Would it be unusual for a 6946 disconnector to wear out after a round count of about 1000? I'm advised that it is substantially worn and may have resulted in doubling. It is being replaced, as a result. Just checking here to see if this is a known issue with the 6946, or what may have caused this to happen.
Thanks,
Deuce

Something is wrong for sure. Probably was not installed correctly to begin with and that created the failure.

I've never heard of a worn disconnector on a 3rd gen pistol...who told you that it is worn? Were you experiencing any problems?

Caboose,

Is it one of the PLASTIC disconnectors? S&W put those abominations in their guns. I ALWAYS change them for the old style STEEL with the pin through the middle. The other kind with the protrubences on the side are also good...Just so long as they are STEEL.

Easy part to change. I think I bought mine on Gun Parts for $12/ea. Well worth the cash outlay.

Might be a fluke that it failed. Not sure.

Gunsmith who was doing some trigger work for me told me. I didn't experience any malfunctions of any kind

Yes, the plastic disconnector is what he said it was. Abomination was his general view of it as well. He was informed by S&W that there were no steel ones available as an upgrade though. Good to know that Gun Parts has them and should the replacement fail, or should I say when it fails, I'll go for the steel one. Why on earth would they use plastic? C'mon, cost savings? Really.
Thanks guys for the quick replies.
Deuce

Well, since some owners/users were known to have screwed around with the steel disconnectors, it's not impossible to think that one of the plastic (nylon) parts might have been damaged by some well-intentioned person.

The disconnector isn't normally a part that wears out. I switched out the steel one in a couple of my issued pistols and ran them hard for a lot of rounds. Several thousand rounds in one gun and significantly more than that in another one. Never had one wear out or break.

After they were first developed we were told (in an armorer class) that the company had subjected them to endurance testing alongside guns with the steel disconnectors. The plastic parts withstood actual shooting stresses and wear as well as the steel parts, according to the factory.

Where the plastic part can come up short is when an inattentive (or inexperienced/untrained) person is trying to remove and install one. In the TDA guns the disconnector tail has to be manipulated around the disconnector tab in the drawbar tail (this involves the use of a pin punch). If the wrong pressure is applied at the wrong moment, the tail of the plastic part can be broken off. (In the DAO guns, the disconnector is installed before the drawbar.)

The plastic part benefits from reduced friction against the drawbar disconnector tab, and it's made to exacting tolerances. An occasional older steel disconnector might have a tail that was too long for a particular gun, resulting in a condition known as 'long tail disconnector", which could cause a Skips DA condition. Adjusting the tail's length had to be done carefully, though, or else another problem might result.

The plastic disconnectors have established reputations for solid reliability since they were introduced in the middle/late 90's, and all the current TSW's use them.

I still have a decent supply of the older steel disconnectors in my parts bin, but I run all plastic disconnectors in my well-used 3rd gen guns.

Interestingly enough, I've heard it mentioned now and again that there's still some discussion at the factory about whether they should return to using steel discnnectors ... but it's because of how the tails on the plastic ones might be potentially be damaged by an armorer who isn't experienced with removing and installing them. Not because they don't stand up under actual use.

Both work. Neither should be tampered with, or fooled with, by someone who doesn't know what they're doing.

__________________
Ret LE Firearms inst & armorer

Fastbolt,
The use of a quality gunsmith is certainly money well spent. This new to me firearm had sights that were out of alignment, and a previous owner had applied red locktite to the rear sight. I wanted this situation to be corrected, professionally. I appreciate your detailed knowledge about the disconnector and in particular, your confidence in the standard plastic factory ones installed in your third generation smiths.
In any event, this discovery certainly makes the case to have newly aquired firearms given the once over by a competent gunsmith.
Deuce

Yep, a good gunsmith familiar with S&W TDA & DAO guns is a handy and pretty valuable thing.

The serviceability of the plastic disconnectors is pretty good, even though plastic parts do still raise the hackles of some folks. Hey, the gun manufacturers were still working to improve aluminum alloy frames to give better service at the end of the 80's.

I've heard it said that the plastic disconnectors won't cause wear in the disconnector notch like the steel part may.

The "increased lubricity" of the plastic against the steel lets them run smoothly against the steel parts (under the slide and within the disconnector tab of the drawbar's tail). We used to be warned to check for unauthorized filing/stoning of the steel disconnector tails in duty guns (kitchen table tinkerers), since that could create unintended functioning problems. The plastic parts run smooth on their own.

After the plastic parts were first put in use, I used to inspect my own plastic disconnectors fairly often, looking for signs of excessive wear or damage (head, tail & "wings" that engaged the levers). I was pretty amazed at how well they withstood usage. Maybe those engineers at S&W had come up with a good idea, after all, huh?

The plastic mainspring plunger (think hammer spring cup) may get a bit more wear at the 'nub' which engages the grip pin, but it also seems to offer an advantage over the older metal part. Some smiths that tuned 3rd gen guns would look to soften the top edges of the cups, so they spring coils weren't hitting sharp edges as the springs compressed during a DA trigger stroke. The nature of the plastic part made that unnecessary. Comparing some older metal parts to the plastic ones, I was again impressed by the better uniformity of the plastic parts, too.

I guess if they can make pistol frames out of the stuff, they ought to be able to make certain operating parts out of it, too.

The older 3rd gen guns were pretty good bargains. Use sufficient lube to protect the frame rails and replace the recoil spring periodically (5 years or 5K rounds is the present recommendation).

There were some revisions made throughout the years (still going on with the TSW's, FWIW). Not uncommon for S&W.

The ejectors were revised to have a longer tip (faster ejection, especially with higher pressure duty loads), and to change a corner to a curve at an angle underneath the back of the tip (reduce potential for a stress riser and tip breakage). Drop in part (in either plain stainless or black finish, but the right part number of the caliber/model needs to be used).

The extractors can start to get worn over time, or become work hardened and start to chip. The extractor springs can get tired and weakened, too. Easy repair for a smith familiar with the guns, and who has the factory bar gauge and a force dial gauge tools (or an armorer, if you find one). They also used to give armorers a flag gauge, to check the dimension between the inside of the hook and the breech face, but they discovered over the years that only the bar gauge was needed (edge of hook to opposite breech face dimension), so they stopped selling the flag gauge to armorers. The company has a range of different extractor springs so an armorer, tech or smith can find one that will get any particular gun into the recommended tension range, which is handy when you're dealing with the older production guns.

Congrats on the new compact.

__________________
Ret LE Firearms inst & armorer

Fastbolt,
Again, your detailed response is greatly appreciated. This model smith was my duty weapon for a couple of decades and I wanted to have one as a reminder of days long past. Your explanation renews my confidence in the design and materials S&W used.
Thanks again,
Deuce

Great Info. I love this forum.

Update:
A subsequent call to S&W to replace this worn out disconnector, has resulted in the gunsmith being sent a steel version to replace this worn nylon part. Fastbolt's suggestion that the debate still goes on at S&W as to which disconnector should be used as a replacement part, is ongoing.
Again, thanks to all for the imput.
Deuce

Good for you.

Not surprising their repair & parts depts have kept some assorted obsolete parts tucked away. (Although it's unpredictable what those might be, at times. )

I'd heard the PC still has some discontinued/obsolete parts available for different guns, as well.

"Never say Never" is a good way to describe their actions in things like this upon occasion. Even as they were winding down the 3rd gen production to just LE orders for existing 3rd gen agency users, they were still making revisions and subtle improvements to the parts designs and the way the guns were produced.

Even though we've had great luck with the nylon disconnectors, and I started putting them in my own older 3rd gen guns, I still kept about a dozen of the steel ones tucked away in my own parts collection ... just because.

__________________
Ret LE Firearms inst & armorer