638-3: Incredibly stiff springs

[FloridaFlier]

A female friend showed me her new (to her) 638-3, which she bought in a pawn shop. She is a non-shooter, and recoil averse. I know, poor choice for a home defense gun. Too late to fix that now. I just put some Pachmyer grips on for her, which will help a bit with recoil. I think the more serious problem is the springs. The hammer is so tough to move in the SA mode, that it takes me both hands to cock it. In DA mode, I would have to estimate over 15 pounds to operate. I have given the gun a thorough cleaning, and taken off the side plate (carefully) just to see if there was an obvious burr or other obstruction. Nothing noted.

BTW, I've now dry-fired at least 200 times, in a effort to loosen it up. Some improvement, but slight.

Should I buy a Wolff springs package and replace all the springs? Should I send it in to S&W for an evaluation? Perhaps a local smith? If I buy the Wolff package, what kind of a job am I signing up for? I an OK with tools, but do not call myself a gunsmith by any means.

I'm taking it to the range this weekend to see if it shoots. Really don't want to return her gun in a box full of parts, so I'd rather not start a job I can't finish. Opinions appreciated.

[Fastbolt]

Wouldn't hurt to have a smith examine it. People tinker and fool with revolvers all the time, and you never know what's been done to a used gun.

FWIW, I had a couple guys bring me a couple older J's asking if anything could be done about the heavy triggers. When I checked both of them I found the triggers were noticeably heavier than any others I'd ever handled. When I disassembled them I found that both of them had 17-coil rebound slide springs, instead of the 15-coil spring appropriate for J-frames. It made removal a bit stiffer than normal, that's for sure.

I asked some one I knew at the factory if there was ever a time when the J's used the longer rebound slide springs. He was surprised when I told him about finding the 17-coil springs, and told me he wasn't aware of the longer spring ever having been used. Might've happened during production if the assembler reached into the wrong box of springs, or, maybe more likely, a 17-coil spring had ended up in the box of 15-coil springs. Maybe that's why S&W started painting the 15-coil springs light blue at some point, and leaving the 17-coil springs unpainted? Dunno.

Anyway, he said it was lucky that the frame stud hadn't been bent or broken from the excessive tension. (That's not an inexpensive repair in the steel guns, and might require frame replacement in an Airweight if the alloy frame was damaged.)

I replaced the springs after checking the studs, and looking for any other issues, as well as doing a little deburring (older production with some rougher fitted parts). The owners of both guns were very pleased. The triggers were comparatively much lighter, and both guys thought I'd done a "trigger job".

Then again, I've seen some revolvers that were so gummed up it felt like glue had been used to lube them.

Unless you're really familiar with S&W revolvers, it might be a good idea for a smith to inspect the snub.

[jimmyj]

Hi:
I would order and install a new mainspring and trigger return spring.
Lub all contact points.
If this does not cure the problem. I would check the hand, extractor, and extractor rod.

[Hill_Country]

Apex Tactical makes a spring kit for J frames that I can highly recommend. Their description says:

The J-Frame Duty/Carry Kit is the next evolution of drop in parts from ATS, Inc. Installation of this kit reduces the trigger pull weight of your center fire J-Frame* Smith & Wesson Revolver from over 12 lbs to 9lbs. Remove the factory parts and install the J-Frame Duty/Carry Kit.

I can vouch for both the improvement in the DA trigger pull and the ease of installation. There are YouTube videos that show how to do it - the hardest part is getting the side plate off without boogering things up and you seem to have done that with no problem. The secret to installation is to buy the bent screwdriver like tool for installing the rebound spring.

[Mike McLellan]

Reduction of drag makes for smoother trigger pull. whatever needs to be done,….do.

On the other hand, if consistency matters, don't do anything, and trust the folks at the factory. They know what they're doing.

[FloridaFlier]

I appreciate the inputs. I especially liked the Apex Tactical website reference. Their videos are as good as it gets. I think that I could actually change out the springs and firing pin based on their videos.

I won't do any internal mods just yet. I need to get the gun to the range. If it doesn't fire, then I'm not going to touch the guts; it's time for a real gunsmith. The range will happen on Friday.

I also think that she has the wrong gun. If she is willing to spend a bit more, I'd like to see her trade up to a model 67 or possibly a 686 with about a 4" barrel. For home defense, why not get the extra rounds and improved sighting picture? At the very least, a steel revolver with some weight to manage recoil.

[FloridaFlier]

So, after about 100 rounds at the range, and at least 2,000 dry fires, the little Airweight shoots beautifully. The trigger pull is about average for a J-frame. the hammer pull (for SA shooting) is still a bit stiff. The gun went bang every time I wanted it to, and it is quite accurate, assuming I do my job. I let her keep the Pachmyer grips, and showed her laser grips, but she wasn't interested. She'll probably never fire it anyway.

Anyway, thanks to all for the advice. I think I could have made the gun even sweeter with a spring kit from Apex, but good enough was all she wanted. It takes all kinds.

And that, my friends, is why they make vanilla and chocolate.

[Double-O-Dave]

FloridaFlier:

You are to be commended for all of your work in trying to help your friend. While I agree that a larger and heavier revolver, such as a 4.0 inch barreled K-frame would be much easier and better for her to shoot, and would be an excellent bedside gun, the Model 638 also has distinct advantages over the larger and heavier K-frame.

First, being small and light, the M-638 is much easier to carry concealed. A gun that is "convenient" is more likely to be carried. I know when I was younger I used to wonder why all of the "old" guys carried little J-frames instead of a 1911, or a Model 65, etc. Now that I'm one of the "old" guys, I get it, and a J-frame in your pocket beats any gun at home in the safe. Secondly, because of the short barrel on the M-638, it's very difficult for someone to try and take it out of your hand(s) because there just isn't much to grab on to.

My wife never had much, if any, interest in firearms - until some nut job at her work became unhappy with my wife getting a promotion that the nut job thought she deserved instead. At that point, my wife would have lugged around a 155mm howitzer if one was available - that nut job really scared her!

If possible, perhaps encourage her to purchase a K-frame for practice, and keep the M-638 for SD. There is a flood of handguns that were Puerto Rico LEO trade-ins that have recently become available, and are very affordable. I purchased a 4.0 inch barreled Ruger Security Six revolver (stainless steel) for under $330.00 (+ tax) which I consider an excellent price. I know there are others, including S&W Model 10s, and 65s that are also available at good prices.

65-3 Police trade in from Puerto Rico


Best of luck,

Dave