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December 19, 2014
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Howdy All - new to forum and DW. This is not a beauty queen, but also not a hanger queen. Early Model 15 Porkchop, S/N 121xx (under crane). Barney'd, a few scratches, a little rust, but it will be perfect for carrying around the ranch, my "beater" gun which matches my 1965 Toyota FJ40 "beater" ranch rig. Only issue so far is I can't see the front sight very well. So...
Question: can the front sight be changed on this early model? The thing in the picture (3rd)
doesn't have a head like on a set screw. Is this a pin to be driven out (it's not a roll pin)? If so, will the new sights with the colored inserts fit (note the location of the pin, it's in the middle of the sight, looks like on newer guns it's toward the rear)? If no to any of the above, would some fluorescent paint be the trick?
Thanks for any help.
December 19, 2014
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Another pic of the front. Notice no set screw there.
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Dans Club
March 25, 2013
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Welcome Paul and Merry Xmas.. Fixed sights on the porkchops. I would use the flourescent paint.
December 19, 2014
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Thanks OD, paint it will be. Merry (post-) Christmas and blessings in the New Year.
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Moderators
January 24, 2009
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I agree, some paint would be the simplest way to go.
BTW, great looking model 15, thanks for showing it off!
December 19, 2014
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Do you think painting the whole ramp is in order, or just the top part? Looks like there's a "band" of color on the newer sights that maybe corresponds to near-far sight picture?
Charger Fan - thanks. Wrench and shim are ordered. Pulled the trigger and it went boom.
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Dans Club
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July 2, 2011
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Paul said
Pulled the trigger and it went boom.
Well, now that is the important part! 
To the paranoid people who check behind shower curtains for murderers:
if you find one...what's your plan?
Dans Club
March 2, 2008
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As a test to be sure paint is the way you want to go-White Out? Normally I'd suggest poster paint, but you may have some White Out laying around the house.
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
December 19, 2014
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Put some red fluorescent on the front sight (over white) and a little white to brighten up the vertical bar of the rear sight (this model has the millett-style rear sight pattern). Helps a lot. In bright light or bright background I still have the dark silhouette pattern and in low light the red fluorescent really stands out, easy to align vertically with the white vertical bar on the rear sight (so that's for side-to-side alignment). Still a little fuzzy, but I can align everything pretty well now. Here's a crappy pic of my sight picture, you can see the front sight blob (camera is focusing on the rear sight instead of the front like we're suppose to, right?!!)
Dans Club
April 18, 2014
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Looks good from what I can see. ..
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"To preserve liberty, it is essential that the whole body of the people always possess arms and be taught alike, especially when young, how to use them."
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December 19, 2014
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Well, I gave it a real test last night right before 5pm (mountain). I live in the sticks on 14-acres surrounded by another 2000+acres of sagebrush hills used for cattle grazing. And we get predators, of which I normally don't worry about unless they're causing trouble. And a coyote (they're starting to pack up - not good) decided it wanted chicken dinner from our chicken flock - I consider that causing trouble. I saw it soon enough to draw bead on it at around 40yds before making it's move on the chickens, one shot through the back of the head, instantly dispatched. The bright sight was perfect in the somewhat low light. Admittedly the 154gr 357mag round was more than necessary, but it dispatched the animal quickly (I just grabbed the first speedloader in my safe and it happened to be the one with the 357mags). I even found the mushroomed bullet about 10yds past the carcass in the snow, it'd passed through with a pretty good mushroom pattern but still intact (PMC ammo). Sorry no pics of the carcass, it's hanging in the barn to keep other varmints from it, and it's going to a friends tomorrow am who will utilize the pelt, which is in really good shape given the head shot.
This will make for a fine ranch carry gun!
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DWF Supporters
October 14, 2010
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Sounds like trouble to me. Nice kill.
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February 20, 2008
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Trouble gone - nice shooting.
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If you're going to drink, don't drive. Don't even putt.
December 19, 2014
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I'm bringing this post back up for brevity, but I actually have a different but related question. This early DW 15 being a "Target 15" model, does it have different front sight height than the porkchop 14 service model for the 2.5" length barrel? Yeah I'm scouting a barrel or two on the auction sight and I'm trying to understand the difference in front sight heights for the short barrels. Thanks, I couldn't find pictures of both for comparison (the sticky on model descriptions has some bad links to old pictures unfortunately).
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Dans Club
March 27, 2009
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Yes there is a lot of difference in the 14 and the 15's front sights. a W 12 would have the same height though an external nut!
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January 24, 2009
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Dave_Ks said
Yes there is a lot of difference in the 14 and the 15's front sights. a W 12 would have the same height though an external nut!
Exactly.
The 14 has a lower front sight because the fixed rear sight on the 14 is also lower Than that of the 15.
Now, if a guy is selling a 14-1 shroud...that front sight is even LOWER, due to the even lower rear sight on that model...(non-original grip).
December 19, 2014
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So this looks like a model 15 (no dash) shroud, eh?
But the barrel on this one confuses me (https://www.danwessonforum.com/forum/new-members-introduction/new-to-me-dan-wesson-revolver/), it looks a lot lower like a 14-1 but it's on a 14 (dovetail rear sight). Hence my question specifically wrt the 2.5" barrels (is there a difference?). Sorry for the continued confusion.
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January 24, 2009
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The shroud above looks to me to be either a W12 or a 15, depending on whether the end is flush or counter sunk. The matte finish is not common for either model, though.
The nickel snubby in the other thread does have a shorter front sight. I have seen the 2.5" BA's with various heights, which I suspect is to get the particular gun to shoot to POA. It may have been specifically ordered that way, not sure. I don't have another definitive answer at this point.
Dans Club
March 2, 2008
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Charger Fan said
The shroud above looks to me to be either a W12 or a 15, depending on whether the end is flush or counter sunk. The matte finish is not common for either model, though.The nickel snubby in the other thread does have a shorter front sight. I have seen the 2.5" BA's with various heights, which I suspect is to get the particular gun to shoot to POA. It may have been specifically ordered that way, not sure. I don't have another definitive answer at this point.
The stuff you know about the earlier models just makes me go 
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
December 19, 2014
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Thanks Charger Fan. That shroud is counter sunk, and the barrel that is with it is 0.625" longer which is about right for the width of the crane area. Interesting about the finish, could be just age?
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