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June 4, 2011
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Hello DWF members.
I seek wisdom and sage advice. I recently comitted dwgt on a probably un- fired model 15 pack.The gun as well as the barrel nut disassembled with ease.
As per advised, I looked into the lockwork area and noted it was spotless in there. No evidence of any gunk, no buildup, in fact it appeared to be completely dry inside. The only glitch of any sort was the hand spring came out of position and so Shootist's post came to the rescue and removed the guesswork in minutes.
I had seen some mention of particular greases and lubes within my perusing of the forem. I went to the shop where I purchased this fine specimin and engaged the owner in conversation. I told him that my purchase was in great shape and I asked him to recomend a lube that they had there so I could properly care for my new favorite item. He dissapeared behind a few racks and shelves and came back and plopped a can of G96 up on the counter. I said to him, but I wanted a good or the best grease I could get. His reply made sense at the time." Do you see any grease in there now?" No, its as clean as a new whistle inside. He gave me a look of wisdom and replied "There's a reason there's no grease or gunk in there..Do you think the factory would put grease if it was supposed to have grease? Grease will gunk up and attract debris. This G96 is what I use I swear by it. It will not evaporate and it is safe on all parts, inside and out." He in fact said,"Here, Merry Christmas, this is on me, you can't go wrong with this and this can will last you nearly forever" (He is really a super nice guy) So I purchased some patches and I left feeling good that I had been given some coveted insight from an old timer in the know.
Popping the side plate is easy, she just lifts off by hand. There is very little evidence of rub marks on the trigger and hammer or on the inside of the frame or side plate. I would have to say that this pistol has not been fired much, if at all. I did not see where there was anything to actually clean inside and so I basically gave a little shot of G-96 down around the inside, allowed the excess to drip off, wiped it up and replaced the side plate. I have also carefully applied G-96 to areas such as the extractor and crane.
My question is "is there a break-in period" for a brand new revolver? The gap on my pistol is perfectly set at .006 and yet on each of my two trips to the range I have experienced what I originally thought was a misfire. I now can see that it is not a misfire, the cylinder fails to turn and so when the hammer strikes, the shell has already been fired. I am observing as well that the gun just feels sort of rough, not gritty, but it feels as though parts are not smoothly working with one another. Is it possible that due to the age of the pistol it just needs all new springs? I now will completely tear the piece down and soak it in ATF, but it seems as though this is an unnecessary step being as how this is a "new" pistol. I hesitate to smooth out any rough spots as I do not want to affect the hardness of these new parts, but if that's what it takes to have a smooth running Dan, then so be it. I ask your advice here because I don't want to perform any unnecessary steps or be in a hurry to do something and wind up making any mistakes. Is it possible I need to fire this pistol more to break it in? Please note that I have fastidiously wiped the face of the cylinder down after every 18 shots or so, making sure that it is clean and lead free. Thank you for reading this long post. I respect your years of experience as I am a greenhorn shooter.
I wish i had done this years ago.
Thank you,
Jeff 
Dans Club
March 2, 2008
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Jeff, maybe this will help:
Springs-Yes, always replace springs. They may not have been shot much, but they are still 30 years old.
https://www.danwessonforum.com/forum/reloading/tuning-up-your-15-2-the-average-joe-method
Regarding lubrication, the best advice I've seen is "if it slides, grease it, if it rotates oil it". Our friend Shootist357 advises against CLP as a lubricant in DW revolvers, and I bow to the Master in this. He's smarter than me.
If you are saying that the cylinder does not rotate at all and that the hammer is falling on a previously fired cartridge, that is a problem that needs a lot more diagnosis. Does it always happen on the same chamber?
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
Dans Club
DWF Supporters
April 20, 2010
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Delux-
You might want to make sure you don't have a little too much lubricant on the inside of the sideplate, could the hand be sticking to the sideplate by cohesion and not moving the cylinder properly? Also, be very sure that you have the spring for the hand in properly so that it directs the hand forward to engage the cylinder.
As Steve said Shoot is the tuning guru, and he recommends automatic transmission fluid, so therefore that is all I use in my Dans with great success.
Good luck, and let us know how you make out.
Lonwolf
"The lion and the tiger may be more powerful, but the Wolf does not perform in the circus"
June 4, 2011
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Hey Steve and Lonwolf,
I'm not sure about the cylinder, I was not smart enough to check that. I believe it occurs intermittently and on some rounds it dose not occur, but more often than not, It seems to happen every cylinder full. I did make sure all rounds were seated fully into the chambers so as not to obstruct the rotation. Being new, I did not even notice the rotation as the issue until last weekend.There is a certain excitement about staring down the sights with the target in the center that makes things like paying attention to the action not a natural thing, but I am learning. It is entirely possible that I do have too much CLP and also I will check out the exact position of the hand spring.
I will place an order with EWK for new springs and contact CZ for a new trigger spring for sure. I will also use ATF from now on.
I still wonder about if there will be a "smoothing out" with regular use.
Thanks All
Jeff
Range Officer
Range Officers
Dans Club
March 27, 2009
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Shoot also recomends polishing the rub surfaces! Bright and shiney is good sticky and dull is bad. Let us know as i have an old beater that is doing about the same thing! Not new old and rough though clean on the inside!
February 2, 2009
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Check and see if the hand is slightly bent, if the cylinder was ever shut with the hammer cocked(with hand extended) it will bend the end of the hand and fail to rotate and feel gritty, as it's engaging the star at a different angle than it was tuned for and possibly missing the lower area on the star, leaving the cylinder in it's previous position. It can happen in a shop with a new gun and an inattentive salesperson.
August 28, 2009
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Robhof's got it. The cylinder rotation failure is most likely and engagement problem of the hand and the star extractor. Pull the side plate off and cycle the action and you should be able to see where the problem is. You'll need to hold the hand down so it doesn't pop off.
As far as lubricants, there are a lot of good commercial lubricants on the market that work well according to your shooting conditions (I'll have to go against the forum following here – Breakfree CLP is an excellent cleaner/lubricant and there is nothing inherent in a DW that precludes it as such). The key is to use something light on internals and use it often so dust, dirt and residue won't gum it up, and a heavier one on externals that offers good corrosion protection and won't evaporate. If you're really into measuring wear microns, then research test results against ASTM-4172 and try mil-comm. Home brews are an economical option as well. ATF has mixed reviews and opinions - research it. I personally use Singer Sewing Machine oil.
Keep your gun clean and well lubricated and your gun will outlive you. Pick one and go with it.
Dans Club
March 2, 2008
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Jeff-You are going to pay the same shipping and handling from DW/CZ for one spring or a complete set, I'd order all in one place. Not sure what is included in the EWK set. Last time I bought from DW/CZ I got 2 spring kits and three each of short and long grip screws.
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
February 11, 2010
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Rob and Harley have got you on the right track, take a good look at that
hand. EWK kits have everything but the hand spring , you have to order
them separately.
Any gun that is new or like new and is not smooth action from the factory
I run dry for a few hundred rounds before I lubricate. This will make things
settle in faster. I prefer the gun to polish itself and not what I think it needs.
As far as lube or grease goes that's a debate that the big companies
never want to be won. If your going from the safe to the range, shoot a
hundred, back home to clean and return to safe just about anything bore
butter grade or better will work.
I shoot hundreds of rounds multiple times, carry to the barn, through the
brush, on the atv and ect for weeks maybe a month or two before I find
time to sit down and clean a dozen guns. Grease and or thick oils just do
not work for me, they collect way to much crude, weeds, dirt and so on.
-Blacktop
Dans Club
March 2, 2008
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So now you have a variety of opinions, some in conflict with each other, and all from pretty smart people (present poster excluded). So what to do?
Experiment for yourself, there is rarely ONE EXACTLY RIGHT SOLUTION for any problem. Use the prevailing wisdom as a starting point, and find what works for you. There smartest "gun guy" I know, with experience from the smallest to largest guns I'll ever see, under conditions I will never encounter, is very high on this:
http://www.slip2000.com/slip2000-EWL.html
I'm getting ready to try it very soon, realistically my guns don't get a huge amount of use these days so maybe it's overkill.
I remember that when I was 20 years old there was stuff to add to the oil in your engine to make it last hundreds of thousands of miles. I used it, and maybe those cars are still running just fine, who knows? Not me!
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
November 14, 2009
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I say, and I'm not the smartest lube guy, take a table spoon of each put it in a bottle shake it up and you'll have what everyone here says.
Ok, Ok, just kidding. In reality, we need to be careful in mixing lubricants. Here in the power business, we had problems in the past with mixing grease. In the past, people didn't pay too much attention to what grease they were using and after greasing a Motor Operated Valve with 5 different types of grease, it hardened up like a chunk of plastic. That's no good in a gear box.
My point, select carefully, and clean frequently and don't mix.
Happyness is a Hot DW and a pile of used brass!!! Rich
February 2, 2009
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I've had many gunsmiths recommend auto trans fluid, it has superior penetration and friction reducing properties than many of the much more expensive gun oils. You only need a thin coat and a qt will last a very long time.
Supporter
Moderators
Dans Club
February 22, 2009
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Here's my favorite read on this subject:
http://www.grantcunningham.com/lubricants101.html
Regards, Ron
Technically, the glass is always full; half liquid, half air....
June 4, 2011
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Wow,
Now I know why I am a DWF member. Thank you all for the great response, I really appreciate your time and your knowledge.
I have been "slammed" with work. I walked in at 9:30 tonight. I read all the tips and here it is 11 already. I wouldn't have been able to sleep without looking under the sideplate .(just a quick peek)
I have a job going on right down from the range and so I didn't want to tear my gun down, not just yet anyway. I believe my problem is solved.
Lonwolf, when I pulled the sideplate, the hand actualy came off with it, stuck by lubricant in the indent for the hand. I wiped the excess off, (It was really wet with CLP) put the plate back on and re-installed the grip. I sat and dry fired it for about 18 or so shots and not a single missed rotation. 
Not only is it not misssing a cylinder rotation, that "roughness" seems gone as well. I'll know for sure tomorow. I will post the results .
Thank you very much fellow forum members.
Jeff
September 28, 2008
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I've used CLP for over 30 years in my 15-2's without a single issue. Trans fluid STINKS, so I will pass on it.
December 26, 2010
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I agree with Steve that there is no one solution for everyone. It makes sense to me that any lubricant, left on a gun long enough, will congeal and/or accumulate dirt. I use CLP down the barrels and cylinder holes only when I've just finished shooting and want to make it the real cleaning easier when I get home. I'm not sure if I will buy anymore when this bottle runs out. I've used RemOil in the past and been happy with it. I've tried moly but too much of what I've been using becomes grease like. (Maybe a different brand would congeal less?) I won't use the rest of it on my revolvers. On my last cleaning I tried ATF and like what I've experienced so far, the pull seems smoother and lighter than moly (but maybe I was using too much moly). I may go back to RemOil but so far ATF and regular cleanings seems to be a good choice for me.
I need to go 
. 
Dans Club
DWF Supporters
April 20, 2010
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Jeff,
Glad you got it working, a wise man once told me to always start with the simplest solutions to a problem and work your way up. I'd say shoot it the rest of the summer all you want, and next winter give it a teardown and cleaning via Shoot's Average Joe tutorial. By then you can decide what lube to use. I think cleanliness is more important than which lube you end up with.
-Lonwolf
"The lion and the tiger may be more powerful, but the Wolf does not perform in the circus"
June 4, 2011
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Yep, That was definatly the problem. Had zero issues at the range this afternoon.
I made an observation with regard to this issue. I most recently purchased a hard case with room for two dans with 8" shrouds. I had placed my pistol in there sideplate down. Excess CLP, not being very viscous must have migrated to the indent area magnifying the issue as I really didn't think I had applied all that much. Anyway, the case for a lubricant with a little better viscosity, (ATF?)
is becoming more apparent. Not to mention judicious application as opposed to a jet stream of the stuff no matter what it is. I also am now in the habit of storing my gun with the sideplate facing up even if that was not a factor in this instance.
My shooting is improving!, I had several same hole shots (at only 7 yards) but still, a giant improvement for me. I will have to get that loose sight secured in the near future !.
Thanks to all, and a tip of the hat to Lonwolf.
Jeff
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