Weak DA on S&W 629

A

AKolomiets

Inactive
Hi guys, i'm having an issue with the double action on my S&W 629-6. Single action works great every single time, but the double action will will give me a light primer strike every 2 (give or take) out of the 6 shots. If i go back to the lightly struck rounds and hit them again, they go off. I tried a number of different primers and the symptoms continue no matter which primers I use. I swapped out the mainspring and installed an extended firing pin from Power Customs - it still misfires about as often as it did before.

Has anyone had a similar issue? Other than the mainspring and firing pin, is there anything else I could play with to try to remedy the issue?
 
I had a 629-6 4" mountain gun but never any problems with it. I can only suggest to take it back to stock and use factory ammo to see if the issues continue. most problems with reputable guns are a result of tinkering with things... i.e. modifications and reloads.
 
Where can I get a factory spring set? I bought the gun used so I'm not sure what tinkering happened before I put my hands on it.

I got the mainspring from Wolff - it's rated at "factory power", so that was my attempt at getting it back to stock setup. I can't seem to find an actual S&W factory spring set online
 
Hey Jim, thanks for the suggestion! Looks like the strain screw was molested a bit by the previous owner... I never would have thought to check that
 
Yes, Advanced Bubba Tuning (as demonstrated by such klutzes as Jerry Miculek) calls for screwing the strain screw in and out to find the minimum tension that will fire the round. Then measuring the amount it is backed off and grinding that much off the tip so it can be seated flush again.
 
That's NOT an adjustment screw ! Never was ! A proper trigger job involves attention to all the parts of the whole ignition section. Light smooth and reliable !
no I don't do that work any more but I have made many shooters happy in the past. :)
 
Weak DA on S&W 629

mete said:
That's NOT an adjustment screw ! Never was
Click to expand...


Yet in reality it was used as such, successfully. Diminishing reliability for a perceived better trigger. In some mindsets, lighter means better.

In reality, cleanliness is more important.




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double action will will give me a light primer strike every 2 (give or take) out of the 6 shots. If i go back to the lightly struck rounds and hit them again, they go off
Click to expand...

Classic symptoms of primers that are not fully seated...

Just something else to check...
 
I wrote a long article about working with the triggers on S&W revolvers. The article includes a section on the causes of misfires. The article is here:

Improving the trigger on Smith & Wesson Revolvers

The section on the causes of misfires is here:

Issues which cause light strikes

The article is also discussed in this thread:

https://thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=584772

Regarding your specific situation, the suggestion to use a spent primer as a shim on the end of the strain screw is a good one. It would also be helpful if you could let us know the current weight of the double action trigger pull. The double action trigger pull gives an approximate estimate of the mainspring strength, so it provides a clue whether spring strength is the primary issue. Both of these ideas are discussed at further length in the article.

Good luck with this issue. The 629 is a great gun, and after you resolve the issue, I expect that it will be entirely reliable.
 
Straight shooter, excellent post and suggestions.

Many years ago, I had regular access to S&W's factory custom shop where the gunsmiths traded out mainspring and trigger return springs to get the trigger pulls they wanted. The strain screw was always fully seated and the trigger pulls, both DA and SA were and are superb. I was never charged for the service performed there, and thoroughly enjoyed the conversations with those old masters....this was back in the late 70's and no doubt, a lot has changed. Thanx again for a useful post. Rod
 
The OP has already stated that the screw for the main spring has been molested by the previous owner so I doubt the issue is primers
 
Folks, I bought a new 625JM from S&W(I worked for BPS and S&W gave us a good discount) the gun had an adjusted (shortened) strain screw by S&W. It still had a horribly hard D/A trigger pull. Put a Wolff lighter spring in it, no go, misfired even on Federal primers. Bought a new strain screw from Brownells, works now with Federal primers, maybe with CCI, last 100 CCI's worked. The screw from Brownells was the wrong screw but it worked.
 
One of the problems with strain screws is that the stainless strain screws from S&W are very soft. If you have a wolff spring with a groove in it, and you tighten and loosen the strain screw a few times, the tip of the screw will often deform. The deformation may effectively shorten the screw. The same effect can happen to a lesser degree even with a flat stock mainspring.

One thing that can help with this issue is to use a blued strain screw. The blued screws are still a bit soft, but they are harder than the stainless screws, and they tend to last a bit better. If I needed to replace the strain screw on a stainless revolver, and I was using grips that hide the screw, then I would get a blued screw if it was available.
 
Teddy Jacobson sold a strain screw made out of a headless set screw. He ground the tip into a truncated pyramid that click stopped in the Wolff groove.
 
It's entirely possible the previous owner had/did the trigger to optimise the SA action and in doing so, damaged the DA.
"...Where can I get..." Wolff Springs sells their Type 1 Power Rib Mainspring for $12. Probably an idea to buy as rebound spring set too. $9 for an assortment that are 12 to 16 pounds. Factory is 18.
https://www.gunsprings.com/index.php
I'd be inclined to take it to a Smith specialist and have the trigger re-done though. You can nickel and dime yourself into the poor house changing one part at a time.
 
If you really know what you're doing there is a better way. that is to reduce the width of the spring. Not for amateurs.
 
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