J-frame trigger reset issue.

Ok, so I picked up a little model 49 no dash yesterday as the gun show was shutting down. I'd rate the overall condition about 95% with nice bluing and no real evidence of much firing at all. Nice tight little revolver and I'd always sorta liked them, so of all the things in the show this one just called out to me. It was on a table with a lot of mixed old guns (mostly pawn shop looking stuff actually), no box, no papers, nothing but a seemingly nice little 49 in need of a good home.

So, I was stoked upon getting it home last night. Took the grips off and did a little wipe down cleaning with CLP, fondled it a good bit, started looking around online to decide what grips I wanted to put on it, etc. And then of course there's the inevitable dry firing. I was already planning to do a very "mild trigger job" on the gun after a bit and when I had time to devote to it. Done a few others, a la Jerry Miculek's video, with good results, so I just wanted to get used to the current trigger so I'd know what if any improvements I made once done.

All went quite well until later in the evening when upon dry firing and pulling the trigger all the way to the rear, it failed to reset. It works the same when fired single or double action. If I carefully control the trigger so that it is pulled just to the point of hammer release it behaves normally, but if I just pull it all the way it just sticks. If I wedge my thumb nail behind it and give it a little shove it'll pop back after the first small fraction of movement. So basically it's just hanging up in the last nth degree of trigger movement. The hammer still moves freely when this happens. In fact, if I retract and release the hammer so that it slams forward under it's own power, it will "jar" the trigger loose so that it resets.

I was planning to pull the side plate soon anyway, but since this issue cropped up last night I figured I'd post and ask some advice first. Anyone have any ideas about what would cause this? Is this something that the home tinkerer can fix, or is it beyond my ability? Since this gun was slated for occasional CCW duty I want it to be 100% reliable, so now I'm a little concerned...

Thanks to any anyone that can give me advice on this.

Someone beat you to doing a "trigger job" on the gun. Put a standard rebound spring in it and it should work just fine.

Thanks for the suggestion, and yeah, I actually considered that, but with my experience with other triggers I don't think it's the rebound spring. Before it started doing the hangin' thing it actually had a quite snappy return and reset. Plus the trigger effort feels normal and not near as light as my 640. Again, it's just that last tiny bit of rearward trigger movement that seems to be afoul. After it hangs up it takes a good bit of thumbnail pressure to get it to overcome whatever is hanging it up. But once you feel the distinct "click" it resets normally. I've experimented with light rebound springs, all the way down to 13lbs, in other J frames so I think that this feels quit different. It feels more like it's hanging up on something, rather than it just being a weak spring in this case. Of course I will investigate that and I do have 1 spare on laying around somewhere that I'll try once I do delve into it. Just trying to get some ideas of things to check before I open her up. Thanks again.

Sounds like the hand is sticking on one or more of the ratchets. If the ratchets are not fit properly, or if the hand is a bit too big (wide), the top of the hand will sometimes get trapped and hold the trigger back. When the trigger is stuck in its fully rearward position, try wiggling the cylinder a bit left to right. If the hand or ratchets are oversized, the tension on the hand should be released when you manipulate the cyl and the trigger should return. If you are familiar enough with the internal mechanics, you can check for burrs on the offending ratchet(s), or try a slightly narrower hand. Sometimes, particularly if the gun hasn't been shot much, adding some lubricant and then doing some very forceful dry firing will "marry" the two surfaces together and eliminate the problem. Always better to replace or modify the hand than to do anything to the ratchets.

Pull the sideplate, clean and oil it. I've had triggers hang uplike that from the cylinder lock reset. A couple of swipes with an extra fine oil stone took care of it. As far as rebound springs go, I've got an 11 pound spring in my daily carry snubby and it's never caused a problem.

Good idea!

Ok, so I did as you suggested and no dice. I had jiggled the cylinder and moved the hammer through it's arc quite a bit last night in my attempt to sort this out. In fact, after your suggestion and description, just now I went one further, opened the cylinder, held the release back and cycled the action. Same thing... With the trigger stuck in the rearmost position I even reached in and pushed the hand back through the breach face with no resistance.

And just to clarify, the action on this revolver seems fine adn quite unremarkable from the time I picked it up on the dealer's table, and for quite a while last night while doing some dry firing. It only began doing it's little hang-up thing after doing a good bit bit of dry firing.

Since I do plan to open her up eventually anyway, I think I'll try your other suggestion and introduce a liberal amount of lube into the action and do a bit more dry firing. Can't hurt!

I'm still eager to hear anyone's ideas before I tear into it.

If you remove the sideplate/mainspring/hammer, and cycle the action, you might have a better idea where it is hanging up. I wonder if the rebound spring is binding up somewhere.

Well, whatyaknow? armorer951 and CLP to the rescue! I hadn't tried that because I don't normally operate my revolvers real "wet", but in this case I thought it worth a shot. Sure enough, after flooding the innards with CLP through every available opening, and a handful of forceful dry firings and trigger resets, it just stopped hanging up!

Not really sure what caused it to start all of a sudden before but I suspect that this revolver has spent it's life in a nightstand drawer so it may just need a good internal cleaning.

snubbyfan.

I missed your post since I think I was in the process of posting my previous reply when you posted, but yeah, I think you'r probably right. I had also considered the cylinder stop as a possibility. Now that I know it's something relatively minor I'm happy again. When I have time to delve into it I'll open her up and detail strip, clean, and carefully inspect for burs or other problems as part of the "trigger job".

I now feel confident that once all the internal parts have been properly dressed everything will be just dandy. NOW I can go back to being happy with my new baby!

Carbofan,

I was just posting as you posted...

Yeah, I figured that once I had it opened up I could find the problem, but since I didn't have time to get to it right now and didn't want to leave it open for more than the one night that I worked on it, I just decided to ask for advice so I'd have some ideas before I did get to it. The rebound slide and spring is another area that will get attention when I do the "trigger job".

Thanks to all that took the time to read and offer suggestions.

You didn't mention in your first post that the problem developed while you had it. It sounded like you just bought it and found the problem. This little bit of information pretty well rules out any common mechanical issue and limits reasons to fouling, debris, etc. usually. A good cleaning will probably cure the problem.

Yeah, you're right. I realized earlier this evening that i wasn't clear enough on that part. I had said,

"And then of course there's the inevitable dry firing. <snip> so I just wanted to get used to the current trigger so I'd know what if any improvements I made once done.

All went quite well until later in the evening when upon dry firing and pulling the trigger all the way to the rear, it failed to reset."

In my mind when I wrote that last night I thought I was relating the events as they unfolded. I had checked it out as well as I could in the limited time I had at the show and it all felt good as new. Then, I had been dry firing and playing around with it off and on all evening, getting used to the original trigger, and all was well until late last night when it suddenly began to exhibit the problem. In fact that's what threw me off. It just surprised me that if it had just been dirty that it would go from good to not so good just from dry firing. I was hopeful that it was just something binding up, but just thought I would seek advice from people more knowledgeable than myself, just in case someone had seen it happen before.

But, as you said, I'm now confident that a good cleaning will take care of it.

Good thread. I learned something here.