I have a 629 Competitor, purchased new in Oct/16. Light use target shooting maybe 20-40 rounds every week or so. Always mag (never special). Recently, the gun has started skipping (failing to fire) rounds. The cylinder turns but often the round does not fire. I do dry fire with high quality snap caps maybe 50 times/day. Could that cause problems?
You didn't say if there's a dent in the primer when it doesn't fire?
Does it fire on the second try?
SA or DA?
Handloads or factory ammo?
Recoil from magnum loads invariably loosens screws that aren't fully tightened down. As yfdcap mentioned, check the strain screw under the grip. Might as well check all the others while you're at it.
If that's tight you might have a firing pin that's of marginal length (.485-.490") & a longer one could be the answer.
First thing I would check is to see if Mainspring Strain screw is tight. Just lightly bottom it. Do not crank on it hard.
Try this before bringing it to anybody. It is not uncommon for this screw to back out under recoil . It's simple to check too. Just take the grip off and this screw is in the front of the grip frame. It should be turned all the way in.
If that is not the cause, I would send it back to S&W under warranty. Just call them and they will send you a prepaid shipping label.(
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Dave
Last edited by Wee Hooker; 06-16-2018 at 08:57 PM.