Model 12 Info

Brownie, I have an old sheet from Dan Wesson (Monson) that showed the first serial # of a series, and the date built for their pistols. I show the first # for the Model 12 as #4, built 1/12/73. Hope this helps?? Kurt

 

Kobi;

If it's not too much trouble, could you look up another S/N?

I have a Monson production model 15 (I think a -2) with S/N 259xxx. Do you have any info on it?

Thanks a million!

-John C

 

John, I show Model 15 started with serial #21 on 7.17.72. Hope this helps, Kurt

 

John, I also have info on a 15-2. Serial #1343xx was built 4/87. Kurt

 

Kobi;

Thanks a million! I guess I have a very late production gun. That's probably why the trigger is so rough. Does anyone know a 'smith that works on DW triggers?

-John

 

My model 12 has serial of 399XX. Any idea what year that would be?

I have a 15-2 with serial of 905xx and I bought it used in 1975. My 15-2 serial number 1573xx I guessed at 1988. Any better gues from the serial number list?

It appears from your posts that the model 12 and 15-2 were produced concurrently for a period. I thought that the model 12 preceded the 15-2.

 

Mine is 34XXXX. Anyone know the year of manufacture. I believe my Dad had it in the late 80's. Probably bought it used. Thanks.....Van

 

Aw come on guys, ain't there some DW experts/historians out there some where? .....Van

 

Any guess at when my 15-2 , s/n 2064xx was produced. Thank's, Cal

 

Serial Numbers & production dates

Hi! I purchased my DW 15-26 in late 1978, serial # 169xxx. suggested retail was $227.45, from DW April 1,1978 price list. Hope that helps. Don

 

Without a Database for the serial #s we are only guessing.
I noticed that early ones have the over travel set screw in the trigger and later they put this in the frame.Manson & I figured that out a while back.
Mine is a 15-2 4VH and I have added the 6" & 8" barrels,Hogue grips and Millett sights.
My Serial # is 3268XX Monson Mass. 357 CTG.
Dan Wesson DanWessonArms@Yahoo.Com

 

How do we get a database with serial number ranges and year of production?
Doug

 

overtravel screw

But why do they put the over travel screw in the wrong way around so you have to tear the revolver apart to adjust it?

 

My Monson Mass DW 15-2 4VH has the overtravel adjustment screw in the trigger not in the frame.. Serial # 3268XX
Monson Magnum & I discussed this a while back & I'll post the pics..
Here's one of my Dan Wesson in all it's Glory

 

I emailed Dan Wesson Arms only last week to find a date of manufacture and model number for my newly acquired .357 4" Monson, MA (I believe it is a Model 15), serial # 2058xx and got a very prompt reply the next day stating they dont have any records of serial #s ...

quote from email

"I'm sorry I do not have any records of older serial numbers. It sounds
like you have a model 15."

Very strange, a company, particularly a firearms company has no records !!!

 

mg66,
The reason that they have no record of serial numbers older that 1997 is because each time the company changed hands, the BATF took all the records. An approximate date can be obtained as follows by PLACE of manufacture.

1971 - 1992 Monson, MA
1992 - 1995 Palmer, MA
1997 - Present Norwich, NY

Roll Tide

 

Hey guys, I have a question for you. I have a DW made in Monson, MA, the ser# is 32-20b05xx It is a 32-20 that I bought new in I think 88 or 89, anyone know how many of these they made and what model it is IE 15 etc?

Thanks for any info you have,
Greg

 

Hey guys, I have a question for you. I have a DW made in Monson, MA, the ser# is 32-20b05xx It is a 32-20 that I bought new in I think 88 or 89, anyone know how many of these they made and what model it is IE 15 etc?

Thanks for any info you have,
Greg

Wow,

I guess I really did kill this thread dead....

Does anyone have an answer for my old question?

Greg

 

Just picked up a Monson 44 at the gun show with a serial of:
012xxx

It came with the orignal packaging, manuals etc. The only date reference I can see is "DWA-79" on the back page of the manual. Which is either the printing date or the date that this version of the manual was first issued. The overtravel screw is in the frame.

 

My Monson Mass DW 15-2 4VH has the overtravel adjustment screw in the trigger not in the frame.. Serial # 3268XX
Monson Magnum & I discussed this a while back & I'll post the pics..
Here's one of my Dan Wesson in all it's Glory

Hi Dan,

I've got one of each (.22/6" blue, .357/4" blue, .44/8" blue), all of which I bought brand new over the counter from gun stores, but for the life of me, I can't place the years I bought them. It was a while back. My best recollection is that I bought all three within about a year of each other but I can't swear to that.

But just to add to the reference base, I thought I'd mention that my .357/4" is Ser#254xxx and it has the set screw in the frame and full underlug shroud. It is stamped "Monson" on the side. Since my Ser# appears to be earlier than yours, but my set screw is in the frame, that may indicate some confusion about the time frame of when they moved the location of the set screw.

My .22 is Ser# 260xx (just 5 digits), it is also stamped Monson, and it has the set screw in the frame, and it also has the full underlug on it's 6" shroud.

My .44 has only had probably 2 boxes of ammo put through it, but it's in it's original box at the bottom of my safe and I don't feel like digging it out to check the numbers. However, it is an 8" barrel, and it came brand new with the extra ported barrel (never fired) so it's still in it's original box with papers and all. When I do dig it out at some point, maybe some of the paperwork will give some more info.

If I get lucky, I may run across my original receipts for some or all of these which would better place their time of manufacture.

Mark

 

Ok, here's my .44VH update:
I pulled it out of the safe to take a closer look and found:
My original receipt from when I bought it new dated 4/14/82.
A "Congratulations! You've Chosen the Best!" letter from Dan Wesson with a date of April 1, 1981 on the front.
The never-been-unwrapped extra (vented) barrel, still in anti-rust paper, with a date of "1979 April" stamped on the anti-rust paper.
Serial #0080xx

I've got a good photo of it with paperwork and accessories but I don't have a photo parking site to put it on.

This "dates" this particular .44VH Ser#0080xx to what I think can be thought to have been manufactured in April, 1979, because of the wrapping on the vented barrel. I think it's reasonable to assume that the barrel was manufactured within a month of the revolver itself. Note that it has the trigger travel adjust screw on the frame, not the trigger.

The reason I post this is because if enough people can be reasonably accurate in the documented history of their DW revolver as I have here, we might be able to put together a timeline of production based on Serial numbers. If enough can contribute (again, with certain, documented history), we could conceiveably end up recreating a Serial number production date list that might do some good.

If I can later find the receipts for my .22 and .357, I'll post them as well to help fill in some more blanks.

Mark

 

New to this group ( and to computers). I have a DW Model 11, s/n 41xx, with 6' and 2-1/2" barrels. It's the service version of the model 12 (fixed sights). Don't see this model mentioned very often. Guess a fixed sight Dan Wesson wasn't very desirable. Can't remember for sure, but I bought it in 71 or 72. Love this gun - it shoots to point-of-aim, is very accurate, decent trigger, and just feels good.

 

I have a .357 with a five digit serial number starting with 76, adjustment screw in the trigger. At one time, after much research, I "guessed" it to date somewhere around 74 or 75.

 

I think I can help out in the frustration dept!! The reason DW doesn't have any records of serial numbers is probably this. I started shooint IHMSA,(handgun silhouette) in the early '80's. Around '92 or '93 we held our Internationals in Ft. Stockton,Texas. I met and talked with Seth Wesson, Dan Wesson's grandson. He had taken over the company after Dan had died, and some investors had mucked up the company for awhile. When he was in the process of mucking it up.(that's another story) He mentioned that BATF had been at the factory for 3-4 days, INSPECTING, the books.
I'll bet, with all the company problems over the years, at one point in time, all the serial numbers that had been recorded, ended up in a BATF wharehouse somewhere. Just a possibility. Gypsyman

 

First post.
I have a DW Monson 357 that does not have a model # anywhere I've looked. The serial # is 132XXX and it has the 8 " barrel. It's the most accurate of my revolvers. Anyway, If there's a place to look for the model # as with other makers I'd appreciate knowing. Back to the lurk.
Thx,
mc