Posted: 2/5/2011 7:46:02 AM EDT
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I just purchased my first revolver. Its a Smith and Wesson 686 w/ a 4" barrel. I know nothing about the trigger spring weights, except that Brownells has alot of options.
What would be a good switch from the stock springs to something a little nicer? Thanks guys!! |
| If it's for self defense, I'd leave it alonet. For recreational use, you can buy a calibration kit with several different weights of mainsprings and trigger rebound springs from Wolff. Get someone who knows what they're doing to take it apart––it's not as easy as it seems and the revolver can be damaged. |
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some issues here.
1. you havent even shot it, so you really dont know how it is as-is or even with a few hundred/thousand rounds thru it. 2. shoot it and get an idea on how good/bad the action is. 3. when it comes to certain springs, you just can say, so and so will work. it depends on the gun and wear/use. some of the springs you have to work your way up or down until you get issues. btw. if you decide to go as low as possible, be prepared to try as many different ammo as you can since some ammo will or wont work. if youre going to use reloads, then you maybe able to tailor your springs to the reloads. |
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I did some recreational shooting with it this afternoon. It shot pretty well. It will only be shooting at paper, and normally with re-loads.
The trigger is alright now, but I'm wondering what I could do to make it better. I have a bit of experience gunsmithing experience. I've built 4 Mauser rifles and tuned my 1911 A1. Any ideas on how I could make my 686 a tack driver? |
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Quoted: I did some recreational shooting with it this afternoon. It shot pretty well. It will only be shooting at paper, and normally with re-loads. The trigger is alright now, but I'm wondering what I could do to make it better. I have a bit of experience gunsmithing experience. I've built 4 Mauser rifles and tuned my 1911 A1. Any ideas on how I could make my 686 a tack driver? What was said above about damaging the gun during disassembly is correct. The side plate is very precisely fitted and 99.9% of them won't just pop off when you take the screws out. The typical noob mistake is to pry it off, which WILL damage it. Buy the book and the appropriate tools unless you want buggered up screws, damaged parts, and a lot more expense. As far as accuracy, feed it ammo that it likes. Chances are it already shoots better than you do.  |
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Quoted:
Quoted:
I did some recreational shooting with it this afternoon. It shot pretty well. It will only be shooting at paper, and normally with re-loads. The trigger is alright now, but I'm wondering what I could do to make it better. I have a bit of experience gunsmithing experience. I've built 4 Mauser rifles and tuned my 1911 A1. Any ideas on how I could make my 686 a tack driver? What was said above about damaging the gun during disassembly is correct. The side plate is very precisely fitted and 99.9% of them won't just pop off when you take the screws out. The typical noob mistake is to pry it off, which WILL damage it. Buy the book and the appropriate tools unless you want buggered up screws, damaged parts, and a lot more expense. As far as accuracy, feed it ammo that it likes. Chances are it already shoots better than you do.
It does shoot way better than I do! |
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FWIW, I use the reduced power ribbed spring as the mainspring and the 15lb rebound spring for a little lighter action.
I bought the reduced power spring set from Brownell's and, it included the 15lb rebound spring along with a couple of others. The 15lb is what I chose FWIW. YMMV. |
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Quoted:
I just purchased my first revolver. Its a Smith and Wesson 686 w/ a 4" barrel. I know nothing about the trigger spring weights, except that Brownells has alot of options. What would be a good switch from the stock springs to something a little nicer? Thanks guys!! Midway has the 6 piece Smith and Wesson screwdriver set and the Chapman set. I have the S&W set as I prefer dedicated tools instead of assembling tools for each job, but that's me. Brownell's has the tune up kit for the 686 in the catalog. I couldn't find it on the website, so you'll need to call or consult the hard copy. Unload the gun. Remove the grips. Remove all three screws from the sideplate and note where each one was placed. It matters. Hold the frame on its side with the cylinder latch up. Tap the grip frame with a plastic hammer until the sideplate pops free. The hammer block will drop with it. Remove the sideplate. Open the cylinder. It will pull out of the frame once you line up one of the flutes with the projection on the side of the frame. Unscrew the retaining screw near the base of the grip frame to remove the mainspring. I also used the ribbed mainspring from Wolff. Some people will tell you to unscrew the retainer screw part way and that will lighten the pull. Don't do it. Use the lighter spring and tighten the retaining screw until it seats. If you leave the screw part way out, it will turn itself loose. The rebound slide is the thing behind the trigger with the coil spring inside it. Use an awl or a fine punch to pry the spring off the post, and the slide and spring will be free. Replace the spring with the 15# one you got in the tune up kit. IMO, the light one is too light and the trigger doesn't reset with enough force for reliable operation. Don't put it back yet. You'll see a ground bearing surface on the inside of the sideplate around a hole where the hammer post sits. There is another bearing on the frame on the other side of the hammer. Pull the hammer back and wiggle it so you can get it away from the frame. You don't have to remove it, just get some space between the hammer and the frame. You'll have to hold the cylinder latch back to do this. When the latch is forward, the hammer can't move. It prevents the gun from firing out of battery. Use a lithium grease syringe to inject some white grease on the bearing surface between the hammer and the frame. Push the hammer back into position. Put some more grease on both sides of the hand. (The hand is the part that causes the cylinder to turn. It's the silver part on the side of the hammer.) Grease the area where the rebound slide moves and put it back. The easiest way to do this is with a punch that fits in the hole in the rebound slide, but is bigger than the rebound slide spring. Pull the crane out of the cylinder. Grease the bearings on the crane. Put it back in the cylinder and replace the cylinder assembly. Make sure it is latched closed. Grease the other side of the rebound slide. Put the hammer block back and grease it. The hole sits on a post on the rebound slide. It travels in a track in the sideplate. Grease that track and also the bearing surface for the hammer. Replace the sideplate. There is a flange on top of it that catches a groove at the top of the frame near the firing pin. Line this up first. It should push into place with fingertip pressure. If it won't go on, the hammer block is out of position. You will have a screw with a flat head. This goes in the rear hole, under the grip. The screw with the concave head goes behind the trigger. The screw with the bearing goes in the front of the frame and prevents the cylinder from falling out when the action is open. A little grease won't hurt here, the area is often neglected. I don't know the torque specs, but you don't have to kill the screws to lock them. That's one of the reasons I don't use the Chapman set for this. The torque handle allows you to overtighten the screws and booger the slots. Replacement screws are available from Brownell's. Replace the grips. Shoot stuff. |