dashootist
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My 686 with MIM hammer is slightly rubbing the side plate. I can see the hammer is slightly sitting more on the right side. Is the solution just file the side plate until it doesn't rub? Thanks.
S&W Hammer rubbing side plate
- Thread starter dashootist
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matchgradeindustries
Member
I would hesitate to alter the dimensions much without the aid of something more precise than a file. Do you have access to a flat surface grinder, or at the very least, a trued piece of granite?
Some times these work.
Do Not file Sideplate
http://www.brownells.com/.aspx/pid=9850/Product/S_W_SIDEPLATE_SHIMS
Do Not file Sideplate
http://www.brownells.com/.aspx/pid=9850/Product/S_W_SIDEPLATE_SHIMS
triggerman770
Member
hammer rubbing
is this a new gun? did the rubbing just start? need to completely troubleshoot before getting the metal removers out. there could be crud behind one side of the hammer causing it. don't grind till you eliminate everything else. and if it is a new gun Smith will fix it under warranty
is this a new gun? did the rubbing just start? need to completely troubleshoot before getting the metal removers out. there could be crud behind one side of the hammer causing it. don't grind till you eliminate everything else. and if it is a new gun Smith will fix it under warranty
dashootist
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Yes, new gun.
Yikes! $18.
Yikes! $18.
I simply don't understand, why we've been repeatedly told that with precision CNC machines and MIM parts, everything now is absolutely perfect... 
Anyway, the hammer and trigger are supposed to be centered by a raised boss on the hammer/trigger studs (pins those parts rotate on) and sideplate. When they are short the respective parts can float back & forth on the studs. The only way to correctly fix the problem is the previously mentioned bushings (incorrectly sometimes called washers). Better gunsmiths almost always use them as part of an action tune-up job.
You can return the revolver to Smith & Wesson, but I'm pretty sure they will tell you your gun is "within specification."
Anyway, the hammer and trigger are supposed to be centered by a raised boss on the hammer/trigger studs (pins those parts rotate on) and sideplate. When they are short the respective parts can float back & forth on the studs. The only way to correctly fix the problem is the previously mentioned bushings (incorrectly sometimes called washers). Better gunsmiths almost always use them as part of an action tune-up job.
You can return the revolver to Smith & Wesson, but I'm pretty sure they will tell you your gun is "within specification."
dashootist
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You're probably right. With the stock mainspring, you wouldn't notice it by the trigger pull because of its heaviness. Only with a reduced power mainspring, would you notice the friction. If you want a smooth trigger pull from S&W, you'd have to pay for their custom trigger job.
Hammer on my 686P rubbed on the left side. 
I've come to except, if it was made in China or the USA it will either be junk or need finish work done to make it right.
I stopped by a real gun shop we have in town and purchased my spring kit along with hammer and trigger bearing's @ .002 thick each. I got my stones out and set off. It's now right and shots great! The trigger rub was tricky. I had to put .006 in shims/bearings on the left side. This made it better. But not right. Further inspection showed the darn hammer rotation pin was not right. I ended up taking a old steel cleaning road, slipping one end over the pin. I gently bent the pin in the direction needed to square up the hammer. I had to do a tad of stone work on the trigger it's self and the cover plate.
The pistol shoots very well! No issues what so ever with light strikes using the light return and reduced power hammer spring. Just got to slick them up and make sure the hammer drags on nothing.
I've come to except, if it was made in China or the USA it will either be junk or need finish work done to make it right. I stopped by a real gun shop we have in town and purchased my spring kit along with hammer and trigger bearing's @ .002 thick each. I got my stones out and set off. It's now right and shots great! The trigger rub was tricky. I had to put .006 in shims/bearings on the left side. This made it better. But not right. Further inspection showed the darn hammer rotation pin was not right. I ended up taking a old steel cleaning road, slipping one end over the pin. I gently bent the pin in the direction needed to square up the hammer. I had to do a tad of stone work on the trigger it's self and the cover plate.
The pistol shoots very well!
No issues what so ever with light strikes using the light return and reduced power hammer spring. Just got to slick them up and make sure the hammer drags on nothing.First of all the "hammer rotation pin" is called a "hammer stud," at Smith & Wesson, and if you don't know that maybe you shouldn't be doing what you are...
Top S&W specialists do check the studs, but they use a fixture with bushings and a dial indicator to see exactly how much and in what direction any changes should be made. Also they make sure that the problem is a bent stud, and not the hole for it in the frame drilled at an off-angle.
Years ago the studs were threaded, and screwed into their respective holes. That made it possible to easily change a defective one. Today they are press-fit into the holes, replacing them is a send-it-to-the-factory job, and can only be done once. After that you'll need a new frame. Depending on what model revolver is involved, and when it was made, new frames may or may not be available, and if they are they'll likely be expensive.
So I hope that anyone who is thinking of using a cleaning rod for a pry bar will think twice and take all of this into consideration.
dashootist
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Made my own bushing with a little bit of 0.006 feeler gauge. Feels good to be innovative. And save twenty bucks.
You missed the sarcasm…
The best way to get perfect parts, regardless of what manufacturing technology is used, is frequent inspection.
But that’s an unlikely solution because it’s expensive. Usually it’s cheaper to let everything go out the door, and then repair the relatively few that are sent back.
Smith & Wesson gets some credit points for having an excellent Customer Service Department and doing warrantee repairs, but never the less, as this thread shows, modern technology does not guarantee perfect products, which some seem to say is the case.
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