S&W 686 Plus Trigger pull

[rtbaron]

Since I am new to the forum community I could use some advise.

I purchased a S&W 686 Plus, 3 inch barrel Talo. It was NIB and not fired. I haven't taken it to the range as of yet but it seems to me the trigger has a hard rough pull.

Would it be advisable to sent it back to S&W performance division to have a fine tuning done with replacement of the mainspring and trigger job, or is this something that will need a break in period and soften up with use.

 

[geddylee10002000]

I would dry fire it a bit. It will smooth up. BTW I have the same revolver although not a Talo edition. I am jealous.

 

[PeterK]

I agree, dry firing will help smooth out the trigger.

Peter

 

[rtbaron]

Thanks, maybe I'm getting ahead of myself. I think a break in period at the range might do the trick. BTW, there have been some really nice 686's with altamont grips on the forum that looks fantastic. That would have been my second choice.

 

[rwsmith]

Hope you get that ironed out

686s have great triggers.

 

[snubbyfan]

Dry fire and live fire practice. Both you and your 686 will adjust to each other.

 

[Riverbear]

I have a 686 - 6" barrel that has a great trigger and I love shooting it.

I agree with the others. Give your revolver some range time plus do some dry firing. The gun will get used to you and you to it.

Good luck

 

[RV4driver]

It's not hard to improve the trigger on the 686. BUT, don't take it apart yourself if you don't know how to do it properly. There are some parts from the factory that are a bit rough, and can easily be buffed up to smooth the pull. Unfortunately, it's really easy to damage the side plate and frame if you don't know the secret to taking it apart. That will instantly trash the value of the gun. It's not difficult, just there's some secrets to it that are better shown you as opposed to telling you. You can see on the interior parts where they are rubbing against each other, buffing those will take the grittiness out of the pull, and lighten it just a bit too. DON'T touch the sear, that's another story altogether. Any decent gunsmith can do the job inexpensively and you'll instantly notice the difference.
And yes, dry firing and shooting the heck out of it will do it too. It just takes longer, and then you've got the gunk in the action from where it buffed itself over time.

 

[DZH]

I just bought the same gun. 686+ talo. I had the lgs do a trigger job on the gun before I picked it up. This is my 1st revolver. It is a very nice gun.

What ever you do don't look up Gemini Customs.


Zack
Using Tapping To Talk

 

[S&W45Colt]

If you are mechanically inclined, try the following:

You can find internal schematics and parts labels at the Brownells site.

1. Buy the spring tool from Brownells, it's worth 10 times the price.
2. Buy a 13 pound rebound spring from Wolff Springs.
3. Take the trigger assembly internals apart.
4. With a 600 grain piece of sand paper and a pencil eraser for a block, lightly sand the rough spots on the inside of the frame.
5. With CLP and a cloth, wipe all of the trash/sanded material out.
6. Lightly sand the side of the hammer apparatus on the side that contacts the frame, but not enough to remove the finish.
7. Do the same with the piece that holds the rebound spring.
8. CLP and wipe down these pieces.
9. Put it all back together and lightly lubricate the internal parts.
10. While it's is apart, lubricate the cylinder and the arm it sits on and reinstall.

Done correctly you will have a reliable self defense gun and a 30-40% better trigger. This is what I do. Just remember do NOT oversand, go slow.

This is solely my opinion, I make no guarantees, but it's worked for years and multiple guns for me. YMMV.

 

[papajohn428]

The above advice is exactly what I do to ALL my Smiths, and the difference is like night and day, especially with a new gun. I've pulled a lot of S&W triggers in my time, but the action job I did on my 686 is just amazing. If I could only have one revolver to cover all the bases, the 686+ would be IT.

 

[cwmoss]

Last week I bought a slightly used 686SSR. Went to the range yesterday and had a great time. The trigger was silky smooth but a little on the heavy side. I am going to replace the main spring, but until I get it, I just turned out the mainspring screw one turn. That lightened it up a bunch. Is there a disadvantage of someone just doing this?

 

[S&W45Colt]

Last week I bought a slightly used 686SSR. Went to the range yesterday and had a great time. The trigger was silky smooth but a little on the heavy side. I am going to replace the main spring, but until I get it, I just turned out the mainspring screw one turn. That lightened it up a bunch. Is there a disadvantage of someone just doing this?

One turn, maybe not. I will say this though, 90% of the time if I buy a used revolver and it light strikes rounds/does not ignite them 100% of the time, it's because someone has loosened the strain screw too much. Typically I simply tightened it down and everything is fine. The strain screw is not a good way to adjust trigger pull, left loose, it can continue to work it's way looser to the point it's too loose for the gun to be reliable. JMO.

But, for punching paper, instead of self defense; until you can get a spring, it's no big deal, just keep an eye on it.

 

[qrachel]

My 686+ had a great action and trigger but was a little stiff when new. After maybe 200-300 dry fires with snap caps it is now buttery smooth and breaks like fine crystal. Get yourself some snap caps and dry fire; it'll help the gun smooth out and improve your form if you practice it. Ditto my 629 Classic.

Anyway, I'd shoot a few hundred rounds and dry fire another 2-500 times before considering sending it back to S&W. 686s are known for their great triggers and action; give it a little break-in time and you'll be in love.

Take care,

Rachel

 

[gwalchmai]

I thought Talo guns had good triggers. I'd be real disappointed if I spent what they cost on one and had to have a trigger job done.

 

[shawn mccarver]

Last week I bought a slightly used 686SSR. Went to the range yesterday and had a great time. The trigger was silky smooth but a little on the heavy side. I am going to replace the main spring, but until I get it, I just turned out the mainspring screw one turn. That lightened it up a bunch. Is there a disadvantage of someone just doing this?

The mainspring strain screw is designed to be turned right in; that is, all the way down. It has a shoulder making backing out under recoil unlikely. Loosen it at all and it will eventually back out to the point of unreliability.

 

[buck460XVR]

I thought Talo guns had good triggers. I'd be real disappointed if I spent what they cost on one and had to have a trigger job done.

Most Talo S&Ws are not Performance Center guns....they are standard factory guns with cosmetic differences. The Talo 686+ 3-5-7 shown has an unfluted cylinder and special wood grips. Only difference between it and a standard 686+. They run about $20 more than a standard 686+.

 

[gwalchmai]

Most Talo S&Ws are not Performance Center guns....they are standard factory guns with cosmetic differences. The Talo 686+ 3-5-7 shown has an unfluted cylinder and special wood grips. Only difference between it and a standard 686+. They run about $20 more than a standard 686+.

I guess I don't see the point, then.

 

[S&W45Colt]

I guess I don't see the point, then.

It's like buying a special edition paint job on a sports car, it's rarer and more unique, but it's still the same car.

 

[57jeeper]

It's not hard to improve the trigger on the 686. BUT, don't take it apart yourself if you don't know how to do it properly. There are some parts from the factory that are a bit rough, and can easily be buffed up to smooth the pull. Unfortunately, it's really easy to damage the side plate and frame if you don't know the secret to taking it apart. That will instantly trash the value of the gun. It's not difficult, just there's some secrets to it that are better shown you as opposed to telling you. You can see on the interior parts where they are rubbing against each other, buffing those will take the grittiness out of the pull, and lighten it just a bit too. DON'T touch the sear, that's another story altogether. Any decent gunsmith can do the job inexpensively and you'll instantly notice the difference.
And yes, dry firing and shooting the heck out of it will do it too. It just takes longer, and then you've got the gunk in the action from where it buffed itself over time.

Jerry Miculek has a very good instructional video on trigger jobs for S&W revolvers. He shows what to polish and what to stay away from.

If you're at all handy with tools pick up the video. At the least it will show you how to disassemble the revolver and how all the internal parts act on each other.

Jerry Miculek's S&W Action Job - DVD [MIC-X0201D] - $19.95 : Bang, Inc., If it goes BANG, we shoot it!