Dan Wesson Revolvers

[Bhfromme]

Asking for some wisdom on the old Dan Wesson revolvers. I'm looking at an old 715. Looks like a great shooter but I'd like to hear from people that have fired these.

I know DW went through some tough times. Not sure the age of the 715 I'm looking at but it's stamped Main Street, Monson if that helps. So my question. Do these have smooth, light single action trigger pulls or is it going to be stiff like some of the lesser quality Taurus revolvers that I've owned? And lastly, is there a way to look up born on dates on the DW revos?

 

[csurp34]

Asking for some wisdom on the old Dan Wesson revolvers. I'm looking at an old 715. Looks like a great shooter but I'd like to hear from people that have fired these.

I know DW went through some tough times. Not sure the age of the 715 I'm looking at but it's stamped Main Street, Monson if that helps. So my question. Do these have smooth, light single action trigger pulls or is it going to be stiff like some of the lesser quality Taurus revolvers that I've owned? And lastly, is there a way to look up born on dates on the DW revos?

In case you haven,t seen this yet.


Dan Wesson Forum – The Legend Lives On…

 

[colt_saa]

Dan Wessons are superb revolvers.

I never worry about the questionable years when buying a 20-30-40 year old revolver

It is just like a Model 27 that was made in the 70s/80s. If it left the Factory with problems, it has already been sent back and corrected by the time we are buying it used.

One thing that you need to realize, Dan Wessons have a very short throw on their actions. It makes D/A trigger pulls feel much heavier than a Modern Smith and Wesson. If you are shooting mostly S/A then that will not be an issue. However the difference in the way the lock work operates is one of the reasons why S&W shooters dislike Dan Wessons.

You NEED to handle the revolver and feel the action before you make the decision to purchase it

Dan Wessons have been available in Stainless as well as Blued steel in a very wide variety of chamberings. As I am sure you are aware, the barrel assemblies can be changed by the owner is just a few minutes.

The Model 715 that you are looking at is chambered in 357 Magnum and just like any S&W 357 Magnum revolver it will safely chamber and shoot the same three shorter cartridges


Dan Wessons use a multi piece, tensioned barrel assembly and in the Metallic Silhouette days Dan Wessons were highly sought after for the outstanding accuracy that this multi piece system provided.

 

[colt_saa]

In case you haven,t seen this yet.


Dan Wesson Forum – The Legend Lives On…

Chris,
I have been a member of that Forum for well over a decade now. It is very low volume and slow moving, nothing like this Forum

 

[csurp34]

Chris,
I have been a member of that Forum for well over a decade now. It is very low volume and slow moving, nothing like this Forum

Yes, for sure.

 

[Model52guy]

Started shooting dan wessons in the 80’s for silhouette competition. I still have 14, I think. The 357 supermag is my favorite in 357 Max cartridge. The single action trigger is better than any other revolver I have including S&W’s. The double action pull is heavy. As the cylinder/barrel gap is adjustable you can get better/consistent velocities . The monson mass. Made revolvers are suppose to be the highest quality. I wouldn’t hesitate to buy a 715. Make sure you get the barrel tool or you will need to buy one from EWK arms. The pic is my model 15 with a 15” barrel.

 

[Jeppo]

I have several.

They will all be for sale (by my widow).

 

[oddshooter]

I too am a real fan 357 Maximum or of the Dan Wesson named 357 SuperMag.
The DW at distance is an amazing revolver. I have several including in .32 H&Rmag and the 32-20 WCF. The DW's are some of my favorites.

I've bought several barrels from the new Dan Wesson after they were acquired and the barrels are very nice. I believe they only sell the 715 these days.


Prescut

 

[357-RevolverGuy]

I've owned a few Dan Wesson's over the years. The "Monson Mass." stamped one's are sought after more by collectors and believed to be higher up in quality control. From what I remember with mine, the triggers felt a lot like a Ruger GP100.

 

[Walter Rego]

I disagree about not having to worry about one. My own experience:
I had a Model 15-2VH with a 6" barrel and 8" regular taper barrel. It was an outstanding gun in every way. Like a dummy, when DW announced their stainless Model 715 I had to have one. I regrettably sold the Model 15 to fund it.

The serial number of the stainless gun was under 800 if I recall. The barrel was clocked because the locating pin was out of spec. I sent it to the factory. Months later they sent a new gun with the same serial number because the original frame had to be scrapped.
Then I test fired it. All six chambers were so rough that none would extract normal factory .357 loads without pounding on the extractor rod. It would extract .38+P level loads on 2-3 chambers only. It should have never left the factory the first time let alone the second.
I traded it off for something else and took a loss.

I'd love to find a high condition Model 15 like the one I owned back around 1979-81. I doubt that I would buy one of their stainless guns. In any case I would only buy an early Monson gun and then only after a very detailed inspection.

 

[Duckfood]

I have a few... Several from Monson, Mass... 1 from Palmer, Mass... And, 1 revolver and a handful of 1911s from Norwich, NY...

 

[glenwolde]

I've had two different 715's. Both were wonderfully accurate. About as accurate as one could hope for. Right out of the box. Very good single action trigger. Really like the interchangeable front sight blades.

The only thing was swapping barrels, while not difficult, wasn't something done casually. It's not like you'd go to the range during the day, swap barrels to conceal carry to dinner, then swap back for the range the next day.

Each time you swap it takes a bit of shooting them in and adjusting. Often your point of impact would change a tad.

 

[Bhfromme]

Love this forum. That's exactly the kind of stuff I was looking for. Thanks.

Now last question. Is there a way to research born on dates by looking up serial numbers on the DWs?

 

[Duckfood]

Love this forum. That's exactly the kind of stuff I was looking for. Thanks.

Now last question. Is there a way to research born on dates by looking up serial numbers on the DWs?

Due to fires, bankruptcies and other natural disasters, there is no official hard list of serial numbers/born on dates... As mentioned earlier, there is a DW message board... The members there have pieced together their own homemade list...

Dan Wesson Forum – The Legend Lives On…

 

[Dieseltech56]

I have I believe 7 Dan Wesson revolvers from all eras. 2 super mags and 5 357s. They are very well built and I like the scarcity also. The lock work is different and not as smooth as S&W but not at all bad. They are very strong guns

 

[Qc Pistolero]

I still own 3;2 in .357 and one in .44
Exept having to retorque the bbl end screw once in a while,I never experienced any problem with any of them.And while I have a few .357 or .38 that are as accurate, my .44DW is the most accurate .44 I've ever owned(and I've had over half a dozen).
Monson made are the ones to own quality wise.
I wouldn't be afraid to buy another one.Just check if it hasn't been abused.

 

[VictorLouis]

One thing that you need to realize, Dan Wessons have a very short throw on their actions. It makes D/A trigger pulls feel much heavier than a Modern Smith and Wesson. If you are shooting mostly S/A then that will not be an issue. However the difference in the way the lock work operates is one of the reasons why S&W shooters dislike Dan Wessons.

That is an exellent way to have explained it. While I have one now, I've handled any number of them in both small-frame and large-frame. With the exception of the scarce, and 'different' 'Lil Dan .38 snub, the triggers are all quite similar. You won't get your best DA work done with them, but they are serviceable. SA pulls are excellent.

The only thing was swapping barrels, while not difficult, wasn't something done casually. It's not like you'd go to the range during the day, swap barrels to conceal carry to dinner, then swap back for the range the next day.

LOL, that is exactly what Robert Urich's character of P.I. Dan Tana used to do on his t/v show "Vegas". Or rather, he'd have his flunky do it for him.

Today, I wonder if that was an early form of 'product placement' advertising, or if there simply was a gun-saavy writer on the show.

 

[stansdds]

I had a wonderful DW 15-2, my first handgun, and foolishly traded it. Years later, I found another DW 15-2, not trading this one! DW revolvers are generally excellent revolvers in terms of accuracy. The single action trigger is usually light and crisp, but the double action is short and feels heavy, much like a Colt Trooper Mk III, Mk IV, or King Cobra. Some DW revolvers are not so nice, having poorly machined internal surfaces. The Monson revolvers are regarded as the best, but inspect it closely for poor workmanship before buying.

 

[blakesum]

Started shooting dan wessons in the 80’s for silhouette competition. I still have 14, I think. The 357 supermag is my favorite in 357 Max cartridge. The single action trigger is better than any other revolver I have including S&W’s. The double action pull is heavy. As the cylinder/barrel gap is adjustable you can get better/consistent velocities . The monson mass. Made revolvers are suppose to be the highest quality. I wouldn’t hesitate to buy a 715. Make sure you get the barrel tool or you will need to buy one from EWK arms. The pic is my model 15 with a 15” barrel.

So jealous you have a 15" barrel... I have been on the lookout for quite a while for one!

 

[Swiftflyer]

I had a Dan Wesson back in the mid seventies and it was accurate with a nice S/A trigger but it had a bad habit of locking up from time to time which required opening it up to put the innards back together, traded it for a S&W model 15-3 and never looked back. That model 15 and a 39-2 from the same era are still my favorite hand guns.