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February 26, 2012
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This my 1 st post new here but not to firearms, I just purchased a DW 15-2 only came with the 4 inch heavy barrel nothing else , my question is once the correct cylinder gap is reached .006 will the barrel stay at that setting or at some point after shooting will the setting change , I live in Ohio the DW is in 98% metal condition orginal high gloss blue , by the serial # 522xx the gun was produced around 1976, grips have been refinished at some point , what would be the ball park value , sorry unable to show pictures . Thanks
August 28, 2009
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Welcome to the forum. It's always a good idea to take wrench and gap gauge with you to the range and periodically check to make sure the barrel is tight and the gap is set properly. The barrels do have a tendency to loosen up with use so you should always insure that it is tight, but not too tight. You can also tighten up the gap if you prefer but be sure to check that as well with use - powder build-up may bind up the cylinder on the barrel if it is set too tight.
February 21, 2011
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When you set the gap, I'd suggest checking the gap at several chambers to verify the slight differences between them.
Firstly so you don't later think you've found the barrel backing off & secondly to make sure you don't have that one chamber with a .008 gap!
My 15-2 used to spit from the gap & when I checked I found that by setting the tightest gap to .005" the spitting was gone completely!
Matthew Quigley on handguns:
“I said I never had much use for one. Never said
I didn't know how to use it.”
Range Officer
Range Officers
Dans Club
February 28, 2009
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harly said:
Welcome to the forum. It's always a good idea to take wrench and gap gauge with you to the range and periodically check to make sure the barrel is tight and the gap is set properly. The barrels do have a tendency to loosen up with use so you should always insure that it is tight, but not too tight. You can also tighten up the gap if you prefer but be sure to check that as well with use - powder build-up may bind up the cylinder on the barrel if it is set too tight.
Exactly. This happened to my wife at the range last week. Powder build-up, probably due to the fact that I always set the barrel gap to .002, caused her Li'l Dan to bind up. So I got the EWK barrel tool and the .002 gauge out of the range bag and fixed the problem in a few seconds.
I suppose that for that kind of a problem a Scotch-Brite pad would have been simpler and quicker, but of course, that won't work on a blue gun.
-Mike
P.S. Welcome to the DWF.
May 9, 2011
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Confused new 15-2 guy has a follow-up question.
I have now heard the gap should be set to .005, .006, .002 and one guy even said .008. My recollection is the 'book' calls for a gap of .006.
Is there a single right answer or does it vary by individual pistol?
February 26, 2012
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daedalus said:
Confused new 15-2 guy has a follow-up question.
I have now heard the gap should be set to .005, .006, .002 and one guy even said .008. My recollection is the 'book' calls for a gap of .006.
Is there a single right answer or does it vary by individual pistol?
November 23, 2011
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Stumpie..
From Indiana. Hope you enjoy your time at the 
daedalus.. I set the gap on all you Dan's to .003 this works for me. Factory states that the gap of the small frame be set to .006. If I remember correctly some if not all of the large frame guns were set to .002. I trust others will correct me if this is not correct. R S
February 4, 2012
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Stumpie said:
daedalus said:
Confused new 15-2 guy has a follow-up question.
I have now heard the gap should be set to .005, .006, .002 and one guy even said .008. My recollection is the 'book' calls for a gap of .006.
Is there a single right answer or does it vary by individual pistol?
The official 'right' answer for the 15-2 is .006- the factory gauge size.
The right answer for you may vary. My 14-2 likes a .004 gap but will work larger. Less than that and I get cylinder binding with all ammo at under 50 rounds. At .004 I get 100 target, 200 jacketed, or 50 full-power lead loads before I notice cylinder drag. A quick solvent-brushing on the cylinder face and I can go that far again.
But that's just this gun and the loads I shoot; it's not necessarily going to work in another DW the way it does in mine.
The .006 gap never fouls with mine unless I'm shooting too-soft lead or driving lead bullets past 1350-1400FPS and melting the bases a little in the process. The tighter gap may help my accuracy a tiny bit, I believe it does, again that is just this gun. It also lets me know something about the hardness of lead bullets I buy- if it lead-fouls the gap sooner than normal then I've got a soft batch, so I use them for fun and load the harder ones for more serious 'business'.
If a bit of experimenting worries you stay with the factory .006 gap and all will likely be just fine. But since this is adjustable with a DW I have to tweak it to see whether it gets better, worse, or does nothing at all. Then again I tweak darn near everything I own to better suit me or my purposes. For me at least, that's half the fun of working with anything new to me 
Phil
January 29, 2012
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Stumpie,
I hope I don't introduce any confusion here.
My 15-2 needs to be tightened very tightly or else the barrel nut backs out. Even when shooting factory .38 loads.
Additionally, my cylinder is not square. That is to say, there is a difference in the gaps from one side of the cylinder to the other. I have marked the "most open" cylinder with a spot of fingernail polish. I set this cylinder to .006". Of course the rest of the cylinders are closer, but it's worked so far even with .357 loads.
Please keep in mind my gun was purchased used with an unknown round count. I agree with the others suggestions that you always take your gauge and wrench to the range and check periodically.
Dans Club
March 2, 2008
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CasualShooter said:
Stumpie,
I hope I don't introduce any confusion here.
My 15-2 needs to be tightened very tightly or else the barrel nut backs out. Even when shooting factory .38 loads.
A word of caution here: If you crank the barrel nut down extremely tight when the gun is hot, you may invoke the dreaded "stuck barrel nut" syndrome. As the barrel cools it may shrink slightly, and a very tight barrel nut may become a real chore to remove.
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
January 29, 2012
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Steve CT said:
CasualShooter said:
Stumpie,
I hope I don't introduce any confusion here.
My 15-2 needs to be tightened very tightly or else the barrel nut backs out. Even when shooting factory .38 loads.
A word of caution here: If you crank the barrel nut down extremely tight when the gun is hot, you may invoke the dreaded "stuck barrel nut" syndrome. As the barrel cools it may shrink slightly, and a very tight barrel nut may become a real chore to remove.
Stumpie,
Thanks, I hadn't thought of that. I'll not do that on a hot gun.
Range Officer
Range Officers
Dans Club
February 28, 2009
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Keeping it simple:
The official DW spec for all Dan's except the SuperMags is .006.
The official DW spec for the SuperMags is .002.
I use .002 for all my Dan's.
That's just me. I figure that a smaller gap means less of the power escaping through the gap and IMHO that translates to higher velocity. I'm a big fan of faster is better in both guns and cars.
-Mike
February 11, 2010
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CasualShooter said:
My 15-2 needs to be tightened very tightly or else the barrel nut backs out. Even when shooting factory .38 loads.
If I had that problem I would try a new barrel nut from EWK.
-Blacktop
February 26, 2012
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I have no plans to sell my 15-2 just needed to know a ballpark price , I just ordered a barrel wrench and feeler gauge .006 from our friends at EWK, also ordered a very nice set of wood grips from Amazon.com I must say those were not cheap, in any event I am very pleased that I found this very fine firearm again Thanks to all for there help.
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