Apex J-Frame Duty/Carry Spring Kit Review

[ST911]

One of the LSPs had made great posts on working with the Apex kit, internal polishing, and other sage advice. Worth finding.

[Leroy Suggs]

One of the LSPs had made great posts on working with the Apex kit, internal polishing, and other sage advice. Worth finding.

This

Dremels and wheels round off and leave waves. Nothing is flat, square, and true.
Use flat stones or 1500 grit wet-dry sandpaper mounted on a flat surface.

[echo5charlie]

Woolf and Apex have always helped triggers on J Frames; in my experience. The geometry of a J frame is so limiting, mastering one is very rewarding. Hang onto the one(s) you master as no two are identical in trigger mechanics.

After dry firing the sales model 442 a bit more today I'm noticing that the weighted pull is "ok", but it is rough - much rougher than my 442 pre-Apex. Post Apex, my 442 is MUCH smoother. I also have a 637 that is equally as rough, but the different grip angle may be playing into what I feel.

My 442 is staying with the Apex.

[echo5charlie]

Any chance you can find, beg or borrow a trigger pull gauge for comparison? Apex says the kit should get you in the 9lb range. Part of the rebound treatment for a S&W smoothe and tune is polishing the rebound and frame contact area to reduce friction. How do those areas look? I use a dremel felt wheel with buffing compound to bring the surfaces to an almost mirror shine rather than stoning. It takes just a few minutes.

Since I do not do any trigger work I only have an old weighted setup, nothing I'd call precision.

[echo5charlie]

Interesting results. I've been meaning to buy an Apex kit for my 642.

I will probably still get it, but your review has helped constrain my expectations. Thanks.

For the price of the kit there won't be any buyers remorse regardless of outcome.

[echo5charlie]

I think it has less effect in a well broken in gun than a new one. I found the kit slowed reset.

Mine does not exhibit a perceptible-to-me slowed reset. Or I should say that I cannot beat the reset.

[OlongJohnson]

After dry firing the sales model 442 a bit more today I'm noticing that the weighted pull is "ok", but it is rough - much rougher than my 442 pre-Apex. Post Apex, my 442 is MUCH smoother. I also have a 637 that is equally as rough, but the different grip angle may be playing into what I feel.

My 442 is staying with the Apex.

Roughness and springs are two different things. I always eliminate all the roughness I can before touching any springs.

[echo5charlie]

Roughness and springs are two different things. I always eliminate all the roughness I can before touching any springs.

I was not clear in the post. The shop 442 is rough. My 442 is not, nor was it prior to the apex.

[Chuck Whitlock]

I was not clear in the post. The shop 442 is rough. My 442 is not, nor was it prior to the apex.

Figure somewhere between 1400 and 1600 times the trigger has been pulled.

How was it prior to 1400-1600 trigger pulls?

[echo5charlie]

How was it prior to 1400-1600 trigger pulls?

I’ve typed and deleted a few replies. I realize that there is no way I can give an honest quantifiable response, but I will try to give one as best I can.

When I decided that a j-frame was going to (possibly) be my NPE carry gun and had already planned out a crazy dry fire routine to start the “1,000 round trigger job”. My choice was between the 442 and a 642 I had in the case. The 442 was the winner only because it felt smoother at the point where the cylinder rotated into the fire position but the hammer hadn’t dropped yet. Not being a revolver guy I call it the stacking stage, please let me know what it really is called. The 642, at the stacking stage, was unpredictable and would sometime drop the hammer when I felt that it shouldn’t have. That was based off of about 20 times for both, the 442 was like a Swiss watch in that respect.