have used Federal, Blazer, Sellier&Beliot, Remington, Winchester, and Fiocchi and every one the same thing happens. These are factory loads. I did notice a very slight loss of blue at the outer edge of the cylinder showing that it is scraping a little or at least was but when I inspect the barrel I find no evidence of any contact in my sessions. It would seem the rear of the casings are dragging or getting caught. I have also noticed the cylinder when swung out will move up and down on the yoke about 1/8", I do not know if this is normal. But it will not move at all when the cylinder is closed. You also may say to clean it. I took off the clyinder, cleaned it and even took a pick to the chamber edges. I left it spotless and it still binds.
But wait, it gets worse. Since the gun was disgusting inside I went here https://www.danwessonforum.com/forum/reloading/tuning-up-your-15-2-the-average-joe-method to clean it out thinking that could be it and I did. But when I put it all back together the tension spring will not sit properly. I noticed it said there "The only thing to be watchful of is to make sure the short end of the trigger return spring goes behind the hammer boss(you'll know if it isn't)." But I can not. That is to say it will not. I have no idea how to do it; if their is a specific process. The springs coil near the short end looks as though it has been tampered with as it was bent outwards like an aftermarket spring yet it is the factory one but the parts were moving fine. Now when I put it all back together the tension spring will no long push down on the trigger or not push down enough to move it back and the whole thing is in one big mess. I am doing something wrong when putting it back together it would seem. And it has to do with the tension spring.
I figure in the end I will have to mail the gun to CZ and pay $250 or so to have it worked on considering all the problems I've been having but I'd rather try and resolve this issue myself. This is turning into a lemon.
Dans Club
DWF Supporters
April 20, 2010
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First off, welcome to the DWF, you have found the right place for help with your Dan. Be patient and the smart guys here will talk you through your issues and get things working again.
I have just finished a 12hr nightshift, so I will not venture any advice on your issues right now, I would just be talking stupid. But I think the good news is that your gun did work fine at first, so getting it back to that should be realistic. There are some great guys here who are very good problem solvers on Dan Wesson revolvers. Would some pics of your internals and that trigger spring be possible?
-Lonwolf
"The lion and the tiger may be more powerful, but the Wolf does not perform in the circus"
February 21, 2011
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A couple of thoughts on the binding issue.
You say you use both .38 Spl & .357 Mag ammunition, try checking for a carbon ring inside the cylinder's chambers, which can be very stubborn & resist "normal" cleaning that is forcing the longer .357 cases rearwards & causing them to drag on the recoil shield. Using a stiff bore brush chucked in a power drill at low speed & with a strong solvent may be needed to dissolve/scrape this hard ring away.
You mention a "very slight loss of blue at the outer edge of the cylinder showing that it is scraping a little" to me this indicates a use of lead, not jacketed bullets? If so you may have build up elswhere as well as that is a plating onto, not a removal of the blue.
The out of position spring is a definite problem, you either need to fix that, or have a smith fix it for you. You shouldn't need to return it to CZ, a competent local smith should be able to do it for you.
Matthew Quigley on handguns:
“I said I never had much use for one. Never said
I didn't know how to use it.”
Dans Club
DWF Supporters
April 20, 2010
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Okay, let's start off with some basic things to check, maybe you already have but I like to cover all the bases.
You said .38s never bind, but .357s do. The difference being case length. If you put a fresh .38 in a chamber and a .357 in another, does the .357 case head visibly stick up more? If it does, have you tried a couple different boxes/brands to eliminate a weird box of ammo? Could the .357 ammo be reloads that were not properly sized right? If you are sure the ammo is fine, but the case head sticks out of the chamber more than .38s do, then like MC said you probably have carbon in the chambers from .38s which can be a challenge to clean but is doable as he said.
Just to be extra sure that barrel/cylinder gap is not an issue, you could unscrew the barrel WAY out or off completely and then load the gun with .357 ammo, does it still bind? Be careful when using live ammo.
As for your spring, pics would help, if it worked before we should be able to get it back in there again, but it is hard to diagnose without seeing.
Hope we're helping, if not post back and we''ll figure it out, or more guys will be on here later with fresh ideas also.
-Lonwolf
"The lion and the tiger may be more powerful, but the Wolf does not perform in the circus"
September 20, 2012
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Mister callan said
A couple of thoughts on the binding issue.
You say you use both .38 Spl & .357 Mag ammunition, try checking for a carbon ring inside the cylinder's chambers, which can be very stubborn & resist "normal" cleaning that is forcing the longer .357 cases rearwards & causing them to drag on the recoil shield. Using a stiff bore brush chucked in a power drill at low speed & with a strong solvent may be needed to dissolve/scrape this hard ring away.
You mention a "very slight loss of blue at the outer edge of the cylinder showing that it is scraping a little" to me this indicates a use of lead, not jacketed bullets? If so you may have build up elswhere as well as that is a plating onto, not a removal of the blue.
The out of position spring is a definite problem, you either need to fix that, or have a smith fix it for you. You shouldn't need to return it to CZ, a competent local smith should be able to do it for you.
Well I was fiddling with that tension spring and bent it back to what it should be and I managed to get it back to what it was. Now it seems to be working fine. Whether or not doing so weakened it I cannot tell but it seems to be in working order at this point. I do plan on eventually getting new springs for it anyway.
As for the cylinder I after taking a very good look inside it does look as thought their is a tiny ring in each cylinder chamber. So I will take it off and scrub it really well to see if I can remove it.
I also think you are right in where the rear of the .357 casings are dragging; it seems as soon as one is fired the rest get knocked back and scrape the recoil sheild. Just like you said. I will attempt this and see if it resolves anything.
September 20, 2012
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lonwolf93 said
Okay, let's start off with some basic things to check, maybe you already have but I like to cover all the bases.You said .38s never bind, but .357s do. The difference being case length. If you put a fresh .38 in a chamber and a .357 in another, does the .357 case head visibly stick up more? If it does, have you tried a couple different boxes/brands to eliminate a weird box of ammo? Could the .357 ammo be reloads that were not properly sized right? If you are sure the ammo is fine, but the case head sticks out of the chamber more than .38s do, then like MC said you probably have carbon in the chambers from .38s which can be a challenge to clean but is doable as he said.
Just to be extra sure that barrel/cylinder gap is not an issue, you could unscrew the barrel WAY out or off completely and then load the gun with .357 ammo, does it still bind? Be careful when using live ammo.
As for your spring, pics would help, if it worked before we should be able to get it back in there again, but it is hard to diagnose without seeing.
Hope we're helping, if not post back and we''ll figure it out, or more guys will be on here later with fresh ideas also.
-Lonwolf
Well as I said I did get the spring back to what it should be so that issue is resolved. Weird part is I tried that in where I used some live rounds to see if they were scraping. Do not worry as I know how dangerous that can be and was very careful. But the casings were not scraping in the rear this time. I don't know if I fixed the issue but from this it would seem morel like as the gun is fired the other casings rattle back out of the chambers or the fired casing moves back due to recoil and as I said scrapes or simply jams up against the sheild.
Dans Club
March 2, 2008
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First off, Welcome to DWF! There's a good chance you are dealing with several overlapping problems. A gun that binds on .357 and not on .38 almost certainly has the problem noted by mister callan. Scrub those chambers out (been there, done that) until a .357 drops in easily and completely.
Consider putting this gun back together with a complete new set of springs, you have no idea how some of these guns get molested over the years by "Bubba the Home Gunsmith".
When you dry fire and rotate the cylinder, look from the side of the gun against a bright light. Is the cylinder rotating evenly and squarely in the frame window? Look for off axis rotation, chamber canted unevenly.
Is the cylinder latching firmly and cleanly? Does the cylinder aligning ball engage cleanly and firmly with the cylinder, and retract smoothly against spring pressure?
This sounds like a LOT to deal with, but the Dan Wesson revolver is fairly easy to self diagnose and repair, and there is a fair amount of stuff to checkout before sending it off to DW Norwich.
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
June 29, 2012
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Thanks to all the posters on this topic, this is the kind of things I love to read.
And specially when the story ends well and the gun goes...bang, bang...again. 
By the way I couldn't help it, I grabbed one more 15-2 on GB today 
September 20, 2012
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A lot of good advice here. I will inspect the cylinder and yoke again to see if their is anything wrong with it. I scrubbed out each chamber with some CLP and a drill using a metal brush.
Still after everything it will probably won't be until next Satuday I get to try it out again. I am pulling overtime this week and next so I won't get the chance this weekend. Probably late Friday or Saturday morning.
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