Yeah, been thinking about that. None made that I know of so I guess it would be shimming the 9 or clipping coils off the 12.
It does seem abnormal that it needs such a strong spring.
Found a nice 35-1 Date help? Light strikes solved!
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Yeah, been thinking about that. None made that I know of so I guess it would be shimming the 9 or clipping coils off the 12.
It does seem abnormal that it needs such a strong spring.
Absolutely priceless explanation and detail. Thank you to the OP for posting this thread and all the valued replies. I will become a supporter based soley on this reply. I have a Model 63 no dash in 4” bought new that was a safe queen for decades. Returned to heavy use this spring and have experienced the exact same issues. Took the side plate off and inadvertently had the slightest crud left on a flange. Too many FTF’s. Took it off a second time. Checked everything, cleaned a second time and much better. IMO some .22 ammo build quality of the application of primer paste has something to do with it ‘being found’ by the light strikes of the 63 and suspected of the 35 with little use. It fits my hand, and I love simplicity and quality build of all my Smith’s. Today bought a 35-1 in 6” that has been shot very little. Looks new in the box. Lovely sights. .22 is the most fun to perfect my quest for the DA trigger pull. I had the same problem with 63 and CCI SV that came in a brick. If i bought it in 100 round boxes, noticeable improvement. Believe its the way to go. I’ve bought several thousand .22 rounds this year in various brands and configurations. Shot much of it. Match ammo they same is reviewed in extra steps by the best of the best. Federal Match HV proved well. Still workin’ it.The tension of the rebound spring can be felt upon cocking and DA trigger pull but is static when the hammer falls. The one thing I do to smooth the DA pull is polish the rebound slide on the bottom and left side. Then I polish the frame where it contacts the slide, lower and left side. I would go with the lightest rebound spring that give an acceptable trigger return for fast follow up shots. The slide to frame metal to metal contact represents the most MtoM contact (friction) on the entire action. Any roughness on those surfaces produces heavier DA pull and slower trigger return but does not effect the force of hammer fall.
Beyond that, the movement of the floating firing pin must be unimpeded for consistent ignition. Now for another cup of expresso.
Love the resources here on forum.
Yes, i agree. Seems abnormal. I hope you came through Wagwan. I had felt the slightest raised edge on the sideplate after the first sideplate dismount/remount. I was simply checking things out at the time. Came back the second time and noticed much better performance once cleaned & squared. I believe the polish will improve further. It has the slightest coat of CLP currently. Will keep it fresh and minimal. I too changed the factory 30 YO safe queen mainspring for a factory original. Do not believe I am anywhere near 12 pounds. Seems excessive. Experiment with Eley, Match Ammo, and 100 round boxes of CCI SV. 45g CCI Suppressor been flawless. Eley is
. I also believe my FTF’s is somewhat related to mechanics. As I improve DA and stay fresh, I have fewer problems. They come in waves is all I can share. Usually late in the range session. That firing pin doesn't know, dirty barrel and cylinder. Fatigue is all I can attribute. Plus I mix quality high dollar loads with bulk to test the theory. If Im fresh, it makes a difference with a j-frame coiled mainspring and rounded firing pin shape. It’s a ball point pen. Ohhhh, maybe I should have bought the 17-1. But the j-frame grip is perfect for me in a .22. Love the K & L in .38 +P. It fits there too.
I have to say, that i do have and initially shot portions of 500 round boxes of Federal cheapo 36 grain HV through in that 63, with never a FTF. It just looks horrible shoving into the pristine 63. Call me crazy, but you should know ‘it’s all got to fit’ with my fine collection.
Doriangray6
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My .357 mag model 586-8 has a floating firing pin and when I first got it was experiencing light strikes. Checked everything and couldn't find a source for the problem so ordered a longer firing pin from TK Customs in case the original pin, which I couldn't find a spec for, was under length.
Though the new pin reduced the number of light strikes it didn't eliminate the problem but when I took the revolver apart again I noticed that the new firing pin had a rub mark on top of the tip portion of the pin where it was rubbing against the bushing. I checked the original pin and it also had this mark but I hadn't noticed it before.
Anyway I used a stainless steel drill bit .010" larger in diameter than the pin tip to ream out the hole in the bushing slightly, cleaned and re-assembled everything with the original firing pin, and no more light strikes.
Though the new pin reduced the number of light strikes it didn't eliminate the problem but when I took the revolver apart again I noticed that the new firing pin had a rub mark on top of the tip portion of the pin where it was rubbing against the bushing. I checked the original pin and it also had this mark but I hadn't noticed it before.
Anyway I used a stainless steel drill bit .010" larger in diameter than the pin tip to ream out the hole in the bushing slightly, cleaned and re-assembled everything with the original firing pin, and no more light strikes.
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Great info. Makes sense with what I’ve experienced. I’d say a fine tuning will make the difference and futher improvement with my 63. Hoping to have good luck with the 35 when i get it picked up.
The forward protrusion of the firing pin is limited by the firing pin bushing.Something could have gotten between the front of the firing pin and the rear face of the bushing. I had one on a model 51 that acted like you described. Part of the rear section of the firing pin had broken off. You could see it when the hammer was cocked. I replaced it with a new pin and everything worked fine.
Doriangray6
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Instead of a drill I used a tap holder to hold the drill bit. It's been about a year and several 1000 rounds of reloads since I did the mod and I haven't had a light strike since.
The .22 I and J frame firing pin tip went from round tip to rectangular tip in the 50's and back to round.
My 63 and this 35 are matching and round. So not a broad surface strike compared to wedge shaped pin on my Winchester 62A. The 63 doesn't have any visible damage to pin. It had been dry fired about a 100 times at most before learning to cut that out. Really dont see any impact to it. The primer strikes have not lightened or shown any differences from one strike to another. If anything the brass crimps easier on the Eley, seems thinner brass. Call me crazy. Im a metal fabricator by trade. Same strike. The strike is further in from edge than others believe common in .22’s. The 35 I expect to be the same as they likely close in age. The 35-1 is serial number M404xx. I pick it up Thursday, its new to me. No line at all on cylinder. No blemishes seen anywhere. I plan to post range report after i get it cleaned up. I wont be altering it or removing the side plate for now. Just clean it.
I ended up keeping the 12lb spring in place. Partly because it doesn’t affect the SA trigger pull and partly because I also now also shoot 22 WMR through it, and those definitely need the heavier firing pin impact.
I stumbled across a M35 parts gun (no frame) and reamed that cylinder to WMR. It took a little fitting but now my Model 35 is a convertible.
I stumbled across a M35 parts gun (no frame) and reamed that cylinder to WMR. It took a little fitting but now my Model 35 is a convertible.
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