S&W 642 trigger

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dave-o

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Hi folks,

I poked around in the search fields and couldn't find anything obvious, so I'll risk your scorn and ask this question:

I like my 642 a lot, but the trigger on the li'l guy is, if you'll pardon the expression, a real stiffy. I know DA carry guns are supposed to be stiff, buy this thing is, like, STIFF. I have Crimson Trace grips on it and I watch the dot bounce ALL AROUND even when I use both hands.

So, since it lacks the magic S&W adjustment screw, what are my options?

As always, thanks in advance for your input.

dave-o
 
I guess one could buy the batch of hardest primers known to man (CCI?), prime a cylinderfull of the cases with them (drill out the flash-hole to 1/8"), fire them without powder in a well-ventilated place (lead in the priming compound) and note the identation on the primers - using a magnifying glass and good lighting.
Placing a point light source to the side to create a shadow in the indentation might be a good way to make the distinction more pronounced.

Then one could file off the spring a tiny bit at a time, re-prime the cases afresh and fire them again - until there starts appearing a difference in the indentation.

One would be well advised to stop tinkering at this point.

[Disclaimer]The above is, of course, merely a speculation about what someone might do in a purely hypothetical scenario, not an advice to tinker with a firearm.[/Disclaimer]


Exercide your fingers a lot - that will definitely help.

miko
 
SnWnMe: sounds like good advice, and free. Plus, I dry fire a lot anyway; good practice.

Miko: great god! That sounds way too scary, though in the main it makes sense. Are there no aftermarket springs? The world is full of aftermarket springs for 1911s! Rant. Discrimination!

Thanks, both of you, for your advice.

dave-o
 
dave-o,

If you think the 642 is stiff try a 351PD. After I shoot my 351PD the 642 is like butter. Of course that isn't what you were asking I'll bet.

While both Wolff and Wilson(I think) make springs and spring kits for the j frames, I would personally get a good action job from a very reputable gunsmith (the S&W Performance Center if you are still under warranty) and leave the springs in there for the reason stated by SnWnMe.
 
I have a Wolff kit in my 642. It is still totally tested to be reliable. I have that combined with a ton of dry firing and it is 10000000 times better. Still not as smooth as a good ole Smith wheelie 66 etc...but still MUCH better.
 
Wow Dallas Guy, that is a lotta zeros. Maybe I'll look into Wolff springs, some of which reside in my 1911.

dave-o
 
I took mine apart and polished some of the contact surfaces with a polish compound and Dremel. I also replaced the mainspring with a reduced Wolff spring and the trigger is now better than my SP101 trigger was.
 
My S&W mod. 37 had a very stiff trigger. I took about a coil and a half (in 1/2 coil increments) off of the trigger re-bound spring and left the main spring alone. It greatly reduced the pull.
Make sure!!!!! that you don't take off so much that the trigger won't rebound completely when you rapid fire the gun.
 
Yep, trigger stiffness is an issue with latter-day Smith J-frames. (They are still fine guns.)

Taurus has their own issues, but the compact Taurus snubbies, in my experience, have notably better triggers than the current S&Ws. Somewhat lighter and much smoother. The Taurus boot grips feel better too.

It is one reason somebody who can afford a 642 might choose a Taurus.
 
I took S&W J-frame Combat Grip and cut off the lower part. That made it the best "boot" grip ever - two-fingered, well-rounded, closed backstrap, not too bulky.

The two Taurus boot grips I am throwing out after trying to shape off the corners - good they only cost me $9 apiece plus postage. They are too squarish to be comfortable under heavy recoil.

miko
 
Wolff spring kit on the way. At $9 I don't even have to clear it with the bursar!

Thanks one and all for your input. Watch this space for a performance report.

dave-o
 
Watch this space for a performance report.
Click to expand...
I will. Bad triggers are one of the only flaws of the classic S&W 642. The prospect of messing with the springs on a defense gun spooks me (I had what turned out to be a bad experience with Wolffs in a Ruger SP101) -- but I'd be glad to have my prejudices here disconfirmed.
 
Try this...

...and try to get used to it:

1) Dry fire it.

2) Most importantly, when you dry fire it, dry fire it slowly at times to get a good feel for the 642 trigger.

It should go: "CLICK", "CLICK"..."BANG" (hammer drops) Do this slowly and you can feel the clicks, etc.

Remember, "click, click, bang."

3) MAKE SURE IT'S UNLOADED!!!!!
 
^^^ I will try to post the pictures.
I cut the grip below the rubber partition, so the butt is covered by a thin (1/16-1/8") strip of rubber. The grip contains metal plates inside the sides, those are visible from the bottom as two white lines.

The way I did the cutting was to cut off the rubber with a sharp blade, then clamp the protruding end of the metal plate in a vise and cut it off with the hacksaw.Then smooth over the plates and shape the rubber somewhat with a file. I would prefer to use my table saw for a possibly smoother cut, but was too impatient to wait.

I found that my pinky finger actually has some purchase on the side of the rubber grip and could put real holding pressure on it, unlike the Taurus or Bantam grips where pinky goes under the butt.
That is strange, since the length of the new grip is less than 1/8" more than the other ones. Maybe the pinky finds room because the shape of the Combat grip makes it more natural to hold the handle higher - not a bad thing.

My hand is quite small, so your results might vary.

miko
 
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