How much dry firing?

C

Camaroman_99

New member
When should I notice the trigger on my S&W 686-6 getting smoother? I've put probably 300 rounds through it & several dry firing sessions at home. My accuracy in D/A is not very good. The trigger feels "heavy" to pull. I guess it is not yet broken in.....should I dry fire it alot more? thanks
 
Dryfiring and firing won't lighten the trigger much if any. It will only smooth out the trigger pull.
 
I dont believe in dryfiring a gun to excess.

Not with out snap caps, the load your putting the gun through is different, the firing pin is seeing a completly oppisit load dryfiring vs it hitting a primer.
If you need to lighten the trigger go to a gun smith, but remember one thing.
I have a Colt Gold cup that has a 3 3/4 pound trigger. I am used to it and never cussion my trigger pull.
One friend every time he has shot it has gotten a double tap, which means from his cushioning the trigger it went auto for two rounds.
I have tried to duplicate this and cannot.
Just be carefull how light you go.
With an auto never less than 4
and a revolver for single never less than 3 to 3 1/2 LB
 
If you are shooting DA, dry firing will smooth out the trigger and probably not lighten it. Your trigger finger needs to get stronger and that will come with practice. Learn to pull with one continuous motion, don't stage the trigger.
 
I dry-fired with snap caps

well over 1000 times. Didn't do a thing. I don't think it polished the parts even a little. On my 337 it's, I think, 10 pounds. and it's still stiff feeling. I called Smith & Wesson, they will not lighten it.
 
On a double-action gun, "heavy" is good. It's the safety.

Squirt some oil down into the action, and then dry fire it a lot to get the extra oil out.

After that, the heavy action you are left with is what you've got to deal with. Strengthen your trigger finger.

When I show my revolvers to my wife's friends, they ask "where's the safety?" I verify that the weapon is unloaded, have them do the same, and then instruct them to point the gun at the wall (in the basement) and pull the trigger DA. I say "the trigger is the safety. Can you imagine pulling it accidentally?"

~Ichiro
 
Ichiro,

I agree for a DA/SA gun. My premise is that if I can't take the time to cock it then the attacker is probably very close and I can afford the degraded accuracy inherent in a trigger pull that is several times the weight of the gun.

However, for a DAO pistol, I would definitely want something more workable.
 
I called Smith & Wesson, they will not lighten it.
Click to expand...
They don't like to do that for two reasons - one is that a light trigger makes an accidental discharge more likely, and two is that a lighter trigger usually goes along with a lighter hammer strike, which makes a failure to fire or other erratic behavior more likely due to a light primer strike.

Woolf Gunsprings makes spring kits for S&W revolvers (along with just about everything else)... I believe they claim that their mainspring design smooths the pull even with the standard weight. They also make reduced weight spring kits as well. I do believe putting one of these in will void your factory warranty... so you may want to contact S&W if that's important.
 
"However, for a DAO pistol, I would definitely want something more workable."

Agreed, if the heaviness of the trigger pull is problematic, it should be solved through gunsmithing. You've GOT to be able to pull the trigger, after all.

Neither of us can shoot our DAO revolver worth a darn at any sort of distance. However, it becomes very "accurate" for both of us at 15 feet with point-and-fire shooting. Since this is a self-defense gun, I find the accuracy acceptable and the heavy trigger pull a bonus, since I carry it against my body.

For a target gun, this revolver would be extremely frustrating to say the least.

~Ichiro
 
The heavier DA trigger pull is one reason to look at buying a used S&W. Trigger pulls are generally heavier these days because of liability issues. I have one S&W Model 10 whose trigger is every bit as good or better than a Colt Python worth several times more.
 
Just use snap caps. Then you don't have to worry about mechanical failure, accidental discharge, etc. They also are good for practicing loading and unloading, such as for concealed carry or self defense situations. Additionally they are great for teaching a new shooter... with brightly colored snap caps, neither you or the newbie holding the gun have to worry about a live ammo mixup.

Most any caliber snap cap you want can be found here.
http://www.cowboyneeds.com/Snap_Caps.html
 
Snap caps are an answer looking for a question when used in a Smith revolver.

Smiths, whether the old style with hammer mounted pin or the new ones with the frame mounted pin, can take MILLIONS of dryfiring cycles without any sort of damage.

I have seen K-and N-frame smiths with DA pulls inthe 6.5-8 lb level that have 100% ignition. It can be done, and is done frequently. My 586's DA pull is in the neighborhood of 8.5-9lb with nothing but a Wolff spring change, stoning of the action, and an infinite number fo dryfiring cycles.

Newr guns with MIM parts might not fare as well, as the parts are considerably rougher, and dont seem to respond as well to normal action jobs.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top