Wolff spring kit instructions

pittpa

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I just bought Wolff reduced power main and rebound springs. They came without instructions for installation. Can someone point me to installation instructions? Would anyone like to comment on the 13 vs. 14 vs. 15 pound rebound springs? I shoot bullseye both DA and SA and I am accustomed to 7.5 lb DA and 2.5 lb SA trigger pulls in my revolvers. Thank you.
 
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I just bought Wolff reduced power main and rebound springs. They came without instructions for installation. Can someone point me to installation instructions? Would anyone like to comment on the 13 vs. 14 vs. 15 pound rebound springs? I shoot bullseye both DA and SA and I am accustomed to 7.5 lb DA and 2.5 lb SA trigger pulls in my revolvers. Thank you.
 
You shoot bullseye but you don't know how to tear down a revolver? Amigo, do yourself a favor and buy Kuhnhausen's shop manual or else Miculek's DVD on tearing down a S&W revolver or Sweeney's Gun Digest Book of Smith & Wesson Firearms or Sweeney's book of gunsmithing handguns, all of which show how to take a DA S&W apart. You'll use this information many times over the course of your bullseye hobby.

I'm not aware of any good website that has this info up for free, though it might be included in the FAQ section at the top of this sub-forum for all I know.
 
Its a fair question, but we have no idea about your gunsmithing skills, or even your general mechanical abilities.

First, take the grips off the gun

Then with a correctly sized screwdriver, remove all the sideplate screws. Either 3 or 4 depending on the vintage of your gun. There are several methods of removing the sideplate. Don't pry it up. The best way is to find a large screwdriver. Hold the gun in one hand and grip the screwdriver by the end, not the handle. Then use the handle as a hammer and sharply rap the grip frame. Like magic, the sideplate will lift itself up and out of the gun.

Now you need to unscrew the tension screw from the front of the grip frame. That releases tension on the mainspring and you can remove it and set it aside.

With that removed, you can proceed to remove the Hammer. The hammer only comes out when its partially cocked by pulling the trigger back a little, you'll see what I'm talking about.

Now comes the huge problem. Getting the rebound slide out is tricky. (about half as hard as re-installing it.) I learned a trick long ago, and I wish I remember where I heard it. The best thing to use is a clear dry cleaners bag. Work inside the clear bag! Yep. So when you somehow manage to pry the rebound slide up and out, it reaches escape velocity (the speed it takes to put a space craft into orbit), you want to somehow capture it before it orbits your gun room. There are tools made for this purpose. Brownells used to sell them.

You can make your own with a standard 1/4" or 5/16s screwdriver and a dremel tool. What you do is cut a slot in the tip so you've got the blade separated by the slot. It needs to be wide enough to pass the pin that compresses that rebound slide spring. If you don't have a dremel, you can use a hacksaw if its got a good blade. Same deal, make a slot.

Then you use your new tool to compress the rebound slide and spring and pry it upward. Extreme caution here. Its where the strong little spring comes out at you with a passion.

If you work inside a clear plastic bag, you'll capture the spring.

Now reverse the sequence. You again use the new tool to replace the new spring and compress it until it will go past the pin and drop down.

If you're that far inside the gun, you might want to consider soaking the parts in powder solvent to remove any carbon or varnish. Your inside anyway.

Now before you stop or do anything else, put both stock springs in a new envelope and mark what they are and where they came from.

The differences between the springs can be important, or nothing at all. Every gun seems different. Basically, the springs work against each other. The rebound slide spring must be strong enough to reset the trigger. Most people don't even go far enough to replace the rebound slide spring at all. They replace the main spring and test the gun. Its usually such a difference that they're happy with it. Besides, it bypasses the rebound slide mess.
 
I know that a lot of folks get or make those rebound slide removal tools, but I've never had the slightest problem just using a fat screwdriver bit. It's something that is hard to do the first time, but simpler every time after that. I don't use a plastic bag and I've only launched a spring once doing this out of dozens of times. I do wear safety glasses any time I mess with springs that may fly away.
 
Great job Dick, if you replace the rebound spring you might want to take out the piece that holds the rebound spring and put it on some 600 to 800 grit sand paper you know the black stuff and try to smooth the bottom of it so that it slides better. I don't like the wolff hammer springs myself but if you use it you will most likely only be able to shoot federal primers. I use the standard spring and replace only the rebound spring. if it is used for personal defense I use the 14lb. spring other wise I use the 13lb. spring. also when you go to put your side plate back on becareful and only use thumb presure and it helps if you put the hammer block up and back. oh well good luck. That trigger return spring is a bear putting back in.
 
I thank you all for the replies. Yes, I have shot bullseye for many years without gunsmithing my own revolvers. I have torn apart my Ruger Mark IIs to drop in VQ triggers, but I let my gunsmith take care of my revolvers. Unfortunately he is ill. His action jobs on my Pythons left me with the poundage I mentioned above. While the main spring looks simple, I had some concern about hidden surprises with the trigger rebound spring. I am not as adventurous as I once was when it comes to taking things apart. Perhaps it is because I have less time to deal with mistakes.
 
OK in your case Youtube is your friend, go there and search "gunsmithing" you will get to Larry Potterfield and his tips on gunsmithing.
All the help you need and you can replay till you know what he's talking about.
 
That was fun and easy. The hammer slipped right out. I stuck the butt end in a gallon ziplock bag and used a bent-ended dental pick to slip the rebound slide upwards while I held the spring in with my thumb through the bag. The spring stayed put. The new spring is about a half inch longer than the old. I pushed it in with the tip of a Craftsman center punch just enough to get the slide started over the pin. I hooked the spring with the pick while I slid the slide into place the rest of the way. I have no scale but the trigger feels pretty nice. Thanks again for the good help. Dave G.
 
A couple of more things...

1. The Wolff reduced power mainspring will give about a 10 pound DA pull with the strain screw all the way in. That will ignite any commercial ammo and most military primers. Lightening the pull by mainspring tension alone(i.e., backing out the strain screw) should only be done for competition guns using Federal primers.

2. Use the lightest rebound spring that will let you shoot as fast as you want, that is, will reset the trigger fast enough. 14-15 pounds works for me. Factory is 18 pounds. Jerry Miculek uses 21-23 pounds.

Buck
 
Any body ever seen a book or dvd that covers full dismantle and assemble of an S & W 41...filed strip is easy so is extractor and firing pin change....i want to do c COMPLETE strip...
 
Just a little to the side of this conversation....

I took My N Frames and L Frame S&W's to the range, and let My shooting buds try them out.

The newbie guy owns a bone stock Smith J frame (locker), and after He shot My 686-4" & 657-6", He just about crapped his pants. He said "OMG....Your guns all have hair triggers!"
icon_biggrin.gif

I then educated him about all My S&W's receiving action attention and spring changes.

Wilson Combat springs grace My S&W's actions, a little polish work to the innards, with a tiny dab of gunslick at contact points.
Love the Wolff springs too, just not in stock at the time I wanted to order them.
 
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