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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 10-05-2017, 04:58 PM
Bill In Texas Bill In Texas is offline
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Default A tale of two 642's

A couple of friends of mine have each bought a 642 over the last month. One is a -2, while the other is a -1.

The -2 had a heavy, gritty trigger. I opened the side plate and found that while there weren't any metal flakes, the gun was dry as a bone. I oiled it with some light gun oil and closed it up. That helped the smoothness, but it was still heavy.

The -1 on the other hand had a great trigger from the get go. It was smooth and seemed to be lighter than the trigger on the -2. I was surprised at the difference between the two. Did the -1's just have a better trigger or did one of my friends just get lucky?
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Old 10-05-2017, 05:52 PM
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Luck of the draw more than anything. I've had older ones with great triggers but I've had newer (MIM) ones with great trigger also.
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Old 10-05-2017, 06:03 PM
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Random chance, luck of the draw, karma, sacrifices to the trigger gods...all have about the same influence on the quality of the triggers on standard production guns.
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Old 10-05-2017, 07:31 PM
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My 642-1 has a very smooth action.
2008 vintage.
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Old 10-05-2017, 09:33 PM
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my new 642 enhanced action has sweet trigger pull- worth the extra &70 for enhanced action IMO
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Old 10-05-2017, 10:16 PM
kaaskop49 kaaskop49 is offline
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In my recent posts, I've mentioned buying several 442/642 (Centennial-style) revolvers, both standard production and PC models. The quality of the trigger pull in the individual gun seems to be a matter of pure chance. I've bought 2 different PC 642 models: neither action seems any better than that of standard mfg guns. The 442PC " Chattanooga" models have poor trigger pulls, at least in my 2. One went back to the factory 2x.

Some posters will undoubtedly chime in that they have recently purchased a Centennial model with a smooth trigger pull, and I reply, "Great! That's the way it's supposed to be." My fault, I suppose, buying too many Centennials: more chance to get one less than great.

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P.S. No recent PC model J-frame has an action that approaches that of the unlamented 637 PC "Wyatt" models of a few years ago for smoothness and responsiveness. Love those little chickenpluckers!
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Old 10-06-2017, 08:31 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bill In Texas View Post
....The -2 had a heavy, gritty trigger. I opened the side plate and found that while there weren't any metal flakes, the gun was dry as a bone. I oiled it with some light gun oil and closed it up. That helped the smoothness, but it was still heavy.

I have a 642-1 with a heavy pull like the -2 you mentioned, but it is not gritty. More range time may help cure that. I hope so as i don't want to mess with anything inside.
The 640 no-dash on the other hand is smooth and just right on the pull. It's my EDC
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Old 10-06-2017, 09:43 AM
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I have found there is a difference in the weight of pull and smoothness regardless of model. Over the last 45 years I have opened, cleaned, and smoothed the rebound slide on every one of my S&W revolvers. On most I have installed a Wolff spring kit using the 14# rebound slide spring and used the supplied Wolff mainspring. The action is noticeable smoother and lighter. Reliability has never been an issue regardless of ammo choice.
BTW, I have found dry lube to work very well on the innards and it will not attract grit as oil will.
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Old 10-06-2017, 09:45 AM
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My 340PD’s trigger is heavier than my Model 37 that was produced in the mid ‘90s but both shoot fine. Like others have said it is pure chance.
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Old 10-06-2017, 09:57 AM
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I clean, lube, and dry fire a couple thousand times every J-Frame I've owned. All the triggers are smooth. As far as bing heavy, I may be used to it or got a stronger finger. What ever I get good groups at 21' so I'm happy.
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Old 10-06-2017, 12:13 PM
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Default A Tail of Three J Frames ...

Quote:
Originally Posted by Bill In Texas View Post
A couple of friends of mine have each bought a 642 over the last month. One is a -2, while the other is a -1.

The -2 had a heavy, gritty trigger. I opened the side plate and found that while there weren't any metal flakes, the gun was dry as a bone. I oiled it with some light gun oil and closed it up. That helped the smoothness, but it was still heavy.

The -1 on the other hand had a great trigger from the get go. It was smooth and seemed to be lighter than the trigger on the -2. I was surprised at the difference between the two. Did the -1's just have a better trigger or did one of my friends just get lucky?


The 360PD AirLite was first and the DA trigger is heavy but smooth, capable of staging to a single action release. In single action the release is very short and light.

The 640 Pro Series was one of two I handled at purchase. It seemed smoother than the other example, so I bought it. On getting it home the first thing I did was take it out back to shoot it. It locked up solid after the first round fired.

Racing back to the Dealer, who was having "Smith & Wesson Day" with the S&W Rep present, I confronted them with the issue. The side plate was removed and a tiny metal chip came out.

After blowing it out further with compressed air and test firing several rounds successfully it was pronounced "fixed" and returned to me. No problems since, and the trigger is much like the 360, except no hammer to try single action.

The Model 60 LadySmith's trigger is lighter and smoother than either the 360 or 640. No action job is claimed, but reduced power springs are probably installed.

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Old 10-06-2017, 10:40 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bill In Texas View Post
A couple of friends of mine have each bought a 642 over the last month. One is a -2, while the other is a -1.

The -2 had a heavy, gritty trigger. I opened the side plate and found that while there weren't any metal flakes, the gun was dry as a bone. I oiled it with some light gun oil and closed it up. That helped the smoothness, but it was still heavy.

The -1 on the other hand had a great trigger from the get go. It was smooth and seemed to be lighter than the trigger on the -2. I was surprised at the difference between the two. Did the -1's just have a better trigger or did one of my friends just get lucky?
Probably just luck of the draw. The -1 may have been made either before or after the -2 as both are still being made.
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Old 11-23-2017, 10:54 PM
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no, I think it is the enhance action 642 that makes difference in trigger pull.....Love my enhanced action642
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Old 11-23-2017, 11:06 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by haywood View Post
I clean, lube, and dry fire a couple thousand times every J-Frame I've owned. All the triggers are smooth. As far as bing heavy, I may be used to it or got a stronger finger. What ever I get good groups at 21' so I'm happy.
It's amazing how much good that much dry firing will do for both the revolver and the shooter!!
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