^^^^Originally Posted by paul105
This is exactly what I experienced with my 340 and exactly what I did to solve it as well.
^^^^
This is exactly what I experienced with my 340 and exactly what I did to solve it as well.
212
If you don't reduce the friction, you shouldn't reduce the springs. My 640 with "duty action job" will fire CCI primers with softer mainspring, my old stock M38 will not.
Code Name: JET STREAM
I'm wondering if that's why I didn't have problems with the APEX kit I put in my 638. That gun was 10 years old and had at least a few thousand live rounds and probably an equivalent number of dry presses when I installed the kit.
I was into 10mm Auto before it sold out and went mainstream, but these days I'm here for the revolver and epidemiology information.
I recently installed an Apex kit in a 642 and have had no reliability issues.
My experience has been that tinkering with J frames can make them unreliable. Reducing friction with judicious polishing for me has always produced good results. I assert that Flitz and gentle elbow grease have no equal. Yes, the J action's lower mechanical advantage causes a heavier DA pull. When polishing does slightly improve the action, the shooter should accept this new state as good enough. Think about this. Long dry fire sessions will soon tire finger muscles. However, firing a short string of live ammo does not tax these muscles. I contend that a very light trigger pull would make not improve grouping or hit probability. Learning an effective technique and practice are the two essential elements of mastering J frames. Polishing the action helps.
I have owned three J's made within the last 5 years. Dry firing showed that friction between firing pin and the channel walls in the bushing produced sparks.This condition persisted. It indicates drag on the firing pin as it passes through the bushing channel. This friction very well might cause light strikes with "target" mainsprings, and it might retard the firing pin's retraction.
Last edited by willie; 01-11-2022 at 10:46 PM.
I tried an Apex kit in my 442, it lasted 83 rounds in which I had 3 failures to fire, all light strikes. Previous to that I had 721 rounds with no issues. Since the kit I have had 326 rounds through it with no issues.
YMMV.
"Detached reflection cannot be demanded in the presence of an uplifted knife." - Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes, Brown v. United States, 256 U.S. 335 (1921)
Wolff's have been my go-to spring kits for J, K, and N-frame revolvers over the years. Boring, but reliable. I stay with stock, or close-to-stock spring weights. Boring, I know.
Per Kuhnhausen's S&W shop manual (buy it through Brownells, it's worth every penny), the biggest part in these revolvers that will affect action smoothness is the rebound slide. From the factory, this part almost always has sharp corners and casting marks. A little bit of smoothing on the edges pays big dividends, without hurting reliability or safety.
Of course, the rebound slide removal/installation tool isn't necessary, but it makes things a lot easier...
If my firing pin was striking sparks, I would consider that a serious defect.
I would give the factory warranty clerk a chance, but would be prepared to seek out a real gunsmith.
Code Name: JET STREAM
When I told my doctor that moving my finger "like this" hurts, he said then don't move it "like that". When I told the warranty clerk that my firing pin sparks when I dry fire my revolver, he told me then don't move it "like that". Sorry, Jim. I couldn't resist the gag line.
Now we have eliminated the warranty clerk, maybe somebody can recommend a knowledgeable J-smith.
Code Name: JET STREAM
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