[sigbear]

Does anyone know what the trigger pull is on S&W 642, I like the gun but am not a fan of DAO, I know some folk's get trigger jobs done, what would work well with this gun 6-7 lb.?

Sigbear

[SR_]

I see the 642 as a defense gun. As such it you may be under stress when you need it most. 6 to 7 lbs is a rather light trigger for a revolver (that's about where my IDPA guns are). I think you would run a risk of a AD with the light trigger. Further, you might be limited to federal primers.

I vote for a factory stock 642 trigger for the reasons above. (And yes, my money is where my mouth is. Both my 642 and my wife's 642 are factory stock.)

Oh, if you get one, take the side plate off and oil it. Mine was pretty dry and my wife's was pretty much bone dry.

[351 WINCHESTER]

Assuming you could get the trigger down to 6-7 lbs. I doubt you would have reliable ignition.

[pioneer461]

If, God forbid, you should have to shoot someone with any firearm that has had a trigger job, the guy's family attorney will rip you a new one in court for carrying around a handgun with a "hair trigger." We all know it's Bravo Sierra, but all he has to do is convince a bunch of people who aren't bright enough to get out of jury duty. :banghead:

http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb294/pioneer461/police.png

[Dollar An Hour]

It's about 12# out of the box. And as mentioned above, you don't want it much lighter as it will hurt reliability.

If you don't like DAO, sounds like you need to look at something else for carry. ;)

[btg3]

Oh, if you get one, take the side plate off and oil it. Mine was pretty dry and my wife's was pretty much bone dry.
Careful! There's a 642 for sale now on GB and the seller did exactly this. Now the screw heads are boogered up and there a scratch across the side plate. :banghead: Know what you are doing or get help.

[machinisttx]

If, God forbid, you should have to shoot someone with any firearm that has had a trigger job, the guy's family attorney will rip you a new one in court for carrying around a handgun with a "hair trigger." We all know it's Bravo Sierra, but all he has to do is convince a bunch of people who aren't bright enough to get out of jury duty.

1. It used to be quite common for police to have trigger jobs done on their service revolvers. It's not quite as common today with automatics, but it does occur.

2. A "hair trigger" doesn't exist on a DOA revolver, period. Once you get under about 7-8 pounds of pull weight on a leaf spring gun, you'll be limited to using federal ammo and/or federal primers if you want the gun to go bang when the trigger is pulled. On a coil spring J frame, 9-10 pounds is the realistic limit with any degree of reliability. You can go lighter, but again, it'll be federal ammo and/or federal primers only. Do you really think anyone can claim that the weight of a gallon of milk(or more) is a "hair trigger"? :rolleyes: If we were discussing a 1.5 pound trigger on a 1911, you might have a point.

3. I hope, quite sincerely, that folks such as yourself are never involved in a deadly force situation. I suspect you'll be too busy worrying about inapplicable bull**** to shoot when required. If it's a good shoot, it's a good shoot. If not, too bad.





For the original question--- Pull weights are going to vary some from gun to gun depending on how well the parts are fitted and if it's a new or used gun. New guns are probably in the 14 pound range. One that's been shot some might drop a pound or so, as well as being a little smoother.

Mom recently bought a new 642, and while I didn't measure the pull before working on it, I did measure it after. After some polishing and changing the rebound spring, it's at 11.5 pounds(and a very noticeable improvement). I suspect that after it gets a little more use, it will drop slightly.

[Frank Ettin]

Both my 442 and 640 came with fairly heavy, gritty trigger pulls of a about 12 to 14 pounds . But it's hard to say because my gauge won't read high enough, and the grittiness probably made them feel heavier than they would have measured.

I sent them both off to Teddy Jacobson (Actions by "T", http://www.actionsbyt.com/), and he smoothed them out nicely. I'd estimate that the trigger pulls were now in the 10 to 11 pound range and very smooth and manageable.

http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l142/fiddletown_2006/SWj/IMG_4538E2.jpg

[semperfi.45]

My 442 has a stock 11.5#. It has smoothed out from use so I don't think I'll change it.

[jad0110]

An action job by a reputable gunsmith to polish all of the engagement surfaces may be your best bet. Won't effect reliability (unlike chopping springs), and you will end up with a silky smooth trigger pull that still may measure around 8 to 10 lbs ... but you will likely perceive it as being significantly less. Smoothness has much more to do with shootability than pull weight, IMHO.

I've tried out others' guns that had such action jobs performed, and the triggers felt like they were down around 6 to 7 lbs, not the 8 to 10 that they actually were. Something I'd like to do with my wheelies one day. Already had such an action job performed on my Springer 1911 Mil-Spec; it was in desperate need of help, unlike my Smiths.

I've always contended that a rough 6 lb trigger will feel heavier than an uber-smooth 10 lb trigger. BTW, after thousands of live rounds and dry firing, my 642's trigger is surprisingly slick. Could still benefit from an action job, but it is decent as-is.

[226]

I sent them both off to Teddy Jacobson (Actions by "T"...
What was the turnaround time?

[Frank Ettin]

What was the turnaround time?
IIRC, about 2-3 weeks.

[SAWBONES]

It's about 12# out of the box.

Or more like 20. I just bought a new no-lock one three days ago, and it ain't 12 lb.