S&w625-8jm @#$%^

[cking]

I bought a new 625-8JM. Brought it home shot it a few times, it worked.

So I took it apart to do a trigger job.

The Frame is just amazing. Incredible piece of precision engineering.

Now lets talk about what found on hand fitted parts.

The Barrel face on the Yoke barrel flange, cut and angle off by around .0035 noticeable to eye. So that means face yoke and install powers washers.

Next is bolt, the cylinder plunger pin cut about .002 below flush cylinder hard to open. New part can't add metal

Double action sear, face looks like it was cut with plain file, no polishing long ridges running across it.

Trigger bevel, under a magnifier looks like it was plated with something that has chipped flaked off.

Hammer relief of the single action sear is so rounded by the stone that looks like you held it in your hand and dressed it.

So all that time taken make all these precision parts is tossed because the hand work looks like it was done at kitchen table by a first timer. Doesn't look like a single jig was used anywhere. Rough, burrs.

So if I send it to smith will they fix it or tell me that's the best they can do.

I can't decide spend more money on parts, tools etc or ask for my money back?

Also the trigger looks different than the hammer did they coat it with a bake on Moly? It looks so funky compared to the hammer.

[AzShooter]

Is it stock from the factory? Did Smith do a trigger job on it when you bought it?

The best thing to do is to call them and explain your situation and see what they say.

Smith has always been very good in the past and you should definately give them the chance to fix the problems.

[Round_Gun_Shooter]

There are very few "hand fitted" parts in any S&W these days and as far a "jigs" Never seen one in any fitting area I have visited at S&W going back as far as 1973,

If you feel the parts are not properly fit and that they were not played with, send it back. Call Customer Service and they will pay the shipping both ways.

Sears are normally cut with a barret file. Not real fine.

Check the thumb piece for proper fitting to allow the locking bolt to travel to the face.

I may be wrong here, but I believe the revolver you bought is a production line revolver not a PC version. Poduction line guns are assembled these days not fit. They put them together and function test them. No stoning of surfaces unless something doesn't work.

BUT I have been wrong before.

Regards

[cking]

You are right about not a PC gun. It is a new 160936. Where the 170161 is a PC gun.

It is straight from the distributor. Nobody but Smith has done anything to it.

[Carmoney]

I believe if you were to take 10 regular production S&W revolvers and 10 Performance Center revolvers, you would find that (on average) the actions on the regular guns are smoother.

That's because there is nobody left at that factory who knows how to fit up an action, and the MIM parts on the regular guns are smoother and more consistent when the guns are simply assembled with no fitting.

Or so it seems to me.

[JohnRodriguez]

cking

welcome to the wonderful world of S&W and there bottom line. I've yet to see a factory or PC gun that didn't need to be worked on when they leave the door. The JM model come with the melonite coating on the trigger and hammer, so that's a good thing. All you really need to do is round off the sear and polish the mating surfaces without removing the coating. On the bolt pin, just remove metal on the face of the plunger itself to make it level with the pin. You can save a lot of time and just buy a hammer from Randy Lee if you intend on working on the gun yourself and put a spring kit in it.

[cking]

Melonite coating. Never heard of it, but I don't like it. It fractured on single action sear edge on the trigger. Leaving something that looks like peeling chrome. it is Soft and doesn't look like it is on the hammer. The surface looks rough like orange peel paint job problem. I'm trying to get a good DA trigger. All suggestion welcomed.

I'm used to plain old steel parts, you know put some dykem on then and stone them to perfect fits. So how do you work with goo cover parts????

So who is Randy Lee? I would like to buy a real trigger and hammer.

Where do I find them. Brownell replacement parts are probably just more goo covered parts.

[cheetahs]

I have not heard anything good about the prodution JM yet.

First one handed to me one practice night at our club

about two months ago. Parts fit very poor not what I've been seeing from smith.

I told my friend Paul to send it back to smith.

He has since gotten it back and I'm not really impressed with what they did.

I will stick to my 610s

Gary

[AzShooter]

Randy Lee is the owner of APEXTACTICAL.COM and has the parts you want.

[cking]

Well I stoned some of the mim parts and they polish up OK. Under a 10X magnifier the metal structure looks ok. However the melonite is a problem.

I'm going to get a real hammer and trigger, and maybe a cylinder lock also.

Why doesn't SMith offer a cnc cut hammers and triggers? From looking at the frame they certainly could do it.

[cking]

Well I called S&W, they say the trigger is flash chromed. Not Melonite, and that mine should not have looked like orange-peel surface and they are shipping me a new hammer without charge.

Pretty good service, now maybe they are having problems with that flash chrome because he was fast to offer a replacement.

So maybe that plus a apextactical hammer and I'll be happy.

[bountyhunter]

Double action sear, face looks like it was cut with plain file, no polishing long ridges running across it.

You must have gotten one of the good ones. The end of mine appeared to have been cut using a chain saw.

[cking]

Here is what else I learned today. The PC shop has forged/cnc hammers and triggers used in some of the PC guns.

I will try and see if I can get them to sell me a set.

[DougCarden]

Prepare for some sticker shock....I bought a new hammer a while back from the PC......They aint cheap, but for what we do, it is the way to go. Gun Parts Corp has original triggers in stock as well at this time.....Good luck,

DougC

[Carmoney]

So exactly what is it about the MIM hammers and triggers that makes you little old ladies so worried??

(I've done action work on a number of newer production Smiths with MIM parts and they slick up really nice, never had the slightest problem. And I know for a fact that at least two of the top four finishers at the 2005 USPSA Revolver Nationals were shooting plain ol' 625s with MIM guts.)

[bountyhunter]

I believe if you were to take 10 regular production S&W revolvers and 10 Performance Center revolvers, you would find that (on average) the actions on the regular guns are smoother.

That's because there is nobody left at that factory who knows how to fit up an action, and the MIM parts on the regular guns are smoother and more consistent when the guns are simply assembled with no fitting.

Or so it seems to me.

The DA sears have to be fitted.