Model 14-4 Cocking problem

[Salmon68]

Hi folks, I could use some help figuring out why sometimes the hammer on my Model 14-4 does not cock properly. The gun was made in 1977 and I've have had it for several years. Recently I was at the range and when I cocked the hammer it would not stay back. Not knowing why this was happening I took the gun to a local gunsmith. He took a look and could find nothing wrong so I picked it up and went to the range. It fired ok the first three rounds but on the four round the hammer would not stay cocked. I took it back to the smith and he said there was a screw loose which holds a piece of metal in place right behind the trigger. He tightened the screw and test fired... everything was fine. I picked the gun up today and fired about 15 rounds with no problem but on the 16th the hammer would not stay cocked. There is a the piece of metal behind the trigger. It is loose. I can move it up and down and when its in those positions the hammer stays cocked but if the piece happens to be centered the hammer will not stay cocked.

I am taking the gun back to the smith but in the meantime I thought I would ask you knowledgeable folks what the problem might be. Thanks for any insight.

[armorer951]

The "optional" trigger stop (not all S&W revolvers had them) can come loose and cause problems in revolvers fitted with them, like your model 14. If you are familiar with how to properly remove the sideplate, you could just remove the threaded trigger stop and screw. The stop is not necessary, and, when properly adjusted and tightened, serves no purpose other than to limit the trigger's over-travel.

[daddio202]

You could either take the advice of armorer951 or if not comfortable doing so you could have your gunsmith remove it. The option I personally would like to see a person do - is to see if your gunsmith could use some loctite on the trigger stop so that it may be retained. The only time the removal of an option on a S&W makes sense to me is if the gun is being used as a carry gun and the function of the gun is a life or death scenario. Most of my S&W's have a trigger stop and it has never caused me any problems and the subject does not seem to come up often so it coming loose must be a rarity. Good luck.

[lefty_jake]

You might want to consider going to a different gunsmith. A good gunsmith should have explained to you that the trigger stop was optional when he first understood the problem.

If the gunsmith did not know that most armorers would remove the trigger stop from a duty weapon, then he is definitely not the right guy. But I think it is more likely that he did understood the situation, but did not take the time to explain it fully. It is not uncommon for good craftsmen to feel that their work shows their expertise, but that they can't take the time to explain everything to everybody. And if the work is really good, then you might indeed want to work with such a person. But without detailed explanations, it can be hard to get the right work done for your specific needs.

I do not do any work on other people's guns. But I am a range safety officer, and I talk to lots of less experienced gun owners about problems they are having at the range. If I saw this problem, I would spend five minutes explaining about trigger stops. And I believe most people who understood the details would elect to remove it. I find that the trigger stop is only beneficial to serious target shooters who feel that overtravel effects their trigger pull.

With that said, once the trigger stop is properly adjusted and locked firmly into place, it can be reasonably reliable. But I still think it is not worth the effort most of the time.

[ken158]

Back in the late 70’s, S&W sent a notification to all Law enforcement depts to remove trigger stops from their guns. As noted, the stop is to reduce overtravel and not needed.