22 revo trigger

[crazyloks]

recently i read an article about improving your .22 trigger. now i can not find it. i would like to improve my new 617 trigger.

thanks in advance

jb

[Jaxshooter]

I have discussed this with Mike Carmoney the guru of S&W revolvers. There is nothing that can be done that makes a noticable difference including the new hammer that is being made by Apex. The more you shoot them the better they get. I got my 617 from Mike and it has been cleaned up and polished inside but no springs etc were lightened inorder to retain reliable ignition.

[crazyloks]

thanks for the information

i do want to keep high reliability

jb

[Tom E]

You can improve an x17, just not as much as a centerfire. A low 8 lb DA is good unless you're specific about ammo. Different RF ammo requires more or less hammer strike just like some (fed) CF primer are softer than others. Do not lighten or "bob" the hammer on an x17.

[Carmoney]

With most 617s, you can reduce the spring tensions a little and still get good ignition reliability. Even more than the centerfire S&W revolvers, though, there seems to be a lot of variability in 617s for some reason. One gun you can reduce the trigger pull pretty noticeably, the next (apparently identical) gun you can't. It's weird.

Despite that, 617s do benefit from internal action honing, which can improve the DA pull pretty significantly, even if the spring tensions aren't altered a lot.

In the quest to find a way to bring the DA pull down closer to what can be done with a centerfire, I've experimented with every variation of hammer and firing pin, and so far I have not been able to improve upon the factory hammer and the stock 617 firing pin. The wider .500" beavertail spur hammer might be a touch better, but probably not enough to justify the cost. Tom E. is correct that you do not want to reduce the weight on a 617 hammer--seems counterintuitive considering what we now know about the benefits of reducing hammer curb weight on the centerfire guns, but it's certainly true.

I installed an Apex hammer in Bob Perdue's gun, and it didn't really seem to create any improvement over the stock hammer. Bob and I have had several long conversations on the topic of improving the DA pull on the 617, and it sounded like he had a couple of interesting ideas to test out. I'm hoping Bob might be able to invent a solution to the 617 problem--they don't call him the Mad Genius of Revolver Division for nothing.

In the meantime, 617s are still great guns to own and shoot. Maybe the heavier trigger pull is good practice anyway--kinda like swinging two bats in the on-deck circle!

Edited June 9, 2010 by Carmoney

[hearthco]

With most 617s, you can reduce the spring tensions a little and still get good ignition reliability. Even more than the centerfire S&W revolvers, though, there seems to be a lot of variability in 617s for some reason. One gun you can reduce the trigger pull pretty noticeably, the next (apparently identical) gun you can't. It's weird.

Despite that, 617s do benefit from internal action honing, which can improve the DA pull pretty significantly, even if the spring tensions aren't altered a lot.

In the quest to find a way to bring the DA pull down closer to what can be done with a centerfire, I've experimented with every variation of hammer and firing pin, and so far I have not been able to improve upon the factory hammer and the stock 617 firing pin. The wider .500" beavertail spur hammer might be a touch better, but probably not enough to justify the cost. Tom E. is correct that you do not want to reduce the weight on a 617 hammer--seems counterintuitive considering what we now know about the benefits of reducing hammer curb weight on the centerfire guns, but it's certainly true.

I installed an Apex hammer in Bob Perdue's gun, and it didn't really seem to create any improvement over the stock hammer. Bob and I have had several long conversations on the topic of improving the DA pull on the 617, and it sounded like he had a couple of interesting ideas to test out. I'm hoping Bob might be able to invent a solution to the 617 problem--they don't call him the Mad Genius of Revolver Division for nothing.

In the meantime, 617s are still great guns to own and shoot. Maybe the heavier trigger pull is good practice anyway--kinda like swinging two bats in the on-deck circle!

My Apex 617 has a 7lb trigger weight and sets off CCI mini mags 100%.

[Tom E]

My Apex 617 has a 7lb trigger weight and sets off CCI mini mags 100%.

With what for a rebound spring? Are you considering a 7 lb 15 oz trigger a 7 lb trigger? I can get under 8 lbs (Lyman digital gauge) at 100% with mini-mags (617-1, stock hammer) but not with an accepatable trigger return. Just looking for a frame of reference.

[Carmoney]

This may be a good time to point out that it is difficult to accurately measure the double-action trigger pull weight on a Smith revolver. Everybody seems to do it a different way.

I think Tom E.'s question regarding the rebound spring is well-placed. A super-light action with a mushy and sluggish trigger rebound isn't worth much.

[Tom E]

This may be a good time to point out that it is difficult to accurately measure the double-action trigger pull weight on a Smith revolver. Everybody seems to do it a different way.

+1 That's why I referenced using a Lyman digital gauge. I wish it would give a read at different points in the pull rather than just lock on the highest reading, which on mine occurs very early (if not at the beginning) in the stroke. That's aside from having to be very very carefull with it to get consistent repeatable reads. Sometimes the "fish scale" type are usefull.

[38stupid]

I like the Dvorak Trigger Scan unit. You basically you lock the gun in a fixture and the machine with cycle the trigger. The computer will overlay multiple

trigger pulls. I has been the most accurate method I found. If you do "fixture" the gun correctly you will get very consistent results.

The system is also capable of measuring lock time.

38stupid

[38stupid]

I like the Dvorak Trigger Scan unit. You basically you lock the gun in a fixture and the machine with cycle the trigger. The computer will overlay multiple

trigger pulls. I has been the most accurate method I found. If you do "fixture" the gun correctly you will get very consistent results.

The system is also capable of measuring lock time.

38stupid

The link if you are interested: http://www.dvorakinstruments.com/

PS - I dont work for them.

38stupid

[Tom E]

The link if you are interested: http://www.dvorakinstruments.com/

38stupid

Wish my neighbor had one I could go next door and use.

[adweisbe]

Even with the Lyman you will get different readings depending on whether you pull straight back or along the axis of rotation of the trigger. I always measure on the axis of rotation since that gives me the bare minimum (consistent) reading.

You might be able to get better results with the Apex hammer if you restrict the gun to the right ammo? No idea just throwing that out there.

Edited June 12, 2010 by adweisbe