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February 15, 2009
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One of my guns somehow developed a timing issue. If you pulled the hammer back slowly it wouldn't lock up consistently. It also wouldn't lock up consistently if firing double action. The cylinder also had side to side motion at full lockup where it had none before.
The only problem was that the upper side plate screw was loose. Both issues were resolved by tightening the screw. The lower screw was tight. This also explains the inconsistent accuracy of late that I thought was me.
I thought I'd post this info in case someone wasn't aware of how much a loose screw could affect their gun's operation.
December 26, 2010
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That's interesting. Am I correct that you are talking about a small frame? (My 740 is at the gunsmith right now for a similar issue. Sometimes the cylinder won't fully rotate if the hammer is pulled slowly. I don't recall any screws in taking it apart.)
February 15, 2009
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I think your 740 is a large frame which has no side plate. You are correct that this happened on a small frame .357.
Dans Club
March 2, 2008
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Just one more example of our learning curve on DW's.
Thanks
Steve
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
May 3, 2011
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I appreciate this information. Anything that helps you trouble shoot is valuable info.
December 4, 2014
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A little range time yesterday with a new to me 15-2, an occasional fail to fire in SA and DA happened so I put it down and figured on taking a closer look when I got home. At the time of purchase the gun was in very good shape, had a very good finish and by all appearances seemed to be rarely used since the early 1980's. SA and DA dry fire was smooth and lighter than another model 15-2 that I own. Further examination showed that cylinder timing was off and the cylinder was just short of lockup as the hammer was released. My first thought was to perform the "average Joe maintenance" but knowing that there is a tremendous amount of knowledge and experience here on the forum, chose to read everything I could find first and then plan a course of action. At the same time I am thinking that this is a timing issue and that I will end up just looking for the DW gunsmith contact information so I can send it out to be worked on. I am very glad that I kept reading and found this thread. Firing the gun at the range with a loose top plate screw apparently allowed the top of the plate to shift slightly in relation to the frame. I tightened the top plate screw down which drew the plate back into the proper position and torqued up the bottom plate screw. Timing and lockup is now rock solid and I feel comfortable about taking it back out to the range for some trouble free shooting.
Thanks to all of you who document your knowledge and experiences here on the forum! Sitting down and doing some reading gave me a simple fix to what I originally thought was going to be a significant issue with this firearm.
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