S&W Performance Center Trigger Job?

Hey folks,

I own a S&W 686+ and am considering having some work done to it. I was planning on having a PC action job done and possibly a ball/detent lock installed. I'm looking at the "Master Revolver Action Package"

I plan to use the gun at work and as a result can only have the firearm worked on by the manufacturer.

I guess my question is, will the PC job make a large enough difference in trigger feel to warrant having the work done?

I'm especially interested in the extra lock (It gets shot a lot) and the chamfered charge holes.

-Jake

 

Thy will make your trigger pull somewhat better but they won't go below what is known as a "duty action" trigger job. They will also find and correct any parts that are out of spec or need adjustment for reliability. It won't be inexpensive and it may take a long time to get it done and returned to you. I would not bother to do a ball detent installation. I don't know what kind of "work" you do but I would not try to go for a light trigger - it simply isn't necessary on a duty gun. On a competition gun - yes. On a duty gun you need 100% reliability with your chosen carry loads.

 

Not worried about a "light" trigger, smooth is the objective. It pulls fairly well after lots of dry firing but I'm curious what kind of magic the PC can work on it.

-Jake

 

They can definitely make it smoother.

 

Factory gunsmiths won't make huge changes. I have three tuned by a factory gunsmith and two tuned by others (Bob Munden being one) and the difference is night and day.

 

Agreed. The PC gunsmiths won't do the best possible job but they will 'complete' the work that is supposed to be part of a retail PC handgun. That is, it seems to me that the quality of tune of a new PC gun is not what it allegedly used to be and certainly not up to the standards of some quality 'smiths.
E.g. I purchased a used and well-cared-for .357 V-Comp that was tuned by Clark's some ten years ago and it is magnificent. Very linear DA trigger, very very smooth, lighter pull (but not dangerously so). Just an elegant piece. Then I purchased a new .44 V-Comp and the front blade fell off with a finger-strength push as soon as I took it out of the box. The trigger, though good, was grittier and heavier.
So I returned the gun to S&W PC to fix the front sight before ever shooting it. Then after receiving it, I function tested it at the range, and now it's off to Clark's to make it perform just like my .357.
So, they (PC) will make it better and it is likely worth doing it. But it's too bad you can't send it elsewhere - though I understand why your company would impose such a restriction.
B

 

They're at least two ways to smooth a S&W revolver double-action.

One is to polish(?) internal parts and substitute lighter springs. This procedure is often recommended over the Internet. But unless one knows what he is doing they can be left with a gun that is no longer reliable under all circumstances, and parts that will quickly wear because the hard "case hardened" surface is gone on some - or mostly so.

The other is to carefully fit various parts, sometimes through selection, other times through replacement and hand adjustment. Springs are seldom touched. The result is (or should be) frictionless movement of parts and exceptional smoothness as the trigger is pulled. While at best the pull won't be much if any lighter, the additional smoothness makes it feel that way. In any case reliability is not compromised and may even be improved.

This is what the do at the S&W factory, and a major reason some agencies and private businesses specify "factory work only."

Chamfered charge holes (chambers) make it easier to speed load, either by hand or using speed loaders, but the bullet's profile can make a big difference too.

Factory work usually doesn't come cheap, but work that improves the action while not reducing reliability does come with a plus. It appears you don't have any other option, and it's probable if you go forward it will come back better then it is now.

Last if not least, if this is work related and paid out of your own pocket it may be tax deductible. Check with a tax service.

 

time

I read on S&W forum this may take 8 months for the custom work at the mothership.
I say call and ask.
Good luck

 

True, but a lot of it depends on how you define "custom work." A tune-up the action job might be considerably faster. But yes, do ask.

 

I have a 686 that I returned to S&W for a PC action job. It is very nice. As Old Fuff posted it is not the lightest trigger I've ever felt but the double action is very smooth. No stacking, no grit or hitches/stops. Smooth, consistent pull till hammer fall.

It did, however, take two trips to S&W to get it right. I had light strikes after they initially sent it back to me. They took it back on and fixed it on their dime.

Mine went it before the current craziness, took about a month each time.

 

A month doesn't sound too bad. I will make sure that I ask S&W how long it will take before I make any solid plans. I've got a Model 65 to keep me company in the meantime just in case. Thanks everybody for the information thus far.

-Jake

 

I would send it to a good S&W smith like Frank Glenn over the factory.

http://glenncustom.com/

 

The OP does not have that option.

Jim

 

What is also recommended "over the internet" is for the work to be performed by a competent, professional gunsmith. A gunsmith that will fit the parts, deburr them, polish them and then re-harden them.

 

Which is good advise, but all too seldom taken. I have a collection of ruined parts removed from various handguns after the owner decided to go the do-it-yourself route to save money. Ultimately they didn't.

 

As a matter of interest, S&W revolver ace Jerry Miculek put out a 90 minute DVD titled Trigger Job which goes over the basics of smoothing up an S&W action.

Assuming that one's gun is fundamentally sound and doesn't require actual repair, just about anyone ought to be able to achieve a significant improvement to their own S&W revolver's trigger by following this DVD and using the right tools . . . and not going overboard.

 

All of which is a moot point. As was explained in the opening post, the member's employer requires it be returned to the factory for any work that's done.

 

With the discussion about "other" 'smiths, the comment was meant for everyone, not just the OP. And seeing what gets polished/deburred internally is probably useful information to everyone, as some of it may actually get done during the original assembly if a worker notices a rough spot or burr. (Even straight from the factory, triggers do vary.)

If you'd seen the DVD, you would have heard Miculek mention that simply working the action a few thousand times would "wear in" the parts to the point where the trigger pull would improve - this tidbit alone might be useful to the OP.

 

How about a Factory Authorized Smith? My old smith could do all factory authorized repairs on Smith and Walther products w/o the shipping back to the factory. And he did two really great action jobs for me.