Bad day at the range

B

Borf

New member
This is the first time I've been able to shoot my new (to me) *&* 19-4.

Plunking away. Thrilled to death. Then *click*. very, very light imprint on primer. then a few more then *click*. Not good.

Double action, maybe 1-4 rounds of every cyclinder will fail to be struck hard enough. It is *not* the same cylinder every time.

Single action works just fine! Not failures to fire with SA.

This revo *does* have the world's sweetest and lightest trigger pull. Maybe going to a slightly heavier spring? Is SA locking the hammer back ever so slightly farther than where it would be tripped in DA?

Arrgh!!

Oh, and then my Makarov jammed :D
 
The hammer on a S&W revolver (and other DA revolvers) does come back farther in SA mode than in DA, so it has more momentum.

I suspect you bought a gun on which a trigger job was done by an amateur, perhaps the previous owner. Finding that he goofed, he unloaded the gun. If the dealer or previous owner won't give you a refund or agree to have the gun fixed, you may have to take the gun to a competent gunsmith and pay to get it working again.

You may be in for a nasty (and expensive) surprise if the tinkerer smoothed things up by stoning the hammer and trigger too much.

I have seen a lot of S&W revolvers like that, sometimes worked over by gunsmiths, in which the goal was to make a very "sweet and light" trigger pull, forgetting that the gun is also supposed to work.

Jim
 
There is a screw that you can see with the grip panels removed.
It is on the front of the gripframe and it bears against the mainspring to tension the mainspring.

Turn this screw clockwise to increase the tension on the mainspring. If this screw is turned all the way in, put a spent primer between the mainspring and the screw.
Turn the screw in until you get reliable ignition.

Let us know how it works out.

-Mk.IV
 
If you do the spent primer trick, make sure you pluck out the anvil and any residue first, then take a flat punch to the inside of the empty primer and tap the firing pin indentation flat so all you are installing is a flat, empty primer cup. Don't try this with a live primer.
 
Good Guy - I wouldn't want to be the guy that did that with a live primer :)

Blarneystone - yes, they were handloads. working from batch of 1000 primers that have had not one failure to fire yet - then in this never before used gun I'm getting half of each cylinder full not firing. The primer is being struck, but it's a *really* faint mark on it! Same batch 'o loads working fine in other guns. Good call though.

Jim - That's what was going through my gut as it tightened up. "I've bought someone else's problem... AGAIN"

Mark IV - Done. There was about 1 3/4 turns left on the screw. Snugged it up all the way. Pull is *considerably* heavier! Will need to get to range, but this gives me good feelings. It really was light before.
 
It could also be a batch of reloads with some of the primers not seated quite far enough in combination with a light main spring.
 
Yep, sounds like the strain screw.

I used to fool with my Model 10 when I was working at the range. The problem is, if it`s not tight it`ll get looser from recoil. I speak from experience.:eek: It does give a nice trigger pull though.:) Not recommended for a street gun.
 
Something I recently learned........

Was that if I do not allow the trigger to FULLY RESET when shooting D/A, then the next trigger pull rotates the cylinder OK but pulls the hammer back only part way. Gun definitly does NOT go bang. Primer is lightly indented as though the hammer spring was too light or the primer was too hard.

Warnings: I am not a smith of any kind, much less a GUNsmith. In addition, this happens on a Rossi, not a *&*.

Perhaps this may help or give you some idea of where else to look.

Good luck and be safe................
 
Follow up - with the screw snugged up real good there are no problems whatsoever. That resolved it. Thanks guys!
 
Glad it worked out. Remember, a bad day at the range is better than any day at work-for most of us anyway.
 
"LIGHT" vs "RELIABLE" LOL

Now you know why I say "leave the stock springs alone". You can learn a trigger, but you can't make a light strike fire.

Or..........why I love my Redhawks.

Sight alignment trigger CONTROL.
 
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