642 rebound spring

[dave-o]

Hi all,

Did some searching and again came up emoty handed. Can any of you kind people link me to a page or describe (if it's simple) the procedure for removing and replacing 642 rebound springs.

Got the side plate off and figured out the trigger spring pretty easily, and even managed to get the hammer off (and back on) w/ no trouble, but can't see a clear way to get at the rebound spring.

Thanks in advance. My 642 will buy you a beer.

dave-o

 

[symr00]

I took mine out by accident after trying to get the pawl? back in. If you pull the trigger out, it will just come out. Be forwarned....There is a spring that is in the trigger that will drive youcrazy trying to get back in. I spent over an hour getting it into it's hole to reassemble my 642. The rebound spring isn't a wlk in the park either to get back in. My only wheelgun experience is with the Ruger SP101 and it was a dream to disassemble/reassemble. You might want to do a search on the S&W forum for some pictures on removal.

 

[Kor]

If all you're trying to do is remove/replace the rebound spring, you can just use a flat-bladed screwdriver to gently & carefully pry the rebound slide to the starboard side of the gun, and out of the frame. Use your thumb or a shop rag held over the frame opening to catch the rebound spring as it pops free from its retaining post. To reinstall, use a flat-bladed screwdriver tip to compress the spring into the rebound slide as you press the whole lot home past the retaining post. Be very careful, as you can easily put a gouge in the frame with the screwdriver tip if you slip. You may want to consider buying a cheap screwdriver to use as a "rebound-spring tool" and round off its corners with a file or grinding stone to reduce the chances of causing a gouge. Brownell's sells a tool designed for this purpose, it's just a length of thick steel wire with a dogleg bend and a slot at the end stuck in a screwdriver handle, and probably not worth buying unless you're a gunsmith or S&W armorer.

If you're thinking of clipping coils off the rebound spring to lighten the trigger pull, DON'T - clip too many coils, and the trigger will start to reset sluggishly, or not at all, and then you'll have to buy and install a replacement rebound spring. Same thing goes for Wolff reduced-power rebound springs, unless you test-fire the gun after reassembly with at least 50(preferably 200+) rounds of factory ammo or good-quality reloads. Again, DO NOT compromise reliable function for a lighter-feeling trigger.