Light strikes

[mike4045]

I just got a 625 PC. I went to shoot it for the first time and it on fire 1 of 6 rds. It would hit the primers, but it would barely mark it. The ammo is the same I run in my 1911. I was really disappointed, because I really love the trigger pull. It would not even shoot factory ammo, maybe 2 of 6 would fire.

I was really glad I tried to shoot it, before the classifier match this weekend. It would be really bad to show up with a gun that would not shoot. Gonna break out the STI or Glock again. I had even thought of shooting it at the Tx Open next weekend.

I posted this here instead of gunsmithing, since it is for a revolver.

Mike

[ihatepickles]

Is Federal factory ammo an option for you? If you must run factory ammo, Federal is your only option. Remington may work for you if the revolver's action isn't super light.

You can buy a new strain screw and fit it to the revolver so that it puts more tension on the mainspring. It sounds like your revolver has been worked on, since I've never seen a PC gun with a decent trigger on it. To their credit though the gun does come from S&W ready to fire pretty much any factory ammo, so your's has just been lightened to the point it needs a longer strain screw.

[Bwana Six-Gun]

I just got a 625 PC. I went to shoot it for the first time and it on fire 1 of 6 rds. It would hit the primers, but it would barely mark it. The ammo is the same I run in my 1911. I was really disappointed, because I really love the trigger pull. It would not even shoot factory ammo, maybe 2 of 6 would fire.

I was really glad I tried to shoot it, before the classifier match this weekend. It would be really bad to show up with a gun that would not shoot. Gonna break out the STI or Glock again. I had even thought of shooting it at the Tx Open next weekend.

I posted this here instead of gunsmithing, since it is for a revolver.

Mike

Have you checked the main-spring strain screw? Is it screwed all the way down? If you bought this used, the previous owner may have backed it out in an attempt to lighten the double action pull. The other alternative, is your primers. If it is set up for Federal and you are using winchester or some other brand, then that may be the problem.

[glockwerkes]

What is the actual pull weight of the trigger? If it's ridicuously low, the strain screw might be backed out. When I started shooting REVO I borrowed a friends with a nice pull. I didn't know enough at the time to check the strain screw. Halfway thru my first match it had backed out, giving the same results you describe. Make sure it's tight, and if it's not, use blue loc-tite on it.

You didn't mention which primers you're using, as Federal is the standard for lightened revolvers. I feel you're pain, been there/done that too. It's no fun with bang, bang, click, click, bang, click. I've had good success with process of crushing the primers after standard seating and quality control checks.

[mike4045]

The single action pull is lower than my limited gun. I have never handled a revo with a DA pull this light.

I am using winchester primers. I can't try any others right now since none are avail.

I have not tried to tear it down and look for anything loose. Mostly because I don't know anything about them.

I was using Rem and CCi factory ammo. I loaded the rounds up and fired them in my 1911 afterwards. I think this is one of those experiments I should have not tried. I don't keep gear arund that doesn't run. Part of the reason I got out of open was special ammo.

Thanks for the input. I sent an email to SW, will see what they say next week.

Mike

[glockwerkes]

A good trigger job can easily cut the DA pull by half the factory weight. The SA weight is obviously even less.

CCI's are hard in my experience, but WIN can be used, and FED is primo. Deep seating (crushing) seems to be key with lightened actions.

Checking your strain screw is easy. Just remove the grips, and there will be a single screw near the bottom of the grip frame on the trigger side. As the grips will be off, you can easily see the relationship of the parts. The main spring is the large flat spring that extends from the bottom of the grip, up into the action. The strain screw bears against the bottom of the spring, placing it under tension. Try to tighten it, as it should be bottomed out and tight. If not, follow the advice above. If it has worked loose or was deliberately loosened, you will feel the increase in both the DA and SA pull.

I worked thru quite a few problems when I started out. I'm glad I stuck with it, as I'm usually grinning ear to ear after a REVO match. I'm still a Glock guy, but I love this round thing. Good luck with it.

[earplug]

I had the same problem, if the strain screw has been reduced in length, don't mess with a S&W replacement.

Several forum members suggested using a commercial set screw instead of the factory one. I'm thinking its a 6/32.

If your strain screw has been cut on or has worn the tip down, buy a couple set screws to replace yours.

Grind or file to adjust the length. This will adjust the DA trigger pull, assuming the trigger return fuction works fine.

Might be good to adjust and mark one for Federal primers and another one for all others.

A good trigger job can easily cut the DA pull by half the factory weight. The SA weight is obviously even less.

CCI's are hard in my experience, but WIN can be used, and FED is primo. Deep seating (crushing) seems to be key with lightened actions.

Checking your strain screw is easy. Just remove the grips, and there will be a single screw near the bottom of the grip frame on the trigger side. As the grips will be off, you can easily see the relationship of the parts. The main spring is the large flat spring that extends from the bottom of the grip, up into the action. The strain screw bears against the bottom of the spring, placing it under tension. Try to tighten it, as it should be bottomed out and tight. If not, follow the advice above. If it has worked loose or was deliberately loosened, you will feel the increase in both the DA and SA pull.

I worked thru quite a few problems when I started out. I'm glad I stuck with it, as I'm usually grinning ear to ear after a REVO match. I'm still a Glock guy, but I love this round thing. Good luck with it.

[mike4045]

I am going to take it the match in the morning and have a local shooter lok at it. Hopefully he can make sure it is an ammo problem.

[Tom E]

I am going to take it the match in the morning and have a local shooter lok at it. Hopefully he can make sure it is an ammo problem.

Depends how you look at it. If the gun is set up to shoot ammo with Federarl primers, it won't go bang with others. Easy to fix, screw the strain screw in some if it's not bottomed. Install a longer strain screw if it is. Loctite the strain screw. The strain screw is common 8-32 thread. I replace them with (hardware store available) socket set screws, screw them in till it goes bang reliably and Loctite them. Others here disagree and think the strain screw is sacred and must be bottomed (and Loctited, so they clearly have no faith in just bottoming it).

[gotm4]

I shot a 625 4" for a little USPSA and ICORE and ran into light strikes after using a Wolff power rib 2 spring and a 11lb rebound spring. My fix was a extra length C&S firing pin. With this firing pin it would even light off military WCC 230gr ball ammo.

My 625 had the frame mounted firing pin.

[Tom E]

I shot a 625 4" for a little USPSA and ICORE and ran into light strikes after using a Wolff power rib 2 spring and a 11lb rebound spring. My fix was a extra length C&S firing pin. With this firing pin it would even light off military WCC 230gr ball ammo.

My 625 had the frame mounted firing pin.

Some of the FMFP guns have firing pins that are a bit short. The lengths and types vary. S&W has a bunch of different pins with the same part#. In a short response, it seems the firing pins need to be .492" minimum.

[ihatepickles]

If you're interested in an extended firing pin, I feel the Apex extended pin is of much higher quality than the C&S product. Both are roughly the same price, around $15.

[mike4045]

Got GreggK to look at it today. The screw was backed out. Gonna try it again. This gun is more finicky my open guns. It already has an extended firing pin.

Got a line on some Fed primers. Hopefully it works.

[jasond]

It will work with the screw tightened back up. You could likely back it out, shorten one, or bend the spring to reduce the pull when you get the fed. primers, and get that light trigger back. Likely it was set to only use them, most people I've met have guns that will only use federal primers. There are tricks to getting the trigger even lighter.

The only other thing that's ever caused me any grief was ammo that wouldn't chamber. Brush out the chambers at least before a match. Drop all of your loaded moons into the cylinder, make sure that they fall all of the way in easily. It's quick and easy to chamber check 6 at a time! 625 moonclips are strong, but they can still bend and cause the reload to bind and not fall in.

Take care of these two things, and you won't have any surprises!

[ihatepickles]

The only other thing that's ever caused me any grief was ammo that wouldn't chamber. Brush out the chambers at least before a match.

How dirty is dirty? I ask because I often leave my revos dirty for 2000 rounds or more and don't have issue chambering. I run moly/poly coated bullets with Clays powder and don't have issues. I do clean before a match, there's no reason not to have the gun in decent shape before an important event, but I also like to know how my gear runs dirty. So in practice I let it go until a match rolls around, I clean it before the last practice, take it out for a last practice and let it get a bit dirty, then show up to the match with a slightly dirty revo that I know is working.

I have a 625-8, and the chambers were .0025" underspec. I have pin gauges and measured them out before I spent the money on a reamer. The Clymer reamer run by hand into the cylinder made a big difference in rounds dropping into the chamber freely. I read the 625-2 and 625-8 both have this issue, but I'm not sure it's a 'rule', because I have an untouched 625-8 with proper sized cylinders. Before reaming the 625 though ammo didn't want to drop in nearly as easily as it should've. Were you having trouble chambering ammo in one of those models?

I do chamber check my ammo before a match though right after running my finger over the primer pockets to insure the primers are seated below flush, that's a good thing. It's quick and easy.

I saw the original poster mention he didn't want to mess with revos if they were ammo sensitive like his open gun proved to be. Revos are nowhere near the open guns in terms of ammo pickiness, I hope that doesn't scare you away. The basics are you should run a round nosed bullet since that will be easier to drop into the chamber at speed and run Federal primers seated below flush.

[Carmoney]

Got GreggK to look at it today. The screw was backed out. Gonna try it again. This gun is more finicky my open guns. It already has an extended firing pin.

Got a line on some Fed primers. Hopefully it works.

Mike, your gun is finicky only because it was dicked with by somebody who doesn't know what he's doing! There are several ways to lighten the DA pull that will work fine and last indefinitely, but backing out the strain screw and leaving it loose (the "redneck action job") is not one of them. Once your gun has been set up correctly, and you are able to use those Federal primers that you have ensured are well-seated, you should never have another problem.

[Carmoney]

I have a 625-8, and the chambers were .0025" underspec. I have pin gauges and measured them out before I spent the money on a reamer. The Clymer reamer run by hand into the cylinder made a big difference in rounds dropping into the chamber freely. I read the 625-2 and 625-8 both have this issue, but I'm not sure it's a 'rule', because I have an untouched 625-8 with proper sized cylinders. Before reaming the 625 though ammo didn't want to drop in nearly as easily as it should've.

I automatically re-ream the chambers on any 625-8 that has been sent in for action work. I don't think I've ever encountered a 625-8 in which my reamer didn't remove at least some material, but there is quite a bit of variation from one specimen to another. Your 625-8 with the "good" cylinder may have been from early in the run, or perhaps had a cylinder from an earlier series (S&W loves to use up all the old parts they find laying around).

[ihatepickles]

I automatically re-ream the chambers on any 625-8 that has been sent in for action work.

Probably a good call, I'm sure you see more revolvers than the average bear so I'd trust your word on that.

Just a note to perspective buyers of the 625JM (Jerry Miculek) model, it's a 625-8.

[jasond]

I've had the chambers dirty enough to not drop ammo in after just a few hundred, depends in what junk I've been shooting in it (627). I use clays/ranier in short colt cases for uspsa, I'm sure I could run them forever without a problem.

Cleaning the cylinder/making sure screws are tight is the only regular maintenance I see any point in doing. How often do the rest of you guys clean the thing?

[Matt Griffin]

Got GreggK to look at it today. The screw was backed out. Gonna try it again. This gun is more finicky my open guns. It already has an extended firing pin.

Got a line on some Fed primers. Hopefully it works.

Mike, your gun is finicky only because it was dicked with by somebody who doesn't know what he's doing! There are several ways to lighten the DA pull that will work fine and last indefinitely, but backing out the strain screw and leaving it loose (the "redneck action job") is not one of them. Once your gun has been set up correctly, and you are able to use those Federal primers that you have ensured are well-seated, you should never have another problem.

The strain screw is there to be backed out 1/4 to 1/2 of a turn while you bend the mainspring to failure, then bottomed for reliable ignition. It can also be shortened, but ultimately you're in for trouble if you don't design your trigger around a bottomed-out screw. There's an argument to be made for loctite, but I take my gun completely apart often enough that I want metal doing the grabbing, not glue.

H.