This question can be applied to any time frame. I know there are times in S&W history when quality control was better than other times.

Mine has to be a Model 34. It has the smoothest DA & crispest SA of any S&W I've ever had. What is yours?

Best,
Charles

For me, it's a virtual tie between my 66-4 (1997) and 19-5 (1988).....both 2-1/2"

Mine is my 5" M27 .44 Special conversion. It was built with the narrow trigger and hammer. I swapped in a target hammer and a smooth target trigger. I also did an action job.

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John 3:16
WAR EAGLE!

It's my 17. Same-same for my 27.
What did Elmer say? Breaks like glass.
Both have had a little tune up.

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NRA LIFE MEMBER

Early '60's 15-2. The finish on the left side is pitted and someone neglected it for years but the trigger is great and it is very accurate. I have no idea if it has had trigger work and it wouldn't surprise me but I've never had any light firing pin strikes with it. Double action or single action it is as good as anything out there.

Mine is my 625-8 PC, 4". The smoothest smith I have ever seen!
And my 13-1 4" nickel the second place.
SEMPER PARATUS

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NRA Life Member
CPO

Mine has to be my Model 14-3 with a Model 19-2 4" coming in a very close 2nd.

My 65-5LS, which I bought two years ago tomorrow for $550 OTD with wood combat grips from a dealer who had few, if any, sales the day before at that gun show.

What a sweetie! Great condition, excellent DA trigger pull. Don't think I've ever fired it SA. It's a concealed carry defense gun, so don't practice with it in SA mode.

Hank M.

My nickel 10-8. It is an ex LEO revolver that was given to me several years ago by a dear friend who recent passed away. I really don't like nickel finishes at all, but keep the 10-8 because of my friend and the action

My S&W revolver with the worst action is my M1917. It has the hardest DA pull I've ever experienced on a S&W revolver. The SA action is typical S&W, light and crisp. The DA is exactly the opposite.

I just counted the other day, and I have 36 Smith revolvers. I would have to do some research to figure this one out. I know that Charles has many more than this.... But I have just never given it a lot of thought. My revolvers date all the way from 1887 to 2016, so I have some from most of the different manufacturing eras.

I'll have to get back with you on this one!!

Best Regards, Les

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SWCA 3084, SWHF 495, PGCA 3064

Model 14-3.

Incredible double action trigger, single action feels like a match rifle trigger.

I have a model 10-7 and a 681-1 that I carried as duty weapons for a 8 years. We shot minimum of 50 rounds a month and they are now the sweetest actions of any thing that I have.

Mine would be my 1968 model 10-5. It belonged to Lt Charles Neis of the Suffolk Co. PD and I wouldn't be surprised if he had the armorer smooth it up for him.

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Get off my lawn!

I have never done a side by side comparison. It would take way too long. But to the best of my memory, this 1955 Highway Patrolman has the smoothest action of any I ever handled. No idea if it has ever been worked on (I've owned it less than 10 years).

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You're shy a few manners.

Model 15-3. Shipped to LAPD in 1975. DAO. As light and smooth as can be. A real pleasure to shoot. Whoever worked on this gun knew what they were doing.

3rd Model Hand Ejector .44 Special

Mine's a 1956, probably, nickel .38 M&P with TH & TT. It was back to the factory in 1977. Barrel says, ".38 S&W CTG," but a .38 Special goes into the cylinder (both pieces have stars and the serial numbers match). I'm going to turn it into a partial pinto with a NOS blue .38 S&W cylinder. A Zamboni couldn't make this thing any smoother.

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Wrangler of stray Chiefs
Bob

My 1949 5" .38-44 Heavy Duty. Sorry no pic, beyond my skill set at this time.

Larry

Smoothest Action?

Probably this 3" Model 66 - the action has been worked over by Nelson Ford (revolversmith/magician):



...or this well-used pre-27 (also worked over by Nelson Ford):

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Richard
Engraved S&W fan

Not enough 'o's in smooth to describe my 629 4"

My smoothest, by far, is this 38/44 Outdoorsman. The gun has a double cockeyed hammer (not King marked) and I have to wonder if it had action work when this hammer was installed.



Second smoothest is Registered Magnum 2269

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Bill

1970 19-3 4".

Bought at a gun show. No idea who owned it, but it is a well oiled machine. The SA trigger is almost too light for my comfort. DA is a thing of beauty.

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Because of the metric system?

Hard to make a real hard decision on this. None are bad, and its hard to point out the one "best" trigger. I got an old 38 M&P with the big knob ejector, over buffed and reblued, yoke tube was messed up, so I replaced that with another yoke I had. Yoke doesn't fit quite flush in front of frame and blue doesn't match at all. Ugly, yes, but, it has the smoothest trigger I have ever come across. Its only real +.

The smoothest trigger I have is on a 1936 Registered magnum. Second is either triplelock I have.
SWCA 892

My smoothest has to be the British Service Revolver in .38 S&W with a shipping date of November 25, 1940.

It's kind of hard to tell, since so many have great double actions. But, I'm going to go with the least expensive revolver I own - a Model 10-10 Aussie turn in from Bud's a number of years ago. Shoots little tiny groups, too. I guess you get what you pay for

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Some collect art; I shoot it!

This Outdoorsman from 1947 is smooth as silk....

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Live & Learn

My 14-3. Trigger is slick as snot on a door knob!

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my old nickle 10-6 pimp gun probably has the best trigger in my collection... my 629-1 is a close second... but I am assuming it has been worked on...

OK, first of all is that this section clearly states 1896 - 1961 which hardly any of these revolver fit into. How can you compare long action to short action, 22 caliber to 44 Mag, heavy frame to light frame, hammerless to hammer, double action to single action, etc, etc, etc. My tastes lean toward the unorthodox and pre-WWII hand fitted revolvers made by S&W.

If you are asking about double action shooting, the 38 Safety is hard to beat. Smooth and deliberate pull to a stop point and then a hair trigger to fire the gun, allowing you to hold the trigger/hammer at the break point until you are on target. Not many have had the opportunity to shoot these guns, and some who do own them don't know about the hammer break point. For single action shooting, it is hard to beat the Masterpiece line.

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Gary
SWCA 2515

For me it would have to be my 1916 22-32 HFT. That action is so smooth it's unbelievable.

Without a doubt it would have to be my 1973 Model 15-3. You hardly feel the cylinder rotate in double action and it is so crisp fired single action. It has never had any trigger work done on it but has been my go to target gun for years. So smooth and accurate!

I can not remember a Smith having a bad trigger. So many are great!

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Existimo ergo sum armis

I own three transition guns, two .44 Specials and a M&P .38 Special. They all feel like someone did an action job on them. I think some employees were glad to be back making revolvers for commercial sales and really took time making guns right after the war.

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Bill Bates

Model 15-3 made in 1974. Bought at an auction a couple of years ago. Haven't done anything to it. Previous owner clearly took care of it and may have had work done on it however there is no signs of disassembly.

Single action is the lightest of all my Smiths and double action is extremely smooth.

My first S&W revolver, a 1952 mod. 15 Combat Masterpiece. This S&W revolver was bought by me in 1953 as a 22year old "Whipper Snapper", to shoot in Bullseye matches, at the Columbus Ohio Police Pistol Range, where I had a membership. I talked to their well known Chief armorer, about doing a trigger job on it, asking for a 44 oz. trigger, two oz. under the minimum allowed by the Bullseye match rules. He agreed to do the trigger job for me. I was a first year apprentice electrician, and had a wife, and son, by that time, and couldn't really afford my shooting hobby, so I awaited the revolver, and what the cost of the trigger job would be holding my breath, hoping that I would have the cash to pay this well known Armorer. When asked what his charge was, he asked "would two dollars be to much?". I quickly paid him with a big sigh of relief. And that folks is the long winded story, about which of my S&W revolvers had the smoothest action, and how, and where it got it.
Chubbohttp://smith-wessonforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=284931&stc=1&d=1495379118

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I have two J frames, one K frame, and one L frame. Of the three, my 686-4 has the smoothest DA, but the snubby 66-3 is a close second.

My 19-2, followed very closely by one of my 640-1's.

Mr. Lowe makes a good point in his post (#30). What's with all these Model number this and that?! If ANY of these are the smoothest action you have, let me suggest you've led an unfortunately sheltered life.

That said, if you want smooth (and really pretty inside), put any of them (even the Model number guns) in a box, cover it with money, and ship it off to the pistolsmith of your choice----or do it yourself (with a minimum of fuss and bother)----but it'll look pretty much the same as when you started. On the other hand, here's a suggestion for quick and dirty: Miculek S&W Revolver Spring Kit (even for Model number guns)----one size fits all (all K,L, and N frames)---and it's cheap ($20 +/-)---from Brownells or Miculek (BANG, INC.).

You get two springs---and instructions. Read the instructions. Follow the instructions---exactly. I know all about these things, so there was no need to either read or follow the instructions----and the gun was locked up tight when I (sort of) finished. It might have been smooth---if it would move. Plan B: Start over---and follow the instructions.

I started with a 1920 vintage M&P, bought new and carried daily in the hip pocket of my father-in-law's overalls for 50 years----a beater. And Bubba had fixed it somewhere along the line. The only thing I know for sure about Bubba's work is he replaced the rebound slide spring with one selected only on the basis that it would fit in the hole. The DA trigger pull was 22 lbs.------as in STOUT!!

Now it's 7 lbs.----and smoooooooooooooooth. It could/would be smoother, if I'd taken the time to slick some things up---I didn't. I wanted to see what the spring kit would do---all by itself. And while it could/would be smoother if you slicked things up, I seriously doubt you could tell the difference.

End of story.

Ralph Tremaine

My 29-10 is very smooth! Puts my 28-2 to shame.

Mr pre 27, 3 1/2", (naturally) but my 686 from 1982 is just as nice , but it's been worked on.

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H Richard
SWCA1967 SWHF244

I think my smoothest S&W is a K 22/40. Interestingly these guns were built without a hammer block and there is no provision machined into the sideplate to accommodate one. I have communicated with a few others who own these guns and so far none has a hammer block. These guns have the new short throw trigger and perhaps the geometry was not conducive to installing a block. The hands on these guns are different than other pre-war models as it is not designed to accept a pre-war style block. It has been speculated that perhaps the block was left out to produce the smoothest trigger pull on what was essentially a dedicated target gun.






As a comparison here is the side plate of an M&P serial number 687431, 144 numbers away, also a photo of the hand which is the style I expected.

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John. SWCA #1586

Mine would have to be my Model 1950 (pre-26). All of my pre-model number early 50's revolvers have very smooth actions, and none have been altered.

One of the most smooth revolvers I have, and love to shoot, is a Model 25-2 with SPECIAL on the box tag. The way it shoots, it is certainly special to me. Think I got lucky.

My 629-2 has a beautiful double and single action trigger. 1992 if I remember correctly. It was inherited after my uncle passed away. I put a Wilson spring kit in and polished some internal parts. It's incredible.

Sent from my 0PJA2 using Tapatalk

My 1966 NYPD issued 10-6 was OK but not great until in 1968 the S&W factory gunsmith named Archie Dubia did an action job on it.That gun,wherever it is now was the best.Close but no 1st place trophy is my 3" 66-2

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NEVER GIVE UP YOUR GUN

My one and only 65-3

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Mine would be my Brazilian 1937 (model 1917) in .45

A police trade-in Model 64 that I bought online for practically nothing. It has lots of scratches and needed some minor repair, but the action is the best I've ever felt, super smooth all the way through and a fast return. It's DAO, but with a double action this good who needs to cock the hammer?

My gunsmith tells me it had an action job in its previous life, I wish I knew who to thank for that!

My 15-3 for sure

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John