Waltermitty

From the factory the hammers and triggers all drag on the frame. All components must be centered in the frame. This usually requires narrowing and shimming. The hammers are lightened to increase the speed of the hammer fall with lighter springs to ensure the firing pin is slapped fast enough. The list is long...

Randy Lee was getting reliable ignition with 3 1/2# pulls on N frame S&W's. The best I got was ~5# double action. I tried to search for the thread where this was covered but apparently searched too many times. Let me just say, it is a very detailed and complicated subject.

Unfortunately that's true everywhere. I've gotten to where I don't answer questions either, but I thought: what the heck, it's a new guy maybe he'll do an easy check before boxing it up and shipping it somewhere. Bubber helped me figure my problem out at an Old Fort match when my gun wouldn't run two stages in a row without a thorough cleaning. It's probably that I'm getting too cranky in my old age to deal with all the Dunning-Krugerands that pop up with questions (and arguments) then do something else because they don't understand the answers they get.

Just a reminder, I only learned about how to do this because a S&W factory gunsmith messed mine up...

I would check for end shake and minimum barrel to cylinder gap. It would run as you describe if the gap was too small. And there are definitely gunsmiths that don't know about this. I sent a 625 in to S&W because of cylinder notch peening. They replaced the cylinder stop but did not attend to the barrel gap. The cylinder would drag on the barrel with very little dirt or build up on it and my trigger pull would be come very heavy. I had to use shims on the crane to solve the problem.

I've used small rifle primers in pistol cartridges since I started reloading. I don't know what the supply is like on those but I've got ~9500 of them. I've got 10,000 large Federal Pistol primers but I've pretty much quit USPSA Revolver because of the 8 shot guns.

There’s no requirement. 500 rounds would have probably showed any warranty issues.

So something has changed. Anecdote: once upon a time I got a box of Zero bullets that started tumbling "for no apparent reason." I measured them and found undersized bullets in the box. Are you looking for answers different than the ones you've received so far?

Check bullet diameters. Check about 100.

Straight time Plus. http://icore.org/IcoreScoring.html

It would be permitted, but you would be happier if you traded it for something else. Right now the 929 is probably the most widely applicable and ammunition is cheap. The 329PD is short (sight radius) and light (heavy recoil) and reloads would be a score killer.

Look at the primer bar. The anvil and spring loaded cup are held in the bar with an allen screw. Take it apart and put your shim in the hole the anvil seats into. Too thick and the cup (and primer) will hang on the underside of the shell plate. 8lbs is more than enough to light the primers. There are a few things that could cause occasional misfires. I would focus on maintaining minimal end shake and getting the hammers perfectly centered in the frames so they cannot walk back and forth and rub the frame as they fall on the firing pin. The only way I found to do that was either narrowing the hammers or widening the frames and using hammer shims to ensure centering and the minimum amount of drag. If you can see drag marks on the sides of your hammers that could cause occasional misfires. I also either lightened my factory hammers or used the Apex hammer to reduce mass. Until end shake, hammer weight and hammer drag is perfect the guns won't be reliable, even with primers .004" below flush.

You may have another problem causing misfires, but I put a shim under the anvil in the primer bar to seat primers more deeply.

I made the decision during a trip to Nationals years ago. I traveled there with my wife and daughter and had literally thousands of dollars committed to the trip counting match fees, lodging, ammo, etc. It was all riding on one little lonely 625-8 holding together for the duration. From that perspective, $650.00 plus mods was relatively inexpensive trip insurance.

Yup.