S&W 645 Hammer Spring???

Hawken1911 · July 17, 2004, 06:18 AM

Hello,

I recently had my S&W 645, .45 auto, converted to DAO, and I had an action hone done, which greatly improved the trigger pull. My question is; can the mainspring be lightened a bit without sacrificing reliability? Has anyone had experience with this older model? Does anyone have recommendations on what pound spring could safely replace it, or how many coils might be able to be snipped from the current spring? Because my gun is now DAO, I could bob the hammer, which would make it lighter; would that make a difference in how much lighter I could make the spring...I don't know all the physics behind it. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks.

Hawken1911 · July 17, 2004, 06:32 AM

After making my post, I started browsing others, and found some information about Wolf Springs in regard to a different gun. I checked them out, and discovered that my Smith uses a 20# factory spring, and they offer reduced power hammer springs in 16#, 17#, and 18#. My thought is that they wouldn't offer a 16# spring for sale if it didn't result in reliable primer strikes. Has anyone had experience using the lighter pound springs...any pro/cons? Thanks.

mete · July 17, 2004, 10:23 AM

If it's a carry gun leave it alone !!

scottys1 · July 17, 2004, 09:17 PM

Mete makes a very good point.
If this is a carry/home defense gun, I would hesitate to fool with the hammer spring as it is critical to reliability.
I have a slightly reduced power main spring in my Para-Ordnance, but this is a competition gun that only comes out of the safe when I go to a match or practice. It resulted in a small improvement in trigger feel but it's a single action. The improvement would probably be more pronounced in a DAO gun.
I tried some Wolff springs in an S&W revolver (leaf spring) and the trigger felt wonderful, but reliability went to hell. 1-2 misfires in 6 rds is totally unacceptable. I went back with stock springs. I realize soft primers will improve the situation, but I'm not interested in a firearm that is that ammo sensitive.

Hawken1911 · July 18, 2004, 06:55 AM

I really appreciate the advice gentleman. Two other guns I have fill the roles of "carry gun" and "house gun". I picked up the 645 because it was too good a deal to pass up. So I've been tinkering with it, and having fun shooting it on the range. It is a sweet shooter, and is very accurate, but it isn't as comfortable in my hand as other guns, like 1911's, so it doesn't get serious consideration for carry or training.

Since the wolf springs are available and only a few bucks, I think I'll give it a try. But even for a plinker, it is going to have to be reliable. If it doesn't work out, I'll just put the factory one back on. What I won't even consider doing now, after reading your responses, is snipping or otherwise altering the factory spring. Thanks for the info, and I'll let you know how the reduced power spring works out...I'll order it this week.

July 17, 2004, 06:18 AM	#1
Hawken1911 Senior Member Join Date: March 2, 2002 Posts: 162	S&W 645 Hammer Spring??? Hello, I recently had my S&W 645, .45 auto, converted to DAO, and I had an action hone done, which greatly improved the trigger pull. My question is; can the mainspring be lightened a bit without sacrificing reliability? Has anyone had experience with this older model? Does anyone have recommendations on what pound spring could safely replace it, or how many coils might be able to be snipped from the current spring? Because my gun is now DAO, I could bob the hammer, which would make it lighter; would that make a difference in how much lighter I could make the spring...I don't know all the physics behind it. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks. __________________ "Aude Aliquid Dignum" (Dare Something Worthy) Last edited by Hawken1911; July 17, 2004 at 12:57 PM.

July 17, 2004, 06:32 AM	#2
Hawken1911 Senior Member Join Date: March 2, 2002 Posts: 162	Wolf Springs After making my post, I started browsing others, and found some information about Wolf Springs in regard to a different gun. I checked them out, and discovered that my Smith uses a 20# factory spring, and they offer reduced power hammer springs in 16#, 17#, and 18#. My thought is that they wouldn't offer a 16# spring for sale if it didn't result in reliable primer strikes. Has anyone had experience using the lighter pound springs...any pro/cons? Thanks. __________________ "Aude Aliquid Dignum" (Dare Something Worthy)

July 18, 2004, 06:55 AM	#5
Hawken1911 Senior Member Join Date: March 2, 2002 Posts: 162	I really appreciate the advice gentleman. Two other guns I have fill the roles of "carry gun" and "house gun". I picked up the 645 because it was too good a deal to pass up. So I've been tinkering with it, and having fun shooting it on the range. It is a sweet shooter, and is very accurate, but it isn't as comfortable in my hand as other guns, like 1911's, so it doesn't get serious consideration for carry or training. Since the wolf springs are available and only a few bucks, I think I'll give it a try. But even for a plinker, it is going to have to be reliable. If it doesn't work out, I'll just put the factory one back on. What I won't even consider doing now, after reading your responses, is snipping or otherwise altering the factory spring. Thanks for the info, and I'll let you know how the reduced power spring works out...I'll order it this week. __________________ "Aude Aliquid Dignum" (Dare Something Worthy)

July 17, 2004, 10:23 AM	#3
mete Senior Member Join Date: June 14, 2004 Location: NY State Posts: 6,575	If it's a carry gun leave it alone !!

July 17, 2004, 09:17 PM	#4
scottys1 Senior Member Join Date: May 21, 2004 Posts: 316	Mete makes a very good point. If this is a carry/home defense gun, I would hesitate to fool with the hammer spring as it is critical to reliability. I have a slightly reduced power main spring in my Para-Ordnance, but this is a competition gun that only comes out of the safe when I go to a match or practice. It resulted in a small improvement in trigger feel but it's a single action. The improvement would probably be more pronounced in a DAO gun. I tried some Wolff springs in an S&W revolver (leaf spring) and the trigger felt wonderful, but reliability went to hell. 1-2 misfires in 6 rds is totally unacceptable. I went back with stock springs. I realize soft primers will improve the situation, but I'm not interested in a firearm that is that ammo sensitive.