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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 09-17-2017, 08:42 PM
Demus319 Demus319 is offline
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617 Light strikes problem? 617 Light strikes problem? 617 Light strikes problem? 617 Light strikes problem? 617 Light strikes problem?  
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Default 617 Light strikes problem?

Sent my 617 into SW to fix the cylinder and Light strikes I'm having. I run Federal, CCI and Remington. I get the gun back after a month from SW and still have about 1 light strike every 10 shots. Only change I made is using a 11lb trigger spring. Any subjection on what to do about the light strikes.
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Old 09-17-2017, 09:03 PM
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You could have a flat spot starting on the tip of the pin. That happened to a fellow out here's 986. Tells me he could see it under a loupe
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Old 09-17-2017, 11:51 PM
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Could be different things, it can be hard to tell without seeing the gun.
Here are a few common causes...

Make sure the strain screw is tight. Could have the wrong length strain screw. Either of these conditions will make the main spring tension too light.

Firing pin could be just a hair too short.

Hammer could be hitting the rebound slide just before it hits the frame at the top. This absorbs hammer inertia.

Could have too much endshake. Should have no more than .002, less is better. Endshake allows the entire cylinder to move forward when the firing pin hits the primer, and dampens the blow to the primer.
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Old 09-18-2017, 01:04 AM
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11 pounds is awful light for a rim-fire gun. Was your gun light striking with the factory spring?

I have two 617s (4" and 6") and run factory springs. I also shoot mostly double action, so it's just a matter of practice. And after a while the trigger smooths out.

That said, when I first bought my 4" 617-6 I was getting light strikes. I sent it back to S&W. It turned out the firing pin was a couple thousands of an inch short. S&W installed a new for me.

I suspect S&W might change out your firing pin and replace your 11 pound spring with a factory one.
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Old 09-18-2017, 10:57 AM
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One, question, how tight are the chambers? S&W .22RF have historically tight chambers, and if so, you need to "push" the live round completely into the chamber so it is fully seated and not a couple thousandths short and the round being pushed forward when the firing pin hits and softly absorbing the firing pin impact.

Does the misfired round always fire the second firing pin hit?
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Old 09-18-2017, 03:03 PM
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I have a longer firing pin coming plus new trigger springs coming. I have had the light strike problem when I got the gun. SW did not fix the problem so it's up to me to fix it. What a pain.
SW said the gave me a new Cylinder but I still can't shoot Wenchesters,Browing. Not going to try any thing else. I will shoot Federal and Remington only.
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Old 09-18-2017, 03:32 PM
glenncal1 glenncal1 is offline
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Try a regular strength Wollf main spring, IMHO the Wolff springs are better than stock, especially in a rimfire.
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Old 09-18-2017, 08:58 PM
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Default Thin rims on Winchester and Browning

Quote:
Originally Posted by Demus319 View Post
I have a longer firing pin coming plus new trigger springs coming. I have had the light strike problem when I got the gun. SW did not fix the problem so it's up to me to fix it. What a pain.
SW said the gave me a new Cylinder but I still can't shoot Wenchesters,Browing. Not going to try any thing else. I will shoot Federal and Remington only.
I make speed loaders for the 617 and I test them with several brands of ammo. I have found that CCI has the thickest rims and Winchester/Browning (both Olin) have the thinnest rims, they also have slightly larger rim diameters. Most other brands of ammo seem to be in between CCI and Olin as far as rim dimensions. So if I can get my loaders to work with both (thick and thin) then they seem to work with most other ammo.

I have a GP100 10 shot that I have tuned up and the Winchester/Browning ammo is the most finicky to get to work with it. I think all my S&W's will work with them but I avoid buying it unless that's all I can find.

Good luck with your S&W, you may need to shim the cylinder back a few thousands or get a longer firing pin, or just avoid the Olin ammo.
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Old 09-25-2017, 09:39 PM
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After trying 4 different trigger springs and 2 main springs. I have the stock main spring and 14lb trigger spring. No light strikes. Got a longer firing pin so I might try that with a 12lb trigger spring and Wilson main spring. Has anyone tried that?
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Old 09-26-2017, 03:17 PM
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from all that ive read on the 617, dont mess with the main spring, but you can change the rebound spring weight light enough to where the trigger can still reset without help. i put a 13# rebound spring in and its awesome. i debured and smoothed the pivot pins, side plate,, rebound slide and a few other moving parts internally, and its nice and smooth now.
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Old 09-26-2017, 06:11 PM
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Try going back to the factory sping if you desire 100% ignition.
Lighter springs may lead to.....light strikes !
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Old 09-26-2017, 11:00 PM
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I use an 11 lb rebound spring but still use the stock main spring. I put in an Apex Hammer, and extended firing pin and polished all the internals. My Double Action pull is 7lbs. It is very ammo sensitive and I can only get away with Federal Gold Match, CCI Blazer and Federal AutoMatch to get 100% ignition. Try different ammo to find what works most reliably for you.
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Old 09-27-2017, 09:02 AM
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If I'm going to be betting my life on something , I want 100% ignition with any ammo. A light trigger pull is useless in a SD situation if the ammo doesn't go bang. Target shooting is another matter, targets don't shoot back.
I leave all the springs in my SD guns stock. If I can't get over a heavy trigger pull then I drop it off at Clark Custom Guns for the $115.00 Service Action job.
Gary

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Old 09-27-2017, 09:59 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Demus319 View Post
After trying 4 different trigger springs and 2 main springs. I have the stock main spring and 14lb trigger spring. No light strikes. Got a longer firing pin so I might try that with a 12lb trigger spring and Wilson main spring. Has anyone tried that?
The full power main spring is the key IMHO. FWIW, with allot of polishing but no other changes, I've gotten down to a 13# return and factory main in my two 617s. They run very reliably and are plenty smooth enough for most applications.
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Old 08-18-2022, 12:14 PM
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Been wrestling with my 617 getting a couple ftf with federal 525/550 bulk packs on most cylinder fulls. Just tried some Norma Tac .22 that I just bought and were 20 for 20. But I’ve been experimenting with a coil spring set up. Tried replacement fp springs for a woodsman and HS. The current spring that is working is an old one from my 1927 a1 Thompson which uses dual recoil springs. I built a coil spring ms for my uberti 1873 that works but it uses bearings on the hammer. I want to do the same thing on the 617. Here’s what my ‘73 coil system looks like. Waiting for bearings to arrive.
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Old 08-18-2022, 04:50 PM
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I've got a S&W 325 TRR and a 625-9 that came with light primer strike issues . Quite frequent. Put in new factory springs, checked the strain screw constantly...still did it.

Then I did some research and found a thread somewhere around here stating that S&W had shortened their firing pins to meet some bisarre California drop test standard.

So, I ordered a couple Power Custom extended firing pins, and have not had a mis-fire since. I now pre-emptively install them in every S&W revolver I get my hands on. FTFs are very rare these days. For $10, it's a pretty safe gamble.
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Old 08-25-2022, 12:52 PM
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Finished my coiled hammer spring mod to my 617. Will probably redo a more refined unit.
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