Hello all. New here but need help for my neighbor.He p/u a 10-5 3screw and was showing it to me.I noticed the side plate was not flush around the trigger.The screws were loose so we snuged them up.Now the gun does not work in da.When you pull the trigger the hammer does not go back but pitches forward.Plate is not warped.Hammer bar in position(even tried it w/o bar)sa works good.We had the plate off and can see no faults.Everything lifts,drops as it should but the minute you tighten up the plate no da.Is it possible the hammer pivot hole in the side plate could be tight? Although when cocked in sa does not feel binding.Screws are in the right places(flat head under grip).This laymen is stumped.Any tips greatly appreciated.Oh,strain screw is tight.

Other than what you've already tried, I'd say check to make sure the hammer and trigger are fully seated on the bosses. Every time its happened to me, it was either that, or the hammer block became unseated when tapping on the sideplate. Hope this helps...

Check and make sure the trigger rod that engages the rebound slide is seated properly.

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H Richard
SWCA1967 SWHF244

It sounds to me like someone changed out the hammer and/or trigger.

Ironically, I had this same exact problem with a beater 10-5 I have....the hammer was altered from a "kitchen table gunsmith" and so I wanted it out of there...I put in a "combat" hammer and the matching trigger from another gun, and when I snugged the sideplate the hammer would not cock, and it moved with a lot of resistance. It turns out the hammer that was in the gun originally had heavy wear marks from where it contacted the hammer boss, it seems it was fitted tightly at the factory and the last owner jut let it "wear in". The gun worked fine if I just loosened the rear plate screw one turn........but I did not like having a loose screw on my gun. So, I dropped in a hammer and trigger set from a beater 10-10 and it works fine now....... I guess I can thank Bangor Punta for this one.

It sounds like on your neighbors gun, the trigger sear is not "catching" the DA sear on the hammer. I also had a gun that was doing this, it seems the DA sears are fitted to the trigger and if it's too short, the trigger will "over ride" the DA sear on the hammer. If it came with loose screws, it seems the last owners "fix" was to loosen them up to make the gun work better. Overall, without seeing the gun, I would say it's been messed with, had a new hammer installed, or something's not right. In other words someone who didn't know what they were doing messed with the gun and when it didn't work right, they dumped it. It seems like something is interfering with the DA sear when the sideplate is tight.

S&W's are real finicky with parts changes, without seeing the gun it's impossible to tell what's going on. Depending on how much $ your friend has in the gun, and how much he's willing to spend to make it work, it could be worth either shipping it to S&W (if they even work on 10-5's anymore) or finding a gunsmith who knows what he's doing with a S&W.

Now the gun does not work in da.When you pull the trigger the hammer does not go back but pitches forward.

Did the double action work before? This description sounds like the double action sear (the spring loaded lever in the front of the hammer) has been removed to make it single-action only. There is nothing about tightening the sideplate screws that would cause the D/A sear to not function. It is possible that the trigger is not recovering fully so it does not pick up the D/A sear. There are several things that could cause this.

Is it possible the hammer pivot hole in the side plate could be tight?

No, because the hammer stud is fixed in the frame and does not rotate, so binding in the sideplate would have no effect.


Do the hammer and trigger move freely when the sideplate is tight, or do they bind? Are there small shims, look like small, thin washers on either the hammer or trigger studs? If there are, remove them and re-install the sideplate and see if it works then.

Rarely will any problem be caused by the hammer block.

Other than this I have no idea without being able to handle the gun. Unless the hammer or trigger are binding there simply is no logical way for the problem you are describing to be caused by the sideplate being tightened. I would wonder how you know the sideplate is not "warped". A deformation too small to be seen by casual observation could cause problems with the function of the gun.

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Gunsmithing since 1961

Thanks.I do believe the hammer sear is binding when plate is tight.Da worked fine when dry firing before we tightened.Sear is there.Trigger is resetting.Trigger and hammer move freely with plate tightened or loosened.No shims.It must be the side plate that is deformed and binding the hammer sear when tightened.Everything is fine w/o plate on.With plate off I can dup problem by holding hammer sear back with a tooth pick and pulling trigger.Hammer has no back movement.Only pitches forward.Sear on trigger is the trigger and that resets.It must be hammer sear.Must be just enough pressure to bind sear but not hammer.Any tips to bend plate?

It sounds like someone may have improperly removed the sideplate and "sprung" it, and then maybe used an impact tool to "fix" it, thus causing a rub spot.

People do some wierd stuff to guns, my 10-5 has a sideplate from another gun on it, that someone jammed into place and peened the heck out of the seam, and also the plate sits higher than the frame due to fitting issues. How the heck someone ruined the original sideplate is beyond me. The only original parts in the action are the bolt stop,hand,rebound slide and cylinder latch. I finally got the 10-5 to the point where it goes bang 6 times with any ammo, and I plan to just leave it alone. It's ugly, but it's reliable!

Somebody monkeyed with this gun and then dumped it on the market because it wouldn't work right. I've been stung, buying a number of these. And I like to think I can spot most problems before buying. I can't. I am catching new curve balls all the time. But most can be fixed.

For starters, you might use a machinist's straight edge to see if the inside surface of the side plate is flat. True it, if necessary. It might be bowed inward in the area of the hammer axis pin socket.

Clean all oil off the internal parts and side plate where things are suspected of binding. Put some black magic marker ink on all suspect surfaces. Tighten the side plate to the point where you get the malfunction. Cycle the "sticking" action a few times. Remove the side plate and see where the black marker ink was rubbed off. Remove some metal from the most easily replaced part, using polish, a fine sanding block, file, diamond wheel...your choice. But do the very least necessary. Put some more ink on and try it again. After a few tries, you'll probably have it fixed. And you will enjoy the gun more, having beaten the problem yourself.

One other thing I may have to consider is that the two sears surfaces may be worn enough that they slip off each other when the plate is tightened.May be just enough tightness to affect contact.

Just thought of something else.I MAY get a normal action 2 out of 10 pulls sometimes.That's what makes me think wear.