Best Double Action Pull

[41special]

What's the best you've got?

Mine is easy it's an old S&W model 15-3 a 2" in 38 special. Was with my Dad at a gun show and he asked to look at it. The lady's husband was away from the table, and I remember she was kind of hesitant to sell it. Think she was stalling till he got back and started talking about it, said it had been a police officers personal gun.

Dad asked if he could try the trigger as he was about the pickiest guy ever on trigger quality, she said sure.

He checked it was clear, cocked it and tried single action, "oh nice" he muttered. Then stroked it thru a few double action pulls. All quiet, no reaction

Then he checked the timing making the cylinder slightly drag with his offhand fingers as he slowly cocked and uncocked the piece, watching the bolt drop into the slots one after the other, all right on time.

It was marked at $250, he said I won't quibble that's a fair price and pulled out his wallet.

As we walked away he said Son don't ever sell this one, a master gunsmith has tuned it to perfection.

That unassuming target stub nose still the cleanest pull I've ever stroked. Pythons & all the rest combined

41

 

[Divroch]

I once bought a Model 10-5 from an old bullseye shooter. He had no idea why it felt “different.” I pulled the sideplate, every internal part was mirror-polished, edges broken, rebound spring trimmed exactly 1.5 coils. No name, no gunsmith mark. Just a ghost who knew. That gun still lives in my safe. But your 15-3 sounds like the same story. Those guns don’t get made anymore, not because the skill is lost, but because S&W won’t spend the hand-fitting time, and nobody will pay for it.

 

[Breakaway500]

The "new" Colt/CZ Pythons. Out of the box their double action suits me the best. While pulling the trigger..the gun stays better on target than any handgun I own. And..with a little help on the sear shelf, the single action is improved dramatically over the factory "drop test" depth.

 

[hardluk1]

A couple years ago My wife came home with a bargin price on a new s&w EDC kit that a knife , tac light Zipper bag and a 357mag 360J frame with a non fluted cylinder in it Snubby weight is 14.8 ounce. The pistol has a nice over all look , tighter .005 cylinder to barrel gap with some purdy wood grips But the trigger pull was awful . The SA pull was 7lbs while the da was 13lb + . I ordered Apex Tacical J frame trigger kit and installed it . I also made the hilary lock non functional too . The change made this new s&w snubby trigger pull like what were use to with my old stock taurus 85ss or ether of our DW 15-2 revolvers . SA pull is 2lb 4 to 6oz while the DA pull is 7lb 7 to 9 oz . Grip was changed to a hogue mono grip for better control. Just hope we never need to carry a snubby .

 

[tlawler]

You didn’t specify factory or worked on, so mine is a Reeves Jungkind tuned Colt Python DAO conversion with an unbelievably smooth 5.5 Lb. trigger. It’s absolutely amazing.

 

[Mostly Good]

I had the opposite experience with a Model 15 I got at a gun show. It was zip tied and looked excellent. Bought it without checking the action. Got it home cut the tie and discovered that the cylinder was hard to turn and the trigger pull was ridiculous. It was just short of being locked up. Returning it was out of the question so I decided to try and fix what was wrong even though I knew nothing about revolver actions. This would be the first time I took a sideplate off. As it turned out nothing was broken or out of spec as far as I could tell. It did have lube, grease? that hardened almost into shellac. Gummed up doesn't begin to describe it. Cleaned, lubed, and eventually sucessfully got it back together. Knew enough not to do any bubba smithing . Worked out fine.
Was a learning experience in two ways, 1 always check the action before buying no matter how good the gun looks, and 2 how to open up a S&W and do basic clean and lube. 35? years down the road, still have the gun.

 

[Riposte1]

I suppose most think of the "best" pull as the lightest in weight, but I find I can use a decent DA pull if it is just consistent.

That said the one that stands out to me is a Jerry Moran Python, it was a "duty" job and retains the SA notch and was built for an LEO - it trips the digital gage at 5 lbs 2 ounces.

Next best is a Jerry Miculeck S&W .44 Mtn gun that goes right at 7 lbs but it super smooth, it is tied with an out of the box S&W 696 which is its equal in every way!

I have a couple of S&W Ks that were built by various PPC gunsmisths, including Bill Davis of CA, they are all smooth and run from 7-7..5 lbs.

For Autos, it is a tie between a Bren Ten, a S.A. P-9 (the later version with a short trigger) and a Kahr CW 45 - all run in the 7 - 8 lb range and do not stack up.

Riposte

 

[Truckman]

You didn’t specify factory or worked on, so mine is a Reeves Jungkind tuned Colt Python DAO conversion with an unbelievably smooth 5.5 Lb. trigger. It’s absolutely amazing.

My oldest friend still has the Model 586 he bought new when he first went into law enforcement...One of his first training classes after being hired locally was at the DPS facility in Austin...Reeves was one of the range instructors, and my friend was lucky enough to be in the front row on the range one morning for a lecture by Mr. Jungkind...He began by asking if anyone had a S&W he could borrow for demonstration...Bo's hand shot up and he handed over his 586 to Reeves who tried the action and asked if it was alright to open it up...

Getting an affirmative answer he proceeded with the lecture and barely glancing down at the suddenly disassembled gun, he tweaked here, took a few strokes with a stone there, reassembled and disassembled the 586 several times...He completed the lecture and announcing it was time for live fire, he handed the gun back to Bo...In all this time he barely looked at the gun while continually talking...My friend, who is still one of the finest handgun shooters I know, said it was like a completely different gun on the range, and he qualified with the highest score in the class...

He still has that 586 which I get to fondle when I visit him...The finish is mostly gone, but he refuses to send it anywhere to be refinished because he doesn't want anyone to take it apart and chance ruining the work Reeves Jungkind did 45 years ago...The screwheads and the sideplate seam are still flawless and unmarked from that day on the range...I only wish I had known the man......Ben

 

[Jerry M]

My experience is that when a trigger job is done right, nothing beats the feel of the double action pull on a S&W K frame. YMMV

 

[SGT ROCK 11B]

Back when PPC revolver shooting was popular. Those Master Revolversmiths would do your duty revolvers too.

 

[nksmfamjp]

My K frames are all similar. I prefer the smaller cylinder guns for trigger pull. J frames are good too, but harder to grip well making the pull experience worse.

 

[SGT ROCK 11B]

Most older S&W revolvers have not been cleaned or properly lubricated in years.

 

[BarryinIN]

My best is a 14-3 PPC gun. There is no gunsmith marking. I wish I knew who it was.

Next is a recently purchased 21-4 Thunder Ranch. There is no externally visible indicator that it’s been “breathed on” but I can’t believe it came that way. I haven’t had the side plate off for a look yet, but I’m gonna have to know.

My best certain-it’s-factory DA trigger is on my 15-3 (1967) snub. I haven’t measured it, but it’s on the heavy side, yet it is SO smooth.

Honorable mention goes to, somewhat surprisingly, a first-year Charter .44 Spl Bulldog. Again, a case of heavy but smooth. Definitely heavier than that 15 snub, though.

 

[91B40]

Model 15-3, supposedly issued by a small town PD in Oregon. Second place is a Model 18-4, just as it came from the factory. Best N Frame; Model 625-3, from 1992.

 

[Mike LaNier]

I have an early 586 that has an outstanding double-action (and single action, too). The gun went back to S&W for the recall, and they did a trigger job on it then as well, and whoever did the work understood! I've got two grandsons who are in law enforcement, and they both want that gun when I'm gone...they prefer shooting it to the Glocks they carry!

 

[41special]

You didn’t specify factory or worked on.

We didn't ask specifically, but always assumed as she said he was a LA cop that someone in his department had slicked it up. Or he had a local gunsmith tune it

 

[lppd4]

I have a 4” 586 that is unbelievably slick

 

[444 Magnum]

I have a Model 19-2 that my father acquired. Re-nickeled including the hammer and trigger but someone did a great action job on it. The double action pull is smoother than a custom shop Model 627-5 that also recently acquired.

Value is killed with the refinish, but it's a heck of a shooter.

 

[MRPMRP]

I probably should (and likely will) start a separate thread, but are there any 'smiths actively taking on work who can achieve a truly awesome DA pull on the Model 19-3 I inherited from dad?

In my collection, the (presumably stock) DA pull on my .22 Diamondback is the best in a revolver. As far as autos go, my Kahr K9 Elite and Cajun-built CZ 75 Compact both have really nice DA pulls. Those have spoiled me enough to want to find a way to slick up the actions on my S&W snubbies.

 

[Toyman]

Laugh all you want if you got a chance to shoot this gun you would fall in love with it.
When I asked for a ship date DR. Jinks advised date and added "WENT TO A LARGE EAST COAST POLICE DEPT." The gun is double action only, smooth as silk.
I have taken it to a range and shooters that know me don't laugh after they shoot it.

 

[Sevens]

I have no way to measure mine, but this one has the finest DA trigger stroke that I own, and that I’ve personally experienced:



S&W Model 64-1 from 1977, but built in to a custom PPC rig by the legendary Travis Strahan.

It requires the Federal 100 primer for reliable ignition. It is surely “cheating” compared to any stock factory revolver.

 

[JimW]

The smoothest double action revolver I own is my K22 Outdoorsman from 1935. There’s no telling how many times the trigger has been pulled over the decades to achieve the current silky smooth action.

 

[MRPMRP]

I have no way to measure mine, but this one has the finest DA trigger stroke that I own, and that I’ve personally experienced:

View attachment 868705

S&W Model 64-1 from 1977, but built in to a custom PPC rig by the legendary Travis Strahan.

It requires the Federal 100 primer for reliable ignition. It is surely “cheating” compared to any stock factory revolver.

That thing is so trick looking it needs an entire movie scripted around it. And yeah, just by looking at the pic one gets the sense it has an amazing trigger pull. I love it!!!

 

[hardluk1]

I suppose most think of the "best" pull as the lightest in weight, but I find I can use a decent DA pull if it is just consistent.

That said the one that stands out to me is a Jerry Moran Python, it was a "duty" job and retains the SA notch and was built for an LEO - it trips the digital gage at 5 lbs 2 ounces.

Next best is a Jerry Miculeck S&W .44 Mtn gun that goes right at 7 lbs but it super smooth, it is tied with an out of the box S&W 696 which is its equal in every way!

I have a couple of S&W Ks that were built by various PPC gunsmisths, including Bill Davis of CA, they are all smooth and run from 7-7..5 lbs.

For Autos, it is a tie between a Bren Ten, a S.A. P-9 (the later version with a short trigger) and a Kahr CW 45 - all run in the 7 - 8 lb range and do not stack up.

Riposte

Your kahr cw45 has a 7 to 8lb trigger pull !!?? My ct45 has 5lb 2oz pull when brand new . After some dry firing and 400 rounds fired on our range its dropped a bit to 4lb 12oz . Never heard of any kahr with a 7 to 8 lb trigger pull that would include a cm9 , cw9 tp40 in the family. None are over 5lb 6 to 8oz .

 

[BarryinIN]

For Autos, it is a tie between a Bren Ten, a S.A. P-9 (the later version with a short trigger) and a Kahr CW 45 - all run in the 7 - 8 lb range and do not stack up.

Riposte

I had a Bren Ten for a while, one of the .45 ACP Marksman Specials, and it had a great DA auto trigger. Smooth and no hitch or catch in the travel.
It was the only DA auto trigger I’ve seen that I could have worked with.

Yet I’ve heard others say how awful theirs was. I haven’t handled but a couple others and they had the triggers ziptied or the owners didn’t want them pulled. Did the Bren Ten triggers vary a lot?

 

[Riposte1]

I had a Bren Ten for a while, one of the .45 ACP Marksman Specials, and it had a great DA auto trigger. Smooth and no hitch or catch in the travel.
It was the only DA auto trigger I’ve seen that I could have worked with.

Yet I’ve heard others say how awful theirs was. I haven’t handled but a couple others and they had the triggers ziptied or the owners didn’t want them pulled. Did the Bren Ten triggers vary a lot?

The Bren Ten may have varied a lot - back when I shot mine a good bit it started getting better until then it started not moving the hammer - I checked it out and the screw that held the trigger bar up (it is located in the front of the mag-well) had come loose and was not holding the trigger bar high enough - tightened it (and loctited it) and that has not been a problem since.

My first one was a Marksman Special, in .45 - I wish I had kept it!

Riposte

 

[Fessor]

I have a Ron Powers built PPC revolver on a Smith M10-5 with bull barrel. It has an amazing trigger. It stages perfectly for the long line and unbelievably smooth and crisp.

 

[anticus]

My favs are the K-22 and K-38 and my newly acquired Model 27-2.

 

[Rust E. Badge]

Model 24 with an action job done by Ott Gunsmithing near Atlanta. In SA, it is almost scary. DA is light but smooth. A Model 21 done by the S&W Performance Center. It has one of the smoothest/clean DA triggers. And honorable mention to a WW2 Victory Model that always elicits a smile. But, light or heavy, smooth or not, I enjoy them all. Especially the historical & family guns. Even if they didn't work at all I would fondle them and enjoy what they represent.

 

[docwatson1958]

Hand ejector 4th model, in 32-20, hard to match the pull of the old time smith and Wesson k frames.