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November 12, 2011
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In an effort to keep the focus on the 15-2s I have always avoided the pork chops. Just keepin it simple.
But,,,,, Found this orphan W12 at the LGS , quite affordable with a tag saying bad timing. Brought it home, tightened the side plate screw , timing is fine.
It has had a life and has some scars to prove it . But all in all, not bad including the second barrel and tools. It also included a third "Project" barrel I posted in the gunsmith section.
So, my knowledge is weak on these so what can you tell me. Seems to be an early one with a three digit ser# and the external barrel nut .
I'm guessing the grips were "personalized".
I've got a lot of Pork Chop schoolin to do so tell me what ya see and how it fits into the timeline of things.
Dans Club
February 24, 2013
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Dans Club
March 25, 2013
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EXCELLENT purchase. They are very robust guns. They are the Thinking Man's Gun. You got a deal because someone couldn't figure out what was wrong and it sat in a drawer for 50 years. Made in early 1970. It has the fastest hammer fall of possibly any revolver made.
The very first change Dan Wesson made was to the hand and hand spring. The models 11 and 12(8 +9 too) have a hand spring that wraps around the hand and rubs against the sideplate. That causes a failure. In the first year they corrected that by the slot in the back of the hand the end of the spring fit into. Manurhin MR73 originally had a piano wire hand spring like DW but changed to a leaf spring in the early 80s because of reliability and speed. I would get a used hand off eBay and replace it. EWK may still sell the original style springs but you 'll have a bitch wrapping it around the hand correctly.
November 12, 2011
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Thanks for that info, I probably will do the hand/spring change and get with the maintainable stuff.
Anyone have any insight on that three digit ser#? Is that very early or was production that slow?
Is there a slang name for this early type of grip in case I decide to replace the finger grooved dudes that are on there?
Thanks for any help.
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Dans Club
March 25, 2013
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The grip was called the Michigan grip after the Michigan LE organization it was designed for . Usually called a target grip. One of the first 5 styles. The others were the small round butt Undercover, the Sacremento finger groove grip (Sacremento PD), Square butt Service grip (Magna style) and one more I can't recall at the moment. Your 3 diget gun was made within a month or two of the early 1970 debut of DW. Consider that they only made for a little over a year before the interior nut guns started at serial number 10,000 or so. Dan Wesson fans don't pay too much attention to serial numbers. The ETG Supermags and the Norwich small frame First Issue guns are the only ones that seem to gain any value from the serual number or designation. Some few guns have X for experimental. Some folks like serial numbers that signify their birthday.
I think the first few hundred porkchops were pistol packs in a weird black case.
November 12, 2011
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Thanks for that, ALL information is good for me.
I had heard the term "MICHIGAN GRIP" before but did not know what it was or the why for of it . 
Pistol pac of some sort, maybe . I got two barrels and a tool . But no weird black case.
November 12, 2011
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Dans Club
March 25, 2013
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Pistol pack is the factory case, 3 BAs but one 12 sided exterior nut, 2 Grips, flat one piece tool and a walnut grip blank.
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January 24, 2009
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Congrats on landing your first Porker, looks like it's in pretty decent shape. The serial numbers on the very early ones were on the grip tang, I forget when they were moved under the crane.
This is what the grips would look like minus the finger grooves.
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Dans Club
March 25, 2013
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Charger Fan, I think you and I are porkchop lovers. My latest model 12 had serial number 30xx on the tang. I was surprised it was so high a number. I thought it was probably in the hundreds. It also has a interior barrel nut but that could have been a later addition.
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January 24, 2009
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Ole Dog said
Charger Fan, I think you and I are porkchop lovers. My latest model 12 had serial number 30xx on the tang. I was surprised it was so high a number. I thought it was probably in the hundreds. It also has a interior barrel nut but that could have been a later addition.
Oh I am definitely a Porkchop lover, see below. That was from one buy. 
If your latest Model 12 has 30xx on the tang, then Needsmostuff should pop the grip off to see if a number is stamped on the tang. That number under the crane may be something else, because from the pic, I only see 3 digits.
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