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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 05-13-2018, 02:40 AM
Rathos Rathos is offline
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Sear slipping off trigger Sear slipping off trigger Sear slipping off trigger Sear slipping off trigger Sear slipping off trigger  
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Default Sear slipping off trigger

Hey guys, hoping to get some insight to my issue. Picked up a 3 inch 13-3 recently. Gun shoots awesome but notice something at the range. I was taking a long double action shot and staged the trigger. Decided not to shoot and started to slowly let the trigger out. About half way back the trigger clicked and the hammer dropped. It didn't fire as the hammer block was in the way and didn't let the firing pin through, however it seemed weird.

Opened it up and the sear seems to sit further back than my other k frames (2 model 19-3s). Checked it with the side plate off and sure enough the sear slips but the hammer block does its job. Ordered a new sear just in case, but the gun looked and felt like it had barely been shot. Other than looking like it sits further back the sear itself looked the same as my other k frames.

Is this common? I wasn't able to find much on it with a search. Will replacing the sear most likely fix this?
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Old 05-13-2018, 06:27 AM
UncleEd UncleEd is online now
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Sear slipping off trigger Sear slipping off trigger Sear slipping off trigger Sear slipping off trigger Sear slipping off trigger  
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Just a quick thought:

Is the DA pull real light and the trigger not
very snappy in its return to forward position?
Might be the trigger return spring is too weak
or it has been clipped back too far.
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Old 05-13-2018, 10:56 AM
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3rdgeargrndrr 3rdgeargrndrr is offline
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Sear slipping off trigger Sear slipping off trigger Sear slipping off trigger Sear slipping off trigger Sear slipping off trigger  
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I bet it had its trigger, hammer or both “cleaned” up by a garage gunsmith.
You might need both replaced.
Im not sure a trigger return spring would cause the hammer to drop.
Shame on the original owner and less so on gun shop to sell a malfunctioning weapon to you
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Old 05-13-2018, 12:07 PM
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OLDSTER OLDSTER is offline
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Sear slipping off trigger Sear slipping off trigger Sear slipping off trigger Sear slipping off trigger Sear slipping off trigger  
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 3rdgeargrndrr View Post
I bet it had its trigger, hammer or both “cleaned” up by a garage gunsmith.
You might need both replaced.
Im not sure a trigger return spring would cause the hammer to drop.
Shame on the original owner and less so on gun shop to sell a malfunctioning weapon to you
^^^^^ Too much "polishing" on the single action sear notch and corresponding trigger edge.
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Last edited by OLDSTER; 05-13-2018 at 12:08 PM.
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Old 05-13-2018, 12:13 PM
Rathos Rathos is offline
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Sear slipping off trigger Sear slipping off trigger Sear slipping off trigger Sear slipping off trigger Sear slipping off trigger  
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Tried replacing the trigger return spring with a factory weight part(the trigger feel didn't change so it was already most likely factory) and it didn't make a difference. The only spring I haven't replaced is the sear spring. The weird part is it looks like it hadn't been shot and it doesn't feel like it has had any kind of trigger work (trigger feels heavy).

From the replies here it sounds like it is replace the sear time. As far as the gun shop is concerned, it was a gun broker deal and frankly even if I have to replace a sear it is hard to get a factory 3 inch gun so I am not too mad about it.

Quote:
Originally Posted by UncleEd View Post
Just a quick thought:

Is the DA pull real light and the trigger not
very snappy in its return to forward position?
Might be the trigger return spring is too weak
or it has been clipped back too far.

Last edited by Rathos; 05-13-2018 at 12:14 PM.
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Old 05-13-2018, 03:21 PM
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Alk8944 Alk8944 is online now
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Sear slipping off trigger Sear slipping off trigger Sear slipping off trigger Sear slipping off trigger Sear slipping off trigger  
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You are talking about the double-action sear that is hinged in the front of the hammer? If correct the problem is probably that the sear was not fit correctly or has been replaced and not fit properly! The sear is not a drop-in part, and a new one will have to be fit too!


1) If the sear is catching on the trigger instead of swinging forward freely then it needs to be either shortened slightly or slight bevel cut on the back corner of the sear (the hammer side). A very common error when "Bubba" is fitting a new sear is he doesn't cut the bevel!


2) If the sear is not "let-out" far enough it could cause the same problem. With the side plate off note carefully the position of the sear relative to the hammer with everything "at-rest". Then cock the hammer. Is the sear in the same position, or is it slightly farther out at the bottom? If it is in the same position then the stop at the top of the sear needs to be trimmed slightly to "let-out" the sear slightly. If it is farther out then the problem is at the bottom end, see above.


"Google" this: "S&W double-action sear bevel" and you will find numerous links on the S&W Forum, You Tube, etc that may help. Look all the way at the bottom of this thread too and you should find links to similar threads. This is a common problem with used guns or ones repaired by someone who doesn't know what he is doing.


Before doing anything you should buy a copy of Jerry Khunhausen's book "The S&W Revolver, a Shop Manual". It is available from Brownells, Amazon and many other book sellers. It is about $25-30 but well worth the money as it shows clearly how to make almost any repair to a S&W revolver!
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Last edited by Alk8944; 05-13-2018 at 03:31 PM.
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Old 05-14-2018, 12:11 AM
Rathos Rathos is offline
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Thanks, I think this is the issue as the sear isn't as far out as any of my other k-frames. I can understand how someone would not have caught this as if you are pulling the trigger all the way through there doesn't seem to be an issue. It is only when you pull half way through and let off does it slip.

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Originally Posted by Alk8944 View Post
2) If the sear is not "let-out" far enough it could cause the same problem. With the side plate off note carefully the position of the sear relative to the hammer with everything "at-rest". Then cock the hammer. Is the sear in the same position, or is it slightly farther out at the bottom? If it is in the same position then the stop at the top of the sear needs to be trimmed slightly to "let-out" the sear slightly. If it is farther out then the problem is at the bottom end, see above.
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Old 05-14-2018, 09:39 PM
Blueinterceptor Blueinterceptor is offline
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Sear slipping off trigger Sear slipping off trigger Sear slipping off trigger Sear slipping off trigger Sear slipping off trigger  
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I have a problem with a 13-5 ?where I tried to stage the trigger rapidly. The cylinder and trigger would lock up when I tried to pull the trigger. It was what looked like a brand new gun. I called S&w and was told it was a sear/set issue. I sent her back to S&W
For repair. They’ve had her for 3 weeks now. As far as I know
They are warranteeing the repair.
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Old 05-15-2018, 01:13 AM
Rathos Rathos is offline
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Sear slipping off trigger Sear slipping off trigger Sear slipping off trigger Sear slipping off trigger Sear slipping off trigger  
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I am sure they would warranty it, but I would rather not send a gun back to them and be with out it for weeks at a time. I could have the local smith here do the fix and I still might I am just trying to expand my understanding of how the revolver works.


Quote:
Originally Posted by Blueinterceptor View Post
I have a problem with a 13-5 ?where I tried to stage the trigger rapidly. The cylinder and trigger would lock up when I tried to pull the trigger. It was what looked like a brand new gun. I called S&w and was told it was a sear/set issue. I sent her back to S&W
For repair. They’ve had her for 3 weeks now. As far as I know
They are warranteeing the repair.
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  #10  
Old 05-17-2018, 06:48 PM
Rathos Rathos is offline
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Sear slipping off trigger Sear slipping off trigger Sear slipping off trigger Sear slipping off trigger Sear slipping off trigger  
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Fitted a new sear today and hammer (I am going to bob the hammer on this one and wanted to keep the original hammer). I also ordered a new sear and spring, but will be trying to fit the original sear to fix the issue. Had a gunsmith buddy check it out at the range I go to and it checked out. Fired some rounds though it with no issues. Still not sure if the original sear was like that when I bought it or it happened after I got it as I had never let the trigger down after pulling through a little.
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