Sexy beasts of the 1970s-'80s
- kb5947
- Jul 23, 2025
- 3 min read
Iconic Dan Wesson revolvers remain a prized possession
By KELLY BOSTIAN
Gimmicky yet glamorous, the description fits—sort of.
TV reviewers tagged the late 1970s detective series Vega$ with that label, and fittingly, Robert Urich, the show’s heartthrob, debuted as a detective who sported a Dan Wesson Model 15 .357 Magnum tucked in the back of his tight jeans – no holster.
He fought bad guys, charmed the ladies, and rubbed elbows with Tony Curtis playing a millionaire casino owner tagged “Slick,” and guest stars like Dean Martin and, of course, Wayne Newton.
Martinis, money, hot bodies, and bullets. Glamorous, yet gimmicky.
With its unmatched gleaming, deep, rich bluing, beefy barrel shroud, and classic, warm-wood target grip, that .357 Magnum cut a nice frame for TV viewers.
Nothing says 1970s sexy beast like a brass Dan Wesson logo belt buckle and a tan suitcase-style gun case with a Model 15-2, .357 Magnum Pistol Pack; four barrels, two grips, exchangeable front sights, one handy little multi-tool to swap them out–all tucked into mustard-yellow velveteen padding.
An answer to every puzzle in one sweet box.
While in some circles, Dan Wesson revolvers with interchangeable barrels have a reputation as a gimmick or “cult favorite,” these wheelguns remain renowned for their accuracy and expert engineering, which made them favorites among shooters in the metallic silhouette shooting game that gained popularity in the 1970s and 1980s.
With 2 ½, 4, 6, and 8-inch barrels, and the ability to shoot .38 special and .357, a Pistol Pack was like eight guns in one package.
Gunners could add even longer barrels of 10, 12, or 15 inches.
Grab a handful of that tiger-wood target grip, thread on a 10-inch barrel and a yellow sight, and you’re set to knock down a life-size 50-pound steel ram silhouette target on a cloudy day at 200 meters. Take a couple of minutes, and the same frame sports a smooth combat grip, a 2 ½-inch barrel, and a red front blade. Boom, you’re ready to acquire quick sight pictures and rip through a practical pistol lineup, blast bowling pins, or smash a steel challenge.
If the name Wesson rings a bell, it should, but the connection to Smith & Wesson is familial only. Daniel B. Wesson II, the founder of Dan Wesson Firearms, was the great-grandson of Daniel B. Wesson, who was one of the founders of Smith & Wesson. While the younger Wesson worked for Smith & Wesson for a time, he founded his company separately, and the two firearms companies were never related.
Much of the genius of the Dan Wesson line and founding of the company is attributed to Wesson’s relationship with Karl Lewis, who held numerous patents as designer for Browning, Colt, and Dan Wesson.
The barrel system evolved to combine three key parts. The finely threaded barrel itself is screwed into the revolver frame and, essentially, is a highly engineered tube with outer threads on both ends. That is the core. But accuracy and durability (and good looks) came with the barrel shroud, a metal sleeve that fits over the barrel and is perfectly aligned with a roll pin (or guide pin) that extends from the frame. A barrel nut tightened onto the front end of the barrel, recessed within the barrel shroud, completed the install, and made the firearm ready to drive tacks.
The Model 15 .357 Magnum was the star of the 1970s. The Model 44, in .44 Magnum, rolled out of the factory in 1980. True to the excesses of the 1980s, the .357 and .44 caliber SuperMag followed closely, along with the .445 SuperMag in 1986 and the Colt .45 in 1990, the same year the company filed for bankruptcy.
Production of Dan Wesson Firearms revolvers with interchangeable barrels continued until 2018, as the company changed ownership and names. The Wesson name continues today under CZ-USA with a reputation for building quality 1911s.
However, the heyday of the Dan Wesson was the 1970s and ’80s. It will live on as an icon of that era, and one that holds its value — and accuracy — to this day.
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