Doing one's own action trigger job

M

MikeS

New member
I'm buying my first revolver-an N frame
S&W 625-and am considering sending it to
a Smith specialist who offers a tuneup package. In looking around for grip options,
I noticed that Clark Custom Guns is offering
a complete action tuning video by Jerry
Miculek. I'm new to handguns and have no
problem letting the experts do their work,
but I was just curious how tough it is for
the rank amateur to do a trigger "action
job"

Thanks for your help.
 
Depends on what you want to do to it.
If smoothing the action is all, it's not too hard, however if you want to radically reduce pull weight, things get dicey for the do-it-yourselfer.

I just did a 586 by polishing the rebound slide, and hammer and trigger surfaces. Currently playing with different spring weights in an attempt to pull weight lower.

If you know someone who has done it before, have them help/walk you through it. Haven't seen the Miculek video so I can't comment.

Might try www.gunspot.com in the revolver section "K-frame" has done a pretty job on his personal Smiths, he may be a bigger help.

Gator
 
Quite seriously, just pull the trigger 10,000 times, and see if that doesn't slick up the action considerably.

Otherwise, perhaps a good 'smith might be your wisest choice. Try www.apwcogan.com .

------------------
"All my ammo is factory ammo"
 
Wolff gunsprings sells spring kits to reduce and smooth up the trigger. You get a new hammer spring and 3 different weight trigger springs. I put them in my 686 and it made the double action real nice. The single action is super light now though.
 
Mike,

Congrats on an excellent choice of a revolver. I'm sure you'r gonna like it.

I lightened the trigger pull on my 625-3 a few months ago. It doesn't take any special skill, tools, or knowledge, to do an acceptable (read amature) job.

I highly recomend the Kuhnhausen shop manual from www.gunbooks.com

I read the manual 1st, and it gave me all the info I needed to proceed.

I installed a reduced power rebound spring from Wolff, and polished the slide while it was handy. My mainspring was fine as it was, so I left it alone. I think a previous owner had shortened the strain screw. Put it back together, and have been very pleased with the results. Light, smooth pull in double action and no misfires.

If you have desire to tinker, all you need is a good set of instructions.

Good Luck...

Joe


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Go NRA
 
Thanks for your replys. To further clarify
things. Jerry Miculak video demonstrates the
disasemmbly/reassmebly of the Smith revolver
(which would interesting in itself)and "all
aspects of speed-action trigger job". I was
trying to compare this with the complete
action job from Nelson Ford "The Supersmith"
where he will:

Hand-Hone & Polish Lockwork
Aligh Yoke & Ejector Rod
Retime & Headspace Cylinder
Add Trigger Stop & Adjust
Smooth sharp Edges on Trigger

Looking at the comparison, I'm sure the
latter is much more demanding than what the
video purposes. I guess curiousity is getting
the better of common sense.
 
I've done my own action jobs on my 7 S&W revolvers, plus over a dozen revolvers from friends.

I taught myself using Jerry Kuhnhausen's EXCELLENT S&W shop manual, no video.

Yes, I got a little over exuberant and ruined a small piece or two.

But, the learning curve was NOT difficult, just time consuming.

And the results were WELL worth it.

You need some decent tools -- extra fine stones, polishing compound, and, if you're eventually going to tackle the sear surfaces, a stoning jig. All are available from Brownell's.

In fact, Brownell's sells a pretty nice S&W Armorer's kit that I have thought about getting on more than one occasion.

Brownell's also sells the Wolff springs, which are a virtual necessity for any S&W revolver.

Remember, there are two springs that control the felt trigger weight, the mainspring, and the rebound slide spring. Replacing both, depending on the gun, can have an amazing effect on the trigger pull.



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Beware the man with the S&W .357 Mag.
Chances are he knows how to use it.
 
Note to not do any more than polish the sear and sear engagement surfaces with a dremel felt tip and jeweler's rouge. The SA notch on the hammer is, maybe, 5-10 thousandths wide. No room to screw up. You can stone the hell out of the rebound slide to smooth it up.

Brownell's sells hard Arkansas and India stones (Norton, buy medium and fine, but mostly fine) with a true edge for clean even cuts. These are the only stones that should be used for smithing purposes, maybe ceramics.

The hand can be polished too, but don't change the width, length, or nose any.

Last, polish the insides and inside face of the slide plate (always remove the plate by rapping the backstrap w/ a rubber faced hammer or use a wood dowel to pop it out from the inside. Also have gunsmith's screwdriver set to not bugger the screws). Brownell's also sells shims that work as a bearing on the hammer and trigger pivots that can smooth things up as well.

Sounds like you will need to drop around $75 at Brownell's to get started, which could go to a smith to do the job, but the stones and drivers are a must anyhow, so it is money well spent.
 
For your information Jerry K. now has a vidio out on the S&W.Its in the new midway catalog.

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beemerb
We have a criminal jury system which is superior to any in the world;
and its efficiency is only marred by the difficulty of finding twelve men
every day who don't know anything and can't read.
-Mark Twain
 
B Shipley,

Do NOT use a dremel and polishing compound to polish the single action notch. A combination of a jig and a stone should be used to ensure straight, even finishing.

I've seen way too many S&Ws that have had similar treatments that have, when the person is done, a much WORSE SA trigger pull.



------------------
Beware the man with the S&W .357 Mag.
Chances are he knows how to use it.
 
I use a hard arkansas hard fine (HB?) stone for the SA notch, in case I wasn't clear, but dremel the rest of the sear surfaces.

I've done it with a dremel before, but I stopped b/c the tip just wouldn't get in the notch, but a stone would. The rouge and felt tip of a Dremel barely takes any metal away, are you sure they didn't use the craytex tip on the ones you saw?

[This message has been edited by B Shipley (edited July 01, 2000).]
 
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