Dan Wesson 15-2 357 value

stonebuster · Aug 17, 2019

I'm looking at a 1981 Monson, Ma DW model 15-2 6" half shroud 357. No kit, tools or other barrels included. The blue looks to be excellent from the photos but the grips are rubber Pachmayr. Visible turn line can be seen in photos. I'm going to inspect it in person on Monday. I realize condition is everything as well as box(no box) ect. I'm looking for a shooter not a safe queen. Up until a few days ago, I knew little about the Dan Wessons. Seller is asking $500 and from looking around it seems to be in the ball park.

rjm6120 · Aug 17, 2019

Not a bad price, but not a screaming deal either. Lay $450-$475 out and see what happens, but if he's stuck on $500 and you really like the gun you're not overpaying. Dan Wessons are very accurate revolvers and you won't be disappointed.

Dieseltech56 · Aug 17, 2019

I like Dan Wesson's a lot but it's hard to find them in nice shape. If it is in nice shape I'd say it's worth $500 if it's something you want.

chiefdave · Aug 17, 2019

Seller was asking $500 at a gun show for this 15-2HV 6". Paid $425 when he was getting ready to pack up. About 90% and a great shooter. For me the first and last hour of a show is happy hour.

Original grips are expensive so use that as a bargaining point. DW's are built like a tank and good looking to boot.

glenwolde · Aug 17, 2019

Take an allen wrench with you and try to pull the grip off. I've seen a few that had Pachmayr's stuck to the frame. One I just took the screw out of and figured it would work loose eventually. 1,000 rounds later it was still stuck on there. Never did get it off. I think the price is a little high for a standard weight barrel. Those are not as popular as the heavy barrels. I would give $400-$450 for it but I don't want one that bad. They do shoot well though. You've still got to buy a barrel tool.

Rocket3 · Aug 17, 2019

Been a DW revolver fan for years. Still have 4 in my possession. In my opinion they are a great value. I don’t think any will reach the price of a nice pre-lock S&W or an older Colt but will out shoot ether.
$500 sounds fair, no more unless it’s really nice. You want to get a barrel wrench, easy to find. The box is a Styrofoam clam shell with a sleeve. Not having it is no real loss.
Not sure what a half shroud is, never heard that term.
Good luck.

Dieseltech56 · Aug 17, 2019

The half shroud is like what we call half underlug or standard barrels in the S&W world. The full underlug Dan Wesson would be called a "heavy" barrel

silentflyer · Aug 17, 2019

500$ is reasonable, but always open with a lower offer,that's a given.

If it's a Monson built gun that's a +. Lots of grips on Ebay, and EWK arms has new barrels,tools and parts if needed.

stansdds · Aug 18, 2019

I recently saw a Monson Model 15-2 in my local gun/sporting goods/pawn shop. It was a 98% specimen with the non-ventilated, half-underlug 6-inch barrel, blued, with original, wood stocks. This would be considered the standard, entry level Model 15-2. It had been sitting in the case for about 6 months with a $600 tag on it. I did examine it and it was tight, so used very little. I opened the negotiation at $450 cash, but was turned down. I would have certainly gone $475 and perhaps $500, given that it was in such great shape. Sadly, it was a consignment piece and I was told that it had a rock bottom price of $550 plus tax and background check, no further negotiations. I passed, but a couple of weeks ago either someone bought it or the owner took it back. These can be nice revolvers, but there is little factory support, especially when it comes to blued carbon steel parts. I am always wary, though, as some DW revovlers exhibit all the signs of having been made on milling machines that had cutters that were beyond their replacement interval.

Oh, and rubber stocks can "weld" themselves to the grip post. Rubber stocks can also allow moisture to accumulate and form rust under the rubber.

hardluk1 · Aug 18, 2019

400 to 450 should buy a monson mass 15-2 in nice shape . EWKarms can cover most parts or upgrades too . I bought mine in '76 added a no srcrew Buehler mount and 1" ringer in '78 for a tube type red dot . have a ultra dot on it today . Mine has a 8" barrel and 4" . My wife has a 6" version also and we have a 4" 22lr version all monson mass made .

Rocket3 · Aug 18, 2019

Dieseltech56 said:
The half shroud is like what we call half underlug or standard barrels in the S&W world. The full underlug Dan Wesson would be called a "heavy" barrel

Here's what I remember from my DW revolvers, had a few.

The actual designation in the DW world would be the prefix V- (Vent) for the partial underlug and VH- (Vent Heavy) for the full underlug. No prefix is non vented.

There is also CBA Compensated Barrel Assembly.
Add a S to the end and you have a slotted shroud.

I've had some of each.

Sold the big stuff but very happy I've kept my 22's. Still shoot them today. My 10" Silhouette single action only is still extremely accurate even with my old eyes.

Laketime · Aug 18, 2019

Rocket3;140519652 Not sure what a half shroud is said:
The current generation refers to the ejector shroud as being a lug
That’s why you here them say full lug or half lug terms.Ill give credit to this poster at least he knows its a shroud,justs needs to drop the half part.

Thin Man · Aug 19, 2019

I stumbled onto a Dan Wesson Model 22-VH4 about ten years ago for $450. Knew nothing about them at the time. It has since become my favorite .22 revolver even over my S&W Model 18-4. The DW is shockingly accurate, beautifully polished, exceedingly well made and will likely outlast me by several lifetimes.
In my opinion, Dan Wesson revolvers (especially the Monson produced guns) are currently under-valued, although that situation has changed somewhat in the last 5 years or so.
I think the scarcity and quality of these guns, along with the interesting design features, will drive the values up in the near future.
God knows that barrel assemblies on Ebay are not exactly going for chump change. I was chasing a 2 1/2" for my gun that brought more than $440!

Ask yourself how much gun $500 buys in today's market (particularly in revolvers), and let that guide your decision. Again, it's just my opinion but Dan Wessons go for Taurus money and offer Python quality.

stonebuster · Aug 20, 2019

Laketime said:
The current generation refers to the ejector shroud as being a lug
That’s why you here them say full lug or half lug terms.Ill give credit to this poster at least he knows its a shroud,justs needs to drop the half part.

Sorry for the incorrect terminology. It's a 15-2, V6 barrel. I'm learning a great deal about the DWs lately.

CH4 · Aug 20, 2019

One of my biggest gun selling regrets was selling my NIB DW pistol pack.

stonebuster · Aug 21, 2019

I went to see the 15-2 Monday. The blue was excellent with no worn areas. The cylinder locked up tight and the forcing cone had no wear I could see. SA was excellent but in DA, if trigger was pulled slowly had a hitch in it about half way back. If pulled more quickly it was less noticeable. The B/C gap was barely .002 or slightly less and I could see some slight rotational rub marks on the face of the cylinder. The seller had no barrel tool so the gap couldn't be adjusted. The trigger failed to return a few times in DA but he had replaced the trigger return spring so it may be too light. It has a over travel set screw on the back of the trigger I could try backing out a tad to see if it helps. I've read an over tightened grip can cause trigger issues so I'll check that. We pulled the grips off and there was absolutely no rust or wear on the frame. He pulled the side plate off and no rust inside either but over lubricated with oil and light grease. I thought about it and did some research the last couple of days and decided to go for it. The overall condition of the gun is so good and I don't think the issues are major. The barrel tool is ordered and the B/C gap will be reset at .005-.006. I tend to agree with Thin Man that $500 doesn't generally go too far in today's quality used revolver market. I'll post a better photo after I transfer the gun tomorrow.

THEmodelof1989 · Aug 21, 2019

I think Dan Wesson makes a fine revolver. Mine has an exceptionally light double action trigger, and it's exceptionally accurate. Although the 8" barrel may be helping me out. I've only shot it once to say that I did, and I've never shot or even attached the other barrels.

Enjoy yours.

chiefdave · Aug 21, 2019

stonebuster said:
I went to see the 15-2 Monday. The blue was excellent with no worn areas. The cylinder locked up tight and the forcing cone had no wear I could see. SA was excellent but in DA, if trigger was pulled slowly had a hitch in it about half way back. If pulled more quickly it was less noticeable. The B/C gap was barely .002 or slightly less and I could see some slight rotational rub marks on the face of the cylinder. The seller had no barrel tool so the gap couldn't be adjusted. The trigger failed to return a few times in DA but he had replaced the trigger return spring so it may be too light. It has a over travel set screw on the back of the trigger I could try backing out a tad to see if it helps. I've read an over tightened grip can cause trigger issues so I'll check that. We pulled the grips off and there was absolutely no rust or wear on the frame. He pulled the side plate off and no rust inside either but over lubricated with oil and light grease. I thought about it and did some research the last couple of days and decided to go for it. The overall condition of the gun is so good and I don't think the issues are major. The barrel tool is ordered and the B/C gap will be reset at .005-.006. I tend to agree with Thin Man that $500 doesn't generally go too far in today's quality used revolver market. I'll post a better photo after I transfer the gun tomorrow.

You did well in my opinion. Sounds like you were working with a honest dealer if he allowed partial disassembly. I wouldn't be too worried about the cylinder gap, .002 is what the 357 SuperMag's run to keep flame cutting to a minimum.

stonebuster · Aug 21, 2019

THEmodelof1989 said:
I think Dan Wesson makes a fine revolver. Mine has an exceptionally light double action trigger, and it's exceptionally accurate. Although the 8" barrel may be helping me out. I've only shot it once to say that I did, and I've never shot or even attached the other barrels.

Enjoy yours.

Wow, what a beautiful revolver and kit. I can appreciate why it doesn't see a lot of range time. I'd be afraid I'd put a scratch on it.

THEmodelof1989 · Aug 21, 2019

stonebuster said:
Wow, what a beautiful revolver and kit. I can appreciate why it doesn't see a lot of range time. I'd be afraid I'd put a scratch on it.

The colt guys don't like to hear it, but I've seen monson era dan wessons that have a deep polished blue finish that is every bit as good as the beautiful pythons I've seen. This one belonged to my grandfather, and now it belongs to me, so I may be a bit biased, but this Dan is among the most beautiful I've ever laid my eyes on. Complete kits bring big big money nowadays. So much so that I find the price disparity between the complete kits vs. the revolver only very strange.

Dan Wesson 15-2 357 value

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