***UPDATE 04/06/2011:
Thanks to everyone who chimed in. It was indeed the tension screw. It works like a charm now. Primer strikes are positive. No light strikes. No locking up on DA at the end of the trigger travel. Shoots good too. Up next will be a hogue grip and a field holster. With any luck, she may bag a whitetail this coming fall.

Again, my thanks to all of you for your replies.

// Pete
Original messag
e: ------------------------------------------------------
I own lots of S&W revolvers. Only one of them I got brand new. I've never had one lick of an issue with any used gun until now.

Picked up, what looked to be, a minty 586-3 last week. 6 inch barrel. Original grips, box, cleaning kit, even the original warranty registration card. I thought $450 was a good deal!

Well, took it to the range yesterday and figured out why it looks to be almost UN-fired. It doesn't work all the time?!?!?!?!

1) light primer strikes are leading to an average of 2 misfires per cylinder
2) the double action sometimes seems to lock up right before let off.

There is no obvious signs on the frame screws of an amateur action job. I'm pissed and now I must decide what to do:

A) Try to take it back to the shop I bought it at and demand my money back
B) Send it to S&W and hope for the best
C) Send it to a reputable shop and have them fix it. By reputable, I mean Cylinder & Slide or Actions by T.

Any ideas, opinions, guidance? Please chime in.

Is the spring tension screw tight (front of the grip frame)? If timing is correct, I believe the screw would be a good place to start. I'm not an expert, maybe someone who is will sound off soon. Sounds like you got it for a good price, good luck with it.

If it is clean and lubricated, I'd call customer service and let the factory have a look at it. Nothing to lose by first spraying the internals with brake cleaner then your gun oil of choice. Also make sure the ejector rod is tight (left-hand thread, so counter-clockwise to tighten) and there is no goo or powder flakes under the extractor. Please let us know what happens.

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Alan
SWCA LM 2023, SWHF 220

petermcmahon,
I belive you are making a mountain out of a molehill!
What ammo are you using?
All modern S&W revolvers lock the cylinder just before the hammer falls.

Pete: I am betting on the spring tension screw, but no matter what it is, I'll bet it's an easy fix and it will turn out you got a great gun at a bargain. Good luck.

$450 Is a deal just to have all the parts there. Odds are good that its an easy fix but I'd try sending it up to S&W first or just calling Brownell's tech staff and see if they can walk you through some quick checks.

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Son of a Gun...Smith

Dude, when I say it locks up, I mean that the amount of effort to finish off the trigger pull probably goes to 20 lbs! NO - S&W's don't normally do that. That is a legitimate mountain! I'm not talking about that perceptible flat spot at the end of the average DA trigger pull where one can, depending on their skill level and that actual trigger quality, stage up and emulate a SA trigger pull.

I have one 696 that's been turned DAO by Teddy Jacobson that does not have that annoying flat spot at the end of the trigger pull. It is the sweetest trigger I've every pulled on any DA S&W in my life. A DA pull without that annoying flat spot is perfection.

All, I did clean and lube it before the first shoot. I've emailed S&W. Let's see what they say. Also, as soon as I get a chance, I'll check all screw tensions.

Tell you what, I will buy it off you right now for $450, broken and all...

It amazes me the number of people that refuse to even look inside before sending off a nasty-gram to a manufacturer. I am too curious, and always look for the obvious.

light hammer strikes... main spring is under tensioned or damaged. Try to tighten the tension screw. Takes about 10 seconds. Take the grips off and look. Takes maybe a minute. Does the spring look damaged?

trigger bind... time to take the side plate off. I understand that some people don't want to "peek under the hood", but it aint that difficult. Remove the plate, and stroke the trigger and hopefully it's something easy. It could be as simple as garbage in the trigger return spring.

I would not want to go through the hassle of sending it back for something a good cleaning or spring replacement would fix.

Badquaker, Oh, I dry fired it plenty with nary a hint of issues. So, I doubt any such test with the side plate off will show the issue. It's almost as if it happens after recoil. Come to think of it, that binding/locking never happened on the first shot, only subsequent shots. During the range session, I only took about 2 SA shots and the binding problem never manifested when manually cocking the hammer, but 2 is not a good sample size.

But like I said, I'll check the main spring tension tonight. oh, and I wasn't nasty in my email to S&W. I simply stated my observations and asked their opinion.

Only happens during live fire...after recoil...

Something is loose and floating around inside.

Fully disassemble, clean, lube, and reassemble. Look for anything broken/bent. Shouldn't take more than 10-15 minutes to locate the issue. Then it's either end user repairable, or not.

Like I said, I am a curious type.... I just have to know.

You say you only have the issue when using live ammo, what live ammo are you using?? The symptoms are sort of similar to those you get when running very hot or over pressure loads, the cases expand and flow back a tad adding rotational friction to the blast shield. Have you inspected the spent casings for signs of over pressure like flattened or pierced primers?

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Regards,
Guy-Harold Smith II

My sentiments exactly! When you intend to purchase a used revolver you check out the action before purchase. After purchase you remove the sideplate and get rid of any accumulated and solidified grease/gunk and relube with a proper solvent such as RemOil.

Remember the guy with the "ill-fitting" grips a couple weeks ago? He said he was coming back with a "range report". That was 2 1/2 weeks ago, I wonder how he made out.

Really upset with S&W Quality Control and Customer Service!

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Sure you did

Pete: I had a Ruger Speed Six do what your gun did on recoil -- never on dry-fire. Ruger changed all the plungers and springs (this was a 35 year old gun) and the problem disappeared. I suspect not all the springs and plungers were bad, but it took less time to change them all than to figure out which was the problem. Ruger charged me nothing and sent it back on their dime.

Brownells sell 2 different sprink kits

Wilson Combat spring kit for $14
and
Brownells house brand for $18

Seems like a couple of good items to have hanging around.

Even if S&W is willing to cover all shipping/repair costs, $18 is less than my gas and aggrevation with shipping a firearm.

Best of luck.

I'll give you 460.00 for it as is right now. It is either bad spring, the tension screw is loose from someone screwing with it especially if you are only having problems with Double action and not single action, ir because you are using some junk ammo , I have seen it many times do it to revolvers. I am willing to bet 99 percent it is the tension screw though. You should definitely look the gun over before you go calling it a lemon, if you want send it to me and I will fix it for you and send it back for free since I do not mind helping another 586 owner.
Eric

Look upon this as a golden opportunity to do a little gunsmithing. First, get the Jerry Kuhnhausen book on Smiths. I'm not that mechanically inclined, and by no means a gunsmith, but I've been able to get my Smiths apart and back together with only one, turns out minor, problem--be careful not to remove the hand from the trigger....that tiny spring's a bear to get back in place. I did a successful trigger job on my 642 recently with the aid of a youtube video. Took a half hour and cost nothing. Most importantly, it's fun! Sounds like you've got a binding trigger-return spring--might want to go ahead and order a set of Wolf or Wilson springs (around 8 bucks). Go for it.

The ammo was Magtech 158 grain jsp.

Now, other than clean them without taking the side plate off & change grips, I've never really worked on a S&W.

The tension screw was pretty loose. So, I tightened that until I could feel a bit more resistance in the trigger pull. But trying to as macho as Tsqaured & Badquaker, I followed the directions in a handgun gunsmithing book I had around and got the side plate to pop off using the - tap the side of the grip frame with the wooden hammer handle - method. .......................... and something else pops out too! !@#$%^&* so I scramble to Gunparts corp for the schematic so I can see what it is and where it goes back only to find they started charging for their schematics...........WT........................

phew.....Brownells has a decent schematic. That hammer block was the only thing that is rattling in the entire mechanism and from the looks of it - it will rattle.

So, let me get it back together and see if I can get out on Wednesday for another range session.

What you describe first, the heavy trigger pull right at the end, is typical of a VERY loose strain screw. The end of the mainspring stubs under the back of the hammer, and in some cases will prevent cocking altogether. You say you tightened it until the trigger pull got a little heavier? The strain screw is not an adjustment, it is intended to be TIGHT! Screw it in until it bottoms out in its hole and make it good and snug.

Do this and I will give you odds the "problem" with the revolver goes away.

Bingo!

The strain screw trigger job strikes again.

yep, it's a lemon.

this is why you take it to a trustworthy gunsmith first, never DIY something you've never fiddled with before.

and if you want to learn, its best to learn on something you dont care about.

+1

Tighten mainspring tension screw ALL the way in.

John

+2 problem solved, no unnecessary trip back to S&W, no waiting for the gun to be "fixed" and sent back, no hard feelings towards the company. All good.

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Sure you did

Tighten that strain screw!!!!

And FYI I've been having FTF's with Magtech 158 gr. LRN in guns that have never had issues. I bought a bunch of this ammo, maybe a batch with bad or extremely hard primers got out.

Does your gun have an "M" stamped above the model number. S&W had & still does have a recall on certain #586 & 686 guns. primers would flow back into the firing pin hole & can lock up the gun.

Bogman, That recall sunsetted with the -2 and after from all I can find.

I'll take it tomorrow and report my results. Oh, and in deference to all the good advice, I did tighten the strain screw all the way!

All you who said it was the tension screw were spot on correct!

Glad it worked out.

My offer still stands

Glad you got your problem solved. I have picked up several S&W's that people had played around with the strain screw to "fix" to trigger when all they had to do was properly lube it and just shoot it some and let the parts just seat in. It is common. Now have fun with it!!
Jim C.

Enjoy that 586 now! I had a similar problem with a 28 no dash. (just the light primer strikes) I asked the question on the Forum. Got my info, tightened the strain screw, and not a single light strike!
I recently got a 586 no dash. I checked the spring during my initial inspection. 586's are good shooters! Bob