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May 13, 2008
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Greetings,
Here is a picture of the Dam Wesson .357:
http://www.sitnsail.com/hairfarm/Otherstuff/DCP_0007.JPG
I believe this is the 714 model in stainless?
Does
anyone have any ideas on where I can buy parts for this gun?
Specifically the piece that holds the cylinder in place? I think it's
called the crane-latch assembly. My cylinder is extremely loose and the crane latch assembly need replacement.
Any ideas for parts? If I can't find parts then this .357 may be toast according to my gunsmith.
thanks,
Hairfarm
March 9, 2011
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Hi did you try to cz usa Dan Wesson normally the sell spare parts
Dans Club
March 2, 2008
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That is a Model 715, since it has an adjustable rear sight (714 would be fixed rear).
DW/CZ still maintains parts for these, and in fact is re-introducing the Model 715 as a newly manufactured gun. Check the FAQ's on the right sidebar for "Where can I get parts" for contact info at DW/CZ. EWK Technologies also has many standard parts available (screws, springs, etc.)
It is possible that your problem is the spring inside the latch is broken, which is a very easy repair.
1) Revolver unloaded, of course
2) Swing out the cylinder. On the front of the crane you will see a small screw, probably hex head.
3) Remove the screw, slide the latch off to reveal the u-shaped spring. Check to see if the spring is broken, or if the entire spring recess is so loaded up with crud that it will not latch fully closed.
It is also possible that the notch that the latch locks into is loaded up with crud, and the latch cannot fully engage, or some combination of both of these issues.
This is very likely to be an easy fix it yourself problem requiring minimal outlay for some small parts at worst. If it is the spring, maybe just order the spring kit and give it a complete tune-up:
https://www.danwessonforum.com/forum/reloading/tuning-up-your-15-2-the-average-joe-method
Good Luck
I went to a bookstore and asked the saleswoman "Were is the Self Help Section?" She said if she told me, it would defeat the purpose.
George Carlin
Range Officer
Range Officers
Dans Club
March 27, 2009
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NIce looking Dan hate to see the 715 toast! Most smiths don't want to mess with them or think of them as sub s&w! Well what I have found.
Looks like Steve guided yu through fixxing her up so keep us posted and hang on to those Grippers!
May 17, 2010
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Welcome to the Forum!
Nice looking Dan, I am pretty sure you will want to fix that one up.
Soap Box, Ballot Box, Ammo Box
in that order.
4 Monson Model 15's
1 Palmer FB 15
1 Rossi 357 Model 92 (lever)
1 CZ 75B
May 13, 2008
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Greetings,
Thanks Steve for pointing me in the right direction.
Priscilla Jones emailed me to say that she has the parts for my 715.
Basically, the cylinder is very "sloppy". It wiggles around and is loose, even when closed and locked in.
Question: Does the cylinder spin on the crane or the ejector rod? Do anyone have a picture or an exploded view of the cylinder/crane/ejector system. That would be extremely helpful. It seems to me that the cylinder spins on the ejector rod(?)
Also, does anyone has a repair guide in PDF format?
This gun seems to confuse my gunsmith…not a good sign.
I'm thinking of getting it back from him and finding someone else.
thanks!
Hairfarm
May 13, 2008
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Greetings,
My gunsmith finally figured out where my DW broke. The horizontal arm for the cylinder on the crane snapped off of the main crane body. If you look at the illustration, I've colored the part that broke off in yellow. I've added a red arrow to show exactly where the break occurred.
Here is a link to the image:
http://www.sitnsail.com/hairfarm/Otherstuff/Dan_Wesson_malfunction/DanWesson_91415_schem-1.jpg
The break was so clean that at first everything looked normal upon inspection. The arm that holds the cylinder in place (and which the ejector rod goes through) had snapped off perfectly. The only thing that was holding the cylinder in place was the ejector rod itself. The crane cylinder-arm was just sort of "floating" inside the cylinder itself. This is why the cylinder was so loose, even when locked in place.
This is, likely, why I was getting "dry-fires" every few rounds. On the dry-fired round, I noticed that the primer had been hit way off to the side, and not in the middle like usual. The break must have been affecting the timing in some way.
In fact, the last time the DW was fired (when I realized it was seriously malfunctioning) was by a friend. I was standing behind him watching from behind and slightly to the right. On the last shot he took, a piece of lead (?) blew backwards and hit me in my lip under my nose. It kind of shocked me and was painful at first. The cut bled like a shaving accident. That's when I told him to stop firing and I noticed the cylinder was WAY too loose. The broken crane must have affected the timing which caused the bullet to scrape the side of the barrel. Not a clean exit. I think I was hit by the blowback. Does that sound right?
I always wear eye protection anyway, but if I wasn't and was hit in the eye instead of the lip things could have been seriously worse.
I'm wondering if I should stop shooting .357 rounds through my DW. Could they be breaking up my gun over time? Maybe I'll switch to the .38 Special for target shooting. Anyone else having problems with the continued use of .357 rounds damaging their gun?
I'll post some pics when I get it back together again.
thanks,
Hairfarm
Supporter
DWF Supporters
October 14, 2010
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The broken rod will definately throw your timing off. Slop in the cylinder will always lend itself to the cylinder chamber and barrel not being in line. I'm not sure if any members have an extra crane or if these need to be fitted.
It's hard to tell what caused this but I would think that any 357 mag load within published specs would not have caused the break. Could have been a flaw in the crane from the factory?
I hope you can get it fixed soon.
Support your local IHMSA range.
Dans Club
March 2, 2008
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I doubt seriously that this was caused by shooting .357 Mag ammunition. The DW design is notoriously robust, and there are many guns on this Forum that have had thousands of full house .357 Mag, including some pretty outrageous reloading experiments, without a failure of any kind. This was almost certainly a flawed part or there may have been some real abuse heaped on this gun at some point.
I went to a bookstore and asked the saleswoman "Were is the Self Help Section?" She said if she told me, it would defeat the purpose.
George Carlin
February 11, 2010
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I watched the same exact thing happen on a S&W 686, cracked the
crane tube clean. Was from competition speed shooting, during
reloads shooter swings cylinder out holds cylinder and the weight
of the gun on the crane tube during quick reloads. This happened
after a few thousand rounds, S&W took care of it but it happened.
May or may not be what your dealing with but you just never
know what a previous owner may put a firearm through, just
like when ever I see someone flip wrist a cylinder closed like
they did on the movies...makes me cringe 
.
-Blacktop
Dans Club
March 2, 2008
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I had not considered that possible cause, I'd agree that is the most likely. Anytime I am with a new shooter, that is the first thing I instruct them in, after the 4 rules of firearms safety.
I went to a bookstore and asked the saleswoman "Were is the Self Help Section?" She said if she told me, it would defeat the purpose.
George Carlin
May 13, 2008
Offline
Repair Update:
Ok, so I ordered another crane for my 715 DW. The original crane broke (see op) so I bought another one directly from Dan Wesson Firearms in Norwich.
Well, it turns out the part they shipped needed to be "fitted" to my gun. My gunsmith didn't seem too thrilled to do this when I gave him the part. What the heck? Why should it need to need to be fitted? Meanwhile, my gunsmith actually found a different crane that fit my 715 perfectly and didn't need fitting.
So now I'm stuck with the original, non-fitting $75 crane that doesn't fit my gun.
Anyone know if I can get a refund since this doesn't fit properly? Maybe I can sell it cheap as a private party sale.
Second question: My DW has a sporadic dry-firing problem. Seems to happen when using reloads. Which EWK ARMS kit, specifically, will help to increase the hammer tension for my gun? Should I get the "Dan Wesson Small Frame Hand Spring" or the "Dan Wesson Small Parts Assortment"?
I'm thinking I should get the "Dan Wesson Small Frame Hand Spring" to increase hammer tension, right?
So far, I'm in this repair for $180. Not good. 🙁
thanks all,
September 26, 2010
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The EWK kits will help. The hand spring can put to much tension on the transfer bar and cause light strikes and the main spring being weak can also cause the problem as well as dirty moving parts. I have a complete spring kit for most of my Dans, I would get them before they are no longer available.
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