340PD Trigger Work?

Mj1268

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Is there a kit or a replacement trigger available for a 340pd so I can do it myself or is it a job for a gunsmith?
 
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340 PD

I am a S & W certified revolver armorer and I would advise you to take it to a gun smith. You can get spring kits for them through Brownells or Midway USA but there is other things than just a spring kit that can be done to it. Also if you put too lite of springs in it you could get misfires from too lite of firing pin strikes or trigger not rebounding as it should.

The is a simple way to remove the side plate and most people taking off the side plate will pry it off possible scratching it and it doesn't need to be pried.

You can make sure it is unloaded with no ammo near you and dry fire it without doing any damage and that will smooth out the action with repeated dry firing.

My 340 PD has a nice smooth action with about a 7 lb trigger pull. I have never changed the springs in it or taken the side plate off. I may have run 500 rounds mostly 38 spcl through it but probably about 1000 dry firing with it in the 8 years I have had it.
 
I am a S & W certified revolver armorer . . .

My 340 PD has a nice smooth action with about a 7 lb trigger pull. I have never changed the springs in it or taken the side plate off. I may have run 500 rounds mostly 38 spcl through it but probably about 1000 dry firing with it in the 8 years I have had it.
That is astonishing. Did your 340PD start out with an especially light trigger?

My 642-1 is wonderfully smooth after a similar number of dry fires and close to the same number of rounds fired. Even so, it required spring changes and some careful polishing to get the trigger pull down to a measured 7.5 pounds.

Admittedly, I know some guys are very lucky and certainly I am not one of them. But, as "S & W certified revolver armorer" you must know how uncommon your experience is.
 
The last Brand new Centennial I bought was a 442. First thing I did was dry fire it one thousand times and install an Apex spring kit. Made a BIG difference!
 
The trigger pull on my 340PD is not that great. I suspect part of the problem is the rough texture of the titanium alloy cylinder that causes extra drag along the cylinder stop. Lightening the springs would not be a good idea. My other Centennials (940 and 43C) have excellent trigger pulls.

Dave Sinko
 
I have pulled the trigger at least 1,000 times. I would say I also easily have 300 rounds through it. But the trigger is still tight and gritty. Do you think keeping pressure on the trigger/spring will help to loosen it up a bit? And if so, for how long?

Like in the pic attached.

I am a S & W certified revolver armorer and I would advise you to take it to a gun smith. You can get spring kits for them through Brownells or Midway USA but there is other things than just a spring kit that can be done to it. Also if you put too lite of springs in it you could get misfires from too lite of firing pin strikes or trigger not rebounding as it should.

The is a simple way to remove the side plate and most people taking off the side plate will pry it off possible scratching it and it doesn't need to be pried.

You can make sure it is unloaded with no ammo near you and dry fire it without doing any damage and that will smooth out the action with repeated dry firing.

My 340 PD has a nice smooth action with about a 7 lb trigger pull. I have never changed the springs in it or taken the side plate off. I may have run 500 rounds mostly 38 spcl through it but probably about 1000 dry firing with it in the 8 years I have had it.
 

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I believer that a trigger job from an experienced smith would be more helpful.

Smith & Wesson uses good quality springs that are unlikely to sag under pressure in your lifetime. Polishing a couple of non-critical surfaces along with cleaning and a little lubrication would make you happier. That's why so many gun smiths are happy to offer this service.

Here's hoping you can find someone local who can provide this relatively inexpensive service and that you enjoy your revolver for many years to follow. :)
 
Wilson spring kit from Wilson combat, Brownells or midway. New mainspring, use the 14,lb trigger return spring and I did polish the return spring housing. The is a YouTube video on how to Chang the springs. Get a good screwdriver or 2 as well. 30 minute job if u take your time. Did 2 revolvers both had DA pulls of about 12 lbs and 4.5 SA. Now about 8.5 and 3. I would also recommend replacing the firing pin wih an extended one as well. Easy to do. That considered neither is w quite as good as my custom job I had on my 686. Mostly the timing is better in the 686.
 
... But the trigger is still tight and gritty. Do you think keeping pressure on the trigger/spring will help to loosen it up a bit? And if so, for how long?......

Why try to mess with the spring's set, when Wolff, Wilson, & Apex spring kits are all under $25 each? I've put a Wolff 13# rebound spring in each of my j-frames & polished the rebound slides, and they all have a nice DA trigger pull now.
 
The trigger pull on my 340PD is not that great. I suspect part of the problem is the rough texture of the titanium alloy cylinder that causes extra drag along the cylinder stop. Lightening the springs would not be a good idea. My other Centennials (940 and 43C) have excellent trigger pulls.

I wonder if you could smooth out and refinish the cylinder where it rubs along the stop, if you think that's part of the heavy triger problem. And why would lightening the springs "not be a good idea"?
 
I wonder if you could smooth out and refinish the cylinder where it rubs along the stop, if you think that's part of the heavy triger problem. And why would lightening the springs "not be a good idea"?
Or, you could polish the top of the cylinder stop. Following comments presented by Mr. Hondo44 in post number 31 in this thread: http://smith-wessonforum.com/s-w-hand-ejectors-1896-1961/342287-model-29-turn-line.html . . . I protected nearby frame parts and the cylinder with masking tape and polished to top of mine with a little rouge and the felt wheel in my Dremel tool.

After a few seconds of polishing the tiny bit of surface on the top that contacts my Titanium cylinder now looks like a mirror. I sincerely believe the trigger pull became a little lighter, but I did not measure the pull before polishing, so I can't prove it.

Oh, and that thread is about reducing the turn line, which is why I polished the top of my cylinder stop. The perceived reduction in trigger pull is just a side benefit, real or imagined. ;)
 
And why would lightening the springs "not be a good idea"?
Generally speaking, if the hammer spring is lightened without a goodly amount of reliability testing with the specific ammo that will be used, there's an increased risk of light strikes.

Specifically, if the trigger's heaviness is due to drag somewhere in the moving parts, lightened springs will only serve to make the drag more noticeable in trigger feel.
 
The reason I questioned your comment is that I have replaced the rebound spring in all of my j-frames with a Wolff 13-pounder. Along with stoning the rebound slide & adjacent frame surfaces, that resulted in a very nice DA trigger on all of them. I agree with you about the light primer strikes-- that why I prefer to leave the stock 8-1/2# main spring in place for reliablity's sake.
 
I appreciate all the advice. However I decided to just leave it alone and dry fire it often for a while.

Thanks
 
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