The LGS has a excellent 4566 with 3 black follower mags for $425. The gun has the straight grip and standard Novak sights. The hammer and trigger are forged, but finished as blue, not flash chrome. What approx year would be a VBS series?

The issue is that none of the lightly used factory mags had enough force to overcome the spring force on the slide stop to reliably engage the slide. The stop is not binding, just seems to be strongly sprung. Anybody experienced this problem?

Any thoughts about this gun?

Thanks,

Hunter

It's a great pistol at a great price!

The magazines sound like they need new springs, no biggie.
Springs for SMITH & WESSON NUMBERED SERIES Semi-Auto Pistols

I have its brunette sister the 4567 and love it, makes a great shooter or HD gun I carry it a good bit of the time.

Sorry can't help with the date.

Attached Images

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I've had some 5906 mags not engage the slide stop, because the springs were a bit weak.
If you stretch one of the mag springs and it fixes the problem, you need new mag springs.
My soon-to-be-mine 4566 has the blued MIM hammer and trigger.

I don't really like MIM parts, but it doesn't bother me as much on an auto as it does on a revolver.
Not sure why.

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What would Jim Cirillo do?

Can you explain "strongly sprung" with regards to the slide stop? Does it move freely?

Life is short buy the gun..

Many times folks leave mags loaded for years, in storage...
while conventional wisdom says that isn't the reason they go bad,
look at an old truck with OEM springs, those rascals are sagging...
they've been under load for a decade or more, and that weight has an effect.

All springs have a lifetime...and the smart move is to change out ALL gun springs
at least every ten years, as you can get away with many things for awhile,
but eventually they show their age and weakness...

As one gets older, they ain't as springy as they used to be...
think of your firearms the same way!

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Marlin & Calico Specialist

It's not like you see a 4566 pop up in the stores every day.

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What would Jim Cirillo do?

For $425.00 in the condition you describe it would be in my gun safe waiting on 3 new mag springs to be delivered. If the slide stop moves free, I would bet money on it being weak mag springs!

Well, I stopped back by the shop this morning. The salesman had stretched one of the mag springs and the slide stop now works great, so I am now the proud owner of this 4566.

The hammer and trigger are definitely blue forged parts, not MIM. Replacement mag springs will soon be on order. The only other problem with the gun is that I believe the trigger play spring is messed-up, causing a clicking hitch in the SA trigger pull. From looking online, I don't believe this is a big issue, correct?

Thanks for the guidance.

Hunter

Congrats on your purchase! The trigger play spring is not a big deal unless it really bothers you. It can be replaced if broken, but sometimes it just needs a slight adjustment by carefully pushing it back into place.

FWIW, if it were me? As a S&W 3rd gen pistol armorer I'd replace all the mag springs and the recoil spring before shooting the gun.

The "click" you may be hearing in the beginning of the trigger pull is fairly common, especially in the .45/10 pistols (I was told that by someone from the factory, BTW). It's usually the slight sound of the front tips of the trigger ears being pulled back down over the top rear edge of the drawbar head's V-notch, as the trigger works to push the drawbar forward.

Lightly adjusting the trigger play spring can sometimes (and often only temporarily) eliminate the trigger ears slipping up out of the V-notch and just above the rear of the drawbar head. The condition doesn't hurt anything, though.

The problem is that frequently "adjusting" the sides of the trigger play spring forward, to try and give more tension against the rear of the trigger ears, can cause one or the other side of the trigger play spring to break off. The gun will work without the spring, but the single action trigger pay becomes a bit "looser" in its movement.

FWIW, the CHP finally removed the trigger play springs from their issued (and aging) inventory of original 4006's many years ago. Then, they ordered their new 4006TSW's produced without the trigger play springs installed in the first place. That's one way to avoid having to replace a broken one ... but it also means the occasional trigger "click" can't be adjusted anymore, either.

Congrats on the 4566. Nothing wrong with having the older machined carbon steel hammer & trigger (and "plain" sear). Not as long as the DA trigger press is smooth, anyway. Sometimes the cutters used to make the older machined steel hammers got dull and left a lot of chatter on the part of the hammer which rubbed over the sear nose during the DA trigger pull. I've seen some older hammers that had surfaces in that spot so roughly machined that it looked like a shale outcropping.

Nice guns. Don't fool with the barrel, though. (Resist any urge to polish or get out a moto-tool ). Last I heard, they'd exhausted their supply of older 4566 barrels at the factory and had no plans to make any more of them because it was an older "obsolete" model. (The 4566TSW barrels won't fit in the older 4566, as there are different tolerances involved.)

It ought to last you as a robust and reliable "shooter" for the rest of your life.

BTW, the 3rd gen .45's have longer slide/frame rails than the 9/.40 guns. Full length, so to speak. I usually recommend that folks lube their 4566/4566TSW's/4506 frames & slides like they would a SIG P220 or a good quality 1911.

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Ret LE Firearms inst & armorer

Congrats on your new .45!

BTW: We like photos.

S&W repiaced my 4566 broken trigger play spring for free, even after telling me it wasn't under warranty.

Fastbolt, which do you recommend for the frame/slide rails-oil or grease?
I'm pretty new to 3rd gen S&W pistol ownership.

BTW, the fact that you DON'T see 3rd gen .45s pop up for sale very often is EXACTLY why I put mine on layaway (after the 15 day hold period when the LGS bought it from the previous owner).
What's not to like about 3rd gen Smiths, aside from them being out of production (and the parts situation)?

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What would Jim Cirillo do?

Here are some bad cellphone pictures for your enjoyment!

Fastbolt- After removing the slide, the trigger play spring seems fine at first glance. The "hitch" is coming from one or both the trigger hooks catching on the top of the drawbar above the v-notch. How do you fix that problem?

Thanks,

Hunter

Attached Images

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	4566 pic 2.jpg (270.3 KB, 36 views)
	4566 trigger drawbar.jpg (54.2 KB, 39 views)

Evenly pushing the sides of the trigger play spring slightly forward, when the trigger ears (hooks) aren't touching it can give some increase of forward tension, but it may be only temporary.

Some combinations of frame, drawbar & trigger just seem more prone to let the ears slip up & over the edge of the drawbar, resulting in a minor click in the beginning of the single action trigger stroke.

You have to be doing slow-fire, like in target shooting to notice (looking for it, as it were). It's not something most folks would notice during rapid shot strings.

I've had an occasional gun (last was a 9mm) exhibit the "click when the ears sometimes caught on the edge of the drawbar's head when the gun was cocked into single action mode. If a slight adjustment of the spring corrected it, fine. Otherwise, I just left it alone. It's not even mentioned as a major problem in armorer classes. And, like I said, the state patrol out here entirely got rid of the springs in their guns.

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Ret LE Firearms inst & armorer

I don't shill any specific oils or greases. I've used, and continue to use, a bunch of them. Some I've had for years, some I picked up to try (out of curiosity) and one big bottle (original FP10) was a gift from a forum member some years ago. Some need to be shaken. Some don't. (I no longer have any interest in something that may have directions to get out a blow dryer to heat the metal surfaces, either. )

There's usually a couple of oils or CLP's and 1-2 greases on the bench at work, depending who ordered what on the last supplies order.

Oils/CLP's are handy because they can be so easily applied and spread to the needed spots. The downside is that if too much is applied, it can migrate, run and wick off the gun. Messy if applied in "excessively exuberant" amounts.

Oils can also run off inside the frame and accumulate where they aren't needed, or might eventually cause problems (contaminate firing pin channel, extractor recess, as well as contaminate ammunition, etc).

Oils/CLP's can sometimes start to evaporate, too, and may thin out with temperature fluctuations or exposure to humidity.

Greases can be handy because they generally don't thin (nor run or wick) as easily as oil-type lubes, but you have to make sure they get applied directly to the spots and surfaces you want lubed (especially the 'harder' greases which don't smear around). They can stay where they're needed longer, though.

One of the downsides to greases is that they can more easily accumulate dirt, fouling, grit & debris ... and may turn into unintended 'lapping compounds' under the wrong conditions.

Some shooters like to use a 'slurry' of one or another type of lightweight grease, along with an oil-type lube. (I've done it, especially as a long time 1911 shooter, but also with an early Ruger KP90DC and some other pistols.)

One of the warnings given out in one gun company's armorer class recently was that sometimes adding oil to a surface which still contained solvent could create a sticky & gummy condition. Not optimal for functioning. (These sort of precautionary warnings are often the result of someone having learned something the hard way. )

Nowadays we can also do some shopping and find some less toxic products made for guns, which is nice. Less stinky, too.

I usually use whatever's on the work or my home bench. I check for lube periodically, especially if a gun is going to be carried in variable temperature conditions, humidity, etc.

Make sure to read labels when buying the products, though. Sometimes folks find out the hard way that some product may not be advised for exposure to, or use on, wood or plastics.

I generally avoid snake oil. You know, the latest flavor of "wonder stuff". We're just cleaning & lubing guns, for crying out loud.

In all of the armorer classes I've attended, the most common recommendation is to use something of good quality that's made and recommended for firearms.

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Ret LE Firearms inst & armorer

Thanks for the additional background!

I looked at it again, and the ears are not getting caught on the top of the drawbar, just hitting the the vertical face above the groove before dropping/snapping into the groove. I guess I am being picky, but the hitch caused by this is quite annoying when you are used to a relatively clean breaks on my other 3rd gens. Is there any reason why those edges could not be slightly chamfered (on the draw bar) and polished (arms) to allow a smoother transition into the groove? Obliviously, removing any substantive material on the trigger arms themselves could alter the timing and release points, so overzealous Dremeling is discouraged.

It's been described to me as being more of a 'part is parts' condition that can occur, and for some reason, it seems more likely to occur in the .45/10 frames.

The reach of the trigger's ears (hooks) into the center of the V-notch are important for getting full forward movement of the drawbar underneath the hammer (for DA pickup & throw notches) and moving the sear forward (SA shots). I'd not play around with trying to polish or modify anything.

Also, the drawbar is a relatively expensive assembly, and not often available as a commonly ordered/stocked item anymore. No need to risk damaging one, just for what amounts to a minor annoyance of a click.

I'd leave well enough alone, if it were me.

Then again, if you ever come across another wide flash-chromed or carbon steel machined or MIM triggers, depending on the vintage of your 4566 (not one of the older 3913 triggers, for example, which were narrower), dropping it in the gun might change the parts-is-parts tolerances just enough to make the "problem" go away. Never know.

FWIW, in the older guns, before MIM triggers, I've seen a bit of a variance in the back of the hooks (which engage the spring). Some were more square than others, sticking back against the spring leaves a bit more. (More rough edges and rough machining, too.) The MIM triggers seem to be much more uniform in this regard.

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Ret LE Firearms inst & armorer

Maybe I can butt in here for a little advice on my 4566. I'm a retired LEO and never carried a 4566 on the job as my last city mandated we carry a S&W Mod 39 (9mm). I happened upon a 4566 after carrying an unusual Colt 1911 (General Officers Model). It (the 4566) had a non adjustable rear sight but I thought it would be easy to replace with a fully adjustable factory sight. S&W considered the 4566 obsolete. Thus very few parts available. I don't know if the hammer (at least it has one--more later) is MIM but it and the trigger are black and the rest is SS.

Then younger bro invited me to shoot his 1006. It had fully adjustable sights (with protective SS ears on the rear). Well, years ago I was going to get a 10mm but the city had switched to Mod 19's (seemed like a backwards step to me but...). I bought a Mod 66 instead and fell in love with SS. So when a 1066 popped up for sale I grabbed it. Again the crummy non-adj sights and the hammer had either been bobbed or was a DAO from S&W.

The dimensions of the .45 and the 10mm seem almost identical. So is there a source for a hammer with spur? Does it also take a trigger with a sear to catch the hammer at full cock? No one seems to have the adj sights for the 10mm or .45.

BTW I had heard for years that WD-40 evaporated (WD stands for Water Displacer) and Dri-Slide penetrated primers and prevented their ignition. What I did find was 1 Lube by Slick 50. Used with red tube applicator and very judicious pressure on the cap (contents under pressure) the lube comes out like foam and can be carefully placed. It doesn't evaporate much. White grease-like Lubriplate works on slide rails of semi-autos if you don't get carried away. Just my 2 cents. Thor