Lightening up a 63?

[S&W Fan]

The little 63 we recently picked up is tons of fun but the grandkids have a heck of a time with the double action as did I lol-dang heavy, no problem with single. I know there are kits for the centerfire J frames but wasn't aware of any for the rimfires.

Thanks in advance for any help.

 

[austintexas]

63

Pretty sure a 63 is a J frame. Be advised the Trigger pull on a .22 rimfire revolver is pretty stout to reliably fire rimfire ammo. I don't remember if the hammer spring is coil or regular. If regular, You could possibly back out the hammer spring tension screw until Ignition becomes unreliable then tighten a little. What will help a little is polishing the moving parts in the frame. Some people I've known have ground off a little of the trigger return spring to lighten trigger pull, but be careful too much will lower reliable ignition. Another note different brands of .22 are easier to ignite than others, after a trigger job you may have to try different brands for reliable ignition.
SWCA 892

 

[USBP SW]

Personally, I would shoot it to smooth things out. The model 63 has a coil mainspring, Wolf may make lighter mainsprings and rebound slide springs but then you may have unreliable ignition (mainspring) or unreliable trigger return (rebound slide spring). I am not a fan of clipping coils off the rebound slide spring, I would be afraid that it would kink in the rebound slide, causing uneven wear and weakness in the spring over time.

 

[S&W Fan]

Thanks gents, I've never been a fan of clipping springs. I wasn't sure if there was an option outside of using it lol. I think we'll just have the youngsters shoot single action.

 

[rockquarry]

Thanks gents, I've never been a fan of clipping springs. I wasn't sure if there was an option outside of using it lol. I think we'll just have the youngsters shoot single action.

Best choice for reliability.

 

[BE Mike]

I have my grandkids shoot my 63 single action from a rest. When they are ready to shoot it from a standing, unsupported position, they might have the strength and stature to shoot double action. I'll probably move them on to a slicked up centerfire K frame, likely in .38 SPL and have them shoot wadcutter ammo.

 

[Mike SC Hunter]

Pretty sure a 63 is a J frame. Be advised the Trigger pull on a .22 rimfire revolver is pretty stout to reliably fire rimfire ammo. I don't remember if the hammer spring is coil or regular. If regular, You could possibly back out the hammer spring tension screw until Ignition becomes unreliable then tighten a little. What will help a little is polishing the moving parts in the frame. Some people I've known have ground off a little of the trigger return spring to lighten trigger pull, but be careful too much will lower reliable ignition. Another note different brands of .22 are easier to ignite than others, after a trigger job you may have to try different brands for reliable ignition.
SWCA 892

MDL 63 uses COIL springs.......

 

[S&W Fan]

My sons, now 40 and 36, started on air rifles at age 5 respectively. From there it was a Ruger 10/22. The first handgun I trained them one was my dad’s 686 with .38 wadcutters when they were each about 9. No stopping after that lol.
My grandson has been shooting a 10/22 I have for about 6 months, hoping to get him back out soon again with the 63.

 

[ColbyBruce]

Here is an opened up S&W 63. I almost gave this gun to my grandson, but gave him a 3” 31-1 and a snubbie 31-2 instead.

 

[gmarshall99]

Change out the rebound hammer spring. Will not affect the hammer spring action but will be easier to pull trigger in double action.

 

[USBP SW]

You could also experiment with different grips, I'm not sure whose hand they were designed for but it certainly wasn't mine.

 

[SGT ROCK 11B]

... I think we'll just have the youngsters shoot single action.

That is a bad habit making a habit of shooting Single Action a DA revolver because it will increase Negligent Discharges.

A Glock 44 (.22 LR) would have been a better choice plus that is a modern pistol design but for my grandchildren I got them .22 caliber rifles.

 

[chief38]

If I am correct in assuming you are not using this revolver for self defense, you can try a few things. For a SD revolver, I'd leave it as is for reliability. At the range only, if it fails to fire - just frustrating, not life threatening.

Go on Wolff Spring's website and see of you can get a lighter main and recoil spring kit.

While I am not a fan of spring clipping, you can get another main spring and try shortening that one little. They sell lighter trigger return springs for sure. If it works, great - if not, just put the original back. If you can improve a target only gun for better enjoyment - why not? Again, not intended for a carry, SD, or HD gun.

 

[Muley Gil]

J frame rimfire revolvers need HEAVIER, not lighter, coil main springs.

 

[Pisgah]

Go ahead and cut or change springs.


You will love your pretty new paperweight...

 

[Nightowl]

I improved my 63 by replacing the trigger with a smooth, wider one and replaced the stocks with the factory smooth combat stocks. These two changes made the gun much easier to shoot.

 

[BE Mike]

That is a bad habit making a habit of shooting Single Action a DA revolver because it will increase Negligent Discharges.

A Glock 44 (.22 LR) would have been a better choice plus that is a modern pistol design but for my grandchildren I got them .22 caliber rifles.

Based on my experience, I don't think that shooting a double-action revolver single-action is at all dangerous. Now letting a child shoot double-action when the trigger is so heavy that it is near impossible to actuate is much more likely to cause the child to lose muzzle control. The S&W model 63 size and small grips make it much more suitable for children and others with small hands. It is much more suitable than the semi-auto .22 pistols offered today, like the Sig P322, Taurus and Glock. Good hits bring smiles.

 

[max503]

Change out the rebound hammer spring. Will not affect the hammer spring action but will be easier to pull trigger in double action.

I wouldn't bother.

Go ahead and cut or change springs.


You will love your pretty new paperweight...

Agreed.

I bought a Model 34 in 1980 and went down this road. You're not going to lighten up that DA trigger pull.

Smooth, yes. But not lighten.

I have to change my hammer spring every couple years.

Sit at the shooting line with a brick of ammo and a chamber brush. Kill masses of cans and dirt clods with it.

Keep it clean.

 

[Mike SC Hunter]

Change out the rebound hammer spring. Will not affect the hammer spring action but will be easier to pull trigger in double action.

With that you get a slow as molasses TRIGGER RETURN....Not worth it

You don't get something for nothing or consequences.

 

[Mike SC Hunter]

That is a bad habit making a habit of shooting Single Action a DA revolver because it will increase Negligent Discharges.

A Glock 44 (.22 LR) would have been a better choice plus that is a modern pistol design but for my grandchildren I got them .22 caliber rifles.

Really???.........My DA Smiths get shot single action 99% of the time. Never had a booboo with one.