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S&W Revolvers: 1980 to the Present All NON-PINNED Barrels, the L-Frames, and the New Era Revolvers


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Old 10-25-2011, 06:52 PM
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Default How to improve revolver action

I improved the action on my two new revolvers with no smithing whatsoever. Maybe some wont like what I did but I do because it worked so so good.

First. I bought a brand NIB S&W500 6.5" and a few months later a NIB 686-6 4"


Well because they are S&W the action on both was smooth, but not fantastic like my older Model 19. So for a few months I just enjoyed firing both but the action could have been sweeter on each of these new guns.

So, I opened them up (side plates) and both were so dry like a desert in there, cold and dry.........well I pondered what to do for a while then I decided to use a plastic applicator to force Hoppes gun grease in and around everything that moved and then button them up.

Then after hunting a few times an wondering if that grease was attracting dirt particles I opened them both up again.

To my surprise all the grease was gone...worked into the moving parts I guess and it looked real nice. but I wanted to make sure it was clean and lubed so I sprayed each weapon down (inside only) with WD40 and wiped off the excess. Then after it had time to completely dry I sprayed each one down with Remington gun spray oil (with Teflon) Wiped off the excess and then buttoned them up.

Wow, what a change, smooth and sweet like a Smith should be. I mean if I had paid a gunsmith a good chunk of money to tune these revolvers up to make them operate so smoothely, I would have been happy.

It was free and maybe non-standard, but it made a world of difference and I am a happy camper

Last edited by Chrisj357; 10-25-2011 at 07:07 PM.
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Old 10-25-2011, 10:24 PM
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I like this ! well at least everthing except the WD40 part. Apparently it wil get gummy after awhile. I bought a used shotgun which started to not fire the second shot, the gunsmith said that the entire "works" were coated with a gummy substance..."like someone sprayed WD40 into it". I'm glad you had such great results nevertheless with just lubricants. I may think about trying the same technique with Ballistol.
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Old 10-25-2011, 11:40 PM
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A couple decades ago (more?) a lot of guys over-used WD40 on everything -- thought it took the place of cleaning and maintenance. Chris at least put it only where needed and wiped off the excess. I knew guys who used to just dip their entire guns in it and just wipe off what came dripping out. Goodness gracious....
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Old 10-26-2011, 06:53 AM
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I have some older S&W revolvers & bought a few that are decades old. I carefully remove the side-plate & check it out inside. Just about every 20+ year old gun is dry as a desert bone inside. My usual procedure is to clean with a spray 'gun scrubber' product & re-lube. I can't imagine dry unlubed metal rubbing against each other is a great condition to be in.

I also like to peek inside a revolver with unknown history. Never know when a previous owner fell in a river or was on an extended hike in the rain. My buddy did fall in a river 2 years back while wearing a handgun. I later took it apart for him, still sand inside(Ruger Mark II).
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Old 10-26-2011, 07:36 AM
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I actually dont like WD40 for guns either, but....WD40 is a better solvent than an lubricant, but its a mild solvent and it displaces water. My thought was a little bit sprayed over gun grease would dissolve the excess grease without removing all of it where I did still want some grease (inside the pivoting points), and then it would insure a dry surface for the Remington oil to penetrate better.

Every product has its good and bad
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Old 10-26-2011, 08:07 AM
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I remove the side plate of every revolver I buy new or used to make sure it is clean and clear of debris. Lube up real good and dry fire. Never know what the innards look like unless you look.
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Old 10-26-2011, 09:37 AM
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Default WD40

Water Displacement formula, 40th try at getting it right.
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Old 10-26-2011, 09:43 AM
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WD 40 residue is simlar to varnish and should never be used in a gun action. It is hard to get out and not a suitable gun lubricant.
Save it for your squeaky gate and the other 10,000 things it's good for.
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Old 10-26-2011, 09:53 AM
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I used Wilson Combat Springs and an extended firing pin from C&S in my 10-14 and that action is like greased ball bearings now.......it's one of my best shooting revolvers. The SA break is like a glass rod and the DA is stage-free and slick. No stoning, no polishing, just drop in parts.

Just an FYI, WD40 deactivates primers.
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Old 10-26-2011, 10:30 AM
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If you're trying to smooth an action, a proper cleaning and lubing should always be the first step. Many times it's the only thing required. I've seen more than a few revolvers ruined by "gunsmithing" that wasn't needed. (Not unlike front end alignment on vehicles. Proper tire inflation should always be the first thing checked. You'd be surprised how many front-end alignments require nothing more than the tires being inflated to the correct tire pressure.)
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Old 10-26-2011, 12:22 PM
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First thing I do with every Airweight I buy is take the sideplate off, clean and lube. Reassemble and dry fire 1000 times. Then remove the sideplate, clean and lube again. Smooth! You can add a spring kit if the action is still too heavy.
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Old 10-26-2011, 03:30 PM
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I had a similar experience with an old 1970's model 36 (nickel plated) that was given to me after a neighbors husband died. The gun had sat in a drawer for so long that the nickel had a fog on it. I cleaned it up the trigger was atrocious. I pulled the side plate and just added the tiniest drops of RemOil on the moving parts and voila! Back to being slicker than whale snot in an ice flow!

I guess the lesson is even a revolver needs a little TLC every once in a while.
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Old 10-26-2011, 04:45 PM
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The reason your gun broke in so quickly is the lack of lube allowed the parts to rub together and wear in. The liquid lube will help transport the small particles that wear off away but lubing it first will keep the parts from wearing in quickly and extend the break in time. Lubricants are designed to slow wear with a film that separates the parts like engine bearings. Gunsmith polishing is speeding up the wear in process. Pretty simple. Shoot then lube to remove particle to prevent galling.
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Old 10-26-2011, 06:18 PM
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I'll chime in here. For a cheap but very effective action job I do like many others have done on this post is first carefully remove the sideplate with the correct size screwdriver. I give the innards a good soaking with Hoppes, scrub it up well then wipe and spray the excess out with an air nozzle. Amazing the amount of junk that comes out.

After that I treat the inside of the action with Militec-1 lube/conditioner using their directions to a T, which consists of heating it up so the metal absorbs the chemicals. Also do the inside of the sideplate while I have it open. Wipe out what little excess there is.

I then apply Militec-1 grease via a syringe to every moving part in the action, then carefully install the sideplate with a good Brownells screwdriver so I don't bugger up the screws. After that it's time to load 6 snap caps and commence to safely dry firing the revolver for a minimum of 500 rounds before actually firing a live round to prevent any particles from getting into the action.

The before/after difference is amazing. You'll think you've had a $100.00 action job performed for pennies on the dollar. Have tried other lubes and grease but this Militec-1 is the bomb and I'm a HUGE time fan of it.

Use it on my semi's also. Did my 1990 Springer Standard that's been worked over by by a friend who's a retired Coast Guard Senior Chief Gunners Mate who knows his 1911's (works for Budweisers) and my old but trusty Sig 228 up and commenced to do a torture on the Springer and Sig. Put 1k rounds through the Springer, only brushing the rails at 500 rounds, then starting over with zero malfunctions for the remaining 500. Not bad for a 1911 and WWB 230 gr. ammo that burns dirty IMO. Went for 3k rounds using WWB 115 gr. ammo on the Sig, again brushing the rails at 1500 rounds and no malfunctions. Both slide rails were dry as a bone but the Militec did its job as it's a dry lubricant. Could have went with more rounds in both weapons but was happy with the results and trust my life with both of them. It also makes follow clean up's a breeze as a bonus.

Try it. You'll like it!
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Last edited by Sportsterguy; 10-26-2011 at 06:21 PM. Reason: SP's
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1911, 686, airweight, brownells, gunsmith, model 19, remington, ruger, screwdriver, sideplate, sig arms, solvent

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