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Thread: I want a new revolver

  1. #21
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    Quote Originally Posted by Wildcat View Post
    I thought the mainspring that came in the 627 was not strong enough. The factory provided a ribbed mainspring (I’m used to seeing flat ones) which is supposed to be the bee’s knees. Even with the strain screw bottomed out I was getting light strikes in DA. I substituted a old style mainspring and that issue was cured even though I was not using the substitute mainspring at full tension; the double action trigger pull (just about all my shooting is DA) didn’t turn out to be unpleasant.
    Springs are a rat's nest. If you're buying a S&W revolver in 2018, then in the simplest possible terms...

    There are 3 mainsprings to make note of:
    Regular "flat" OEM.
    Wolff Type 1 "factory equivalent"
    Wolff Type 2 "competition only"

    There are 2 strain screws:
    New factory round butt (short) available at either midway or brownells
    New factory square butt (long) No part number listed on either Brownells or Midway and looks like I don't have a spare bagged that still had a pn. Be advised, there's more than one of these if you go rooting through new old stock. Factory should be just using one, I think, and we're just talking about new production guns.

    There are more combinations available once you go back a few years or go custom, but that's what you're likely to find on a new production gun.

    This is where people get into trouble. They start to mix and match without really knowing how the differences are relevant.

    If you combine a Wolff Type-I "factory equivalent" with the long square butt strain screw, then you're probably good. The downside is that this is actually not much (if any) better than the regular OEM configuration of flat spring + short screw. Oh well. At least you got to do some gun plumbing on your day off. The upside is that this is likely to be reliable, which one would hope. Since the weight isn't better than factory. Add another $100 when you list it on gunbroker because it's custom.

    If you combine a Wolff Type-2 "competition only" with the long square butt strain screw, then you've found the combination the factory uses for their "pro/PC" guns. The downside is that it should work with factory magnum primers, thus being "reliable". I say "reliable" in quotes because IME it won't light off handloaded CCI 550s consistently. So it's probably borderline. The upside is that it's noticeably lighter than the regular non-pro/PC guns.

    If you combine a Wolff spring of either type with the short round butt strain screw, you're liable to get knuckling. Maybe (hopefully) bad enough to let the spring interfere with the rebound bad enough that the gun won't fire. So at least you have a heads up what you did was really, really stupid. But if not, congratulations. You've got an awesome trigger that will probably not even light off crush fit Federals. Hopefully you're not carrying that gun in pubic with the notion of using it for anything important. Also, live fire after changes in the future so you can at least verify it works.

    If you combine an OEM spring with the long square butt screw. Well. You'll probably notice. The trigger weight is now somewhere in the neighborhood of forty pounds and if you made the mistake of trying the action with the sideplate removed the hammer stud probably didn't go far. So it won't be too difficult to find all the parts when you box it up and send it back to the factory telling them "I don't know what happened. It just broke." The upside...well...there isn't one. Don't do this.

    If you combine the OEM spring with the short square butt screw, you either tried one of the above and it didn't work, you didn't like it, or you work for S&W. In which case, great. Your lunch break is over. AOBC stock is down again, so we'll need you to pump up those numbers. Try not to use the wrong strain screws when you're churning out 90 guns per hour. Even the people don't actually shoot their guns notice when you do that, and we have to pay UPS so our social media presence isn't complete shit.

    The above applies to the guns I've tried in IDPA/USPSA manufactured from 1999-2012 in matches from roughly 2000-2016 to the tune of 14k rounds of various primers, springs, firing pins and custom work. Firing pins are another rat's nest. Just buy Apex if you have to do aftermarket.

  2. #22
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    Thank you for posting your experiences and expectations.

    I think the spare mainspring I put into the 627 ProSeries was from Wilson.
    I doubt seriously if the present double-action pull is going to spoil anyone but so far performance has been solid with Winchester primers of either flavor (~1500 rds) and I'm not getting hand cramps. I've no idea if it will do any good with CCI primers since I don't have any.
    The trigger is clean though.

  3. #23
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    Quote Originally Posted by Wildcat View Post
    Thank you for posting your experiences and expectations.

    I think the spare mainspring I put into the 627 ProSeries was from Wilson.
    I doubt seriously if the present double-action pull is going to spoil anyone but so far performance has been solid with Winchester primers of either flavor (~1500 rds) and I'm not getting hand cramps. I've no idea if it will do any good with CCI primers since I don't have any.
    The trigger is clean though.
    Good to know.

    I have a Wilson mainspring but never got around to installing it. It's likely a hair stronger than the Wolff Type 1 (which has undergone a few different revisions; originally bare black metal, then with a gray coating, the a bit thicker with a gray coating, etc). If you ever get around to shooting something with known CCI primers I'd be interested in hearing your results. I suspect it'll do ok with standards and probably have a few failures to fire in the magnums. Your experience with it popping Winchesters 100% sounds spot on.

    I tried to find a drop-in solution for the frame mounted firing pin guns for years, but all solutions had at least one gun that wasn't reliable with that spring + primer combo. Right now, I have one game gun that Frank Glenn touched up that's tunable to whatever primer I want and everything else is OEM for 100% reliability.

    FWIW the Wilson spring is, afaik, a modified OEM unit done similar to how they recommend it on the Brian Enos revolver forum. I think I remember Glenn saying he uses Wolff springs but a lot of guys will heat/bend the OEM unit to their desired weight. At this point, I wouldn't use any FMFP gun with a modified spring for anything but competition. The old HMFP guns could take a Type-1 Wolff and still pop 550s reliably I think, but the FMFP guns can't. Usually

  4. #24
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    What lock? And I believe Ruger makes a seven shot GP100 now, their blued ones are nice.


  5. #25
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    performance center 327 w/ 5" barrel.

    https://www.smith-wesson.com/firearm...model-327-trr8

    The 3.5" does look good.

    https://www.gunbroker.com/item/795710977

    Just have a gun smith dis-able the lock.
    “It's no wonder that truth is stranger than fiction. Fiction has to make sense.” Mark Twain

  6. #26
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    I really love the older pre-lock / firing pin on the hammer era Smiths. I currently have (2) with the Hillary hole, an M&P 340 and a 2.5" 686. They both do the job but I regret buying them, both due to the lock. I've never had a problem with the 340, and the super lightweights are the one's that engage under heavy recoil. But to be honest I removed the lock years ago for the majority of shooting and used one of the plugs. I only recently put it back to stock.

    It's a mixed bag as S&W still offers some nice guns, like the L-comp and some other performance center guns. But I can't for the life of me understand why on a performance center gun they have the lock, especially when they offer the same gun in a no-lock config??? Like most they also have a lot of MIM parts no if that bothers you. For me personally I've started switching over to Ruger, SP101 and LCR don't have the lock and the trigger is just as good.

    If I was stuck on a smith I would by far look for a good used pre-lock example. One of the biggest mistakes I made was trading of an old 2.5" M66 that I had sent to cylinder and slide for an action job. Man I miss that gun...

  7. #27
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    Sorry to have been absent for a while, I've had a wicked ass stomach bug. About 30 years ago I was hospitalized for 31 days by something called salmonella typhi? $!^#ed my ass up and ever since, any stomach bug that I get puts me on the floor. Just started feeling better yesterday.
    I feel like if I looked at it and saw the lock it would just remind me of their sell-out and their craving to the dark forces, then again I really like some of the revolvers they're making, like the L-comp, the 686+ models, the 627s and 629s especially the v-comp models of the latter two models.
    I'm one of those people who will waffle back and forth for quite a while, read, research, think about it, see what other people like/dislike, waffle some more and then when I find a deal, strike.
    I greatly appreciate everyone's input, views, opinions, and personal experiences.
    I'll have to admit to having more of an affinity for the older models too.
    Last edited by BillB; 01-05-19 at 17:15.
    RealeyesRealizeRealLies

    BCM 16" RECCE MK2 DkBrz, Custom Mk12 Mod1 built by Monty LeClair, 16" Middy w/ HCS RECCE barrel, A5, Young NM BCG, SSP, Geissele NM rail, Ops Inc., Super CH. 14.5" middy Noveske Afghan X3, 10.3" pistol DD barrell, Benelli M4, Ruger 10/22 w/Victor stock, GLOCK 17 Gen 4, Dan Wesson Valor Duty Coat, Dan Wesson Valor Blue, Dan Wesson Silverback 10mm, S&W 27 4"

    B Co 4th502nd Inf Reg. '86-'90. 11b
    B Co 3rd187th InfReg. '90-'94. 11b
    Iron Rakkasans

  8. #28
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    i have been thinking about an old M66 4".

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-UF6CpThdk
    “It's no wonder that truth is stranger than fiction. Fiction has to make sense.” Mark Twain

  9. #29
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    Sorry, I've been told lately that I talk too much.

    I have read and absorbed everyone's responses and suggestions and advice.
    Basically many of my gun purchases are dollar driven. I have a champagne taste but a beer budget. Sure, there are many nice guns out there that I just cant afford so often I have to be happy with what I can afford. Fortune shined on me recently though. One of the revolvers I think I mentioned wanting appeared on GB. Actually, it was the upgraded version from the Performance center, a 627 PC. I got it for less too than the Pro Series. I would have preferred the 4" barrel over the 5" but the 5" is fine too since this was not going to be a carry gun since I live behind the lines in the peoples republic of maryland. I feel like I stole this gun and was very happy with the price, very happy. Happy with the condition of it too, it looks new and almost unfired. Super tight b/c gap @.0035, locks up like a vault, no powder or lead residue anywhere, beautiful bore and crown and yada yada yada. I cant wait to bring it home. Big old N frames, gotta love em.
    RealeyesRealizeRealLies

    BCM 16" RECCE MK2 DkBrz, Custom Mk12 Mod1 built by Monty LeClair, 16" Middy w/ HCS RECCE barrel, A5, Young NM BCG, SSP, Geissele NM rail, Ops Inc., Super CH. 14.5" middy Noveske Afghan X3, 10.3" pistol DD barrell, Benelli M4, Ruger 10/22 w/Victor stock, GLOCK 17 Gen 4, Dan Wesson Valor Duty Coat, Dan Wesson Valor Blue, Dan Wesson Silverback 10mm, S&W 27 4"

    B Co 4th502nd Inf Reg. '86-'90. 11b
    B Co 3rd187th InfReg. '90-'94. 11b
    Iron Rakkasans

  10. #30
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    If I am not carrying it, the the N-frame is my favorite with about a 4” bbl. I imagine anywhere around 3.5” - 5” would feel about the same. My favorite is a 4” M29 Mountain Gun. Your 627 should be a joy to shoot for several generations!
    It is in vain, sir, to extenuate the matter. Gentlemen may cry, Peace, Peace but there is no peace. The war is actually begun! ... Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!" - Patrick Henry in an address at St. John’s Church, Richmond, Virginia, on March 23, 1775.

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