Poor Man’s Trigger Job.

mk70ss · February 13, 2018, 02:40 PM

Got my set of Wolff springs in the mail today and changed out the factory 14 lb hammer spring for the Wolff 10 lb spring in my Ruger Sp101. What a difference! Well worth the $10.

SIGSHR · February 13, 2018, 03:04 PM

40 years ago a set of Bullseye or Trapper springs in my Ruger Stainless Security Six greatly reduced the trigger pull while maintaining 100% reliability.

pete2 · February 14, 2018, 11:38 AM

Make sure you shoot enough to test it. Sometimes the lower power springs cause misfires. I put a reduced power spring in a 642 last year and it works fine, at least for about 300 rounds so far. I have a 625 that's only 100% if I use Federal primers.

SonOfScubaDiver · February 14, 2018, 11:47 AM

That was one of the first things I did when I bought my SP101. It made a big difference. I've shot it enough now that the trigger has really smoothed up nicely. Did you stick with the stock grips? I didn't like them, so I ended up trying some from Hogue and Pachmayr. I settled on the Pachmayr set.

gnystrom · February 14, 2018, 12:49 PM

I 100% agree on changing springs in a SP101. Mine rivals any S&W in my small collection.

I went Hogue just because I have that style on many of my revolvers.

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FrankenMauser · February 14, 2018, 02:21 PM

It works on most variants, but not all.
Know what you're working with before committing.

The .22 LR and .327 Federal versions, for example, use 'extra power' main springs (16-lb and 18-lb, respectively, I believe). Both 'require' the extra power for reliable ignition, due to the 22 version having to crush case rims and .327 Federal using small rifle primers (thicker/tougher than small pistol primers).
Spring kits in any of the .22 LR or .327 Federal variants often result in misfires, or complete inability for the revolver to fire.

Even 'standard' variants that are rough may have ignition issues after going to 'reduced power' springs.

That being said... There's no replacement for a proper trigger job. A properly polished, crisp, smooth trigger can make what started as an 8-lb pull feel like 3-lb.
A full action job can also smooth things out, so that the reduced power springs are no longer marginal from fighting too much friction.

Using springs for a 'trigger job', in my opinion, is like putting new tires on your car/truck to smooth the ride, because the suspension is broken. ...Might make a person feel better, but the real problem is still there.

mk70ss · February 14, 2018, 04:00 PM

I did stick with the stock grips, as they cushion recoil some, but they have the checkered wood inserts, so they look and feel great. My SP101 is the .357 magnum version, so its not as prone to misfires as the rimfire versions when changing to a lighter spring. Mine has a trigger that breaks very crisp, it just had a fairly heavy pull, for a carry gun, I think its just about perfect now.

SonOfScubaDiver · February 14, 2018, 10:10 PM

That's one of the Lipsey's exclusives, correct? I wish S&W would have put that rear sight on the three inch SP101. And yeah, those wood inserts really set the snubby SP101 off real nice. Good lookin' piece, bruh!

Sequins · February 15, 2018, 10:51 AM

That's the Wiley Clapp model- I picked one up from Davidson's. I agree completely that the stock trigger is firm to say the least.

arquebus357 · February 15, 2018, 11:50 AM

"Poor man's trigger job" is normally used to describe the removal of one "leg" of the trigger return spring on Ruger's awful single action revolvers.

The primers used for COMMERCIAL .357 cartridges can be a bit harder than those used for .38 special. I can say that a reduced hammer spring for a Security Six worked perfectly for .38 spl. but gave some light strikes for .357's.

Here is a paragraph fro, Straight Shooter Jake's article " Improving the trigger on S&W revolvers.

"Also, if your revolver is a 357 magnum, you should include 357 magnum rounds in your testing. Some 357 magnum rounds use magnum primers, and these primers can be harder than the primers used in 38 special rounds. So a revolver that is reliable with commercial 38 special rounds may still have misfires with 357 magnum rounds."

https://straightshooterjake.blogspot...r-springs.html

February 13, 2018, 02:40 PM	#1
mk70ss Senior Member Join Date: January 12, 2008 Location: Tennessee Posts: 1,598	Poor Man’s Trigger Job. Got my set of Wolff springs in the mail today and changed out the factory 14 lb hammer spring for the Wolff 10 lb spring in my Ruger Sp101. What a difference! Well worth the $10. __________________ Say when.....

February 14, 2018, 12:49 PM	#5
gnystrom Senior Member Join Date: July 30, 2006 Posts: 308	I 100% agree on changing springs in a SP101. Mine rivals any S&W in my small collection. I went Hogue just because I have that style on many of my revolvers. [IMG][/IMG]

February 14, 2018, 02:21 PM	#6
FrankenMauser Senior Member Join Date: August 25, 2008 Location: In the valley above the plain Posts: 13,424	It works on most variants, but not all. Know what you're working with before committing. The .22 LR and .327 Federal versions, for example, use 'extra power' main springs (16-lb and 18-lb, respectively, I believe). Both 'require' the extra power for reliable ignition, due to the 22 version having to crush case rims and .327 Federal using small rifle primers (thicker/tougher than small pistol primers). Spring kits in any of the .22 LR or .327 Federal variants often result in misfires, or complete inability for the revolver to fire. Even 'standard' variants that are rough may have ignition issues after going to 'reduced power' springs. That being said... There's no replacement for a proper trigger job. A properly polished, crisp, smooth trigger can make what started as an 8-lb pull feel like 3-lb. A full action job can also smooth things out, so that the reduced power springs are no longer marginal from fighting too much friction. Using springs for a 'trigger job', in my opinion, is like putting new tires on your car/truck to smooth the ride, because the suspension is broken. ...Might make a person feel better, but the real problem is still there. __________________ Don't even try it. It's even worse than the internet would lead you to believe.

February 14, 2018, 04:00 PM	#7
mk70ss Senior Member Join Date: January 12, 2008 Location: Tennessee Posts: 1,598	I did stick with the stock grips, as they cushion recoil some, but they have the checkered wood inserts, so they look and feel great. My SP101 is the .357 magnum version, so its not as prone to misfires as the rimfire versions when changing to a lighter spring. Mine has a trigger that breaks very crisp, it just had a fairly heavy pull, for a carry gun, I think its just about perfect now. __________________ Say when.....

February 13, 2018, 03:04 PM	#2
SIGSHR Senior Member Join Date: September 13, 2005 Posts: 4,700	40 years ago a set of Bullseye or Trapper springs in my Ruger Stainless Security Six greatly reduced the trigger pull while maintaining 100% reliability.

February 14, 2018, 11:38 AM	#3
pete2 Senior Member Join Date: May 15, 2012 Location: Texas Posts: 2,566	Make sure you shoot enough to test it. Sometimes the lower power springs cause misfires. I put a reduced power spring in a 642 last year and it works fine, at least for about 300 rounds so far. I have a 625 that's only 100% if I use Federal primers.

February 14, 2018, 11:47 AM	#4
SonOfScubaDiver Senior Member Join Date: October 1, 2017 Posts: 391	That was one of the first things I did when I bought my SP101. It made a big difference. I've shot it enough now that the trigger has really smoothed up nicely. Did you stick with the stock grips? I didn't like them, so I ended up trying some from Hogue and Pachmayr. I settled on the Pachmayr set.

February 14, 2018, 10:10 PM	#8
SonOfScubaDiver Senior Member Join Date: October 1, 2017 Posts: 391	That's one of the Lipsey's exclusives, correct? I wish S&W would have put that rear sight on the three inch SP101. And yeah, those wood inserts really set the snubby SP101 off real nice. Good lookin' piece, bruh!

February 15, 2018, 10:51 AM	#9
Sequins Senior Member Join Date: October 14, 2014 Posts: 394	That's the Wiley Clapp model- I picked one up from Davidson's. I agree completely that the stock trigger is firm to say the least.

February 15, 2018, 11:50 AM	#10
arquebus357 Senior Member Join Date: December 19, 2016 Location: Atlanta, Georgia area Posts: 455	"Poor man's trigger job" is normally used to describe the removal of one "leg" of the trigger return spring on Ruger's awful single action revolvers. The primers used for COMMERCIAL .357 cartridges can be a bit harder than those used for .38 special. I can say that a reduced hammer spring for a Security Six worked perfectly for .38 spl. but gave some light strikes for .357's. Here is a paragraph fro, Straight Shooter Jake's article " Improving the trigger on S&W revolvers. "Also, if your revolver is a 357 magnum, you should include 357 magnum rounds in your testing. Some 357 magnum rounds use magnum primers, and these primers can be harder than the primers used in 38 special rounds. So a revolver that is reliable with commercial 38 special rounds may still have misfires with 357 magnum rounds." https://straightshooterjake.blogspot...r-springs.html