Should I use the factory performance center for action tuning a NIB Model 638 "no dash"? Or would a master gunsmith do a better job?

Recommendations?

My opinion: Install the Apex green hammer spring, dry fire the gun 1000 times, clean and lube. That's all it needs.

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Centennial Every Day

Between those two: gunsmith.

Or put in a spring kit and lube it you may be happy with it.

Spring kits at Apex and Brownell's are backordered.
Any trustworthy gunsmiths you'd recommend?

I know I'm becoming repetitive, but I do not favor spring changing on a carry piece like the 638. With the OEM springs, the 638 is set up to function in a close-up, ugly situation. That's what it was designed for.

Kaaskop49
Shield #5103

^^^ I completely agree. An "action job" does not consist of installing lighter springs. S&W engineers selected and specified the spring weights they did for a reason.

Many thousands of rounds with Apex and Wison hammer springs with no failures to fire. That has been my experience.

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Centennial Every Day

A good duty/carry action job consist of polishing, smoothing, and stoning the friction points as Warren Sear & kaaskop49 have said. Cycling the revolver a 1000 times will pretty much do the same thing. A professional job may also include dehorning and chamfering.
If lighter springs are installed, the revolver must be function tested by live firing at least a hundred rounds or more of your carry ammunition to insure it will always be 100% reliable.

My experience as well. I'm a fairly new guy to revolvers, but I inherited a 637-2 with the Apex spring kit already installed. There have been no failures to fire in many thousands of rounds for me either. I'm a firm believer in Apex, as I have one of their trigger kits in a M&P Pro Series .40. It also has functioned with no FTF, FTE, or any other kind of problems. I don't think you can go wrong with one of their spring kits for your 638. My double action pull on the 637 is between 7-8 lbs, nice and smooth. The single action is about 1.5 lbs., so you have to be careful there. As a comparison, my new Model 60 Pro Series has well over an 8lb. pull double action. I have an Apex kit to put in it, I just haven't had the time yet. Hope this helps!

I am fine with using better springs (e.g., chrome silicone flat springs), but would not dream of using lighter springs. Are there any reliable guides to which surfaces are best polished and what to use to polish them?

I'm not a fan of do it yourself action work including swaping out springs. I wouldn't dream of trying my hand on MY firearms.

Skillful action work is a wonderful thing. The difficulty is finding the craftsman to do it and being willing to wait for up to a year to have it done.

My M38's have all had action work by my gunsmith, but he knows what he's doing and he knows what I want. He doesn't swap springs.

Most of my other S&W revolvers have had similar attention, as have my 1911's: same gunsmith.

Unfortunately, my gunsmith is slowing down and isn't taking much work. His arthritis is catching up. Not sure what I'll do when he quits entirely.

To give the subject of "lighter" springs some context...

According to Wolff, the factory J frame hammer spring measures 8.5 pounds. The reduced power hammer spring they sell is 8.0 pounds (I am fairly sure this is the spring Wilson uses; I'm not sure who makes the "green" spring that Apex sells).

We're not talking about a radical change in the hammer spring. Enough to help but not enough to cause the gun to be unreliable. Give one a try.

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Centennial Every Day

Agreed. My 642 came from the factory with a pull heavier than the 12lb. max that my digital gauge could read. I found that by going to a lighter rebound spring, lighter hammer spring, and some light stoning of the rebound slide, I got a 9.5lb very smooth trigger pull. Midway has a fine selection of springs for this. No misfires at all after over 1000rounds.

Could a good S&W smith do a better job? I'm sure he could, but I'm happy with what I ended up with, and now also have a better idea of what's going on under the sideplate.

Hi Nukes:

Welcome to the Forum. My EDC (Every Day Carr) consists of a Model 38-0 and a Model 638-1 (aka "the New York Reload"). My version of an action job does not include replacing or changing out springs. Instead, I remove the sideplate and lightly smooth the rebound slide, and lightly lubricate the internal parts. I then dry fire (with snap caps) several hundred times (single action and double action). My wife and daughter have found the trigger pull (DAO) of my Centennial designed J-frames (Model 642 and 432PD) are easier and smoother for them than the Bodyguard designed revolvers, or the exposed hammer designed Model 60 or Model 34.

Regards,

Dave

I'm with the shoot it crowd. Or dry fire it. Improves both you and the gun.

If your feeling up to it watch the yoda g mod on YouTube. It identifies areas you can safely stone to smooth things up. Springs may help but need to be tested adn shouldn't be to light. In general I think you an get a close to as good a trigger though dry fire, but careful stoning is much faster.

The well documented yoda g mod on YouTube does involve changing to lighter springs as well as polishing and relubrication of the internals.


I have Apex 8# mainsprings and 14# rebound springs in every one of my J-frames including two out of the Performance Center.
In my guns, never a problem with commercial ammo or with my handloads using every major brand of primer.

One other thing to consider before changing springs on compact carry guns, "They were intended to be a little heavy" because when in the situation where this type of firearm is normally used you don't want the trigger too light so it might go off accidentally and cause an unintended accidental injury or worse.

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H Richard
SWCA1967 SWHF244

Clean it, shoot it, dry fire, shoot it more and eventually it will smooth out.

Sent from my BNTV400 using Tapatalk

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Support your Police, & NRA

Great video and all the advice is most appreciated. Thank you one and all!

The lighter Apex firing pin spring is another bit of insurance that you won't have light strikes with an 8# mainspring:
https://store.apextactical.com/WebDi...Details/192059

Clean, lube, then dry fire 1000 times. Repeat. Mine smoothed out nicely.

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Two Handguns every day

OK... I recently picked up a nice 2.5" Model 638 and, in light of these recent discussions, I'm trying something different with this one. I'm keeping the factory hammer spring and using the Wolff 15# rebound spring. It lightened up the double action pull a little bit. Nothing dramatic but noticeable. Haven't had a chance to try it at the range yet...

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Centennial Every Day

Going to agree with the dry fire/shoot it comments. Dry fire will not only smooth out the action nicely, done properly it will improve your results when you shoot it. After 1000-1500 cycles, if you think it still needs work then consider an action job. Mine has been an almost everyday companion for 16 years, I have many times more dry fires than live fires and the action is nice and smooth.

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Plastic has no soul

I don't know where you are, but master gunsmith Gary Roman in Louisville has done the tuning--not lightening the triggers, but smoothing them beautifully--of every revolver I've bought for years.

My carry gun is a DAO J-frame and I emphatically don't want a light trigger pull when, if I have to use it, adrenaline will be squirting out my ears. I also don't want the option of single-action fire, but that's just my preference in the interest of minimizing risk and liability.

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Oh well, what the hell.

Well... here's the update. I took the pistol to Ted Yost (formerly of Gunsite). He examined the 638 and said it needed no work whatsoever. So... on to the engraving and inlay.