Trigger Pull
- Thread starter chiefnpd
- Start date
Tyrod
Member
Well, you have a few options depending on what may or may not be the problem. One of the obvious solutions would be to take your fine firearm to a gunsmith for diagnosis & treatment. It could be that there is simply no lubrication inside your revolver. Or if there is lubrication, it may have become dried out or gummy or both. If that is the problem there are at least a few ways to solve them. If you're afraid to take the gun apart and don't want to go to a gunsmith then the simplest solution would be to take the grip off. point the revolver barrel down and douche the insides out with WD-40 (Kroil would be much better, but harder to get). I mean like use the whole can. When the drippings come out clean, hang the gun with the barrel pointing up and let it drain for a day or two. WD-40 is a very poor gun oil and is generally disdained among firearm aficionados. It does have the advantage of being fairly inert. Then when you're satisfied that as much of the WD-40 has drained out as is going to, use an aerosol spray gun lube in much the same manner as you did with the WD-40, although use far less. Work the action some while oiling to get the oil into hard to get at places. You don't really need your gun dripping with oil.
If you're braver, simply take the side cover off, remove the internals then clean, relube and reassemble. It's really not that difficult. At least not for me because I have a very high measure of mechancal ability. Search youtube for disassemby instructions. Try search terms such as "trigger job" or "s&w disassembly". There isn't much difference between S&W revolver models. Take a picture, if necessary, to remember where things go. When cleaning the internals use a good synthetic gun oil such as "Break Free CLP". As the CLP name implies, Break Free is a cleaner, lubricant, and protectant. It can be found at WalMart. Avoid the old fashioned petroleum based gun oils. They tend to evaporate over time and cause just the kind of problem you're experiencing. My rule of thumb is oil things that rotate and grease things that slide. General purpose white lithium grease is the basic grease that can be used on a firearm. It also can be found at WalMart in usually in the hardware section. A better grease and not terribly expensive is Tetra Gun Grease. You prolly won't find this at WalMart. You'll have to go to a well stocked gun or sporting good store to find it. Of course, all the products I've mentioned can easily be found online.
Now, if after all that, if your DA pull is still more than you'd like, then sterner measures will have to be taken. The next step would be to polish some of the internals to reduce friction. Again, plenty of videos on youtube to guide you on your way. One caveat though, especially if your revolver has MIM parts and it prolly does, DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT mess with the single action sear on your gun. MIM parts aren't up to the task of being polished in this especially critical dimension. Furthermore the angles and relationship of the sear and hammer are critical and can easily be messed up making your revolver very very unsafe. If you must do this then leave it to a pro. Lastly, if you're still not satisfied with the DA pull then you can go to lighter springs. Brownells & Midway USA among others sell reduced power springs for your revolver.
Some folks would say to skip the internal polishing step and go directly to spring replacement. I won't argue with that. I just feel that it's putting the cart before the horse and may introduce new problems such as light primer hits causing missfires and other problems which I won't go into right now.
P.S. I assumed (my bad) you were referring to your DA trigger pull. If your SA trigger pull is 14lbs then you've got serious issues that can't be solved by a kitchen table gunsmith.
If you're braver, simply take the side cover off, remove the internals then clean, relube and reassemble. It's really not that difficult. At least not for me because I have a very high measure of mechancal ability. Search youtube for disassemby instructions. Try search terms such as "trigger job" or "s&w disassembly". There isn't much difference between S&W revolver models. Take a picture, if necessary, to remember where things go. When cleaning the internals use a good synthetic gun oil such as "Break Free CLP". As the CLP name implies, Break Free is a cleaner, lubricant, and protectant. It can be found at WalMart. Avoid the old fashioned petroleum based gun oils. They tend to evaporate over time and cause just the kind of problem you're experiencing. My rule of thumb is oil things that rotate and grease things that slide. General purpose white lithium grease is the basic grease that can be used on a firearm. It also can be found at WalMart in usually in the hardware section. A better grease and not terribly expensive is Tetra Gun Grease. You prolly won't find this at WalMart. You'll have to go to a well stocked gun or sporting good store to find it. Of course, all the products I've mentioned can easily be found online.
Now, if after all that, if your DA pull is still more than you'd like, then sterner measures will have to be taken. The next step would be to polish some of the internals to reduce friction. Again, plenty of videos on youtube to guide you on your way. One caveat though, especially if your revolver has MIM parts and it prolly does, DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT mess with the single action sear on your gun. MIM parts aren't up to the task of being polished in this especially critical dimension. Furthermore the angles and relationship of the sear and hammer are critical and can easily be messed up making your revolver very very unsafe. If you must do this then leave it to a pro. Lastly, if you're still not satisfied with the DA pull then you can go to lighter springs. Brownells & Midway USA among others sell reduced power springs for your revolver.
Some folks would say to skip the internal polishing step and go directly to spring replacement. I won't argue with that. I just feel that it's putting the cart before the horse and may introduce new problems such as light primer hits causing missfires and other problems which I won't go into right now.
P.S. I assumed (my bad) you were referring to your DA trigger pull. If your SA trigger pull is 14lbs then you've got serious issues that can't be solved by a kitchen table gunsmith.
Last edited:
scooter123
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How are you measuring your trigger pull. I ask because a 2.5 lbs. SA trigger is way low for a factory trigger, it should measure between 4 and 4.5 lbs. Check in this evening and and I'll post up what I've done to my 625 JM to produce a 3 lbs. SA trigger and a 8 lbs. DA trigger with perfect reliability using moon clips and not using moon clips. Gotta get ready to go to work for now.
Chiefnpd,
This is worth trying as it costs basically nothing. Remove the grips and get a can of brake cleaner put the little red tube in the nozzle and spray the heck outta the internals.
If you've access to compressed air blow the gun out good and dry. Then use a good quality gun lubricant and oil in all the usual places.
Dry fire it a few hundred times and see if the trigger pull doesn't lighten up.
This is worth trying as it costs basically nothing. Remove the grips and get a can of brake cleaner put the little red tube in the nozzle and spray the heck outta the internals.
If you've access to compressed air blow the gun out good and dry. Then use a good quality gun lubricant and oil in all the usual places.
Dry fire it a few hundred times and see if the trigger pull doesn't lighten up.
Please don't do the "squirt a whole can of WD 40" into your gun. That is about the silliest thing I have heard this week. White lithium grease is basically soap and will turn into a nasty solid residue as will the WD 40. Clean with solvent and lube with oil.
Last edited:
powderburns
Member
My 2 cents, remove the side plate using properly sized screwdriver, degrease the internals with spray Gunscrubber, let dry. Then use Tetra Gun Grease (sparingly) on all moving parts and pivot points. Should be good to go.
scooter123
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First, the following is based on the assumtion that you are refering to a NEW 625 JM and you are the original owner. Keep this in mind, if you have an older 625 with a hammer mounted firing pin some of my suggestions will NOT apply.
One concern about this assumption is that reported 2.5 lbs. SA trigger pull, that it way low for a factory new S&W and in a brand new gun indicates that the sear on the trigger is NOT correct for a factory trigger. If this is a brand new 625 I would suggest that you return it for warranty service. When I recieved my 625 JM at the end of August the SA break measured at exactly 4.5 lbs., as did my 620 and 610-3.
If you purchased the gun used it means one of two things. One is that the previous owner has ground on the single action sear on the trigger. Second is that a previous owner has installed a 12 lbs. rebound spring. If you have another revolver you can use for comparison, compare the tension on the trigger AFTER the hammer has dropped, if it feels obviously lighter you have a light rebound spring installed. If the tension of the trigger after the hammer fall feels the same on both revolvers, odds are the sear on the 625 has been reshaped to reduce the SA weight. I do NOT advise changing the SA sear on the trigger from the factory angle because I believe that it can lead to Pushoff by increasing the rate of wear on the tip of the SA sear on the hammer. IMO a much better approach to reducing the SA trigger break is to install a lighter rebound spring. Personally, with a factory trigger I prefer a 14 lbs. rebound spring because it will produce a SA break of 3 lbs. which is just where I like my SA trigger to break. I've also found that a 14 lbs. rebound spring will provide a good rapid trigger return.
Now to the heart of the matter, that 14 lbs. DA trigger. That is a bit on the heavy side for a brand new S&W but NOT out of the realm of possibility, S&W has been shipping revolvers with heavy DA triggers for at least the past 5 years. My 620, 610-3, and 625 JM all had DA triggers that measured between 11 and 12 lbs. when new. They do not need to be this heavy but I suspect it's being done due to liability concerns.
Step one is a good cleaning, while all 3 of mine came with the internals clean I've seen some sporadic reports of new gun with debris in the lockwork.
Step two is proper lubrication. All 3 of my newer revolvers were nearly bone dry when new. Personally, I like a small dab of RIG universal grease on the hammer and trigger pivots, a bit more under the rebound slide, and small drops of premium oil on the sear, hand, and cylinder stop. BTW, for me premium oil is 5W30 Mobil One.
Third step is adjusting the mainspring tension. I do mine by installing a hand made shim under the head of the strain screw. Using shims allows my to dial in the DA trigger weight to the exact value I want to achieve. Other options are to file the tip of the strain screw (have spares on hand if you do this) or to use locktight on the strain screw to hold it in position when backed out slightly. Personally, I regard locktite as a temporary solution because in time I belive that the strain screw will work loose and lead to misfires. BTW, just for reference, installing 0.030 inch of shim under the head of the strain screw on my 625 JM reduced the DA trigger from 12 lbs. to 8 lbs., so you don't have to move the strain screw much to have a large effect.
Now, how light do you want that DA trigger? If you want to take it down to 8 lbs. you'll need to take some steps in insure reliable ignition and you'll need a truly accurate way to measure the weight of the trigger. BTW, I tried using fish scales, they were neither repeatable or accurate for me. I now use a Lyman Digital and it's proven both accurate and very repeatable. In addition, for those guns that feature a hammer mounted firing pin I cannot assure that you'll get reliable ignition with a DA trigger at 8 lbs., the frame mounted firing pins offer options that are not available with a hammer mounted firing pin. With a hammer mounted firing pin, I stop once the DA trigger weight hits 9 lbs.
Now, specific approaches and recomendations. If you have a frame mounted firing pin and want to stay with the factory firing pin, you will want to pull the firing pin and measure it's overall length. S&W has increased the length of the firing pins recently and an older "short" firing pin will NOT allow you to take the DA trigger as light as you can with the more recent "long" firing pin. BTW, the firing pins delivered in my 2008 620 and 2009 610-3 measured at 0.480 inch overall length, the firing pin in my 2011 625 JM measured at 0.491 inch. If you have a 0.480 inch firing pin I recomend running the DA trigger at 10 lbs. even, any lighter and you may have misfire issues with some brands of ammo. If it measures at 0.490-0.495 inch, I believe that you can safely take the DA trigger down to 9 lbs., however you may have misfire issues when shooting without moon clips.
If you want to take the DA trigger under 9 lbs. you will have to install an aftermarket firing pin.
I've used a firing pin from Cylinder & Slide in my 620, 610-3, and 625 JM and they word quite well, however because they are not only longer but also feature an extended travel you must NOT install this firing pin until the DA trigger has been reduced to 9 lbs. or less. If you install this firing pin in a revolver with a heavier trigger you run a very real risk that it may pierce the primer and get stuck there and that won't be easy to fix. However, I can report that this firing pin works perfectly with an 8 lbs. DA trigger and with or without clips my 625 JM will ignite every brand of ammunition I've been able to find.
Apex Tactical also offers 2 aftermarket firing pin options. First is a 0.495 OAL firing pin. Second is a 0.500 inch XT firing pin. When I purchased my 625 JM I had planned on trying the 0.500 inch XT firing pin because I suspect that XT may refer to extended travel, however it was out of stock so I went with the C&S firing pin. About all I can report is that Apex has a very good reputation and it's likely well deserved.
Now, one caution about any long or extended travel firing pins, that is using snap caps is a MUST. Cylinder and Slide specifically states that snap caps must ALWAYS be used for dry firing and there have been reports they will "wad up" the firing pin return spring if you don't use snap caps.
Finally, as an example of the differences between the C&S firing pin and the factory firing pin I've attached a drawing showing the measurements I took on both.
One concern about this assumption is that reported 2.5 lbs. SA trigger pull, that it way low for a factory new S&W and in a brand new gun indicates that the sear on the trigger is NOT correct for a factory trigger. If this is a brand new 625 I would suggest that you return it for warranty service. When I recieved my 625 JM at the end of August the SA break measured at exactly 4.5 lbs., as did my 620 and 610-3.
If you purchased the gun used it means one of two things. One is that the previous owner has ground on the single action sear on the trigger. Second is that a previous owner has installed a 12 lbs. rebound spring. If you have another revolver you can use for comparison, compare the tension on the trigger AFTER the hammer has dropped, if it feels obviously lighter you have a light rebound spring installed. If the tension of the trigger after the hammer fall feels the same on both revolvers, odds are the sear on the 625 has been reshaped to reduce the SA weight. I do NOT advise changing the SA sear on the trigger from the factory angle because I believe that it can lead to Pushoff by increasing the rate of wear on the tip of the SA sear on the hammer. IMO a much better approach to reducing the SA trigger break is to install a lighter rebound spring. Personally, with a factory trigger I prefer a 14 lbs. rebound spring because it will produce a SA break of 3 lbs. which is just where I like my SA trigger to break. I've also found that a 14 lbs. rebound spring will provide a good rapid trigger return.
Now to the heart of the matter, that 14 lbs. DA trigger. That is a bit on the heavy side for a brand new S&W but NOT out of the realm of possibility, S&W has been shipping revolvers with heavy DA triggers for at least the past 5 years. My 620, 610-3, and 625 JM all had DA triggers that measured between 11 and 12 lbs. when new. They do not need to be this heavy but I suspect it's being done due to liability concerns.
Step one is a good cleaning, while all 3 of mine came with the internals clean I've seen some sporadic reports of new gun with debris in the lockwork.
Step two is proper lubrication. All 3 of my newer revolvers were nearly bone dry when new. Personally, I like a small dab of RIG universal grease on the hammer and trigger pivots, a bit more under the rebound slide, and small drops of premium oil on the sear, hand, and cylinder stop. BTW, for me premium oil is 5W30 Mobil One.
Third step is adjusting the mainspring tension. I do mine by installing a hand made shim under the head of the strain screw. Using shims allows my to dial in the DA trigger weight to the exact value I want to achieve. Other options are to file the tip of the strain screw (have spares on hand if you do this) or to use locktight on the strain screw to hold it in position when backed out slightly. Personally, I regard locktite as a temporary solution because in time I belive that the strain screw will work loose and lead to misfires. BTW, just for reference, installing 0.030 inch of shim under the head of the strain screw on my 625 JM reduced the DA trigger from 12 lbs. to 8 lbs., so you don't have to move the strain screw much to have a large effect.
Now, how light do you want that DA trigger? If you want to take it down to 8 lbs. you'll need to take some steps in insure reliable ignition and you'll need a truly accurate way to measure the weight of the trigger. BTW, I tried using fish scales, they were neither repeatable or accurate for me. I now use a Lyman Digital and it's proven both accurate and very repeatable. In addition, for those guns that feature a hammer mounted firing pin I cannot assure that you'll get reliable ignition with a DA trigger at 8 lbs., the frame mounted firing pins offer options that are not available with a hammer mounted firing pin. With a hammer mounted firing pin, I stop once the DA trigger weight hits 9 lbs.
Now, specific approaches and recomendations. If you have a frame mounted firing pin and want to stay with the factory firing pin, you will want to pull the firing pin and measure it's overall length. S&W has increased the length of the firing pins recently and an older "short" firing pin will NOT allow you to take the DA trigger as light as you can with the more recent "long" firing pin. BTW, the firing pins delivered in my 2008 620 and 2009 610-3 measured at 0.480 inch overall length, the firing pin in my 2011 625 JM measured at 0.491 inch. If you have a 0.480 inch firing pin I recomend running the DA trigger at 10 lbs. even, any lighter and you may have misfire issues with some brands of ammo. If it measures at 0.490-0.495 inch, I believe that you can safely take the DA trigger down to 9 lbs., however you may have misfire issues when shooting without moon clips.
If you want to take the DA trigger under 9 lbs. you will have to install an aftermarket firing pin.
I've used a firing pin from Cylinder & Slide in my 620, 610-3, and 625 JM and they word quite well, however because they are not only longer but also feature an extended travel you must NOT install this firing pin until the DA trigger has been reduced to 9 lbs. or less. If you install this firing pin in a revolver with a heavier trigger you run a very real risk that it may pierce the primer and get stuck there and that won't be easy to fix. However, I can report that this firing pin works perfectly with an 8 lbs. DA trigger and with or without clips my 625 JM will ignite every brand of ammunition I've been able to find.
Apex Tactical also offers 2 aftermarket firing pin options. First is a 0.495 OAL firing pin. Second is a 0.500 inch XT firing pin. When I purchased my 625 JM I had planned on trying the 0.500 inch XT firing pin because I suspect that XT may refer to extended travel, however it was out of stock so I went with the C&S firing pin. About all I can report is that Apex has a very good reputation and it's likely well deserved.
Now, one caution about any long or extended travel firing pins, that is using snap caps is a MUST. Cylinder and Slide specifically states that snap caps must ALWAYS be used for dry firing and there have been reports they will "wad up" the firing pin return spring if you don't use snap caps.
Finally, as an example of the differences between the C&S firing pin and the factory firing pin I've attached a drawing showing the measurements I took on both.
