Tool to clean-up a 686-6 return spring slide

[obt357]

Hi All, my first post;

I have looked everywhere on this thread, and this forum, plus have done Google searches looking for the proper tool to clean out and polish the inside of the recoil spring slide (trigger return). I just bought a Brandy New 686-6 6" and the trigger is very rough and hitchy (? spelling). If someone could help me I would appreciate it immensely. Thank You for your trouble.

 

[AzShooter]

I've done lost of trigger jobs on Smity & Wesson revolvers but I never came across a time that I had to clean up the inside of the recoil spring guide.

Change the spring if you want lighter return. I use an 11 pound rebound spring.

If you insist on cleaning it, get a round file and some 1000 grit sandpaper. Put it on your drill and then insert and run for a few seconds.

 

[colt_saa]

Hi All, my first post;

I have looked everywhere on this thread, and this forum, plus have done Google searches looking for the proper tool to clean out and polish the inside of the recoil spring slide (trigger return). I just bought a Brandy New 686-6 6" and the trigger is very rough and hitchy (? spelling). If someone could help me I would appreciate it immensely. Thank You for your trouble.

Welcome to the Forum

I have also worked on uncounted Smith & Wesson revolvers and have never come across a rebound slide that I wanted to work on the interior of.

You say it is rough . . . .

First I presume that you have already soaked it in a solvent to remove any dried or hardened grease/oil that might have been left by the previous owner.

The two ways I can think of handling one that is actually rough both have the rebound slide firmly mounted in a vice.

I could run a drill bit that is snug into the hole to clean it up or if I really wanted to polish it, I would use a Dremel bit that had cratex attached to it.

With either way I would flush it with water to remove debris and then lightly oil it.

 

[robertrwalsh]

I would vote for the cratex wheel on a Dremel tool but as noted above more likely it is just congealed gunk and will wash out.

 

[steelslaver]

i guess the inside of one could be rough and hang up the spring coils a bit as they compress. This is a spot a cratex would work and not hurt anything unless you went completely nuts. I have also split the end of tubes and rods with a hack saw and stuck sandpaper or emery cloth in the slit ans used a drill to polish the inside of holes.

I would be more suspicious of stud bosses or where the outside of rebound slides in frame. If the "hitch" is right at the very end, your ratchet may have some teeth that are a tiny bit long. Hitch right at beginning of DA pull the DA sear (fly) may be a tiny bit long. Also, if you hold your hammer back just far enough back the cylinder lock clears the cylinder does the cylinder turn smoothly. You can also slide a very thin feeler gauge in between lock and cylinder. A hard zero end shake, burr on end you yoke tube, cylinder rubbing barrel etc.

 

[hobby-gunsmith]

I believe you are talking about the rebound slide inside spring, there is a tool that would capture the rebound and spring while inserting the tool and lifting it out. Just reverse for inserting the slide and spring. You can purchase the tool at Brownells or Midway and would make the removal simple.

Nick

 

[Protocall_Design]

You can take the hand off the trigger, and the hammer out of the frame, then run the trigger and rebound by itself to see if that is the source of roughness. This isolates those components from the rest of the mechanism.

 

[chief38]

Let me make a few suggestions BEFORE doing anything!

1) If you have the skill and tools to pop the side-plate off, just make sure there is no major grit, debris, etc. and clean and LIGHTLY lubricate it - but do nothing else!

2) Go out and shoot 500 rounds through it and THEN decide weather or not it still needs any work. Many times tiny burrs, rough spots and slight MIM imperfections wear in and smooth out.

Remember, you can always remove metal - but you can't put it back!

 

[steelslaver]

Let me make a few suggestions BEFORE doing anything!

1) If you have the skill and tools to pop the side-plate off, just make sure there is no major grit, debris, etc. and clean and LIGHTLY lubricate it - but do nothing else!

2) Go out and shoot 500 rounds through it and THEN decide weather or not it still needs any work. Many times tiny burrs, rough spots and slight MIM imperfections wear in and smooth out.

Remember, you can always remove metal - but you can't put it back!

Good Points
I agree with those statements and although in some cases you can put the metal back it is far far and away harder and more expensive than taking it off.

Except for 22 rimfires, I will dry fire a revolver a bunch before it even makes its first range trip.

Smooth beats light and being a great trigger puller works way better than having a light trigger.

 

[lefty_jake]

I have encountered a rebound slide that was extremely rough on the inside, and I did use some sandpaper wrapped around a rod to smooth it out. I did not polish the inside, but I removed the most noticeable ridges. I don't know if that improved the trigger pull, but I imagined it did. This was after all the important surfaces that affect double action were already carefully polished.

I should note though, that this was an older machined rebound slide. I would be very surprised to find a MIM part in such poor shape. The surfaces on MIM parts tend to be pretty good.

I don't want to sound like I prefer MIM over machined, but the surfaces of MIM parts tend to be both decent and consistent. And even though I prefer machined parts, I can still admit that if the tools are dull, an occasional part can be rough.

 

[obt357]

Thank You all for your replies and advise. As I stated initially, this is a Brand New 686-6 6" with only the factory test loads run thru it, not a used gun. I was thinking of a Flex Hone, but once "colt saa" mentioned the cratex attachment, I knew that that was my solution ( I don't know why I was thinking of the Flex Hone anyway), and I do have a variable speed Dremel (in storage). I'll just have to wait till June 4 when I move into my new place, and get my stuff out of storage, to do any smith work on my New 686-6 6".

The trigger (DA) is very disconcerting to me to use, I did go to the range but only fired about 30 rounds of Federal 158g 357 soft points and called it quits. My stock "out of the box" Taurus Model 66 4" 7 shooter has a 13lb double action, but is smooth. I can be happy, and can live with a heavy DA, but just not a hitchy DA. I did take a SS dental pick and run it on the inside of the return spring slide and it almost feels like small "catches" on the inside, and there are shiny spots starting to show on the spring as well (that's a new one on me also). I have NEVER before had occasion to even think about looking in that area before the other day, and I don't know what prompted me to do so this time.

Thank you all for your help and advise. I will try the cratex solution first, good call "colt saa".