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August 2, 2020
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Having trouble with my .357 Mag revolver (Mod 15/15-1) not setting off CCI primers when shooting it double action. Shooting it single action has no issues. My wife's S&W .357 has an adjusting screw in the front of the butt frame and I was able to tighten the hammer spring enough to reliably set off the CCI 500 primers (100% of the time). Is there a way to adjust the DW .357 Mod 15/15-1 hammer spring to get more force in DA mode?
October 17, 2017
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Short answer is, no. The factory springs are the strongest there is. A lot of shooters install lighter springs in order to get an easier double action pull, but often find themselves in the situation you're currently in. CCI primers are probably the hardest out there. You could try some different small pistol magnum primers to see if will make the difference. If your DW is new to you (previously owned) it's possible the former owner swapped out the main spring for a lighter one; in that case try to get an unaltered original main spring.
Excessive end shake can also cause this issue, so check that. The early Dans like the 15-1 (and all pork chops) can be shimmed under the cylinder collar provided you can get it out. 'Trigger Shims' has the appropriate shims if you need them. Great folks to deal with.
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DWF Supporters
December 16, 2010
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Well,
If you reload and use CCI primers, i have found if you use a loading press to seat the primers stop doing this.
I have out of trial and error, found that you need to hand seat the primers with a Hand Priming Tool on 357 / 44 cases only.
You will seat them till they stop and add a little more pressure and hold that pressure to securely seat the primer. All of my FTF double action
problems disappeared and i hope you will try this for yourself.
I have the 
and have fired my reloads in many Dan Wesson revolvers with great success.
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Dans Club
February 22, 2009
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You can affect mainspring tension via the grip screw....
Technically, the glass is always full; half liquid, half air....
October 17, 2017
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If you are able to add tension to the mainspring via a different length grip screw be advised that the pull will increase proportionally. If you're goal is accuracy this is a concern; if you're after rapid fire capability, it isn't. Pleased to learn that the method of primer seating can have such a desirable effect though. I would try that first!
August 2, 2020
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Thank you all for the advice and input!
I bought my DW new back in 1977 and left it factory original. Will try grip screw adjustment first to maximize hammer travel. I've also, finally, managed to find/buy 1,000 Federal primers, so definitely have that option for this gun too. Never had the problem before even using CCI primers, but the newer reloads were loaded on a Dillon 550 where my past reloads were all loaded (primed) on an RCBS single stage press. If press installed primers vs. hand primed makes a difference, then maybe difference between the two presses might too. You've all given me several things to try out, which means another excuse to load some rounds and hit the range...I really hate that...NOT!
Thanks again to all of you. I love my DW Model 15-2!
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Dans Club
March 25, 2013
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One reason Dans may have a problem is the extremely short hammer travel. Porkchops are even faster but 15-2s are among the shortest, fastest hammer fall of all Revolvers. It is a big factor in their accuracy. Manurhin also is very short.
September 28, 2008
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One of the things I always do on any DW revolver is check the hammer/main spring to see if it's been clipped or ground off. I would guess about 3 of the dozen or so 15-2's I've bought (all used) had altered springs. Be careful with the grip screw, too tight and you can cause the gun to have a hair trigger, or be unable to cycle in DA mode.
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