Dan Wesson 15-2 vs. S&W 14

geeguy

In honor of the Reeves match at Camp Perry today.

I own and shot both the Dan Wesson 15-2 and the S&W K-38 (also model 14). Due to my lack of skill it is difficult to notice that one is better then the other for accuracy. Most Bullseye shooters tend to use the K-38.

Has anyone got extensive experience from a ransom rest on these guns? A good friend shoots the DW and takes a lot of grief, and my "opinion" is they are at least equal (maybe the DW is a "little" better for a bigger hand).

Would be interested in opinions or facts.

dcs shooters

My DW pistol-pac, I got in the mid '70's shoots just as well as any of the S&W 14's I've had. I just tighten up the barrel to cyl. gap on them.

Pearyw

My Dan Wesson shoot 357 magnum very well, but is not as accurate with 38 spl. I feel the S&Ws have better trigger pull than the Dan Wesson.

rsnyder55

If memory serves, the DW's were supposed to be very accurate as the barrel was secured at both ends, and the gap could be set so that it was at the optimum distance.

Also, if I remember, the hammer fall in SA mode was very short.

Hawk Carse

The only guy around here who wrung one out said it was the most accurate .357 he had ever fired with full charge magnums. But we were shooting PPC at the time and he could not figure out how to get a DA trigger pull anywhere close to Colt, S&W, or even Ruger.

geeguy

Interesting comments from all. To share a little, the DW does require a new spring set for the trigger to be close to a S&W, and the S&W is much easier to adjust. I also close the gap on the DW to about half the normal recommendation (something I learned here from you guys)which improves the accuracy. I normally shoot .38 HBWC ammo for competition with the K-38 and have only shot .357 loads in the DW, so I will have to try a .38 spec load to see if there is a difference.

I did note that a S&W 686 (.357) never shot the .38 spec as well as the .357, so this may also be the case with the DW.

Thanks for all the input.

DBMJR1

The Dan Wesson's trigger is easy to improve, by polishing the internals some. It's not difficult at all. Here's a tutorial.
http://www.danwessonforum.com/?page_id=3/reloading/tuning-up-your-15-2-the-average-joe-method/

As for inherent accuracy of the Dan Wessons. Having a dual tensioned barrel only means that the point of aim will change less due to heat.

I love my 715. I shoot 148gr HBWC's over 3.5gr of HP-38. I'll never know how accurate it is, I'm not that good of a shooter. Not nearly as good as many of you are. I can knock over the steel plates at 25 yards, and that's all that matters to me, at this time.

BTW: Ever notice how everything seems backwards on a S&W? [:o)]

Colts & Dan Wessons for me.[:D]

geeguy

Thanks DBMJR1. Great data on the site. There are so many places on the web to get information, but I didn't even think of trying that site before my trigger job, would have been a lot easier. Have passed this to my friend.

As always, thanks to everyone for their valuable input.