Heavy Trigger on 686

[Maaxmd]

My father’s S&W 686 .357 has an unusually heavy double-action trigger pull, where the first trigger pull is quite normally smooth, then the next pull is rough and next one even rougher, making it really hard to pull. (Note: this is all when dry fired with no rounds in the cylinder)

Can anyone give my any advice about this


Thank you

[Dave T]

Get thee to a smithy; preferably a gun smith well versed in the S&W revolver. What you are describing (progressively worsening DA trigger pull) is unusual enough to warrant professional attention.

My $.02 worth,
Dave

[Ashlander]

Could be the yoke is out of alignment.

[9mmsubgun-m11]

Might this one need the recall work done?

[jdlii]

Sounds like you need someone who knows what they are doing when it comes to changing out the springs to lighten the trigger pull and clean/polish the contact points under the side plate. Find a competent S&W gunsmith and let them work their "magic" on your revolver.

[allthumbs]

I would send it in if it were me. Not enough info to help you really, could be a lot of things. Call customer service and get a label, if it's minor you'll have it back in 4-5 weeks.

[hotshot357]

Call Dennis Reichard @ 574-223-3316( the Sand Burr Gun Ranch) and ask for the deluxe action job. He has done three of my revolvers and they are as smooth as glass and reduced the trigger pull around 25%.

[rwsmith]

...I'd send it back to the mother ship.

[FlyFish]

Originally Posted by 9mmsubgun-m11

Might this one need the recall work done?

Unlikely - the recall involved primer cup material flowing back into the gap between the bushing and firing pin with certain ammunition. The OP's problem occurs even when dry firing.

[9mmsubgun-m11]

Originally Posted by FlyFish

Unlikely - the recall involved primer cup material flowing back into the gap between the bushing and firing pin with certain ammunition. The OP's problem occurs even when dry firing.

Oops! I failed to read the dry fire line. My bad.

[Maaxmd]

Thanks everyone for the knowledgable replies. Unfortunately, my home country does not have a “certified” S&W Gunsmith, so I’ll probably not risk the integrity of this nice revolver with the untrained gunsmiths we have here, plus gun laws are strict here so I can’t ship it to S&W itself.
Thank you

[Maaxmd]

I want to ask, would the trigger function smoothly if the revolver is actually firing (and not dry fire)?

[Protocall_Design]

That is not likely to get any better with live ammo. If anything, it will be the same, or it adds more variables that could make it worse.

[H Richard]

Question; With the cylinder swung out, and holding the thumb release back does it function normally? (Trying process of elimination). Do you dry fire with empties in the chambers? Have you scrubbed behind the extractor star? Are there any scrape marks on the front of the cylinder?

[ABPOS]

First does it need a cleaning in the guts? How old is it and has anyone ever if it is old? Has it been fired a lot or little or what?

If you're stuck with trouble shooting it yourself the first thing I would do is learn how to take the plate off and give the insides a going cleaning. They can get kind of sticky sometimes. And maybe put a bit of oil in there when you are done cleaning. Like CLP.

[Maaxmd]

This sounds like a good idea, I will try dry firing with cyclinder out, but can you tell me what’s the significance of this.
I must mention this gun is from the 80’s and has never been cleaned and shot maybe only less than ten times, and has been stored in a bag since.

[ubronM]

If possible, could you give us your location? I know quite a few good 'smiths in Europe when it comes to S&W.

[Protocall_Design]

With the cylinder open, see if it turns freely. There may be carbon and dirt or dried oil on the yoke barrel. Anything that makes the cylinder turn hard, makes the trigger hard to pull. The cylinder should spin freely.

[Maaxmd]

Thank you everyone for the professional replies. This is my first time on the forum and I did not expect replies from actual experts.

Mohammad from Kuwait

[cmj8591]

Could be a bent ejector rod. Open the cylinder and rotate it while watching the ejector rod. If it wobbles while the cylinder is turning, it is bent.

[Tom_R]

Originally Posted by cmj8591

Could be a bent ejector rod. Open the cylinder and rotate it while watching the ejector rod. If it wobbles while the cylinder is turning, it is bent.

Yup, that is what I was going to say as well.

[Maaxmd]

Originally Posted by H Richard

Question; With the cylinder swung out, and holding the thumb release back does it function normally? (Trying process of elimination). Do you dry fire with empties in the chambers? Have you scrubbed behind the extractor star? Are there any scrape marks on the front of the cylinder?

Yes! I just tried dry firing with the cylinder swung out and the trigger runs just fine. So what do you think is the problem?

[armorer951]

The likely problems have already been mentioned in the previous posts.

Since you have narrowed the issue down to the cylinder assembly and it's associated parts, it's likely dirt, debris or old lubricant inside the cylinder assembly (soak or disassemble for cleaning), or dirt/shooting debris under the extractor (use an old toothbrush to clean under the extractor), loose or out of alignment extractor rod (tighten/realign the extractor rod), or the yoke is out of alignment (use a yoke alignment tool to check the yoke's alignment with the center pin cavity in the breechface).

These are the most common issues. It's really impossible to diagnose the actual issue, or issues, without being able to actually function check the gun.

[Maaxmd]

Originally Posted by armorer951

The likely problems have already been mentioned in the previous posts.

Since you have narrowed the issue down to the cylinder assembly and it's associated parts, it's likely dirt, debris or old lubricant inside the cylinder assembly (soak or disassemble for cleaning), or dirt/shooting debris under the extractor (use an old toothbrush to clean under the extractor), loose or out of alignment extractor rod (tighten the extractor rod), or the yoke is out of alignment (use a yoke alignment tool to check the yoke's alignment with the center pin cavity in the breechface).

These are the most common issues. It's really impossible to diagnose the actual issue, or issues, without being able to actually function check the gun.

That is really helpful and I appreciate it a lot!
Thank you for your contribution

[Protocall_Design]

Could also be excess endshake, allowing the cylinder to rub on the back of the barrel. Sometimes a combination of things.

[andyo5]

Take a look at the six ratchets on the rear of the cylinder. They should appear smoothly surfaced and uniform. Do they look rough, damaged, or non-uniform? If so, take a photo and post it for us to look at.

[Groo01]

Groo here
First CLEAN IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Remove grips ,open cylinder put in a can. bucket etc of Clear k-1 ,
clear No-1 diesel, or clear kerosene.
let soak for 3 days .
Drip dry or blow dry with compressed air.
Give a short squirt of lube ,maybe...
Then dry fire , [maybe empty cases]
If the cylinder hangs up then look at the ejector rod .
Is it loose , is it bent...
Does not take much, and you might bend it with your fingers...

[Mongo1958]

Originally Posted by Groo01

Groo here
First CLEAN IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Remove grips ,open cylinder put in a can. bucket etc of Clear k-1 ,
clear No-1 diesel, or clear kerosene.
let soak for 3 days .
Drip dry or blow dry with compressed air.
Give a short squirt of lube ,maybe...
Then dry fire , [maybe empty cases]
If the cylinder hangs up then look at the ejector rod .
Is it loose , is it bent...
Does not take much, and you might bend it with your fingers...

Best answer so far in my opinion.