Trigger pull on 640-1

[jecsd1]

Hello,
I have been reading the forum for a while and thought I would introduce myself and ask a question. I recently bought my first revolver. A 640-1 J frame circa 1996. I snatched this one up because it doesn't have the trigger lock or the backstrap safety which I hate. I purchased it because I know S&W revolvers are dead nuts reliable and thats what I wanted in a CCW. Plus in these Texas summers it's easy to CC in cargo shorts and a T shirt. I do have a semiauto subcompact that I carry in the cooler months when I have more clothes to conceal with.

I have taken the little wheel gun to the range a few times and I'm getting pretty decent groups out to 15 yards (that is, I think the practical limit of this gun). I have put some .357 mag through it and it is downright punishing on my hand after about 15 rounds. With that said I am currently carrying a .38 special +p in it and use the standard .38 special for plinking.

OK, to the question. I purchased the encolsed hammer model intentionally because it is ideal for CC and in particular pocket carry. I have heard it mentioned that the centennial trigger has a very firm pull then it's as though it falls off at the end and gets way easier. This is exactly the case with mine. I don't want a light trigger, quite the oposite. I want the DAO tough trigger for safety reasons. I do however want a consistent trigger. Are there any things I can do or is this a job for a pistolsmith? I am pretty mechanically inclined and if it's within the realm of a home job I can probably do it but am not opposed to a professional doing it either.


Thanks in advance
Jason

 

[Snowbandit]

For the first time since it was new, I recently removed the side plate on my 640, cleaned the old oil out of it and relubed with some RemOil. It made a world of difference in the trigger pull. Best thing you can do to improve these guns is shoot them, clean them and shoot them some more.

 

[Gauntlet]

My advice is if you want it done right, get a good gunsmith to do a basic tigger job on it. I had my gunsmith polish all of the internals on my 640 and it now has a very smooth trigger that has improved even more with use.

 

[Ed333]

leave it alone, just dry fire a lot

first off, I like the way my 640 'stacks', you can use up most of the trigger pull getting the cylinder revolved and in position, hold it there, and then tip it off, can be very accurate.
Second, I don't like to mess with taking sideplates off, lack of experience doing so I guess, but a down and dirty alternative is to take off the grips, spray in WD40 everyplace you can, dry fire till you get too tired to keep it up, spray out the excess with an air compressor, spray in your favorite CLP, such as BreakFree or FP10, cycle some more, blow it out with the air compressor again, and wipe it down. and wipe it down a few more times over the next day or so.
third, I have fired about 1500 rounds thru my m.60 (purchased new by me), in addition to a lot of dry-firing practice, and it has smoothed up a whole lot. My 640, I have only fired 470 rounds, but it has improved, although it had a great trigger from the get-go. So dry fire and shoot a lot, you will see improvement.
fourth, IMHO, leave those .357's out of the picture, a plus P or wadcutter will do you fine.
that's my story, I am stickin' to it...although I have an open mind...

 

[jecsd1]

First off, thanks for the responses! Since I bought the gun used, who knows how many rounds have been through it. The previous owner said he never shot it and maybe put 100 rounds through it in the 13 years he owned it, but doesn't everyone selling something used say that it's "barely" used? I personally have put only 50 (because I've only owned it a few months) but I plan on much more. So I will see what happens after 400-500 more rounds and go from there.

One thing I do like about these SW revolvers is they are rugged and dependable and I don't even flinch at using it for hours at the range. Plus, .38 sp is not terribly expensive to shoot

Thanks again

 

[Ed333]

... Since I bought the gun used, who knows how many rounds have been through it. ...but doesn't everyone selling something used say that it's "barely" used? ...

Not everyone.

If you examine the face of the cylinder, there should be some indication of usage, even if it has been thoroughly cleaned, and if you look at the face of the recoil shield, if it has been fired a lot, you would see some imprints of cartridge bases, from recoil. If you look at the top strap, right by the forcing cone, you will be able to judge whether magnums have been used much, evidence of 'flame-cutting'.

My bet is, it hasn't been fired much, typical of these J frame snubs.

 

[cowboy117]

Have someone reliable take the sideplate off with a proper screwdriver,clean it up and then have him[or her]put Militec-1 in it,put it back together and dry fire it 500 or so times[without ammo!!!].See if the trigger is better before you spend a lot of money on it[i have a 640-1].I take it in the woods with .357's in it;the rest of the time i use .38 Specials.And welcome to the forum!