Carbon steel S&W always smoother action and trigger than stainless?
- Thread starter kcub
- Start date
All of S&W revolvers have the internal action parts and the pins they rotate upon made from carbon steel. What would appear to be stainless hammers and triggers are actually flash chromed carbon steel parts. At least this is how they used to make them. The stuff they're cranking out now - who knows? The smoothness of the action is totally dependent upon smoothing and polishing all the moving parts and removing any burrs. A S&W action that has been properly cleaned up will feel light and smooth even with the full power factory springs in it. On the other hand simply replacing the springs with lighter ones without addressing the rough finish on the parts will "feel" slightly lighter but will still be rough and will have a much slower trigger reset and may not ignite any brand of primers reliably other than Federal. Most of Jerry Miculek's S&Ws have wonderful triggers even though he uses full power (or heavier) springs to get the fastest possible reset for the type of DA shooting he has become famous for.
carguychris
New member
Most steel S&Ws have the same lockwork as stainless steel models built around the same time, so trigger feel should be comparable. That said, there is always some variation in trigger feel between different individual guns, particularly those made before the advent of MIM lockwork; despite the vitriol directed at MIM by S&W purists, IMHO MIM guns tend to have more consistent triggers than pre-MIM guns. (Note I said more consistent- not necessarily better.)
There is one major exception. I've read that the chrome plating on early-production K frame stainless hammers and triggers tended to gall badly with use and cause the trigger to bind, particularly DA.
IIRC S&W subsequently adopted an improved chrome plating process and later stopped using chrome hammers and triggers altogether. So yes, if you tried the trigger on a 1970s stainless K frame that wasn't brand spanking new, it's possible that you tried one of the bad ones.
There is one major exception. I've read that the chrome plating on early-production K frame stainless hammers and triggers tended to gall badly with use and cause the trigger to bind, particularly DA.
IIRC S&W subsequently adopted an improved chrome plating process and later stopped using chrome hammers and triggers altogether. So yes, if you tried the trigger on a 1970s stainless K frame that wasn't brand spanking new, it's possible that you tried one of the bad ones.Jerry Micleuk says he prefers stainless. He can get a better DA pull. I’ve seen him shoot several times and he almost always uses stainless guns.
This last steel Nationals, he was shooting the same gun I was – a 5" S&W 327 8-shot .357 with the scandium frame and titanium cylinder and barrel shroud.
This last steel Nationals, he was shooting the same gun I was – a 5" S&W 327 8-shot .357 with the scandium frame and titanium cylinder and barrel shroud.
He is a perfect Southern gentleman though.The answer would just be a generalization. Upon examining the internals of S&W's from the perspective of a machinist and a person with a degree in Metal Processing, the inside of the revolver (without regard to stainless or Carbon Steel), exits the factory with no apparent finishing of the friction points other than sear/trigger surfaces. Machining marks still exist as produced. Therefore, there will be a great variations in trigger pull between two instances of the same models made of the same type of steel, let alone one of Stainless Steel vs. one of Carbon Steel.
If one is concerned about trigger pull and smoothness, one must either pay a gunsmith to smooth it, or do it ones self. Until such modification is made, trying to compare the smoothness difference between the two is pointless.