Did my gunmith mess up?

DMY · November 9, 2015, 06:27 PM

In the latest episode of issues with my S&W 625-2, I brought it to a local gunsmith which I have never used. His reviews were all 5-stars, so brought my revolver to him to do a trigger job. The gun is stock, the action was smooth, but I wanted to lighten the DA trigger pull a little from the 10-11# pull to about 8#. The SA pull was fine at 3.5#.
The gunsmith suggested polishing the action rather than going with a full spring kit. He also said it would lighten the DA a little more if he did something to the rebound spring. I can't remember his exact words as to what he planned to do to the rebound spring, but I had a mental image of buffing it or grinding it. I asked and he said he was not going to cut off any coils on the rebound spring, and to my knowledge, he did not cut off any coils.
Getting to the point, I went to pick up my gun. The DA was a little lighter and it was smooth when I pulled the trigger. He eliminated the "stack" towards the end of the trigger pull, just before the hammer drops.
However, when the trigger rebounds, it is not smooth. It is jerky. There was not any side-to-side play, but it seemed like there were 3 stages for the trigger to reset, the last of which is at the very end of the trigger rebound. I brought it to the gunsmith's attention immediately and he said he couldn't do much more to lighten the rebound spring because it might cause the hammer to strike too lightly. I believe the rebound spring has to have less resistence in order to lighten the DA, but I did not expect the trigger rebound to be jerky.
I have not test fired it yet. He suggested that I fire it a few times to see how it works (BTW, he does not test fire guns when he works on them).
I presume a common reaction will be that the gunsmith messed up. It was my immediate reaction. However, I am trying to give the gunsmith the benefit of the doubt, which is what I try to do with most people.
I have felt a few Smiths with trigger jobs and they are smooth as silk. I asked to try the trigger on his Model 29 before I dropped off my gun and it was fine on both the DA pull and rebound. I don't know whether to give him a chance to fix it after I test fire it or whether I should chalk it up to a lesson learned and pay someone else to fix it?
Any thoughts?

243winxb · November 9, 2015, 07:11 PM

As long as the trigger resets, I dont see a problem. But it must reset fast enough to shoot rapid fire. Go shoot it to see.

nogo · November 9, 2015, 08:52 PM

Your problem is easily corrected. Replace the rebound spring with an original or one from Wolff Springs, which are offered in different ratings.

The problem with yours is that he cut off too many coils and/or did not dress(remove)burr of the end he did clip. I think that you would be safe to have him replace or dress the end of the one he clipped. Be nice and offer him a few bucks more to fix it. Sometimes disassemble and reassembling the parts involved can smooth up this problem. Your rebound slide is not moving smoothly and "resetting" the parts might help. The spring rides inside the rebound itself and a clipped but not dressed spring can cause a burr that impedes the rebound's movement.

243winxb · November 9, 2015, 09:45 PM

Quote:

I asked and he said he was not going to cut off any coils on the rebound spring, and to my knowledge, he did not cut off any coils.

Reduce the OD of the spring by grinding & polishing?

51.50 · November 9, 2015, 10:26 PM

Look at the spring, use a magnifying glass if necessary. See for yourself. I would replace that spring on principal.

James K · November 9, 2015, 10:33 PM

The rebound spring has nothing to do with the hammer striking, lightly or other wise. Either you misunderstood or he doesn't know what he is talking about.

He might have clipped the rebound spring and left a sharp edge, or the gun had a trigger stop pin in the rebound slide and he messed that up some way. Another possibility is a messed up hammer block safety (which is operated by the rebound slide).

Jim

AzShooter · November 9, 2015, 10:39 PM

Get an 11 lb rebound spring from WOLF and install it yourself. It should solve the problem. Get the variable kit that has an 11, 12 and 13 lb spring and you can test for the one that works best for you.

You can buy them from MidwayUSA.com, or Brownells.com. or WOLF.com.

DMY · November 10, 2015, 02:54 PM

Thanks all for your very helpful responses. I will shoot it tomorrow and if the problem persists, I think I will give him another chance to either smooth out the existing spring or recommend a new rebound spring. I don't want to try to fix it myself because that throws in another variable.

I continue to be very pleased with technical recommendations from experienced and knowledgeable members. Please give yourselves a pat on the back and thank you.

November 9, 2015, 06:27 PM	#1
DMY Senior Member Join Date: September 10, 2015 Posts: 152	Did my gunmith mess up? In the latest episode of issues with my S&W 625-2, I brought it to a local gunsmith which I have never used. His reviews were all 5-stars, so brought my revolver to him to do a trigger job. The gun is stock, the action was smooth, but I wanted to lighten the DA trigger pull a little from the 10-11# pull to about 8#. The SA pull was fine at 3.5#. The gunsmith suggested polishing the action rather than going with a full spring kit. He also said it would lighten the DA a little more if he did something to the rebound spring. I can't remember his exact words as to what he planned to do to the rebound spring, but I had a mental image of buffing it or grinding it. I asked and he said he was not going to cut off any coils on the rebound spring, and to my knowledge, he did not cut off any coils. Getting to the point, I went to pick up my gun. The DA was a little lighter and it was smooth when I pulled the trigger. He eliminated the "stack" towards the end of the trigger pull, just before the hammer drops. However, when the trigger rebounds, it is not smooth. It is jerky. There was not any side-to-side play, but it seemed like there were 3 stages for the trigger to reset, the last of which is at the very end of the trigger rebound. I brought it to the gunsmith's attention immediately and he said he couldn't do much more to lighten the rebound spring because it might cause the hammer to strike too lightly. I believe the rebound spring has to have less resistence in order to lighten the DA, but I did not expect the trigger rebound to be jerky. I have not test fired it yet. He suggested that I fire it a few times to see how it works (BTW, he does not test fire guns when he works on them). I presume a common reaction will be that the gunsmith messed up. It was my immediate reaction. However, I am trying to give the gunsmith the benefit of the doubt, which is what I try to do with most people. I have felt a few Smiths with trigger jobs and they are smooth as silk. I asked to try the trigger on his Model 29 before I dropped off my gun and it was fine on both the DA pull and rebound. I don't know whether to give him a chance to fix it after I test fire it or whether I should chalk it up to a lesson learned and pay someone else to fix it? Any thoughts?

November 10, 2015, 02:54 PM	#8
DMY Senior Member Join Date: September 10, 2015 Posts: 152	Thanks Thanks all for your very helpful responses. I will shoot it tomorrow and if the problem persists, I think I will give him another chance to either smooth out the existing spring or recommend a new rebound spring. I don't want to try to fix it myself because that throws in another variable. I continue to be very pleased with technical recommendations from experienced and knowledgeable members. Please give yourselves a pat on the back and thank you.

November 9, 2015, 07:11 PM	#2
243winxb Senior Member Join Date: July 26, 2011 Location: USA Posts: 1,730	As long as the trigger resets, I dont see a problem. But it must reset fast enough to shoot rapid fire. Go shoot it to see.

November 9, 2015, 08:52 PM	#3
nogo Senior Member Join Date: September 7, 2009 Location: central texas Posts: 215	Your problem is easily corrected. Replace the rebound spring with an original or one from Wolff Springs, which are offered in different ratings. The problem with yours is that he cut off too many coils and/or did not dress(remove)burr of the end he did clip. I think that you would be safe to have him replace or dress the end of the one he clipped. Be nice and offer him a few bucks more to fix it. Sometimes disassemble and reassembling the parts involved can smooth up this problem. Your rebound slide is not moving smoothly and "resetting" the parts might help. The spring rides inside the rebound itself and a clipped but not dressed spring can cause a burr that impedes the rebound's movement.

November 9, 2015, 10:26 PM	#5
51.50 Member Join Date: December 1, 2010 Posts: 66	Look at the spring, use a magnifying glass if necessary. See for yourself. I would replace that spring on principal.

November 9, 2015, 10:33 PM	#6
James K Member In Memoriam Join Date: March 17, 1999 Posts: 24,383	The rebound spring has nothing to do with the hammer striking, lightly or other wise. Either you misunderstood or he doesn't know what he is talking about. He might have clipped the rebound spring and left a sharp edge, or the gun had a trigger stop pin in the rebound slide and he messed that up some way. Another possibility is a messed up hammer block safety (which is operated by the rebound slide). Jim

November 9, 2015, 10:39 PM	#7
AzShooter Senior Member Join Date: June 20, 2006 Location: Surprise, Az. Posts: 766	Get an 11 lb rebound spring from WOLF and install it yourself. It should solve the problem. Get the variable kit that has an 11, 12 and 13 lb spring and you can test for the one that works best for you. You can buy them from MidwayUSA.com, or Brownells.com. or WOLF.com.