Rifleman1776
New member
I do them myself. Dissassemble and polish all rubbing parts; take off sharp edges, change springs if necessary. Nothing dramatic, just sorta slicker it up for smoother action and less pain.
Do you send your NIB revolver straight to the smith?
- Thread starter Cosmodragoon
- Start date
I usually install Wolff springs and polish the rebound slide and then shoot it. I just have to lighten the D/A pull. I don't do anything to a carry gun altho polishing wouldn't hurt anything. My 642 is smooth enough, All I've done is shoot it. I haven't dealt with any Ruger D/A revolvers but I'd treat them same as the S&W.
ChaperallCat
Moderator
so no one else sees the issue with this?
spend all your time harping about the wonderful nature of a factory fresh sw or ruger, and then you just send it immediately off for "tweaking' without using it.
just makes a fella wonder if the name tag is really worth paying 3-400 extra for these days
spend all your time harping about the wonderful nature of a factory fresh sw or ruger, and then you just send it immediately off for "tweaking' without using it.
just makes a fella wonder if the name tag is really worth paying 3-400 extra for these days
newfrontier45
Moderator
No. ANY revolver will benefit from an action job. Some can take some accuracy tweaks right out of the box. Sometimes these things just aren't made the way we want `em and we have to take matters into our own hands. Sometimes we know right off the bat the custom features we want and it doesn't take shooting it for five years to figure it out.
Many shooters are satisfied with factory guns. Some are not.
"so no one else sees the issue with this?"
I've sent handguns to be tuned, but not before shooting them for awhile before doing so. For me, this is so the trigger will feel good at the range. When using a handgun for defense, I've never noticed how the trigger felt.
If it makes a better trigger and it makes someone feel better about using the weapon, have at it. Confidence in your weapon is a decent part of successful use.
I've sent handguns to be tuned, but not before shooting them for awhile before doing so. For me, this is so the trigger will feel good at the range. When using a handgun for defense, I've never noticed how the trigger felt.
If it makes a better trigger and it makes someone feel better about using the weapon, have at it. Confidence in your weapon is a decent part of successful use.
spacecoast
New member
I do. No action job will suffice for people who don't put in the DA practice and dry fire time.
newfrontier45
Moderator
Whoever said that an action job replaces practice???
Never ... only had a revolver to a 'smith once, a Taurus 617, to clean up the trigger and open the cylinder-barrel gap that came a tad too tight from the factory ... great gun now, but the rest of my revolvers, from Smith and Ruger, worked perfectly out of the box. Sure, everything can be improved, but the guns already shoot better than I can take advantage of ...
spacecoast
New member
Just pointing out that an "action job", while helpful in many cases, is not a substitute for conditioning, grip strengthening, and live/dry fire practice. Many times a seasoned revolver is very smooth just from the wearing away of any roughness working itself out from sheer repetition. Spring replacement (not recommended for SD guns) is a simple matter in S&W revolvers and does not require a gunsmith. I can't speak to Ruger and Colt revolvers but don't believe they have as many spring replacement options available due to their design, but I am sure they also from use.
ChaperallCat
Moderator
if i have to pay a premium price to get the perfect sw or ruger, then why should it even need to be tuned in anyway out of the box? seriously, if the premium price i pay for that new sw is basically useless, then why buy the premium priced gun?
its like buying a mazaratti rigged at the factory for racing, just to have the dealership put a turbocharger and nitrous in it before you even sit in it
its like buying a mazaratti rigged at the factory for racing, just to have the dealership put a turbocharger and nitrous in it before you even sit in it
A new revolver from S&W or Ruger is not useless out of the box but they may not be as smooth as we prefer and the d/a pull may be heavier than desired. They'll smooth up just from use but I like to speed up the process and lighten the trigger pull. If the revolver is for carry I don't do anything but shoot it. Anytime you lighten the hammer spring it may affect reliability. A misfire isn't acceptable in a carry gun.
"Basically useless" is a bit of a stretch.
You take the expensive, new Mazaratti in to get the wheels balanced?
It's not a REPAIR. It's an ADJUSTMENT, to make the thing fit YOUR personal style of shooting, your hands, your ammo. The shooter that shoots single action bullseyes slow fire likely doesn't need the same kind of adjustments as the shooter that shoots PPC or other combat styles.
Car analogies aren't the greatest, IMO. I know people who literally turn their car in for a new one when the wiper blades wear out. Seriously..
Sgt Lumpy
buck460XVR
New member
Some guns you know, odds are you need to tweak. Example is the triggers on Ruger Revolvers. While some revolvers will smooth out after shooting or dryfiring a bunch, Rugers not so much. It's pretty much a gimme that they'll need a trigger job if you want the best performance from them. I know of Ruger fans that figure it right in with the cost of a new gun. Then there are guns that have their action tuned right from the factory. I have a coupla P.C. Smiths that needed nuttin' but the sights adjusted outta the box. There was a cost involved there also. Kinda the "you get what you pay for" syndrome. To the average handgun owner that shoots two, maybe three boxes of 20 rounds thru their handgun a year, the investment in a trigger job would be better spent on more ammo and range time. I have a friend that is into revolvers and has approximately twenty of them. He boasts that ALL of them have had a trigger job and break like glass. Many of these guns have seen the range once since they were bought. But....to each their own. For the guy that shoots with regularity and is tryin' to cut his groups down another inch or two @ 50 yards and has a gun with a bad trigger, it only makes sense. Again....what may be considered necessary for one shooter may well be wasted on another. We all have a difference in priorities. Only one that can really decide is the shooter themselves.
newfrontier45
Moderator
Some shooters don't want to wait until they've sent 10,000rds downrange before their gun is smooth. Despite what some (who have obviously never had one tuned) think, use will never duplicate an action job. On some guns, like Colt SAA's or Italian replicas, they need to be tuned to prevent self destruction. A million rounds will never remove the creep, or take the place of a hammer/trigger stop.
Who said factory Ruger or S&W revolvers were "premium"? If you want a hand-fitted, fine tuned action you're gonna have to pay more for it than a stock gun costs. Most shooters aren't willing to pay for a hand-fitted revolver and that is why manufacturers are cutting this skilled labor as much as possible. This should be rather obvious.
spacecoast
New member
That's not necessary, dry firing does the same thing to the action. Most good target revolver shooters understand the need for and do lots of dry firing, which not only results in training them to hold a sight picture but also smooths their revolver's action. Dry firing is very often cited here as helping smooth out the triggers on new guns.
newfrontier45
Moderator
I guess I'm not getting the point across that no amount of shooting or dry firing will take the place of a professional action job.
spacecoast
New member
Perhaps not with a Ruger revolver. Maybe that's a compromise made by the design and all the extra metal used, in addition to extra weight.
newfrontier45
Moderator
It's a compromise made by ALL mass produced revolvers. Extra weight and metal has nothing to do with it.
