66L

Taylor Freelance fits the gauge just fine and have been trouble free. I saw enough people have issues with the Taran Tactical extensions (feeding, not length) that I went with the TFs and have no regrets.

I would like to hear more about this. I have no idea what this is referring to, but I'm always up for learning something new about revolvers.

Gen 3 to Gen 5 is a pretty big difference, as the OP referenced.

Holster compatibility has been a bigger deal than I thought it would be. I have several Safariland ALS holsters, with and without lights, that all seem to fit, but custom kydex holsters won't. Honestly I like everything about it better than the gen 3, except the new slide catch lever.

I spent about an hour trial and error thinning the hand with a fine stone. Wow, that's labor intensive, but I really didn't want to go too far. It's significantly better. Warren, I'm going to follow your advice and leave the ratchets be. I'll let normal wear break in the few that aren't perfect. You guys are great, I really appreciate the help.

And, please forgive my poor computer skills....

Alecmc and Bosshoss, you nailed, thank you. Opening the cylinder and cycling the action is nice and smooth. On this gun (617) it does it on all the chambers, though some chambers feel slightly more pronounced than others. When narrowing the hand, does it matter which side of the hand I work on, as in overall thickness, or work on the left side with the pins sticking out? And does it need to be the whole length of the hand or just near the top where it contacts the ratchet?

I have gotten fairly proficient working on my own revolver triggers, but one piece of the puzzle still eludes me. At the very end of the trigger pull, cylinder is locked up and the hammer is about to fall, there is a noticeable wall in the trigger pull to get the trigger pulled the last fraction of an inch and break the shot. This has happened to several of my own revolvers, but I own a few from notable gunsmiths and their trigger's pull all the way through nice and smooth. Comparing their parts with mine doesn't reveal anything discernible. What am I missing? Pictures would also be a helpful if you have them. Thanks, Justin

The moonclips for a 625 are much more forgiving, they're all about the same. 230 gr bullets are the gold standard for quick reloads. Lots of load data for them (I use Titegroup) and Federal primers will allow you to go as low as possible on trigger pull. The 8-shot minor rule was more or less the death of the 625, but they are great guns. Do accuracy testing at 25 yards and see how it does. If it's sub-par you can look in all the places Brian B mentioned, but it might shoot fine. Different guns like different loads, so don't overlook the ammo if there are problems. Congrats on your new revolver!

The only part of the firing pin I have polished is the tip where it meets the cruciform. The more combinations of springs and components I tried the more frustrated I became. I now use all stock springs and "dot" connectors. The key I found with Glock polishing jobs is the last step...a box of live ammunition (dry-fire doesn't replicate it). They never felt quite right on my work bench until I actually shot it a few times. And you don't want to use any lube, of any type, on the striker assembly, keep it clean and dry.

The 002 Cup Challenge? As far as I'm aware it should do. Safariland list it as a compatible model. They used to make a 7" version, although I'm not sure if it's still in production. The 7" version is indeed still produced, bought one a couple months ago. Not ideal, but it has done what I've asked of it.

Do you mean the bottom edge of the sear? That bevel is where the fitting is. Yes, that's it. I have two MIM hammers, It works fine with one, skips a couple chambers with the other. I'm guessing that bottom corner is more about reset, or lack of in this case, and is causing the skipping? It seems to be the correct length to "hand-off" when using either hammer. I still have no idea what happened to the original sear, but the new one, despite no fitting at all, seems to work with one and partially with the other. It's interesting to me that the sear on my 625 has no bevel either, but works fine in both guns. Short of buying an expensive piece of specialty equipment, is there an efficient way to fit put this bevel on? I doubt S&W will send me another free one, but Brownells has them for $5, so I'm not too afraid of some trial and error. I have one of these for 1911's. Next time I order from Brownells it will be in my cart! I tried Googling how to fit it, but no luck. Where do you all turn for this sort of info?

To follow up with this, I called S&W customer service and they sent me a new sear, free of charge. It was my first interaction with them and I was impressed. It finally came today, and dropped right in perfectly, no fitting at all. Comparing the new with the old, the new doesn't have a beveled edge like the old does, but after dry-firing it about a hundred times everything seems to be working fine. Is that beveled edge important for something I'm missing? People can say what they want about MIM parts, but there is something to be said about that level of consistency. Anyhow, all is well that's ended well.

I tired all of your suggestions (which I greatly appreciate) to no avail. I don't have an extra sear, so as a last ditch effort I pulled the hammer assembly from a 625. It dropped right in and was perfectly smooth. I previously tried different hammers with the original sear, of which I have several and experienced the problem. Process of elimination says the sear is the issue. To my naked eye, and calipers, the 625 sear (good) looks identical to my 627 sear (bad). Clearly I changed the geometry in some small but important way. I'll order a new sear and see what happens.