Best smith for trigger job on DAO third-gen?

[OlongJohnson]

I have a 3953, non TSW, so it's the half-cock mechanism with the long slide. I like the form factor of the compact single stack, DAO hammer fired and a little bit of class to it, but the trigger pull is a very distant last place compared to an H&K LEM, and doesn't even come close to the DA on a DA/SA Sig.

I'd like to get it smoothed out. Looking for either DIY how-tos or recommendations/comparisons of who are the best smiths to do it.

I have contacted Novak, and they say they still do them. Anybody else? Anyone better? Any reviews of Novak's work? Compared to Sigs or H&K LEM?

Thanks!

 

[OlongJohnson]

Anybody? Bueller?

 

[TTSH]

Karl Sokol of Chestnut Mountain Sports in West Rutland, Vermont is often mentioned on the forum.

Karl Sokol Chestnut Mountian Sports Gunsmithing Services

I haven't had the need yet to contact him for any work... some of the locals around here are quite excellent... but given that he is within driving distance for me, he'd probably be the first one I'd turn to for work the locals wouldn't or couldn't handle.

 

[davek610]

Cylinder & Slide was weil known for their work.

Smith & Wesson Automatic

 

[Cruiser RN]

The Smith who did the DAO conversion and trigger job on my CS9 was a smith at the S+W Custom shop by the name of Carmine. It is so nice and smooth

 

[OlongJohnson]

Does Carmine have his own business now? Or did you have the work done at the SWCS?

 

[Forsmithers]

Plus one for Karl Sokol of Chestnut Mountain Sports. I've known him for years and he's always done superb work. He's also attended the armorer classes at S&W so is factory trained on Smith and a number of other manufacturers.

I consider Karl to be a Custom Pistol Smith but he works on pretty much everything! He is very talented and his prices are very good for the quality of his work.

The 3914 in my avitar picture was a custom gun Karl built for my wife. The pistol is an absolute beauty to look at but it has an amazingly smooth trigger and shoots like a dream!!!

And before someone corrects me, my wife's 3914 is hard chromed which is why it is silver instead of the original black. ��

 

[Jeffytune]

Hi there.

Before you do a trigger job, can I ask you what you plan to use this pistol for?
If it is just target/competition/fun then by all means have one done.
BUT, if you plan to use this as a defensive weapon, I would strongly advise you to just clean it, use the best lube you can find on it and Practice with it as is.
The reason for this is, if you have to use it in a self-defense shooting, a prosecutor, who maybe anit-gun, may charge you with reckless endangerment or involuntary manslaughter saying you made an unsafe weapon that may have gone off unintended because the trigger was so light or a hair trigger. And believe me, in the aftermath of a shooting, no matter how justified they will take your pistol and test it 90 ways from Sunday.
Even if you pass the legal phase, then will come the scumbag's lawyer to sue you for everything you own.
Even if you win, you still will have 100-150K in your own legal fee's to deal with, and castle laws won't help you if you use a modified pistol.

Clean it, lube it, get some snap caps and a 1000 round of ammo and train to use it as is, it will be far better for you in the long run.

 

[GHEN]

Hi there.

Before you do a trigger job, can I ask you what you plan to use this pistol for?
If it is just target/competition/fun then by all means have one done.
BUT, if you plan to use this as a defensive weapon, I would strongly advise you to just clean it, use the best lube you can find on it and Practice with it as is.
The reason for this is, if you have to use it in a self-defense shooting, a prosecutor, who maybe anit-gun, may charge you with reckless endangerment or involuntary manslaughter saying you made an unsafe weapon that may have gone off unintended because the trigger was so light or a hair trigger. And believe me, in the aftermath of a shooting, no matter how justified they will take your pistol and test it 90 ways from Sunday.
Even if you pass the legal phase, then will come the scumbag's lawyer to sue you for everything you own.
Even if you win, you still will have 100-150K in your own legal fee's to deal with, and castle laws won't help you if you use a modified pistol.

Clean it, lube it, get some snap caps and a 1000 round of ammo and train to use it as is, it will be far better for you in the long run.

Been reading Ayoob I see? This "problem" is, to say the least" overstated. There are a lot of assumptions here that won't necessarily surface. Also the " test it 90 ways from Sunday" statement is pretty much a fairy tale.

GHEN