A little disappointed in PC triggers that don’t deliver.

[yober]

Don’t mean for this to be a whine, but I’m kinda disappointed in my two latest Performance Center purchases, specifically the “tuned” triggers they’re advertised to have. Got a 586 L-Comp which had a decent but not outstanding trigger, and just picked up a 327 TRR8 with a fairly rough trigger that I’ve been dry firing the **** out of since I got it last week. There’s some definite initial hitch and more “bumps” further through the travel. I thought PC triggers had at least some refinement in contact areas, and different weights in their springs. They certainly make that distinction in their ad descriptions.

I honestly wasn’t expecting a custom job but was expecting better than some of my non-PC purchases that I also own.

Love the other aspects of both revolvers and they’re keepers, but beginning to think they were perhaps not the best expenditures of money. They’re not bad guns, just not the excellent guns they were made out to be.

I’d hate to think I had to send it off to TK Custom just to get the “performance” I should’ve gotten when I laid out good money. Wonder how tough an action is to tune myself.

 

[bobsguns]

Lawyers design guns these days.

 

[colt_saa]

The L-Comp and TRR8 are two of my favorite Performance Center revolvers. Both of them are revolvers are in excess of 15 years old now and I've been very pleased with them this whole time

I'm very sorry to hear that you are disappointed in the firearms that you've recently purchased. For the most part the Performance Center offerings are quite superior to the production guns from Smith and Wesson.

Everything from the CNC mills that they use, to how often the tooling is replaced, to even the code that creates the various frames is all specific to the Performance Center and is all different from the production side of the Company

Performance Center revolvers do not have a trigger job. This is a very common misconception

The wording from the factory is that the revolver has a Tuned Action.

This is exactly like a car manufacturer who advertises that the performance automobile they are selling has a tuned exhaust system.

It does not mean that someone is tuning every revolver individually by hand, it means that the parts inside have all been specially selected to work harmoniously with each other. The most obvious differences are the springs used in Performance Center revolvers and the trigger stop that is installed on the back of the trigger. The trigger stop on my TRR8 is quite visible in the image above

The first thing that I do after purchasing any new revolver is to disassemble it and fully clean the action then relubricate it. After that I usually will dry fire the revolver every evening while watching the nightly news and I will keep that up for about three weeks or so. This allows all of the parts to properly wear into each other and usually takes care of any grittiness that is evident in many brand new triggers

 

[lppd4]

Call S&W they may take care of it for you

 

[yober]

Thanks, Lou, I’ve been following your posts since we have similar afflictions.

I knew they had different springing (supposedly) but had read somewhere contact surfaces were also worked. Guess I recollected wrong.

I guess the slight hitch in the beginning when the cylinder is released will work itself out. Went through my 586 and my other smiths and I might’ve been a little harsh on the 586 — it’s smoother than I remember. My 642PC is very smooth. The TRR8 still feels like dragging it over a speed bump in those two areas. Time, I guess. Probably should pull the plate just for grins.

Did you smooth over any surfaces on yours?

Thanks.

 

[yober]

Call S&W they may take care of it for you

For “trigger feel”?

 

[03hemi]

Try a new Python and you'll be amazed at what can be achieved right off the line with CNC machining when it's done right. There's nothing impressive with the new Smith wheel guns. The PC shop still does a great job on their autos though.

 

[Miami_JBT]

Meh, the Performance Center these days is just a product label for marketing.

 

[yober]

Try a new Python and you'll be amazed at what can be achieved right off the line with CNC machining when it's done right. There's nothing impressive with the new Smith wheel guns. The PC shop still does a great job on their autos though.

Been thinking about a snubbie along the NM Python lines.

 

[madmikeb]

I just picked up a new 327WR and I would say the gun did get a little extra attention from the factory. I do the same as colt_saa and strip clean and lubricate a gun when I buy it. This one actually had some lube in it, the first Smith I've bought in years that wasn't bone dry! The trigger is smooth but not light which is fine with me, for fast DA work I like a snappy return spring.

I have a few new Colt's, nice guns, very smooth right out of the box. To me though, the action seems kind of "mushy" and there is definitely some stacking. Maybe it's because I've shot Smiths since I was a teenager, but I'll take a Smith action over the Colt any day of the week.

 

[pantannojack]

Possibly S&W should offer a "kit" option. A complete box of parts to be assembled by the gunsmith of our choice.

 

[yober]

I just picked up a new 327WR and I would say the gun did get a little extra attention from the factory.

How’s it run?

 

[madmikeb]

How’s it run?

I haven't had it to the range yet but on disassembly and inspection it looks to be pretty much flawless, like all pc guns should be, but it was 3 bills too so it ought to be.

 

[yober]

I haven't had it to the range yet but on disassembly and inspection it looks to be pretty much flawless, like all pc guns should be, but it was 3 bills too so it ought to be.

Honestly, that was my expectation, too.

 

[Lou_the_welder]

To me, if the trigger has a hitch or a bump, I would think the action may have some clearance issues.

Sending it back to the factory to address those issues would be the best thing to do.

Performance center guns have the best triggers compared to the regular models.

 

[Autonomous]

Possibly S&W should offer a "kit" option. A complete box of parts to be assembled by the gunsmith of our choice.

Some sailboat manufacturers used to offer hull and deck kits back in the day and the results were all too often a black eye for the brand name.
Even worse is our out-of-control torte system. Someone Bubbas up a kit and S&W will be on the hook.
There are anti-gunners always on the look-out for firearms manufacturers to do something that can be twisted into making a case to shut them down. Your vote matters.

 

[chief38]

I want to say that the PC guns seem much more problematic than the regular line does. Could be that their Gunsmiths just don't know what they are doing. No other reason I can think of. Truly a shame!!

 

[richrd]

my 929 PC had the worst trigger I ever felt in a revolver!

I fixed it myself. After all the horror stories about customer service, there was no way I was going to let them work on it.

 

[colt_saa]

I just picked up a new 327WR and I would say the gun did get a little extra attention from the factory. I do the same as colt_saa and strip clean and lubricate a gun when I buy it. This one actually had some lube in it, the first Smith I've bought in years that wasn't bone dry! The trigger is smooth but not light which is fine with me, for fast DA work I like a snappy return spring.

I only have the original 327JM.

But I do like the look of the 327WR it is very similar to the small run of two-tone Model 327 TRR8s that was produced back in 2007. Obviously the bobbed hammer on your revolver is one visual difference, not to mention the holographic sight.

Out of curiosity did the 327WR come with a traditional rear sight for those folks who would like to shoot it without the optic?

I think that the polished sides on the barrel shroud look really sharp on this revolver

I have found that the tensioned barrels on the model 327 revolvers provide outstanding accuracy, at least with the several that I currently own. My TRR8 is probably the most accurate Factory original Smith and Wesson revolver that I have ever fired

I hope that yours turns out to be just as exceptional

 

[madmikeb]

Yes it did come with a conventional rear sight, I made sure of that before I bought it. I'll shoot it with the holo sight but it may not stay on. I prefer iron sights as I tend to be a little faster with them. In matches sometimes I have trouble finding the dot on holo sights and I think my shooting is a little sloppier with them.
That being said I do have some with optics, scopes and dots both, maybe if I worked with them more I'd get used to them and iron out my difficulties.