What can i do to lighten the DA trigger pull?

[boredelmo]

My mom digs snubbies. She likes the look and simplicity.

My dad expects her to use a Sig p220 in .45 when hes away on business to protect the family. I'm stuck in another city going to college or else this wouldnt be too much a concern.

She really dug my .38spl Rossi Snub. I didn't let her keep it just yet because she can't muster enough trigger pull power to shoot it DA.

What can i do to fix this?

Are there any better revolvers suited for this job? Do the Ladysmith's have a lighter DA trigger pull?

-Elmer

 

[ArchAngelCD]

All the newer S&W J frame revolvers have a heavier trigger than the ones from years ago. You can thank the lawyers for that. The Taurus and Rossi triggers are even heavier.

If your Mom really likes a revolver then I would suggest you try and find her a used 2" S&W Model 10 or other K frame or a Ruger Service/Speed/Security-Six. The triggers on the older revolvers are as smooth as glass and you have the added benefit of 6 rounds. I bought my 2.75" Ruger Police Service-Six for I think it was $250 but not sure, bad memory.

 

[SnWnMe]

Not always true. I have old J frames that had gritty and heavy triggers.

Dry firing and lots of shooting is what smoothens up the works (at least in Smiths). You can use lighter springs but they tend to compromise reliability.

Give me a new J frame for two weeks and I'll give you back a smooth albeit well broken in piece.

 

[MrBorland]

Dry firing and lots of shooting is what smoothens up the works (at least in Smiths). You can use lighter springs but they tend to compromise reliability.

I agree with the 2nd statement, but not the 1st. IMHO, simply shooting (live or dry fire) it to "smooth" out the trigger is like trying to get a finished surface on rough-cut lumber using very fine sandpaper - you'll get a rough surface, that just feels smoother at the surface. I have a pair of Smiths, each with thousands of rounds shot through them, and the DA trigger's not significantly better now than when new. Getting a smooth trigger will take some competent smithing, methinks.

As far as the DA trigger pull weight the OP was asking about, a DA revolver trigger is inherently somewhat heavy, but having a smith smooth contact surfaces (e.g. hammer/trigger, cylinder, ejector star lobes, etc) should help. Since pulling the DA trigger is also rotating the mass of the loaded cylinder, you'd probably have less pull weight with a lighter 5-round cylinder rather than 6. And how 'bout one of those lightweight titanium cylinders to reduce cylinder weight? I hear they are supposed to reduce pull weight, but I'm skeptical that it makes that much difference. Maybe only if you're doing rapid fire.

Ask the smith about lightening the springs. It's true you can easily compromise reliability, but if the action's also been smoothed, you may only need a little lightening. Also, some primers need less hammer strike than others - I believe Federal needs less, and CCI needs more, for example. If her snubbie shoots Federal just fine, and the action's been smooth, it may be possible to lighten the springs even more. Again, best check with a competant smith, though.

 

[DawgFvr]

Hmmm, I just purchased a new 642 and after a week of "dry-firing" it smoothed right out. After a few range trips, it now seems like butter. No way would I allow anybody the opportunity to alter the springs on the J frame. A laser grip helped me master the ability to keep the revolver steady, aim, trigger squeeze...did the breathing drill all on my own. My experience tells me that dry firing and live firing work very well in the trigger department...thank you very much.

 

[HiWayMan]

Dry firing serves two purposes. First, it will polish mated internal surfaces, and second, it strengthens trigger fingers. Both are important and will contribute almost equally (the latter moreso) to a lighter "feeling" trigger.

For the "polishing" aspect I would hose out the internals with brake cleaner, re-lube, and dry fire. Repeat this procces every 500 trigger pulls or so. If you feel especially handy you may wish to place some Flitz metal polish on the internals and dry fire that way, and then flush and lube.

 

[gitarmac]

I'll bet I'm at least as old if not older than your mom and I love shooting double action revolvers. I wonder if it's just pscological, some of my friends are unable, at first, to rack the slides on my autoloaders, when they quit trying to be gentle and use proper technique then they can do it.

It is important for her to be able to shoot the gun, like others have said, not all revolvers have heavy trigger pulls. And it's also possible to strengthen your trigger finger. When I got my gp100 I didn't think it was a heavy trigger till about 50 or so dry fires when my finger got tired. It was a great tool for developing strength and control though, my 642 feels like buttah! Maybe getting a smith to work on it would be a good investment, a lot of the fellas on this board do that as well. Maybe they have one already worked on that she could dry fire just to make sure she would like it that way.

Another option is a snubbie with a hammer. When I was very young (in my 20's) my parents gave me a couple of .22 revolvers. They had horrible double action triggers so I always shot them single action. When I moved out into the country and actually had to pop off a few shots I had no problem doing it at all, didn't even have to think about it.