S&W 442 DA Only Takedown Question: Mainspring Tension

[Tony_the_tiger]

Good evening,

I was following the Kunhausen book and going through checks and disassembly of a S&W 442. Although Kunhausen does not write about relieving mainspring tension prior to removal of the sideplate, previously it has been discussed here that doing so will prevent shearing of the hammer pivot pin which loses the support of the sideplate.

However, in the modern version of the 442, the mainspring is not held in tension by a screw, but rather may be released by inserting a pin into the spring heel while pulling the trigger.

The pin is really barely accessible with the sideplate off, and if a pin is inserted into the hole with the sideplate off all tension is not released.

It would appear to me at the moment that by design one may relieve mainspring tension only with the sideplate off on this model.

Could one of you with experience here help me understand how to fully release mainspring tension on a 442 with the sideplate still on?

Thank you

 

[BBBBill]

J frame S&Ws use a coil spring mainspring, not a leaf like the K, L, and N frame guns. The coil spring is not tensioned by a set screw. On every J-frame S&W that I've ever handled the spring is captured by inserting a pin into the bottom end of the hammer strut (accessible with the grips off) with the hammer back. That would require "staging" the trigger by pulling to cock the hammer far enough back to expose the hole in the lower end of the strut. I can't believe that S&W would have done that much of a redesign without some chatter about it on the net to make us aware. Are you certain that you are looking in the right place?

 

[Tony_the_tiger]

Thank you, sir. It appears my issue was assuming access to the hole in the spring was symmetric like with my rugers. Access to the hole is facilitated by a cutout in the grip frame on one side of the spring, and not the other. I was accessing it from the wrong side and only achieving partial release.