686 hammer spring adjustment

[Telecaster]

Is there much play in the spring tension on these? It's a 686 Plus, with a very heavy trigger. I know my 66 can't be adjusted more than about a half turn before getting light strikes, but I have it light enough to be quite enjoyable. The 686's trigger, on the other hand, is a beast. I don't want to waste my time adjusting the screw if it's just going to hit too lightly.

 

[Lou_the_welder]

The strain screw should be tightened all the way. The mainspring cannot work well otherwise.
Replacing the rebound slide spring will lower the trigger tension enough to make the revolver more enjoyable.
If you dont feel comfortable removing those innards, you can buy a spring kit and have a competent gunsmith swap them out.
You can order a spring kit from Midway USA or Brownells. I like the Wilson Combat one's. Or Wolff.

 

[UncleEd]

I have a few 686 pluses and the triggers
are not beasts.

Heavy yes but smooth and I'm used to them,
I suppose. I haven't found the newer Smith
revolvers to have any appreciably heavier
springs than those from the "good old days."

Lou the Welder is correct about the trigger
return spring and its replacement if you wish.

I've found with the Wilson spring kits, the
14 pound spring is about as low as I care to
go.

Even then, the trigger doesn't have that
snap to it that almost ensures I won't
short stroke the trigger during double action
shooting.

So I leave the factory trigger spring in.

Also I like the "flatter" Smith hammer
spring better than the Wilson design.

Can't really speak about all the replacement
spring kits including Wilson. But I suspect,
and I have no proof to this, that Smith has
made enough subtle changes to the innards
of its newest guns to make the kits obsolete.

 

[series guy]

Spring kits are not obsolete but a spring kit is a poor substitute for a true "action job". My first range trip with my new Model 617 resulted in a trigger that would not return, and this was stock out of the box. If factory springs won't do the job then there's no chance lighter springs will work. Stoning the correct parts in the correct places is way more important than replacing springs. Also having a trigger pull scale is the only sure way to measure the results. With careful work and sometimes replacing some springs most all my range guns are set up with a 2lb. S/A and 8lb. D/A trigger pull. They all go bang every time with any brand of primers and are a joy to shoot.

 

[Hapworth]

Is there much play in the spring tension on these? It's a 686 Plus, with a very heavy trigger. I know my 66 can't be adjusted more than about a half turn before getting light strikes, but I have it light enough to be quite enjoyable. The 686's trigger, on the other hand, is a beast. I don't want to waste my time adjusting the screw if it's just going to hit too lightly.

They're called the mainspring and the strainscrew.

The strainscrew is not an adjustment device. Seat it fully and leave it.

Back when S&W took more time with its product before shipping, gunsmiths would seat the strainscrew and stack weights on the hammer. There are specs for the amount of weight the hammer should hold, and where it should fail to hold. The strainscrew was carefully filed to reduce the mainspring resistance, and retested with the weight -- one pass at a time, then test, another pass, test, and so on until in the proper spec established to both pop primers while not being ridiculously heavy.

I don't recommend this tuning technique be attempted by an amateur.

I have a handful of spare new S&W mainsprings. Compared to the older ones, they're slightly straighter and wider and produce a noticeably heavier pull in the same revolver.

Point being, between heavier mainspring and full length strainscrews apparently simply seated and shipped, modern S&W DA pulls are heavier.

Yes, lowering the poundage on the rebound slide spring can make limited difference, but only that -- limited. You can also throw in a Wolff mainspring or reduced power mainspring (that's what S&W calls a "Performance Center tune" ) and that can improve the pull, too.

Best option is to work with it as is and get used to it, or have the gun tuned by someone who knows what they're doing.

 

[Benchrest1]

One nice thing about spring kits is, if they don't work you just put the stock ones back in.

 

[Telecaster]

Or, just shoot it till it smooths out...

 

[H Richard]

I was always told don't try to adjust the trigger until you have fired at least 500-1000 rounds. At that point it is about as smooth as it will get without assistance.

 

[gnystrom]

I put a 14# rebound spring and a standard duty Wolff Ribbed mainspring and the results are a bit better than that in my Performance Center 586 L-comp.
It is a reliable ignitor of all brands of primers and a delight to shoot DA.

 

[flagman1776]

Back in the late 1970s when officers could access the factory service center in Springfield, a lot of my guns were gone through. Rebound springs were replaced (the originals were returned in sealed plastic bags), the rebound slides were lightly stoned. Their gunsmith described it as more of a deburing and said they didn't touch the recess. The theory is that if one surface is perfectly smooth that the opposite surface doesn't need to be. The smooth surface only rides on the top ridges anyway and any machine marks serve to hold oil. The mainsprings were never changed or touched.