Model 28-2 Highway Patrolman .357 problem that I am too stupid to solve...

[GimmeBackMyBullets]

I have a model 28-2 Highway Patrolman revolver, which I am in love with. Someone who shall remain nameless, because he had good intentions, thought he was a gunsmith and tried to polish seers and screw around with my revolver. Now, the obvious problem, is that the hammer and trigger don't meet right at the seer. The real humdinger here, and the main question I have and can hardly explain properly, I'm hoping someone can give me a term for it at the very least...

When I do manage to get the hammer and trigger to meet, when the hammer drops, the trigger travels forward with the hammer. I have been trying to figure out if I'm missing a part, or what the hell he did, but I have absolutely no ideas. Please feel free to ask questions that might help solve the issue. Thanks to anyone who can help in advance. I'm new here and just getting into this now because I don't F around with my guns, as I'm aware that I'm not a gunsmith. On that note, I can't really afford to take it to someone else, so I might just be screwed here.

 

[S&W1006]

If you can take the side plate off and compare your internals to a schematic that might help. If you go on Numrich's website they have numbered schematics for S&W revolvers. That is where I would start.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I727 using Tapatalk

 

[GimmeBackMyBullets]

Thank you much. I'll take a look and see if I can figure it out.

 

[qballwill]

Im gonna take a guess here. he may have filed too much meat off of the bottom corner of the single action sear on the hammer. When the trigger breaks, the top part of the single action sear catches the trigger before it can clear and pushes it back down. If this is the case, it should work fine in single action.
Can you post pics of the inside of the revolver, particularly the area where the hammer and trigger mate?

 

[GimmeBackMyBullets]

I'm not really clear on what you're saying there. Did you mean, it should work fine in double action? Because it does work "okay" in double action. Not up to my standards, but it would fire a bullet from the hammer down position. Single action (my preference for shooting on the revolver league I was involved in) doesn't work at all. When I pull the trigger double action style, it pulls clean through and the trigger stays back, but in single action the trigger travels forward with the hammer. Sorry to put it oddly, but I want to make sure I understand what you're saying, and thank you both for your input, it's really much appreciated. Also on a side note, I did order a new hammer, which I'm waiting for, because I was assuming the same thing with less knowledge. I just assumed he beat the hell out of the hammer seer when he tried to polish it, and something went wrong. I don't actually know how that seer "functions". I suspect from the looks he also tried to polish the trigger, which I'm also aware is generally a big no no. In which case I'd be screwed, because I might need to find a new trigger and S&W doesn't carry them anymore.

 

[qballwill]

Sorry. I thought double action was the problem.

 

[GimmeBackMyBullets]

It's cool. I appreciate you trying to help either way.

 

[Neumann]

If the tension screw is extremely loose or too short, the mainspring takes an S-shape and makes it very difficult or impossible to cock the hammer in SA mode. The gun may work in DA, but the hammer strike is weak, and likely to misfire. Make sure the tension screw is bottomed out and tight. If you think it was shortened, cut off the bottom of a fired .22 LR case and put it over the end of the screw.

The root cause is nearly always the most expensive alternative, but it doesn't hurt to check anyway. I've had two revolvers in that state, out of the box or after a brief period of use. Some misguided soul though that was the way to lighten DA, or failed to torque it down properly in assembly.

A badly honed trigger may push off, but it should still be possible to cock the hammer. It is normal for the trigger to move forward unless held. The hammer block (or whatever) should keep the hammer from striking the firing pin.

There is a small spring in the end of the hammer block that helps press the trigger into the sear. It's easy to lose in disassembly and somewhat hard to keep in place when putting things together again. Revolver smithing is not for the duffer. I've spent my share of time looking for tiny bits on the floor. (Some people use a glove box to trap flying parts. The "exploded" view is sometimes more literal than figurative.)

 

[gm272gs]

Your friend is clearly an idiot.
What you OUGHT TO DO, is just take it to an actual, certified gunsmith, or send it to Smith & Wesson and wait.

Don't take the side plate off and take photos to show here. If I was confident that you knew what you were doing, I would say go ahead, but you are the same guy who gave it to your pal to "work on". Not trying to insult you here, just calling it like I see it. By your own admission, you know enough to not mess with your guns - which makes you a lot smarter than a lot of people.

Seriously, just get Smith & Wesson involved. If it's going to cost an arm and a leg to fix, you can opt to have them do no work and send it back to you.

 

[olskool]

it sounds like he took to much off the sear on the hammer. sometimes you can recut the notch on the sear with the edge of a small jewelers file to give it more contact, it don't take much. these days all i do to a smith if anything is cut a couple of coils off the rebound spring, if needed i will polish the contact points with 600 paper.

 

[gwpercle]

Take it to a "real" gunsmith, talk to him , show him the problem and ask for an estimate. It may not be as expensive as you imagine...besides you have a quality 357 N frame that now doesn't function....fitting the lockwork is not a do it your-self project for the non-gunsmith. You wouldn't believe how many revolvers I've brought into our local gunshop in brown paper bags because I took them apart and couldn't them back together. I can now reassemble them but still wouldn't try fitting and timing sears , hammers and trigger. That needs to be done right.
Gary

 

[qballwill]

Another theory is if he filed the trigger instead of the hammer, once it does break, part of the hammer could fall into the notch on the trigger and force it down (sorry, not up to date on all my nomenclature of the trigger or hammer). This would mean he filed way too much off of the trigger.

 

[rwsmith]

Changes may affect safety.....

I would pack that puppy up and send it to S&W. It's already been the victim of an indecipherable bubba job and for safety and reassurance and to rescue a fine gun, I'd let the experts handle it. It will cost some money, but will be worth it.

There's no telling just what he modified and I would be concerned that the pistol would not be safe without expert help.

 

[Buford57]

You may be ignorant of the internal workings of your Model 28 and your judgment in letting an unqualified person inside it is open to criticism, but you removed yourself from contention for the title "Stupid" by knowing what you don't know.

Consider telling us your general geographical area. Maybe one of the many knowledgeable folks on this site can refer you to a S&W armorer in your area who can evaluate the damage properly.

Your friend on the other hand is a prime example of the age old question "Why do bad people happen to good things?"

 

[k22fan]

Welcome to the forum.

I’m not sure of anything but if I understand you (the O.P.) correctly your 28 having “push off” explains everything. Even if you don’t want to remove its side plate you may as well read 500Magnum’s FAQ sticky thread in the S&W-Smithing forum: FAQ's How to correct “push off” is explained there. My guess is that after spending some time studying the FAQ you’ll have your side plate off comparing your 28’s innards to the pictures. At the least you’ll be able to knowledgably decide how to proceed.

Incidentally, posting repair questions in the S&W-Smithing forum gets answers from gunsmiths quicker.

 

[Nightowl]

Your "friend" may have cut too many coils off of the trigger rebound spring and backed out the mainspring to give a light pull. This would explain the trigger moving forward in single action. If you can cock the hammer as in single action and push the hammer forward, then he could have polished the single action contacts. Not a good idea. Sometimes, the trigger can be stoned to correct push off. I hope it can be fixed with spring replacements, as old style hammers and triggers are becoming harder to find. Send it back to the factory, or find a good revolver smith to fix it.

 

[Jaymo]

I looked at a 629 at the fun show this weekend.
It had a bad case of push off, and, when you pulled the trigger in SA mode, the trigger moved forward as the hammer fell.
The seller wanted $500+something for it, IIRC.
Too much money for me to spend, if I'm going to have to replace hammer and/or trigger.

 

[BigBill]

I'd replace both the trigger and hammer.

Then lube the sear with moly it will lessen the trigger pull by up to 50% right away and more as it works into the pores of the metal. It will smooth out the trigger too.

It worked on the rough trigger on my ak47 so it will work even better on a quality firearm.

 

[k22fan]

I looked at a 629 at the fun show this weekend.
It had a bad case of push off, and, when you pulled the trigger in SA mode, the trigger moved forward as the hammer fell.[...]

I do not understand how the trigger moving forward is a problem. Ordinarily your trigger finger holds it back without thinking about it. Unrestrained it is normal for the trigger to immediately move forward.

 

[qballwill]

I'm understanding him to mean the hammer is forcing the trigger forward. If so that will kill the momentum of the hammer. Once the sear and trigger break, there shouldn't be any contact between the 2 until the trigger rebounds.