Hello All,

Lon the new, senior shooter here! I introduced myself in the appropriate forum a couple of months ago. I hesitated posting a question here on the above Dan Wesson, until I searched and saw several post on DW revolvers.

I went to a local gun shop and asked their reactions about the 715. Remember, I'm in California and have never bought a gun in my life; fired them, but never bought one.

Although they were complimentary about the 715, they came across as "damning with faint praise". The main drawback in their eyes was "the gap". They didn't make clear what the objection to this was, but were not encouraging me in the 715's direction. Wanted to show me their line of S&W semi-autos. In the past 2 years, all I've shot are revolvers; .38, .357 and .44 mag and I love them! I'm not considering a semi auto at the moment. Should I?

I was told that "if...if we could find a private party 715 in California it would be terribly expensive", although I've never once winced at pricing when it came to something I thought was worth the money.

Is it true that if I found a new/used 715 for, say $1,200 from a certified gun shop or private party in the U.S., I could not legally purchase it as a California resident? Must it be a used 715 from within California only? Perhaps I misunderstood, but that's what it sounded like.

If not, would you please suggest a comparable .38/.357 for a first time buyer?

Second question. is there a website where I can learn the ins-and-outs of buying a revolver in California? Particularly, can I buy a used revolver from anywhere in the US, have it shipped to my local FFD as a legal purchase?

My #1 purchase remains the S&W 617-6 [SKU 160578], mentioned in my post in the introduction forum. I've checked and it is on the California A/G's list of acceptable purchase firearms. http://certguns.doj.ca.gov/safeguns_resp.asp

Could I then, seek the best deal, wherever that may be [brick and mortar shop, Internet or private party], send it to the FFD, to make a legal purchase?

Many thanks for taking the time to respond!

Lon

Do not give in to their semi-auto bologna. A Dan Wesson 715 is a great choice but a model 27 or 28 Smith and Wesson may be a lot easier to find. The models 27 and 28 in any dash configuration are bigger frame 357 magnum revolvers. They are able to withstand a constant diet of magnum shells and of course you can shoot 38 special from them also for practice or whatever. The S&W models 13, 19 are smaller framed guns easier to carry but not made to withstand thousands upon thousands of mag. Ammo. Of course you have the L-frames and most popular today S&W 357 mags. They are built right between the two but have a heavier barrel as the underlie goes all the way to the muzzle. These L-frames are still being made today and can be bought brand new. I know nothing as far as California goes but there is a pretty good amount of choices you can make and surely some gun store in your state has 1 or 2 or all the different frames mentioned by me. A fair amount of 715's were made back in the day but are much more rare than the S&W guns.

go to a reputable local store and buy a 686 7 shot 4" or 6".
you will not be sorry.
buying a gun on line and then transferring to a Ca dealer rarely makes sense as the their transfer fees must be very high in order to cover the time it takes to do the transfer(1 hour).
you are paying for the dealers time and expertise and this would not be the time to "save money" buy patronizing the internet -support your local independent dealer.
you are correct -you would have to find a DW WITHIN california and buy it through a dealer as it would be most likely a 'private party owned' gun on consignment where you have to do the dealer transfer work.

Sorry state of affairs for the used gun market in California.
But thats the currect law.

Okay, you're asking a lot of questions and actually-- perhaps without realizing it, you are asking another question too, and I'll elaborate in a moment.

First, learning about nuances in California gun law. Well, imagine first that each of the 50 states retain almost all of the control over guns & gun laws within their state. Simple facts and process of elimination means that one state of the total 50 must be the absolute worst... and unfortunately, you live in that state. Gun laws in California are like running a gauntlet. I suggest Calguns and their group/forum for the very best advice in what is honestly a real flaming bag of deficate that is burning on your doorstep.

Next... regarding the revolver flash gap. The Dan Wesson is the only revolver design I am aware of where the user can remove/install and adjust their barrel and this allows you to set and fine-tune this gap. It is EASY to do and the flash gap on any Dan Wesson revolver is a fantastic feature and for certain, no manner of a deficit. Anyone who argues that it is a deficit should, IMO, attempt to explain themselves. It would be like calling a Corvette a lousy car because the damn thing can go "too fast!"

Now then, is a Dan Wesson what you truly want? This depends a whole lot on exactly what you want from a revolver! If you want solid build quality, the adjustability I mentioned above and accuracy that is an extremely well-known trait of a DW revolver, then YES. However, if you want a smooth double action trigger stroke, more options for accessory grips, more ability to easily smooth up the insides and have far more access to parts & springs... a S&W is a better choice.

And to the "mystery" question I eluded to above...
There are two different Dan Wesson outfits. There is the classic DW that was made from the very late 1960's in to the... hmmm, late 80's or early 90's? And there is the current Dan Wesson 715 that is once again being produced, brand new right now, by CZ-USA.

Expect the current production DW to be a fantastic revolver... I believe it may actually be BETTER than the originals. But it carries a hefty price tag and may very well not legally exist in California.

Dan Wesson revolvers can be very nice... or they can be a pile of roughly machined parts. I've seen them both ways. I've owned two 15-2's, both were made in Monson, Mass.. The first one I foolishly traded away. The second one replaced the first one and I'm not looking to part with it. The new ones made in Norwich, NY and the Monson ones are generally considered to be the best, the ones made in Palmer, Mass. have a much spottier reputation. Since you are in California, finding one may prove to be difficult, you make have to "settle" for a S&W.