Tuned up my 629-6

[ImDrRich]

The results were so good for my 686+ with a Wilson Combat Spring Kit I decided to do the same for my 629-6.

I replaced the mainspring and the rebound trigger return spring (I used the 14lb spring for that) and have the smoothest action I've ever felt. It is scary smooth. The kit is about $14 plus shipping and it's really amazing how it absolutely changes your shooting. There really is no need, I believe, on a revolver to have a heavy pull when shooting double action.

P.S.: I have no affiliation with Wilson Combat, just a two-time, satisfied customer.

Here's a video on YouTube showing how to do the conversion:

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZqsAtPHfyg[/ame]

Regards to all -

Rich

 

[Warren Sear]

The guy in the video violated more than a few "rules" of working on S&W revolvers. First is prying on the sideplate to remove it; that is not something that should ever be done.

Cycling the action under full spring tension is a great way to snap off the hammer pivot stud.

Major fail for not tightening the main spring tensioning screw completely when he was done. This is not an adjustment screw.

Personally, I would leave the springs at factory tension. There is a reason the engineers who designed that gun chose the spring weights they did.

 

[ImDrRich]

Thanks for your supportive comments.

It never ceases to amaze me how some people like to rain on others' parades and be a killjoy.

I didn't post that video to have film critics rate it. You know that - it was about my satisfaction with the product.

 

[Kiwi cop]

I have changed the springs in a few S&W revolvers now.

My 686-4 AFS had a Wolff ribbed full power mainspring and #13 trigger rebound spring installed 20 years ago. Other than that it is stock and several shooters have asked me who did the action job. I have since changed the rebound spring to a #12 for an even better result.

My 1942 civilian .38 S&W gets used several times a year in a 48 round classic match. I also installed a Wolff ribbed spring and the #13 trigger spring out of my 686 a few years ago. It is now much easier to shoot double action with the skimpy grips.

A friend recently bought a PC 929 and found the trigger stiffer than her 686-4. I was going to replace both the main and trigger springs but found the original mainspring is ribbed (not sure if it is Wolff or not) so left it and just replaced the trigger return with a #14 spring I had in my kit. She now find the trigger smooth and light in double action and is enjoying shooting the pistol.

Yes S&W designed their revolvers with heavier springs, mainly for liability reasons. A #13 or even #14 trigger return spring does not make a revolver unsafe. But it does make it more shootable.

 

[bigggbbruce]

There really is no need, I believe, on a revolver to have a heavy pull when shooting double action.



Rich

Sometimes a light pull can cause light primer strikes.

For a SD gun that could be fatal.. so heavy (factory) is not a problem..

 

[muddocktor]

....................

I didn't post that video to have film critics rate it. You know that - it was about my satisfaction with the product.

I'm glad your Wilson Combat spring kit is working out for you man. I've never used theirs, but I've used the Wolff springs on my N frames. I only have 1 gun running the reduced power Wolff mainspring, but I have changed out all of my rebound slide springs to lighter springs and it definitely helps out on both single and double action pull. I also have the Wolff full power V rib mainspring in my 627 Pro as I had it available and the S&W spring was giving me light strikes from the factory when I got it. The Wolff mainspring fixed my light double action strike issue with that gun and I was glad I happened to have it left over from a previous order for springs. It beat sending my 627 Pro back to S&W, that's for sure.

 

[Kiwi cop]

And a very light single action trigger

Sometimes a light pull can cause light primer strikes.

For a SD gun that could be fatal.. so heavy (factory) is not a problem..

The biggest influence of trigger weight is the trigger return spring, not the mainspring. Replacing the #18 or above factory trigger return spring with a lighter one will not effect the hammer fall.

The various ribbed mainsprings only give a slightlyreduced tension to pull the trigger back against while maintaining factory mainspring weight on the hammer. In fact I needed a trigger gauge to actually tell there was a difference. When I changed the trigger return spring I could feel the difference immediately. (Wolff also make a reduced weight ribbed mainspring that they say is for competition use only and should not be used in a self defence handgun).

Even though I had a standard weight mainspring in my 686 I did end up with light primer strikes when using SRP to ignite slow burning "rifle" powders. Even fitting a new Wolff mainspring did not fix that particular problem. (Obviously Federal SRP had gotten a bit harder over time ). What did fix the problem was replacing the strain screw with an 8-32 X 1/2 UNC hex head screw and turning it a bit deeper into the grip frame while not adding to the double action feel.

One drawback has been that when shooting a 50 yard segment of a competition, I tend to shoot single action. Yesterday, after several months shooting only semi-auto's and forgetting how my 686 trigger "feels" I shot my 686-4 at 50 yards and had 3 out of 6 shots go off a little before I was ready. The results were two 8's at 12 o'clock and a 7 at 1 o'clock for a total of 53/60 for the target (shot prone. A bit more practice with the revolver will fix the early discharge, and really, no-one should be shooting a self defence revolver single action like that.