[JohnKSa]

Dropped in at a local gun shop and noticed that he had a Dan Wesson 6" in the case.

It has some holster wear but everything seems to be in excellent working order. No accessories.

Is $235 a good price? I'm pretty sure I can get another few bucks knocked off the price too...

It wouldn't be a keeper, I'd probably shoot it some and then try to turn it over for what I paid or maybe a little more.

[Jim March]

Pending a checkout, it's almost certainly worth that!

Any of these factors will raise the value and make a it a really good deal:

* Stainless;

* Replacable barrel model (look at the muzzle, the screw connection should be obvious);

* Adjustable sights.

Is this the frame size that's basically a hair bigger than an S&W K-frame? (Model 15 in blue, 715 in stainless if I recall right? Maybe different numbers for fixed-sight.)

If so, that's a good'un. It's somewhere between an S&W K-frame and a GP100/L-frame in toughness, probably closer to the latter. Great gun for carry and shooting, and in that barrel length would make a nice 48-state woods defense/plinking gun.

They did also make some 357Mags on the 44Mag frame. Those guns are much like the Ruger Redhawk 357 - rare, and capable of Godawful loads that would break anything else :). If you want to experiment with psycho handloads, cool, otherwise it's probably more metal than you want to pack for the caliber. Good for target work though.

Note on running the checkout: IF this gun is of the replacable barrel type, don't worry about barrel/cylinder gap issues. If it's either too big OR too tight, just order the special wrench from DW and re-set it yourself. A previous owner may have set it wrong. Most DWs are like this; a few fixed-barrel guns were shipped though, at the muzzle it'll be easy to tell. And if it's the swap-barrel frame, you can order a 2" or whatever other barrel you want :).

[JohnKSa]

It's blue.

The frame is slightly smaller than the GP100, so I'm guessing it's the .357 frame, not the .44 frame.

Pretty much all of the wear is on the barrel at the muzzle, and it IS the replaceable type. That was the first thing I checked.

Sights are adjustable and I couldn't find anything wrong with the function. I'll drop in some time and do a more thorough check of the lockup/timing when I get a chance. It doesn't seem to have been shot a lot, and I didn't see any evidence that the sideplate had been off.

When I first picked it up the cylinder seemed to be binding at the rear. I noticed that the ejector rod had unscrewed slightly. I tightened it back up and everything was fine. Is that common?

[Majic]

Sounds like a good deal, BUT! Dans don't turn over easy, in other words most people buy them because they are great shooters, but they don't resale like other models. The general market is not that strong for them. You may end up sitting on it for a while trying to sell it. They are great guns (strong and very accurate), but are usually treated as the ugly duckling of the handgun world. Plan on it being a keeper as opposed to an investment.

[Jim March]

He's right about most people not knowing how nice these are, *except*: if you prowl around gun shows looking for additional barrels, and find a 2" or 3" to go with the 6" you've got, you raise it's value probably by less than the cost of the extra barrel.

Meanwhile you'll have a great shooter at a great price.

[caz223]

I got a 715 4" DW.
Make sure you check for light primer strikes, they're one of the weaknesses of the design.
My 715 is the exact frame size as a Taurus Tracker.
The DW will be lighter because of the shrouded barrel, instead of the heavy barrel on the taurus.
Also, don't let anyone do a trigger job on it,or mess with the springs.
It will never work right again.
Mine's a shooter, and it is much fun to shoot.
Also, make sure it comes with the barrel wrench and feeler gage, they are $30.00-$40.00 to replace.

[Parker Dean]

Originally posted by JohnKSa
When I first picked it up the cylinder seemed to be binding at the rear. I noticed that the ejector rod had unscrewed slightly. I tightened it back up and everything was fine. Is that common?


Yeah, I had a well-used Model 15 that did that after I took it apart for a good cleaning. Probably the first time in its life as there was all kinds of crud in there. This was before the internet and I wasn't worried about it enough to seek the services of a 'smith. It would get loose and I would tighten it up hand tight until the next time.

If no one else comes along and answers this with a better answer (like how it should be done) you might start a thread specifically titled for it.

[Parker Dean]

Originally posted by caz223
Also, don't let anyone do a trigger job on it,or mess with the springs.
It will never work right again.


Ah yes, forgot about that. Older DW revolvers, those made in Monson, Mass., and the later Palmer, Mass. , have lockworks made of sintered iron. This is essentially a heat-treated surface-hardened iron. Polishing will remove the surface hardening and the parts will wear quickly. Smiths used to nickel plate the parts after polishing for wear resistance.

Current DW production from Norwich NY uses CNC machined forged steel parts for the lock work. These parts are direct replacements for the older parts, but I suspect that you would have to change all at once due to iron/steel wear characterisitics. Don't quote me on that though! :)

[JohnKSa]

Appreciate all the good info.

[bogie]

FWIW, I used to have a 6" heavy underlug interchangeable barrel model with adjustable sights.

VERY nice revolver.

Took it out one day with a friend who'd just bought a new SKS scope mount.

The Dan Wesson grouped tighter at 75 yards than the SKS.

[JohnK]

Just as a price comparison point I saw a 6" blue, adjustable site Dan Wesson for sale at a local shop for about $350 last week. Obviously without seeing them side by side it's hard to do a comparison but $235 seems like a great price, or would be in this area.