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December 19, 2014
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If that's a brand new gun in it's original box there should be a sticker on the side that says what DW says it is when it left their factory. Where's the picture of that?
October 1, 2012
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Guys, I have one of the very first stainless pistol pacs . The gun is all stainless. The frame post has an I in the circle not ss. It was promotional at the LA Police Academy in 1981. It has serial number 2386xx. The basic gun was in last years calender on a white background. Some day I will post more pics and story, I just did my first pic post last week !
HUGELK
Dans Club
March 2, 2008
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Steve CT said
Recessed chambersA label dated 11/80
Stainless guns came out in early 1982
S/N exactly in the range for 1980 15-2
No "SD" or "357S" leading the S/N
If this is a 1980 Stainless 15-2, it would indeed be a most remarkable gun
Edit to add:
Over travel screw in the trigger
Look at how clearly defined the cylinder stop is in the sideplate, not like any of the 3 stainless side plates I just checked, exactly like the 2 15-2 side plates I also just checked.
I also looked into the chambers of the 15-2 I had done in bright nickel, they did not get polished like the exterior surfaces and they look exactly like stainless.
I'm not saying this is not stainless, but it would be a stainless DW with all the manufacturing characteristics of a 1980 gun, and again, that would be a pretty remarkable gun.
A genuine 1980 stainless DW is worth WAY more than $950. Do we believe that a 1980 Stainless has surfaced?
A beautifully refinished 1980 DW is worth whatever the buyer wants to pay.
Not trying to be a jerk here (and we know I'm fully capable of that), but I don't want any possible buyer to think this is Stainless without doing a lot more due diligence.
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
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July 2, 2011
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harly said
Pull the grip off. The stainless guns usually have a "SS" cast in a circle in the grip tang. The lack of the "SS" marking still does not preclude it from being stainless....I'd put my money on it is. The 11/80 sticker doesn't really have a bearing on when it was made other than it wasn't before 11/80. They most likely rev'd. the sticker with the latest patent at the time....they wouldn't rev. the sticker again until the next patent, and you'd have to do a patent search to know when that was. The yolk of the crane with the bead blasted finish looks too original to be anything otherwise. Pull the grip off and see if there is a "SS" logo - if it's there end of story.
Of course, the "SS" stamp! Doh! 
To the paranoid people who check behind shower curtains for murderers:
if you find one...what's your plan?
October 1, 2012
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HUGELK
I just checked and my setup also has the cylinder stop that is a separate piece. The trigger overtravel scrrew is in the trigger
Looks just like the one he has pictured
HUGELK
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December 4, 2011
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Paging Eric Wesson, phone call for Mr. Eric Wesson, please come to the white courtesy phone in the forum 
Maybe Eric could shed some light on this one.
Anything worth doing is worth doing well.
My father
If a man designed it, and a man built it, then a man can fix it.
My grandfather
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January 24, 2009
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Okay, two things...
1) Is there a photo of the other sticker on this box, showing the S/N along with the model number?
2) I notice that only the vertical sides of this gun are polished. The bottom facing portions are a matte finish, including the entire trigger guard & all but one surface on the crane. I only have one Monson stainless gun, my 7445, and it is polished everywhere other than the sight rib. Same with my Palmer 715 FB.
Not giving up on the notion that this isn't a stainless gun, just sharing what I'm seeing.
Plus...the "11/80" on that label could easily make it an '81 model...and AND, the lead time when magazines go to print varies widely. Leading me to wonder if that 1982 intro time may have actually been slid a little to the 1981-ish side?
Dans Club
March 2, 2008
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hugelk said
Guys, I have one of the very first stainless pistol pacs . The gun is all stainless. The frame post has an I in the circle not ss. It was promotional at the LA Police Academy in 1981. It has serial number 2386xx. The basic gun was in last years calender on a white background. Some day I will post more pics and story, I just did my first pic post last week !HUGELK
I just checked and my setup also has the cylinder stop that is a separate piece. The trigger overtravel scrrew is in the trigger
Looks just like the one he has pictured
HUGELK
This is great info to see, do you know if the model is 15-2 or a 715?
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
March 4, 2014
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I plan on picking this up Saturday then we can take pictures of it while its full naked haha
Dans Club
March 2, 2008
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You may very well be on the trail of a special DW Revolver.
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
August 29, 2009
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Cut a chunk out of the frame and send it over - I'll have metallurgy do an analysis on it. 
Dans Club
April 18, 2014
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October 1, 2012
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Hi Steve,
The SN 2386xx stainless Pac I have has everything except a sticker on the case. The frame design is like my early 15-2 Blue models with cylinder stop a seperate piece, recessed chambers, white outline paint rear sight with allen vertical adjustment. . I have "gone inside" for clean and lube and everything is stainless. Also barrel tubes, nut, and even grip screw are stainless.
So is it 715 or a stainless 15-2 ????? Rose is a Rose ????
I think barrel wrappers are 1980 but I have those in cabinet at brothers house so cant be sure right now.
HUGELK
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March 25, 2013
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I too thought I had an experimental stainless 714. Almost identical to that one but a blue barrel. I said to myself," Self, they hadn't made any stainless barrels yet." The serial # is 24xxxx. Very close to yours and maybe 2 years before the first stainless guns. Alas, I believe mine is hard chrome. I would suspect that one is too. Mine also is a superb job and appeared unfired. The hard chrome is so durable that it still looks unfired after hundreds of rounds
Dans Club
March 2, 2008
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hugelk said
Hi Steve,The SN 2386xx stainless Pac I have has everything except a sticker on the case. The frame design is like my early 15-2 Blue models with cylinder stop a seperate piece, recessed chambers, white outline paint rear sight with allen vertical adjustment. . I have "gone inside" for clean and lube and everything is stainless. Also barrel tubes, nut, and even grip screw are stainless.
So is it 715 or a stainless 15-2 ????? Rose is a Rose ????
I think barrel wrappers are 1980 but I have those in cabinet at brothers house so cant be sure right now.
HUGELK
I get what you are saying, I was hoping for any kind of paper trail that would help us understand where a "special" 15-2 and a 715 came to happen.
I am totally OK with the OP's gun actually being Stainless, this just helps us understand the history of Dan Wesson revolvers.
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
August 29, 2009
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madallih said
I plan on picking this up Saturday then we can take pictures of it while its full naked haha
What's the verdict on this? The more I look at it the more I agree with the others now....it looks more and more like hard chrome.
March 4, 2014
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hello fellow dwf'ers, I did indeed pick the gun up yesterday. I haven't had a chance to take the side plate off for a photo yet or take the grip off as I've been fairly busy since I picked it up. I do have some news though.. I looked at the box upon picking it up. The left side of the box where it specifies the caliber and finish of the gun was very faded. I have fairly good eye sight and made it out to say '38/357 mag bright blue finish' this leads me to believe that the gun could possibly been refinished or this definitely isn't the original box. I'll be honest - that kind of made me sad. That being said, I can't base this being a 1980 make based on the box as that's not the box original came in. Or.. It is the box it originally came in and the gun was refinished.
March 4, 2014
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ill post more photos tonight of the purchase.
Dans Club
March 2, 2008
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Just looking inside might not be a final answer, my guess is that if it is refinished, it's refinished inside and outside.
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
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