[medic627]

What you have is a very early Dan Wesson. This is most obvious by the barrel shroud having the odd looking extention protruding down well below the lug entire length of and the frame as your shows. This was used in the earlier guns to index the shroud to the frame. The newer modle 15-2 made in the 1980's did not have that. Another way to date an early DW is by by the barrel nut location. the very early nut holding the crown of the bbl was unshrouded. Yes, the nut was totally exposed and actually very visable from a side view. It is difficult for me to see this from the small pic posted but, if it is exposed you will know it and that would make it a pre modle 14. I have to ad that I am unaware of such an early DW being made of stainless steel as Dan was against using S/S. In fact, ALL the factory blued guns had noticably smoother action than any of the S/S 357's from any year DW. I am sure a few owners of a S/S DW will argue that point, but belive me all the blue factory DW's ARE smoother actions. You may also notice that DW has the shortest action of any revolver ever made to my knowledge. Anyway, to sum it up... you definatly have a very early Dan, it is not a 15-2 and are you sure it is S/S and not just the funny unfinished looking finifh common to the very early dans?. I can go on for hours here but hink I may have started you in the right direction. If you post a large clear pic I will give you more info. Also let me know if it is S/S and not the old crude DW finish of the early guns. Hope I helped a bit....

[hotbluer]

I may be able to help you out I worked at Dan Wesson for 5 yrs and have alot of parts you can contact me at Blue Ridge Bluing: Home

[Charger Fan]

I know this is an old thread & the original poster may have found the info he needs by now, but I thought I'd pop in & help with what I know.

The gun he has is a Model 15 "no dash" Porkchop in nickel. The Porkchop nickname refers to the unique barrel shroud design. Dan Wesson guns were not available in stainless until 1982, with the Model 15-2 guns.

Dan Wesson guns started production in 1970 with the Model 11 & 12, in both .38 Spl & .357 Mag. The 11's use fixed sights & a matte finish, the 12's have adjustable sights & a glossy finish. These guns were also available right outta the chute in Pistol Pac's and also in a nickle finish...although I have yet to see one in captivity.
Here are Ed & Fred ( ), two 2-digit sequential number Model 12's.


More to follow, apparently I'm limited to the amount of pics & smileys in one post.

[Charger Fan]

It's hell being a newbie sometimes. LOL! I didn't notice that the Mods need to approve my posts at first...so Mods, please delete my duplicate post.
Ok, so onward...

A few months later, the model designation added some letters, D11 & W12. This one is a D11 in .38 Special, made sometime in 1971 AFAIK.


Here's a W12 in .357 Magnum.


These guns use an external barrel nut to hold the barrel & shroud together.


For reasons unknown to me just yet, some of the D11's have a non-removable barrel nut...sort of an early fixed barrel design.

[Charger Fan]

In those early years, Dan Wesson guns were going through constant refinements...some for functionality & some for aesthetics. Dan listened intently to feedback regarding the guns, in an effort for improvement. The big knobby barrel nut was always a topic of discussion in the gun rags, so with the new 1st generation Model 15, along came a smoother barrel nut.



While that was a slight improvement, it was still considered unsightly & shortly afterward the barrel nut was moved inward, flush with the frame. THIS is the type that our thread starter (Luger89) has in his possession...

Because of the additional cost at the time, nickel guns are not near as common as the blued guns.
It's still a gray area to me, as to where the Model 15 "no dash" leaves off & the 15-1 begins...as of now, I assume that the gun with the older style sights & flush barrel nuts are part of the "no dash" family. A little later with the 15-1, they changed the sights to a smaller style & improved the ejector rod, by putting a mushroom head on it.

While I do not yet own a Model 15 like Luger89's, I do own a Model 14, of the same era.


BTW, all the grips on these guns are directly interchangeable with the later Model 15-2 guns...to help dispel any myths.

[Charger Fan]

By early 1975, as part of the ongoing effort to make the gun more appealing to the masses, the Porkchop style was changed to the current & final Model 15-2 style.
At first, the 15-2's had pinned front sights, then after a year or so, the interchangeable sights came along. The Pistol Pac's also got some snazzy gold/yellow cloth inside, to really showcase the available combinations.
This particular gun was made in 1978, the same year as Dan's passing. It would be interesting to see where things would have gone, had he lived for another dozen years or so.