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.

It's hard to tell. That's where the resistance starts and by the time you squeeze hard enough to pull the trigger, things kind of jump into place. So the gun would still fire, it just has an atrocious hiccup in the middle of the pull.

When the main spring is in, is when the problem shows up. I'm starting to think it is the sear. When I take the sear out it functions smoothly. When I try the opposite and take the cylinder stop out, the problem is still there. I very lightly polished the rear of the trigger, left the sear alone, other than wiping it off.

I'm trying to put my 627 back together and having a bit of trouble. When the hammer, trigger, and cylinder stop are put in the action cycles fine by hand (cylinder is out, pulling back on the release with my finger). I put the rebound slide in and things still work great, very smooth in fact. As soon as I put the main spring in and tighten it even a little bit, there is a significant amount of resistance about half way through the trigger stroke, and becomes more so when the main spring is fully tightened. I can still pull the trigger with effort, but something is going on that just isn't right. To my untrained eye it looks like the problem lies between the front of the trigger as it pulls down the cylinder stop and the point it releases it. Everything works fine until I put the main spring in and start to tighten it. Not sure pictures would help, but I can post some if necessary. Any thoughts?

Out of curiosity, would a 625-6 (.45 Long Colt) barrel have any issues being fitted and working on a 625-8 (.45 ACP) revolver?

For anyone like myself wondering, the process was straight forward. What I call a frame wrench like the linked one was used to hold the frame while the barrel was clamped in a vise. Once the barrel was broken loose it unscrewed by hand. The tricky part was trial and error to shorten the throat enough to close on the cylinder. It took a few trips back to the surface grinder, removing very little at a time. This step could be done by hand, but the surface grinder keeps everything square and in my mind separates the professional gunsmith/machinist from...someone like myself. If too much material is ground off or it gets too far out of square you're looking at an expensive paperweight. Once the length is correct it was a simple matter of tightening the barrel into the frame and getting it centered. I'm sure Jerry was doing some minuscule things that I didn't even pick up on, which also would have led to disaster on my part. It was the right call to take it to a pro, but if you have the right equipment I should think it would be an easy enough affair. All things considered, this is a sample of one. I have no doubt that there are a plethora of issues that could crop up doing a job like this.

And hopefully your "gunsmith" has the right stuff. When it comes to revolvers I wouldn't just assume he does... Jerry Keefer is who I turn to for all things revolver, he's setup to do anything you can think of to a round gun. He's been building them longer than I've been alive and probably forgotten more than I'll ever know. I would recommend his work without hesitation.

I get tired of black, and I've grown fond of the x-frame grips cushioning the back strap.

Just as a follow-up, I had my gunsmith change the barrel for me. Definitely the right move. Having the right tools makes all the difference.

As much as I want to learn, it doesn't sound like it's worth it. I'll take it to my gunsmith to have done properly and hopefully I can watch him do it. I appreciate the replies!

I'm looking for a somewhat detailed description of how to swap out a S&W barrel. I acquired a 5" 625 .45 ACP barrel that I would like to put on a 625JM (625-8), in exchange for the 4" factory barrel. What special tools would I need and are there any tricks you all recommend? Is it basically as simple as unscrewing the 4" and screwing back on the 5"? I am fairly mechanical and have a good working knowledge of S&W revolvers so it's not something I'm afraid of trying, but if it's something I'm likely to screw up I'll send it to my revolver smith. I have feeler gauges to check the barrel/cylinder gap, but I don't know what it ideally should be? My smallest gauge is .006 and it fits as I slide it in the left side, but too tight for the right side. So something obviously isn't quite square in its current form, but it doesn't seem to affect anything. Is there anything you do to prep the gun/barrel before you take off the old, or put on the new? I may not even know enough to be asking the right questions so feel free to chime in with any info. Thank you!