351c "1000 round trigger job" vs gunsmith trigger job

[divotmaker]

I have a 351 pd with a gunsmith trigger job that improved the DA pull and so far with approximately 500 rounds no bad primer strikes or issues. This post is not a discussion of the well known Smith advice not to change springs, etc.

I purchased a 351c hammerless because my experience with the 351pd convinced me this little 7 shot revolver would be a good summer and pocket around the house carry option, without the risk of the hammer. I have 100 rounds through it so far.

I knew the trigger pull would be strong, and I can handle it, but accuracy clearly suffers a bit. It seems that reading about the 351c, trigger jobs can be even more problematic than with the hammer version 351 pd. Thus before I take this to the gunsmith for a trigger job, I would love to hear from any of you that have actually put a good number of rounds through your hammerless model. Has your trigger pull really gotten any better with increasing round count like with many larger caliber revolvers, or are the heavy springs used in these revolvers relatively refractory to improvement with routine use?

 

[shawn mccarver]

There are only two components to a great "trigger job." The first is shooting thousands of rounds, and the second is increasing the strength of your trigger fingers (left and right hand) by either thousands of rounds of dry fire, or if a shooter believes that is bad for the revolver, then through the use of one of those V-shaped hand strength spring squeezer things. Turn it upside down, hold one leg of it with your thumb and three fingers, and use your trigger finger to "pull the trigger" by squeezing the other leg of the device.

The best trigger job is a strong trigger finger so that even a heavy trigger can be properly managed.

 

[inlandtaipan]

You could always have or perform a trigger job that does not involve changing or modifying any of the stock springs. Polishing the double action sear surfaces and the rebound spring housing and areas of the frame it rides on will yield a definite improvement in smoothness of your trigger pull and some degree of reduction in pull. I could be wrong but with these changes I believe there is no possibility of the impact force of the firing pin being lessened which is what could lead to light primer strikes and reliability issues.

 

[Lobster Picnic]

I have maybe 600 - 700 rounds through my 351c. I don't think the trigger has lightened up even a little. It's by far the stiffest trigger I've ever encountered.

I've gotten a lot better shooting it. If you can master the super heavy trigger in this ultralight revolver, any other gun will be easy.

I usually shoot the 351c at 7 yards and I'm putting 4/7 or 5/7 into a 2" shoot n see target. Good enough.

The trigger does make for extremely safe carry.

 

[wolverine]

Afternoon divotmaker;

When it comes to trigger improvement there is no substitute to a good QUALITY done trigger job by a competent gun smith.

Shooting it a lot of rounds will wear things in a little & possibly make the pull very slightly smoother but all the shooting in the world won't change the basic geometry of the internal parts or make the springs exert less force.

(IF) you can find a quality gun smith then you CAN have BOTH a lighter trigger pull & retain reliability. (that takes a person knowing what they are doing though)

If you dry fire it too much or shoot it too much trying to lighten the trigger pull that can actually make it more difficult in the future to get a lighter trigger pull as worn internal parts can reduce hammer travel slightly so it then takes more spring pressure than normally used in the trigger job to obtain reliable ignition.

I did (well started to do anyhow) a trigger job on a friends newish 442 a while back. He tried lots of dry firing as he heard that would lighten the trigger pull.

The trigger pull actually got worse so he brought it to me to do a basic trigger job. When I took it apart I couldn't do anything for him as all that trigger pulling had worn the trigger pivot pin almost all the way through.

He had to send the gun back to smith & they couldn't repair it so are (eventually) sending him a new gun.

 

[divotmaker]

Thanks for your feedback esp lobster picnic and wolverine...,that's the info I was searching for...I will discuss with my competent gunsmith

 

[RichCapeCod]

NYPD dept gunsmiths told me (many years ago...) that they wouldn't do an "action job" on a revolver unless 1,000 rounds were put through it first. Without that 1,000 round prelude they explained they wouldn't know where the wear patterns were. They'd wind up taking off metal with not a clue if it was in the right place, or if in fact they were actually screwing up the action.

Polishing, according to the gunsmiths, was the removal of metal, which was, effectively, wear.

Rich

 

[dwever]

n

There are only two components to a great "trigger job." The first is shooting thousands of rounds, and the second is increasing the strength of your trigger fingers (left and right hand) by either thousands of rounds of dry fire, or if a shooter believes that is bad for the revolver, then through the use of one of those V-shaped hand strength spring squeezer things. Turn it upside down, hold one leg of it with your thumb and three fingers, and use your trigger finger to "pull the trigger" by squeezing the other leg of the device.

The best trigger job is a strong trigger finger so that even a heavy trigger can be properly managed.

Not sure how serious this post was.

I see your point, but it's not the whole story. To imply finger strength regardless of trigger weight and practice is all you need to do is misleading at best and perhaps dangerous at worst.

For example, if your pistol weighs 2 lbs loaded and you have an 8 pound trigger pull, it will take 4 times the loaded weight of the the handgun to make it fire! Larry Vickers points out that this disparity means the difficulty to fire it accurately goes up dramatically particularly under stress; and I would add that no matter how strong you have made your index finger, the physics of Mr. Vicker's point still show up when you fire that weapon.

Trigger jobs also address the pull being consistent throughout the cycle (see Jerry Miculek's video for the importance of this) because it's not simply pull weight, it is also trigger characteristics that take mechanical management and sometimes enhancement.

A mechanical enhancement is a poor substitute for safe and accurate gun handling, but it can be a great supplement to safe habits, practice, and even a bulked up index finger. Nor do you want to ignore a mechanical device in need of work to best suit the weapon and the shooter because someone told you the big thing you need is a macho finger.

To paraphrase Vickers, proper trigger manipulation is key to accurate pistol shooting – in fact, it is the most important factor when learning to shoot a handgun. For this reason alone trigger characteristics and pull weight deserve careful consideration and sometimes after-market service by a gunsmith when selecting a weapon to bet your life on.

No matter how strong or how controlled my manipulation of the action is, my third PC 627 is still going in for enhancement in the form of detailing fitting and stoning all contact areas because it helps in ways that simply can't be overcome by finger strength and practice alone.