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 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...
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.