Picked up a used 686-6, seven shot .357. The MIM internal lock hammer, did not seem to be hitting firing pin with normal force on dry firing. Removed Hogue rubber grips and found some green gunk under grips around open frame where the hammer spring is located.

The strain screw was backed out almost a full turn, so I tightened it up then removed sideplate (hit frame with plastic hammer) to see if the gunk had got in the action. Everything looked good inside. I tried to ear back the hammer to see the parts in play and the hammer would not move. Never been inside of an internal lock model before, so a I thought I might have engaged the lock by whacking with hammer. So, to disengage, I whacked it with hammer with sideplate off. Sear came out along with tiny sear spring which now God knows where?

Looked up the 686-6 on Numerich, and it does not have an internal schematic like all the 686 models before. However, all the earlier models use the same schematic. That schematic lists the sear spring as Numerich part 297270AH, however the sear illustration does not look like the sear that came out of gun. I assume S&W used a different sear with the MIM internal lock model, but will the spring from earlier models work?

Put gun back together and it functions fine as a single action.

Any parts help is appreciated.

I would call Wolff Gunsprings they should be able to advise you.

https://www.gunsprings.com/

The 2 sear springs are different. They are not interchangeable.

I don't understand how it could fall out. The sear is pinned to the hammer, with the spring trapped inside. Sounds like someone had been inside playing and reassembled it with a missing sear/hammer pin. That would have given you the initial problem by the sear moving around without the pin in place.

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H Richard
SWCA1967 SWHF244

Call up S&W and get a sear spring from them. I lost the sear spring out of my wife's 60-15 when I took it apart shortly after we got it to clean and lubricate the internals and they sent me a couple of replacement sear springs.

The newer MIM ones are not pinned in place. You pull the sear out sideways. There is a very small ledge on the hammer to keep the spring in place, not a hole like on the old ones. You lift the end of the spring up over the ledge, then slide spring and sear off the side of the hammer.

On older models with hammer mounted firing pins the bolt plunger spring and the sear spring were the same size,MIM guns????

Smith & Wesson Bolt Plunger Spring Sear Spring S&W J K L N X-Frame

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NEVER GIVE UP YOUR GUN

I don't know what's up with the Midway deal. The ones I've seen aren't the same for frame mounted F/P, versus hammer mounted F/P.

The fun come when you try to put that little spring in place and the get the sear installed without messing up the spring. I lost 1 and bend one up before I asked and Armour helped me out. Put a bit of grease on spring to help hold it in hole in hammer, then use a small thin piece of metal to press spring and hold town while you get sear in place.

Fairly easy way to pervent damage to the spring.........Just mount the spring on the end of a bobby pin, place the spring in the hole in the sear body....compress spring with bobby pin, insert the entire sear/spring/bobby pin assy into the hammer cut-out. After insertion, hold your finger over the sear cutout to hold the sear in it's location inside the hammer, then pull the bobby pin out.

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Ret. LE, FA Instr, S&W Armorer

I believe you're referring to the double-action sear, rather than the trigger sear...

Next time you might stuff the whole rig into a gallon-size Ziploc bag or whatever before actuating a gun's lockwork with any sideplate removed.

I've had stuff fly across my workspace. I know how frustrating it can be looking for the errant bits. Good luck to you.

Talked with Smith this morning. They are putting one in mail. Thanks muddocktor for advice on calling factory and thanks to everyone for hints on install.

Doing a little research on the 686, it turns out this is one of the Talo 3-5-7's with 5 inch barrel. Kind of like the look of the non fluted cylinder.

Someone replaced the Talo wood grips with Hogue rubber and either played with the strain screw trying to reduce trigger pull or it backed out by itself.

Just sold a no dash 686 to my brother as I was trying to consolidate to only NFrames, but picked this one up from Gun show individual for $350.

Will probably just turn it around after getting it running again and stay with my NFrames.