S&W Model 15 - Trigger job

[Poper]

I just picked up my 4" Model 15 after having a trigger job done.
Holy cow! What a difference! Smooth and less than 1/2 the factory pull! Money well spent, IMHO.
I have had the gun since 1993 but have hardly shot it. The trigger work was intended to lure my wife into a more active participation in range sessions as the .38 Special seems nearly perfect for her.

This just might work!

Poper

 

[LeonCarr]

Who did the work on it?

 

[Old Fuff]

If the trigger pull is truely half of what it was you may discover that some cartridges don't go bang! Getting a lighter pull isn't difficult. Getting one that's reliable under any and all circumstances is...

 

[Poper]

LeonCarr:
I had a local gunsmith, Allen Vaughn, here in Chandler, Az do the work.

Old Fluff:
This I have heard, too.
I load my own and have fired CCI, Remington and WSP primed loads with 2.8gn Bullseye in WW brass (its favorite target load) since the work. No FTF to date and approx. 150 rds.
Is it possible FTF's may begin to occur after some appreciable wear?

Poper

 

[Old Fuff]

Is it possible FTF's may begin to occur after some appreciable wear?

Yes, for a number of reasons, the most common of which are:

1. Springs may take a set and weaken.
2. You may get a lot of hard primers in any brand of primers or commercial cartridges.
3. The cylinder may develop endshake (back & forth movement, as opposed to rotational movement) which increases headspace.
4. Dirt or fouling may invade around the lockwork.

The factory builds in a certain safety factor with their heavy springs to insure that in any emergency the revolver will function and fire - no matter what. When the springs are lightened this safety factor is reduced or even eliminated. Some think they can beat the odds and still get a lighter pull by only reducing the rebound slide (trigger) spring and not the main (hammer) one. However a reduced rebound slide spring can tie up the gun in double action firing if the trigger dowsn't move fully forward, or the hammer doesn't rebound, or the shooter starts to pull the trigger again before it is fully forward.

A lot depends on what you are going to use this revolver for. If it is strictly a range gun I wouldn't worry - but if you get a misfire keep the muzzle pointed downrage while you slowly count to 10, because you may have a hang fire. Also if the springs have been altered you may have a single action pull that's too light to be safe.

If the gun is used, or kept as a defensive weapon, I would stick to the factory springs, because unquestionable reliability is more important then anything else.

Perhaps the answer is best to have two revolvers, 1 for her and 1 for you.

 

[ThomasT]

If the gun is used, or kept as a defensive weapon, I would stick to the factory springs, because unquestionable reliability is more important then anything else.

+1 on that. I have been down the "Light Spring" road before. All my Smiths have the factory spring settings and are as reliable as sunrise in the morning.

 

[Poper]

Old Fluff,
Thank you for the input.
The multiple revolver answer is the current situation. Mine is a slightly used circa 1978 Ruger Security Six. My wife has yet to fire the S&W M15, but will this weekend. It is not intended as a combat revolver nor as strictly a range gun, though that will be its main purpose, but will serve a secondary role as her primary HD. (There are 4 different handguns in convenient, concealed locations about the house.) She is very small (4'-8" & 91 lbs.) so a fairly small revolver with a manageable (for her) trigger is desired, especially as her primary practice & #1HD weapon.

I have had this particular M15 for 14 years and it has seen very little use over the years. This is the first time I have had a handgun trigger worked on and I was very surprised at the results, which was the subject of my original post. The factory trigger pull was very rough and double action pull was very stiff.

I very much appreciate your insights. Because of your comments, I will pay much closer attention to primer performance and dents. Any indications of mal-function and I will make a trip back to the GS.

Thanks again for your input!

Poper

On second thought, maybe using the M15 as her practice weapon and a second revolver for her HD weapon might be a good idea.

 

[pinkymingeo]

My 15-3 has a factory action job. Best shooting revolver I have. To date, not a FTF regardless of primer. They didn't change the mainspring.

 

[Old Fuff]

For Poper and other that need the smoothest and lightest double action possible, with a crisp single action pull, I suggest and highly recommend that you obtain one of the old S&W Military & Police (pre-model 10) revolvers that has the so-called "long action," and were made shortly after World War Two.

These are sometimes called “transitional models,” because they transitioned between the pre-war long action, and the new “short action” introduced after the war. The long action has a justifiable reputation of having the best double action of all revolvers because of their design. S&W decided to make an easier-to-cock single action in response to the wishes of bullseye target shooters, but in so doing gave up some of the advantage in their previous double action pull.

While the older revolvers may not seem exceptional at first they can be substantially improved without giving up any reliability. Other then switching in a later mainspring and giving the insides a good cleaning and lubrication, not much is needed.

While the internals of pre-war revolvers is much the same, the transitional guns have both the long action, and the positive hammer block safety that was developed toward the end of the war, and is still used today. Thus you have the best of both worlds.

Interestingly, there doesn’t seem to be any price difference between long and short action revolvers that were made at this time. I presume that’s because most buyers don’t know what you do now…