Dan Wesson model 15

militant · September 15, 2012, 09:03 PM

I am buying one of these next week. What are your guys experience with them? Are they good revolvers? It is chambered in .357

Gdawgs · September 15, 2012, 09:27 PM

They are awesome. Some of my favorites that I own. Very accurate and tough guns. If you are like all the rest of us owners, you'll like yours as well.

Venom1956 · September 15, 2012, 10:14 PM

I love mine!

8" as purchased

6" extra heavy and Pachy grips.

Sport45 · September 16, 2012, 12:07 AM

I can't imagine ever selling or trading mine off. I have a snub (forgot the length), 4", and 6" barrel along with the undercover, target, and hogue stocks for it. A very versatile and accurate gun that's fun to shoot in any configuration.

wogpotter · September 16, 2012, 08:56 AM

Is it a 15, or a 15-2?
What barrel length?
FWIW I have had my 6" VH for ever & still like it!

The only problem common to them is a light primer strike in D/A mode. If you reload keep this in mind when picking primers. Also check the D/A cocking if you replace the grips as the grip screw length is critical & some aftermarket grip screws are too long & bind up the D/A action.

militant · September 16, 2012, 11:20 AM

Mine is just a
Model 15.

Sevens · September 16, 2012, 05:20 PM

I got mine for a pretty good price but it's turning out to be a problem child. I'm not giving up yet, but I have been frustrated.

On the bad side:
It's not great looking, the frame seems to have a plum-color while the barrel shroud looks like it's in better shape. But I don't care all too much about how it looks, especially for the price I paid.

The D/A pull is awful, just awful. It's quite heavy, it's not smooth, it's worse than most Taurus revolvers I've owned or used. I'm accustomed to S&W revolvers, OEM with no work done to them, and this one is just plain awful.

I get light primer strikes all the time when I attempt D/A shooting with it. The grip was difficult to remove as it had corroded or rusted just a bit so it was stuck on there and hard to get off, so I wonder if that has anything to do with the light strikes. The point made above about grip screw length makes me want to investigate it further.

Lastly, some idiot tightened the barrel nut too tightly. Of course I am the idiot, I'm sure you saw that coming.

Is this one of those deals where sticking it in the freezer over night will help me to remove it?

On the good side:
It's got a terrific single action trigger break. Not hair light, but little noticeable over travel and a clean break, I like it.

It's completely in time and this is one of the first things I seem to find in revolvers they haven't been taken care of, so I'm happy this one is right.

It's accurate, no problems with that and no complaints. But I can't enjoy it's accuracy because of the laundry list of other problems.

It's also a problem for me personally because regardless of what I paid for it -- I simply can't sell it because I know it's a problem child. So for me, it's going to be a project gun if I can ever get anywhere with it, and it's also likely to be a handload experimentation device where I can run some of my harsher stuff without worrying about pushing one of my very much loved other guns.
(NO, I'm, not reckless, I'm a responsible handloader, but I think you know what I'm talking about here)

Gdawgs · September 16, 2012, 07:48 PM

Sevens, the trigger pull shouldn't be like that. Have you pulled the side plate off? Could be lots of gunk in there. May need a cleaning and some new lube. Replacing the main spring may fix the light strikes as well. EWK sells a kit that's pretty cheap and has a number of goodies.

http://www.ewkarms.com/zencart/index...products_id=19

Misssissippi Dave · September 16, 2012, 10:59 PM

I bought one in the late 70's. I always regreted having to sell it.

Early this year I finally got another one. It has a full lug vented 4" barrel. It is fun to shoot and has made every range trip since I got it. One day I hope to get a complete pistol kit. I generally don't shoot much at 25 yards any more. With the Dan Wesson I can easily keep all rounds in center of mass at 25 yards. Someone that can see better than I can will probably be able to tighten the group size easily.

I have some springs coming in soon to see if I can't improve the double action a little. The single action is close to a 5 pound trigger pull. It feels a lot less since it is quite smooth and breaks clean. Timing is great. My only problem has been easy to fix. Accuracy was not very good. I checked the cylinder gap and tighten the barrel nut properly. It has been great ever since. I prefer to shoot magnum ammo only with the rubber presentation grips on it. They suck up the recoil nicely. The wood grips work well for .38 specials as do the rubber grips. The wood grips do look nicer. I think the grips should be removed a couple of times a year. Then you can clean and lubricate the metal. This should make removing them easy to do and should prevent corrosion under the grips.

FM12 · September 16, 2012, 11:08 PM

I've had several, currently own a 6" in 357. About to (soon I hope) purchase a 6" 44 mag. Strong as hell! VERY accurate.

September 15, 2012, 09:03 PM	#1
militant Senior Member Join Date: August 12, 2012 Location: USA Posts: 519	Dan Wesson model 15 I am buying one of these next week. What are your guys experience with them? Are they good revolvers? It is chambered in .357 __________________ A hit with a .22 is better than a miss with a .44

September 15, 2012, 10:14 PM	#3
Venom1956 Senior Member Join Date: October 4, 2008 Location: WI Posts: 3,656	I love mine! 8" as purchased 6" extra heavy and Pachy grips. __________________ E-Shock rounds are engineered to expend maximum energy into soft targets, turning the density mass into an expanding rotational cone of NyTrilium matrix particles, causing neurological collapse to the central nervous system.- Yeah I can do that. I guarantee you will know it if a bicyclist hits your house going 1000 mph. -Smaug

September 16, 2012, 12:07 AM	#4
Sport45 Senior Member Join Date: May 25, 1999 Location: Too close to Houston Posts: 4,196	I can't imagine ever selling or trading mine off. I have a snub (forgot the length), 4", and 6" barrel along with the undercover, target, and hogue stocks for it. A very versatile and accurate gun that's fun to shoot in any configuration. __________________ Proud member of the NRA and Texas State Rifle Association. Registered and active voter.

September 16, 2012, 08:56 AM	#5
wogpotter Senior Member Join Date: September 27, 2004 Posts: 4,811	Is it a 15, or a 15-2? What barrel length? FWIW I have had my 6" VH for ever & still like it! The only problem common to them is a light primer strike in D/A mode. If you reload keep this in mind when picking primers. Also check the D/A cocking if you replace the grips as the grip screw length is critical & some aftermarket grip screws are too long & bind up the D/A action. __________________ Allan Quatermain: “Automatic rifles. Who in God's name has automatic rifles”? Elderly Hunter: “That's dashed unsporting. Probably Belgium.”

September 16, 2012, 11:20 AM	#6
militant Senior Member Join Date: August 12, 2012 Location: USA Posts: 519	Mine is just a Model 15. __________________ A hit with a .22 is better than a miss with a .44

September 15, 2012, 09:27 PM	#2
Gdawgs Senior Member Join Date: June 1, 2009 Location: MN Posts: 656	They are awesome. Some of my favorites that I own. Very accurate and tough guns. If you are like all the rest of us owners, you'll like yours as well.

September 16, 2012, 05:20 PM	#7
Sevens Senior Member Join Date: July 28, 2007 Location: Ohio Posts: 11,756	I got mine for a pretty good price but it's turning out to be a problem child. I'm not giving up yet, but I have been frustrated. On the bad side: It's not great looking, the frame seems to have a plum-color while the barrel shroud looks like it's in better shape. But I don't care all too much about how it looks, especially for the price I paid. The D/A pull is awful, just awful. It's quite heavy, it's not smooth, it's worse than most Taurus revolvers I've owned or used. I'm accustomed to S&W revolvers, OEM with no work done to them, and this one is just plain awful. I get light primer strikes all the time when I attempt D/A shooting with it. The grip was difficult to remove as it had corroded or rusted just a bit so it was stuck on there and hard to get off, so I wonder if that has anything to do with the light strikes. The point made above about grip screw length makes me want to investigate it further. Lastly, some idiot tightened the barrel nut too tightly. Of course I am the idiot, I'm sure you saw that coming. Is this one of those deals where sticking it in the freezer over night will help me to remove it? On the good side: It's got a terrific single action trigger break. Not hair light, but little noticeable over travel and a clean break, I like it. It's completely in time and this is one of the first things I seem to find in revolvers they haven't been taken care of, so I'm happy this one is right. It's accurate, no problems with that and no complaints. But I can't enjoy it's accuracy because of the laundry list of other problems. It's also a problem for me personally because regardless of what I paid for it -- I simply can't sell it because I know it's a problem child. So for me, it's going to be a project gun if I can ever get anywhere with it, and it's also likely to be a handload experimentation device where I can run some of my harsher stuff without worrying about pushing one of my very much loved other guns. (NO, I'm, not reckless, I'm a responsible handloader, but I think you know what I'm talking about here) __________________ *Attention Brass rats and other reloaders:* I really need .327 Federal Magnum brass, no lot size too small. Tell me what caliber you need and I'll see what I have to swap. PM me and we'll discuss.

September 16, 2012, 07:48 PM	#8
Gdawgs Senior Member Join Date: June 1, 2009 Location: MN Posts: 656	Sevens, the trigger pull shouldn't be like that. Have you pulled the side plate off? Could be lots of gunk in there. May need a cleaning and some new lube. Replacing the main spring may fix the light strikes as well. EWK sells a kit that's pretty cheap and has a number of goodies. http://www.ewkarms.com/zencart/index...products_id=19

September 16, 2012, 10:59 PM	#9
Misssissippi Dave Senior Member Join Date: December 5, 2009 Posts: 1,411	I bought one in the late 70's. I always regreted having to sell it. Early this year I finally got another one. It has a full lug vented 4" barrel. It is fun to shoot and has made every range trip since I got it. One day I hope to get a complete pistol kit. I generally don't shoot much at 25 yards any more. With the Dan Wesson I can easily keep all rounds in center of mass at 25 yards. Someone that can see better than I can will probably be able to tighten the group size easily. I have some springs coming in soon to see if I can't improve the double action a little. The single action is close to a 5 pound trigger pull. It feels a lot less since it is quite smooth and breaks clean. Timing is great. My only problem has been easy to fix. Accuracy was not very good. I checked the cylinder gap and tighten the barrel nut properly. It has been great ever since. I prefer to shoot magnum ammo only with the rubber presentation grips on it. They suck up the recoil nicely. The wood grips work well for .38 specials as do the rubber grips. The wood grips do look nicer. I think the grips should be removed a couple of times a year. Then you can clean and lubricate the metal. This should make removing them easy to do and should prevent corrosion under the grips.

September 16, 2012, 11:08 PM	#10
FM12 Senior Member Join Date: February 5, 2007 Location: Monroeville, Alabama Posts: 1,683	I've had several, currently own a 6" in 357. About to (soon I hope) purchase a 6" 44 mag. Strong as hell! VERY accurate.