S&W trigger tuning

[PhysicsGuy]

I decided to finally get around to doing trigger work on a few of my S&W revolvers. I have been considering sending the ones I use the most off to the performance center, but figured I'd save some money work by doing some spring replacement, cleaning, and lubing. Although S&W does do other things along with their trigger work, I couldn't justify the price for a bunch of guns.

So I went with Wolff mainsprings and trigger return springs. I disassembled each gun and gave a thorough cleaning with simple green and nylon brush, then coated with CLP and lubed the action parts with a moly grease.

The guns I decided to tune were; 686-3 4", 686 2.5", 625-3 4”, 67-1 4”, and a 642-1. As far as which springs I decided to go with reduced power mainsprings for the 686-3, the 626-3, and the 67-1, and replaced the 686 (2.5") mainspring with the standard power wolf, and kept the factory spring (coilspring) in the 642. As far as return springs I went with a 13lb in the 686 (4"), 625, and 67, a 15lb in the 642, and 14lb in the other 686.


Here are some quick pics of the process;

Some guts before cleaning;

Soaping and scrubbing;

Rinsing;

Drying

For measuring the pulls I used a lyman digital gauge. (thanks GeneT!)

Anyways here are the results that you are all looking for;


686-3 4”
Before;
SA 3.34 lb
DA 10.38 lb

After;
SA 2.93 lb
DA 7.31 lb



686 2.5”
Before;
SA 4.14 lb
DA 11.5 lb

After;
SA 2.91 lb
DA 10.16 lb



625-3 4”
Before;
SA 3.79 lb
DA Over 12lbs

After;
SA 2.81 lb
DA 10.16 lb



67-1 4”
Before;
SA 4.57 lb
DA 11.63 lb

After;
SA 3.5 lb
DA 9.63 lb



642-1
Before;
SA NA
DA 11.88 lb

After;
SA NA
DA 11.59 lb


So I ended up with some great improvements on some guns, my main goal was to improve DA pulls, since S&Ws already have a great SA pull. The only gun that concerns be about functioning properly is the 4" 686, the DA pull lightened up quite a bit, so I need to get out and range test all of them to make sure there is no affect on performance. If the 4" 686 doesn't have any light strikes, it will be a very good competition/range gun!

I will post once I get out and test all of them out and see what results I get.

If you are interested in any tips as far as how to do this yourself, don't be afraid to ask!

 

[Aussie44]

Good stuff Mate , But may I suggest you take out the Rear sight, Cylinder stop, Thumb latch and all it's components and dry them out also.


Ken

 

[ect1222t]

Please be aware that stainless steel is not rust proof, only rust resistant. any non-stainless parts are still subject to rust unless dried thoroughly.

 

[PhysicsGuy]

Please be aware that stainless steel is not rust proof, only rust resistant. any non-stainless parts are still subject to rust unless dried thoroughly.

Yes I know that stainless can corrode, and some of the parts on these aren't stainless. I was just didn't feel like stripping off the small parts, as they were dried with a hair dryer

 

[tomcatt51]

You don't want to lube internal parts of your revolvers with grease of any kind. It simply creates too much drag. Rem-Oil or the lighter weights of Mobil 1 motor oil, yes car oil, works real well and a quart is a lifetime supply. Use sparingly. Your 4" 686 will probably have light strikes which can be fixed easily with a longer strain screw. If you want to learn more about "slicking up" the actions Jerry Miculek's "Trigger Job" video is a good investment. It's not too hard to get a nicer action than you'll get back from the Performance Center.

 

[RDak]

Good going PG!!

You might be interested in solvent soaks also. I've used equal parts of automatic transmission fluid, kerosene and mineral spirits as a soak for many years. (You can add some Mobil 1 or other lube of your choice also.)

Let the guns soak for as long as you want, scrub the innards with a nylon brush if you want, and drip dry over some newspaper. You'll like how the guns function after that IMHO.

(Btw, those guns looked pretty clean and well kept up prior to your cleaning them!!)

 

[RychenCop]

thanks for that...i'm about to do a spring job on my 66-1 this afternoon.

 

[RychenCop]

i replaced my mainspring with a Wolff RP. i can certainly tell a difference, i don't have a trigger pull gauge so i don't know exactly what the difference is (i would guess 1-2lb's going by feel.) i also have a Wolff rebound spring pack (12-16lb) and a cylinder stop spring left to install. i'm waiting on a few more parts before i do a total disassemble.

 

[cptdco]

Thanks for a nice report...I don't have a trigger-pull gauge so your numbers were interesting. I do juat about the same thing with a new-to-me used revolver: install the Wolf RP mainspring and the reduced weight rebound slide spring. I usually use solvents for the internal wash-down and I'll put the rebound slide on a stone and smooth it while it's out. I also make it a point to look for internal rub marks and their cause...at least one gun had one of the little pins in the hammer or trigger sticking out one side and rubbing on the frame. Is that 2 1/2 inch 686 a no-dash? I've been keeping an eye out for one for quite a while.

 

[RychenCop]

stoned my trigger and hammer on my 66-1 today per the Manual and replaced the rebound spring with a 14lb. and the cylinder stop spring. i did the main spring last week. i still don't have a pull gauge, but it's slightly lighter and certainly smoother. coated all appropriate parts with EWG.

 

[Rangerone]

For a squeaky clean gun/parts, I suggest boiling water... I detail strip to the last part and then clean with brushes, solvent etc., then I boil a large pot of water and simply immerse the larger parts in the water and then scrub with a toothbrush. There is usually a fine grease layer on top of the water when I am done. Simply lay the parts on a towel and the heat will dry them fast. Remember to oil them. I now use Slick 2000 exclusively for all my guns.

 

[squiggy]

stoned my trigger and hammer on my 66-1 today per the Manual and replaced the rebound spring with a 14lb. and the cylinder stop spring. i did the main spring last week. i still don't have a pull gauge, but it's slightly lighter and certainly smoother. coated all appropriate parts with EWG.

What is EWG?
how come there is not "sticky" on trigger tuning? there are at least 3 threads in the first 2 pages of the forum.

 

[RychenCop]

slip 2000 extreme weapons grease

 

[dubious]

Holy smokes, those are some amazing numbers!

Can you do this to a blued gun? How do i know my Model 19 won't turn into a rusty junk heap? I seem to recall the AGI videos 1911 gunsmith uses simple green. But I like the idea of boiling water drying everything out.

Maybe if I put some sea salt in the water it will have a higher boiling temp and dry faster?

 

[P7fanatic]

But I like the idea of boiling water drying everything out.

Maybe if I put some sea salt in the water it will have a higher boiling temp and dry faster?

Am I the only one that thinks this is not a good idea or am I missing some benefit of salt.
I'd probably use plain water and wait the necessary for the parts to dry.

 

[dubious]

Am I the only one that thinks this is not a good idea or am I missing some benefit of salt.
I'd probably use plain water and wait the necessary for the parts to dry.

I was kidding!

 

[jepp2]

Other solvent soaks

I like Rdak's solvent soak. Sounds a bit like Ed's Red bore cleaner modified.

I used to use straight kerosene and switched to about 80% OMS (odorless mineral spirits) with the rest being CLP. Works very well and leaves a light lubricating film behind.

After removing from the soak, I let them drip and then blow with compressed air. I run a dessicant filter prior to the air gun.

I haven't seen the video by Jerry Miculek, but have always followed the procedure on page 326 of "Gunsmith Kinks II" with excellent results. It will eliminate the turn line that normally occurs.

 

[chief38]

OVERKILL

Unless the weapon is abused, or used in a swap, boiling it in water and soap & water scrubbing's are overkill and unnecessary!

All that is necessary is to strip the gun down as you have demonstrated, use an old toothbrush with some gun solvent, dry thoroughly, LIGHTLY lubricate with Remoil, and reassemble. This process is not required on a regular basis, but only when a used gun is acquired with unknown maintenance record, or if your gun somehow gets soaking wet.

I do completely disassemble, clean & lub. my revolvers like this only after thousands of rounds have been fired. Even at that point, they are not all that dirty inside.

I personally would not use any grease in a revolver. Grease will pick up dust and dirt, turning it into a nice abrasive that will do more harm than good. It will also slow down the action of a revolver after it hardens up a bit. Remoil or a similar product works wonders, will not attract dirt & dust and will not ooze out of your gun for weeks to come. The carrier quickly evaporates leaving a Teflon coating behind which is a very good lubricant.

Just my 2 cents.

Regards,
chief38

 

[srgvaz]

Unless the weapon is abused, or used in a swap, boiling it in water and soap & water scrubbing's are overkill and unnecessary!

All that is necessary is to strip the gun down as you have demonstrated, use an old toothbrush with some gun solvent, dry thoroughly, LIGHTLY lubricate with Remoil, and reassemble. This process is not required on a regular basis, but only when a used gun is acquired with unknown maintenance record, or if your gun somehow gets soaking wet.

I do completely disassemble, clean & lub. my revolvers like this only after thousands of rounds have been fired. Even at that point, they are not all that dirty inside.

I personally would not use any grease in a revolver. Grease will pick up dust and dirt, turning it into a nice abrasive that will do more harm than good. It will also slow down the action of a revolver after it hardens up a bit. Remoil or a similar product works wonders, will not attract dirt & dust and will not ooze out of your gun for weeks to come. The carrier quickly evaporates leaving a Teflon coating behind which is a very good lubricant.

+1
very well stated...