If only it didn’t have the soul-leaking hole........Originally Posted by medmo
If only it didn’t have the soul-leaking hole........
Last edited by Stephanie B; 01-12-2019 at 09:35 PM.
If we have to march off into the next world, let us walk there on the bodies of our enemies.
Trigger work would be mandatory and immediate. It’s simple, straight forward and is mostly swapping out to after market springs. Kills me that S&W feels the need to ship revolvers with over kill eight billion pound springs in them. Then a Rough Country Target rear sight, a HiViz Red front and a set of Hogue rubber Bantams. Like I said, I’m not the right guy for talking anyone out of this idea.
Last edited by medmo; 01-12-2019 at 10:27 PM.
Yup, I buy one of those titanium lock replacement plugs off eBay, and take the pistol to my favorite local gun mechanic.
He removes the lock, installs the plug, and stops the soul-hemorrhaging.
When I pay him in cash and whiskey, he even polishes the action while he's looking at the innards.
I’ve moved on from that years ago. When I want to admire one of the newer S&W revolvers I just turn it over and look at the right side of it. It’s just easier that way for everyone.
Not really. No issues with the springs they come with. Lightened spring kits in revolvers are a crutch which compromise in reliability and if shooting at speed, shootability.
Now how smooth the trigge pull is often leave something to be desired but that is largely a tolerance stacking issue and another reason to not buy modern S&W revolvers sight unseen.
Last edited by HCM; 01-12-2019 at 10:55 PM.
Can you elaborate on that a bit for me. I’ve heard people say that before, but I’m not sure I understand.
I’d be ordering mine in most likely
Definitely polishing/buffing/stoning is part of the package. That and tuning with the right springs can make any S&W action slicker than (insert here what ever you find to be the most slickest thing imaginable). I would have a really hard time buying ANY revolver sight unseen and without a chance to run through an action check. Agreed. Having said that I haven’t found newer S&W revolvers to be turds. Other people’s experiences may vary.
Last edited by medmo; 01-12-2019 at 11:05 PM.
It is the product of having gotten a random mix of recent guns with good and bad QC.
In the past, S&W revolvers were built with tool steel internal parts and “fitted” by skilled workers. The first step in that fitting was acknowledging there were differences in the tolerance of the parts and trying different parts to find a hammer, trigger, etc which fit together well.
Current S&W revolvers are made with MIM internals. The good news is there is nothing wrong with MIM itself and they can hold tighter tolerances on the parts themselves. The bad news is they are now “assembled” not fitted and as long as they function you get what you get in terms of tolerance stacking.
Personally I’ve had the following issues on recent production S&W revolvers:
1) Some have a noticeable “hitch” in the middle of the the DA stroke, usually the result of the fit between the cylinder notches and the cylinder stop as it rises to lock the cylinder. This can be reduced, but not eliminated in the new guns.
2) I’ve had a fixed revolver with a 2 piece barrel improperly installed causing a far right POI. S&W addressed this under warranty, reducing the error but not eliminating it.
3) I also had a 686 plus (7 shooter) performance center gun which shot groups of 5 and 2 flyers together. Turned out the gun had five chamber throats of one size and two of another. The same gun had issues with the rebound slide sticking and preventing the trigger from resetting even with the stock full power rebound spring.
If you order one check it carefully before you accept it at your FFL and don’t hesitate to make use of S&W warranty service, which is generally good.
Last edited by HCM; 01-12-2019 at 11:17 PM.
I’ve had mixed experience with recent (last 10 years) production S&W revolvers as detailed in the post above.
Slickness / smoothness and spring weight are two seperate issues. The current MIM parts have their pros and cons but one limitation is they are only surface hardened which limits how much they can be polished or buffed without causing serious issues.
Last edited by HCM; 01-12-2019 at 11:17 PM.
I just assume that current production S&W and Ruger revolvers are almost-ready-to-shoot revolver kits, and are shipped fully assembled as a reliable method of ensuring all the parts are included. Both companies routinely ship things that should never have made it out the door.
Very strongly agree with the smoothness vs. spring weight comments, though. A fully slicked up revolver really doesn't need lighter springs unless you're trying to beat Jerry.
Last edited by OlongJohnson; 01-12-2019 at 11:19 PM.
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Not another dime.
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