My first Cabela's purchase and my first issue with a used Smith and Wesson, out many happy purchases. I'm not upset, I will view this as a project. The Forum had prepared me for the Cabela's trigger lock policy, which definitely impacted my pre-purchase inspection. The issue: when the hammer is pulled back there is a stall, hesitation or even a dip felt right before the hammer locks or drops. I've had the side plate off, cleaned the ancient grease and powder residue out of the action. Timing and lockup are good, the first two clicks of the trigger pull are good, its just a small hesitation before hammer lock or drop.

Should I shoot it and hope it smooths out ? Or, hand it over to a local gun smith? Or anything else?

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Nice revolver, it looks like it hasn’t been shot much. I’d take it to the Range and see how it shoots (if it was mine).

It may be that the mainspring is contacting the hammer when the hammer is cocked. This can happen if the strain screw backs out.

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protocalldesign.com

Back from a snowy dog hike. Will check soon. Thanks!

I agree with hammer spring contact. That gun clearly has not been shot much. I don’t there’s a mechanical failure

My Cabelas will take off the lock and let you check the action with the barrel in a bullet trap, usually in an office in the Gun Library.

In the OP’s case I’d shoot it and see.

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Rule of law, not a man.

Another vote for hammer spring contact. Simple fix with new mainspring.

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213th FBINA

At the Cabela's near me, some employees will do that for you and others won't. It helps if you say you'll buy it if it works.

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The best I can with what I got

Okay, great advice so far. The strain screw was tight, hmmm.

Took the side plate off, backed the strain screw out, unhooked the mainspring from the hammer. Sprayed (!) G96 on the mainspring, let it soak, cleaned (dry patch) some more around the hammer stud area. Wiped all the G96 off the mainspring, hooked it to the hammer studs, put a touch of grease on the strain screw threads and put it back together. Noticeable improvement!

I will take it to the range tomorrow, thinking positive thoughts, it may not have been shot for 50+ years.

My first Cabela's purchase experience. They did remove the lock and let me dry fire into the tube. I had my eldest dog (Eddy) with me and was bent down mainly listening for my three distinct clicks. I heard all three and now remember that the final click was very positive, maybe a little too positive. Cabela's Buda gave a 5% discount because I asked and transferred the piece to Thorton. Puppy Buzz picked it up after his three day waiting period yesterday. Great to pick up a firearm on election day, staff and customers at the gun counter were in a nervous/optimistic mood. If the Model 10 shoots well tomorrow it will be Buzz's first work piece.

They’ve done both for me at the Reno Cabelas and Vegas Bass Pro.

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213th FBINA

OP:

Is there a trigger stop?

Nope, not that I am aware of. Snap caps and dry firing appears to be beneficial. Still on course to bring it and it's snubby brothers to the range tomorrow.

Two hundred plus rounds at the range yesterday. Great shooting snubby. The "hammer lock" issue is still there, but it has definitely improved. Maybe I'm a bit of a trigger action princess after all.

It is a keeper.

Did you look to see if the mainspring was in fact contacting the hammer?
Easy to see with the grips off.

Even with the strain screw in tight,,a prior owner may have shortened the screw just a bit trying to get a better DA pull and at the same time have the strain screw be tight when in place.

You could back the strain screw away from the mainspring and insert a thin piece of shim material betw the two surfaces and tighten the screw back down.
That will bow the mainspring a bit more and keep it away from the hammer when it is at full cock.
No need to put the grips back on to try it out,,it either fixes the issue or it doesn't!
The old fix for a strain screw that was too-short was to place a Fired-Primer over the tip of the screw and turn it back into position. That slight thickness of material is usually enought to do the job of fixing hammer interference.

Just a thought,,maybe you already checked for this.

If this is occurring when cocking for single action it may be because the cylinder ratchet needs minor fitting. If you feel it after the cylinder has indexed and locked it may be there is too much pressure of one or more of the ratchet teeth against the side of the hand causing this feeling. This would take care of itself after awhile through normal wear.

No one has mentioned that the trigger may be perfectly normal! On S&W revolvers there is a point in the double-action trigger pull when the cylinder has indexed and the hammer is in the fully cocked position where there is a distinct "hesitation" This is useful to target shooters as this hesitation point is used to "stage" the trigger, so the final portion of the pull is more like shooting single action. Again, this is normal and a generally desirable trait that can aid in double action accuracy. All S&W double action revolvers have this "stage point" in their trigger pull. If this is your first S&W you may perceive this as a problem! This would not occur in cocking for single action. Is this possibly what you are feeling?

The issue others refer to is the bow or arch of the mainspring being too flat as a result of the strain screw being very loose. This effectively makes the spring longer and it can "stub" into the hammer during cocking, making it very difficult to finish the cocking action, either single or double action. This is not just a little "hitch" as you called it!

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Gunsmithing since 1961

The only issue I've ever had with a Cabelas firearm was a 32 HE Target, I took it back and they said they would send it to their Gun Smith. 2nd issue was they used the assembly number for the serial number. They returned the revolver and thanked me for bringing up the serial number issue and gave me a $50 gift card.
SWCA 892

5 years ago I bought a Mdl 36 on impulse at Cabelas Library in my local store. They wouldn't take the trigger lock off, and when I got home, the action was very sluggish. Opened it up, and it was clogged with lube on the left side, only. Obviously it had lived in a drawer. Cleaned it thoroughly, and now my best shooting J-frame.

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Heavily armed old man.

I don't trust the C store. I once witnessed a new rifle purchase being walked to the door because clerks are smarter than any average bear. The idiot clerk tipped the box and the rifle fell out striking the tile floor on the muzzle. Could have easily bent the bbl enough to be trouble down range. But, the know it all clerk took a close look and said: "It's OK." That is not OK. Even if the buyer had demanded a replacement, the store would just sell it to the next gullible dreamer.

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"Don't Give Up the Ship"

The Cabelas' (and anyone else who does it) policy of walking you out the store with your purchase is stupid on every level. If you were going to cause trouble, what would keep you from walking right back in? And, as is true for me and many others, we are already armed at the time of purchase.

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Only a cold warrior

My only Cabelas firearms purchase was very annoying as they had tree different people review the paperwork, taking 5-10 minutes to find each person to “come check.” Finally handing it all back to person 1, who went through every line on the form yet a fourth time. This entire transaction, which was a transfer, I had already paid for the gun at another Cabelas, took over an hour. Suffice to say, I look elsewhere now - or consider paying a tad more to use my normal FFL.

Ordered a Wilson spring kit. Took stocks and side plate off, removed the old mainspring and ??!!?? did Wilson send the right spring? Yes they did, the old one was practically straight in profile compared to the Wilson. In fact the Wilson looked short at first glance. It fit perfectly and the Snubby is smooth as glass, no hitch before the trigger breaks!

Sorry, no picture comparing the two mainsprings.

No lock removal here in CT. Pretty much trusting employees function assessment. I don’t understand how they can offer one of there RM’s for 8-12 grand with this policy. Besides that, what’s with all the Rm’s on cabelas site?

Straight spring acts the same as a turned out strain screw. It likely was hitting the hammer like suggested. I think you could bend the original or get a factory replacement and it would be fine as well.

It is a beauty in function now as well as appearance.