Trigger work on a SW 642

[stephen]

Guys,
I have a SW 642 and have put about 400 rounds through it. It has an extremely stiff and un-smooth (don't know how else to explain it!) trigger. After this many rounds I thought it would work itself out but no such luck. I know a DAO revolver trigger is not supposed to be a joy but this one is tough even for what it is.

I haven't measured the trigger pull on a gauge but I'd like to lighten that up a bit as well. Is this something a local gunsmith can smooth out for me or am I pretty much stuck with it?

Anyone know of any good gunsmiths in Northern Michigan? Thanks in advance for any advice.
Steve

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[rocky]

PM sent

[crankshop1000]

take off the side plate and do a clean and lube. Mine was stiff and notchy too. I found the action was bone dry and even had some machining debris inside. The action was much better after the clean. Remember the 642 is not a target revolver, it is a close quarters self defense weapon that you want to go bang every time the trigger is pulled.I'd leave the action alone .I have a new set of lasermax laser grips for that gun for cheap if you are interested.PM me. Chuck.

[skystud1]

take off the side plate and do a clean and lube. Mine was stiff and notchy too. I found the action was bone dry and even had some machining debris inside. The action was much better after the clean. Remember the 642 is not a target revolver, it is a close quarters self defense weapon that you want to go bang every time the trigger is pulled.I'd leave the action alone .I have a new set of lasermax laser grips for that gun for cheap if you are interested.PM me. Chuck.

anyone have pics of sideplate removal? First timer here. Also can you lube the guts without taking off the plate?

[Chevy-SS]

I concur on the "clean and lube". Plus, while you're in there you just might see a sharp burr or something that could be causing rough operation. I am NOT advocating major internal mods by the uninitiated here; but if it's something simple and obvious , then a quick touchup with a file or fine sandpaper could make all the difference.

[tankdriver]

I just went through the same thing. Try dry fire it at least 2000 times before doing anything else. It doesn't too long, but with an action as stiff as the 642's you will need to rest your trigger finger a few times. This help smooth the contact points of some of the internal parts to a degree. Then take the side plate off (see this site for info on that--do not pry it off, and use the correct screwdriver). There will be lots of black wear debris from the dry firing. Flush and scrub it out well with mineral spirits or WD-40 or other mild solvent and a toothbrush and blow out with compressed air if available. Then lube with a quality oil like Breakfree CLP. Replace side plate and try it out.

The action should feel smoother but will still be stiff. If still not happy with it, install a spring kit from either Wolff or Wilson Combat. Both are sold by Midway USA for $8.49. The spring kits consist of an 8lb hammer spring and 13, 14, and 15lb trigger rebound springs. These are a couple pounds lighter than the factory springs. Replacing the hammer spring is childsplay, but the trigger rebound spring will take some perseverence. I put an 8lb hammer and 13lb rebound spring in mine and it did not lighten the action dramatically, but it helped. The firing pin still rams the heck out of the primer on my gun and there are no trigger reset issues, so reliability should not be an issue. If still not satisfied, an "action job" is in order. This mainly involves polishing of specific surfaces of the internal parts and is best done by a gunsmith if you are not mechanically inclined. There are also resources (books, vids) available that provide instruction if you want to do it yourself.

Here's a pic of a 642's innards to show you what you are working with. The hammer spring is the long one on the left. The rebound spring is the blue one partially visible inside the rebound slide, behind the trigger

[stephen]

Sounds like a job a bit above my know how. I don't want to start messing with my carry gun and screw it up. However, thanks a ton for all the options. I will definately do the 1000 rd. dry fire before taking it to a smith to get cleaned and lubed.

I'll report when I get it back if the above tips and tricks provided the desired results.

Thanks again.

[QKShooter]

Completely Degrease the gun.

Use a solvent spray Contact Cleaner Degreaser. (local hardware store item) and use a lot of it.

Let it spill out of there.

Strip your firearm of all traces of internal lubrication - BEFORE you do your Dry Firing.

That is the best way to get the internals to "work polish" their respective "metal to metal" contact points.

Then relube with a CLP type lubrication - Break Free - FP~10 or WeaponShield and you should feel some noticeable difference in smoothness.

It will not harm the revolver in the least. That information according to S&W.

Don't thank me for the information. Send me a dollar in the mail.

[Chevy-SS]

Completely Degrease the gun..........Strip your firearm of all traces of internal lubrication - BEFORE you do your Dry Firing. .........That is the best way to get the internals to "work polish" their respective "metal to metal" contact points.......It will not harm the revolver in the least. That information according to S&W...........

That is amazing. I don't doubt you here, but I just can't understand this at all. I've been shooting for 40 years and have done plenty of little polish jobs. I just did a "fluff and buff" on a .45 AMT BUG, and it truly needed it. IMO the gun woulda been ruined if I followed that S&W protocol. There were deficiencies in that AMT that needed to be fixed and working the mechanism (especially dry!) only woulda made things worse.

Interesting...................

[crankshop1000]

In my ever humble opinion...metal parts are not designed to operate metal to metal. They are designed to have a film of lube.You might be better off simply removing the grips and blowing the action out with compressed air. Use a oil pen to dab whatever you can reach. The action will lighten slightly, but it is designed to work first shot every shot and takes a deliberate trigger pull to fire. Probably the safest revolver action there is.I'd say get used to it rather than change it. Buy a target revolver for target shooting.

[bmcgilvray]

I'm in the clean, lube, and use camp.

[QKShooter]

Well, the purpose of dry firing in order to smooth an action is to polish/burnish the mating part to part surfaces specifically using metal to metal contact in order to do that.

You are not really polishing much if the parts are riding on one another on a film of oil.

You can easily accomplish exactly the same honing effect by stripping the firearm of lubrication and dry firing only 2 to 3 hundred times as VS leaving the firearm fully lubed and dry firing 2,000 times.