Need Advice! Possibly Trading for 642

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X4692

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Hey I could really use some advice and this forum has been incredibly helpful in the past. I've got a Charles Daly 1911 that I really just have never cared much for. I found a guy who is willing to trade a Smith 642-1 for it. My big concern is he told me that he "smoothed up" the trigger himself. He said he didn't like the way the trigger felt so he took off some burrs with sandpaper. He assured me that it is not as hard as it sounds. I'm comfortable taking down all of my firearms for cleaning and maintenance but I've never tried anything like trigger work. My question is, does this sound legit? What could he have messed up in there? Anyone seeing a red flag? I really appreciate the advice!
P.S. Feel free to throw in thoughts about the 642-1 in general if you're so inclined.
 
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Trigger work on a 642?...I guess it could be done, but never heard of it before..
One reason is because S&W is known for their great triggers.
Another reason is because a DAO snub nose isn't a gun you would pick for target accuracy.(SO NO NEED FOR ACTION JOB)
What I would watch for any backyard gunsmithing is the lightening of the main spring to get a lighter trigger pull.
This could result in miss fires.
Shoot the gun with some wolf ammo or CCI ammo .
If you have no miss fires then you are good to go with any ammo.
The 642 is a great gun for what it was made for.
And the 642-1 doesn't have the idiot IL on it, which makes it all the better.
 
I've got a 642-1 Performance Center and it's the only wheel gun I carry (pocket carry in jeans). You can't beat it for light weight and function.

I'm assuming the PC "tuned" the action (or what do they charge extra for??), it couldn't be smoother and breaks at between 9 and 10 pounds on my cheap a** trigger scale. But it wasn't Bubba that did the work. .

Clearly a test fire would be in order (I've installed lighter mainsprings on semi autos...but always tested a lot to insure no light strikes.) And perhaps put a trigger scale on it. I wouldn't carry a revolver for self defense with less than 6 or 7 pounds. I'm more than comfortable with the 10ish on mine.

As an alternative, perhaps you could have your smith take a look. I have no idea what a Charles Daly .45 goes for...I traded for mine and the price tag was $469 at my LGS. I did better than that in trade value and no 10% tax.

If you are looking for a quality j-frame, I think the 642 would be hard to beat.
 
The trade sounds good. 642/442 are good guns. Since he was inside it I would have to put 100 rounds through it or if Posable have a Smith look at it.
 
Thanks everyone for the responses. I really appreciate them. I told him that his home gunsmithing made me a little nervous about the whole thing and he came back a couple hours later and told me that he took the side plate off and realized it was a different gun that he worked on as this one was untouched. He promised to send me a picture.
 
I paid 389.00 OTD for a new 642-1 last year...so do you think your .45 is worth that???? used 642 in my Area is 300.00 or less so trade may be 1 sided???. As to Smoothing up SW revolvers I avoid it like the plague.... MANY a good smith turned into junk, and warranty work may be a Issue if SW sees someone monkeyed with it.
 
Hard Stone YES - Sandpaper - RUN!

IF, and a very big IF, he NEEDED to smooth the action a HARD Stone would POLISH the part.

I see a big red flag at mention of sandpaper.
Sandpaper is very questionable material for POLISHING.

1) Depending on the Grit Number this could do more scratching than polishing.
There are Wet of Dry papers with Grit numbers ending in three zeroes that will POLISH. (best used wet)

2) Unless the sandpaper is properly backed up so as to be UNBENDING using it is likely to result in rounded corners/edges.

If I were offered such a Smoothed weapon at an attractive price.
I would ask the owner to disassemble it. (he has previously done this)
I would examine the smoothed part with HIGH MAGNIFICATION.
ANY visible scratching or rounding of surfaces would be a deal breaker.

I am not a gunsmith. I am a semi-skilled amateur.
I have polished a few, very few, trigger parts.
I do know the best advice for gunsmith.
IF IT AIN'T BROKE - DON'T FIX IT!

Bekeart

PS: I see that lkabug has posted the same idea for inspection of the part while I was writing.
 
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My HO: Do not trade for his gun. Stores are full of 642s if you need one. I've given up on private sales; never know what's been done inside or if the gun has been abused in some manner.

BTW, there is a sticky somewhere on examining used revolvers: a must-read. Good luck and good shooting.

Kaaskop49
Shield #5103

P.S. What was the retail price on your gun? Is he getting the best of the deal?
 
Thanks again to everyone, very helpful responses. I'm still waiting for the picture he was going to send. My gun is definitely worth more but I wasn't super worried about that. I tried to sell it a while back and that was an absolute nightmare of people giving me ridiculous low ball offers and telling me my asking price was ridiculous. Another thing that is weirding me out a little bit is just how enthusiastic he is about the trade. I know he is getting the better monetary value by a bit but he is really trying to sell it. Maybe I'm overly suspicious but between that and his story changing.......I don't know.
 
A 642 is very easy to find at a low price. Why not sell your 1911 on here to realize a fair value and buy a 642 on the cheap as they are everywhere for a low price. He probably messed up that gun. Why take a chance. It's like trying to find someone who would sell you a tire. Lots of choices.
 
I would try to find another one to trade for. Charles Daly's are not known for super great value, that I know of. I'm no expert though. And I guess it would depend on what model....

But I think they're known for more of a budget type single action pistol. They did sell HiPowers too under their name. I'm not sure who made them exactly.

Personally, I don't agree with the fact that a J frame trigger never needs any work. Most of the time it's the first thing people want to do to a J frame because IMHO they're known for being heavy. Mine sure is. But some dry firing and shooting and a bit of lube in there has smoothed it out and lightened it up some. It's still a heck of a lot heavier than my Model 19.

A lot of people throw in Apex trigger kits. And I thought there were places you can smooth out on a J frame to help out.

It's possible he did a fine job and it's all good. But I can see the skepticism in this case. If it were me, and you had a hard time selling the CD before, I'd see if you could trade for another J frame, if that's what you're after. But maybe one that has been untouched internally. I would think it would be a decent trade.
 
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