New direction woods carry 357, DW 15-2

[North Country Gal]

For the last several years, I've been carrying small Kimber revolvers for my woods carry guns. One was an ultralight 38 Special at 17 ounces and the other a slightly heavier all steel 357 mag at 25 ounces. Truly excellent revolvers for concealed carry work and I could shoot them well in DA for up close work. (Why carry a DA revolver if you won't shoot it in DA?)

For a woods carry, though, I don't need concealed. Bear and the like could care less about concealment (and yes, I encountered a bear just last week while working on my mountain bike trails). What I do need for woods carry, though, is magnum accuracy at distances a bit farther out than the 3-7 yards that is now the norm for self defense shooting. If I let an angry bear get that close, it's probably game over for me. Besides, shooting 357 mag bear loads in a small 25 pounce revolver with dinky grips is NOT fun.

I decided it was time to change to something a bit larger, a revolver that was easy to shoot with the hottest 357 loads, one that I could shoot accurately in DA at longer distances on targets the size of a bear's head or smaller. Found just what I needed in a Dan Wesson 15.2 357 revolver made in the late 70s, tiger stripe grips and all.



Yup, you can easily change barrels on DW revolvers. Mine came with an extra 6" barrel, but for carry purposes the 2 1/2" snubby works great. Changed out the rear sight to a Williams Firesight from a Ruger GP-100. Fits a Dan Wesson, no problem. Changed out the front sight to a Firesight I got from EWK (easy to change front sights on a DW). H-viz sights are a must in our dark woods.


As for the big, beefy tiger stripe grips, I love them. No fumbling around when I need the gun in a hurry and they make the hottest mag ammo a breeze to shoot. Great for DA shooting, too.


So how does the Dan shoot? Here's my sight in shooting with standard Mag Tech 158s, followed by 180 grain HSM Bear loads out there at a more reasonable 18 yards, shooting in DA. By the way, the Dan Wesson 15s have a very short DA pull, shortest of any Da revolver I've used. Very accurate.




As for carry, I added a Simply Rugged pancake, that can be set up for IWB, OWB or shoulder carry. With the shoulder option, I can carry even while riding a bike.


I greatly enjoy shooting this 357 Dan Wesson revolver. It's a fun range gun, too. Most important of all, I have tremendous confidence with this 357.



As for concealed carry work for up close work of the social kind, yeah, I changed guns to something a bit larger and more accurate, too, but that's another story. Stay tuned.

[North Country Gal]

Yeah, I seem to be stuck in a 70s thing with these latest guns.

[RetiredSeabee]

Sounds like another beautiful gun. But for some reason I don’t see the photos. Just a line that says image.

[Ernie]

I do like the Dan Wessons. Have 2 1911s, one in 45acp and one in 10mm. Have kept a lookout for a 357 DA. Nice find.

[5shot]

Offhand and double action with a snubby?? I feel sorry for the bear! Good shootin' North Country Gal!

[BrokenolMarine]

I had a 6" DW 357 in the late 70s as a carry gun. It was a great shooter as well.
Nice set up on the snubby, and nice shooting.

[North Country Gal]

Thanks, guys. Going to a full size 357 instead of a small concealed carry 357 is trading portability for control and accuracy, but that's a good trade off for my intended use. I do consider the 357 to be an entry level magnum, but it's not so entry level in a 25 ounce revolver as far as recoil. Got tired of that in my old age. The Dan I can shoot all afternoon.

[daytime dave]

That's a nice Dan Wesson. I'm glad you got another barrel with it. I agree with your reasoning too. Instead of worrying about concealability and weight, using something that handles the intended cartridge well is likely to yield the best results.