Revolver for wife with lighter trigger pull

[arthury]

My wife and I were just discussing about her carry gun and she just realized that she cannot complete the DA pull of a Ruger SP-101.

Is the DA trigger pull of a S&W M60 snubby by or a 642 lighter than the SP-101?
Can anyone verify that for me, please?

[Artful]

You can have your SP101 adjusted by a gunsmith to a lighter double action pull.

As to other guns, it will depend upon each individual gun.

Often times it is just a change of springs.
http://www.brownells.com/handgun-par...prod16531.aspx

Gives Smoother, Lighter Trigger Pull

Contains (1) 9 lb., (1) 10 lb., and (1) 12 lb. reduced power hammer spring for tailoring trigger pull.Includes (1) 8 lb. reduced power trigger return spring. Does not fit SP101 .22 manufacturered during & after 2011

[dubber123]

The spring change will be the easiest and cheapest route. I'm sure you know you will need to do a lot of shooting after to verify reliability, as lighter mainsprings are notorious for causing light primer strikes and misfires. If you run into trouble, you may get reliability back by switching to Federal primers, which are the easiest to ignite. There are a lot of competition tuned revolvers that will only function with Federals, I had one. Good luck.

[Virginia John]

Just shoot single action. I don't like the DA pull either, so I shoot single action. Cock it first,

[Rustyleee]

Have her try a Ruger LCR.

[leftiye]

Rule of thumb - if a gun will fire 20 consecutive primed cases, it is probably good to go. There are several spring kits out there for S&W revolters which have reduced springs, both a lightened hammer spring and several lightened trigger return springs. These can be relied upon to not be too light weight. If the triggers that come with Rugers came on smiths, there wouldn't be any Smiths anymore. Many Smith people don't own any Rugers (maybe a single action).

[Walkingwolf]

My wife and I were just discussing about her carry gun and she just realized that she cannot complete the DA pull of a Ruger SP-101.

Is the DA trigger pull of a S&W M60 snubby by or a 642 lighter than the SP-101?
Can anyone verify that for me, please?

What do you mean by complete? The pull on a quality gun does not get significant heavier as the trigger is pulled. In some cases the pull actually gets lighter. It sounds like medical issues in the hand, at some point you may have to revisit a revolver as a choice. Maybe switching to a compact SA semi auto might be the move to make.

[shooting on a shoestring]

I've been in the same spot. My wife couldn't run SP101 nor Model 60. The first answer was a Police Positve Special. It felt like a harder pull to me, but she could run it fine. Maybe it's the different grip geometry that worked for her. Then she found her favorite was an old I-Frame. It's not my choice but she shoots it well and loaded with 6 wadcutters that run nearly 800 fps, the 32 S&W is her best answer.

I think it's a combination of trigger pull weight, length and geometry. its like shoes. Got to find what fits.

[Petrol & Powder]

Rugers are notorious for excessively heavy springs. You can drop the spring weights on the hammer spring and the trigger returned a bit on the SP101 and still have a gun that functions 100%. That is the cheapest route. If my memory serves (and sometimes it doesn't) 10 pounds is the floor for the hammer spring and below that you will get failures to fire. The trigger return spring can be reduced a bit as well. I think your choices are 8# (reduced power) and 10# (factory).

Ruger DA revolvers also respond very well to some careful polishing of parts and the addition of shims. Again, don't go crazy but a little bit of judicious polishing will allow a lower weight mainspring to reliably function. Cleaning up the action, shims and reduced weight springs all work together.

If she is familiar and comfortable with the SP101 (an excellent gun by the way) I would try to make that gun work for her instead of starting all over again.

TriggerShims.com are good folks to deal with.
http://triggershims.com/ruger_double_action.html

Good Luck

[nitrohog]

You might look into a 642 performance center and have her try that. My little lady can handle it fine, and it's a sharp looking gun for a j-frame.

Sent from my HTC6525LVW using Tapatalk

[str8wal]

Have her try a Ruger LCR.

I used to have an SP101, then I got an LCRx. No comparison, even with lighter springs in the SP. The only drawback is felt recoil due to the lighter weight.

[bedbugbilly]

As far as just shooting in single action - that's fine for plinking and range work - but not for a DA revolver that is carried for SD purposes. You might think you can do it . . . but put yourself under extreme stress of having to defend yourself and cocking each time, you will be lucky to get one shot off before you are toast. SD situations begin and end in seconds.

OP - you say you and your wife were discussing her carry gun and she just realized she can't complete the trigger pull in DA? I'm not being critical as perhaps you have not stated all the facts around it, but, how did she "just realize" this? Did she not try it before purchasing? And, how much has she practiced with it? If a person is going to carry then they need to practice, practice and then practice some more so that they are proficient in shooting it if the need arises without doing "collateral damage" because of not knowing their handgun and being able to use it.

A good gunsmith should be able to take a look at it and make recommendations of what can be done to lighten the DA pull. If she still has problems shooting in DA, then I'd be looking at a different handgun for her to carry for SD that she can operate and shoot well with. Many ranges have rentals that a person can try to see if they like them and can shoot them.

To carry a handgun for SD that you can't operate is useless. Pulling a handgun in SD that you can't pull the trigger on is inviting disaster as in a split second, a perp (or perps) could take it away and use it on you. I hope that you can get the hand gun so that she can operate it in DA of find one that she can operate - whether ti be a revolver or a semi-auto (which racking may be an issue for her). And when she does, routine practice with it should be a "must".

[Kraschenbirn]

...I think it's a combination of trigger pull weight, length and geometry. its like shoes. Got to find what fits.

In a DA revolver, probably more 'geometry' and balance than anything else. My wife can shoot my 3" SP101 (trigger job and Hogue grips) with no problems but prefers her '60s-vintage 4" Colt Diamondback because "it feels better".

[johniv]

Try to have the pull on the 101 adjusted, that is the (in my opinion) best way to go. Good gun, good weight, etc. The new Rugers seem to me to have better DA trigger pulls than the J frame Smiths.(ordinary 642's and 442's, not guns that have been worked on) I have both the 642 and 442 and the newer gun, the 642 has a trigger pull that I think is too heavy for a beginner or small person to manage easily.
FWIW

[Beerd]

My wife already has a hair trigger. She sure don't need anything to set her off easier.
..

[Edster]

Wolfe spring kit. Did the wifes SP101 and she loves it. What a difference. I am pretty sure I ended up with the 10lb hammer spring. They also make an 11lb hammer spring, which is available as a single purchase. I get my kits thru http://triggershims.com/

[rking22]

It sounds as if you may be in the "shopping" mode, If so try an LCR, trigger is much better/lighter on those than on my SP101. LCR was designed as a DAO and most people I know who feel a J frame trigger is "too much" find the LCR "just right" . If you already hace the SP101 then look into the trigger work, forget single action on a CCW firearm, not a good plan. The SP101 triggers can be made quite good. Mine stacks notably, just haven't got roun-to-it as it's more kit gun than CCW and I don't have time to work on it, but gonna get to it soon!
Also consider the grips, if she has long fingers a bigger grip could give the geometry change needed to finish the stroke.

[gwpercle]

Factory double action triggers are not going to be great , good action jobs require hand fitting , have a pro do it. Spring swap jobs are not something I would bet my life on. A place like Clark Custom Guns charges $145.00 to do a action job on a SP101...that's not a lot considering .
They did a trigger job on a Ruger for me that is nothing short of wonderful, I sleep good knowing it was done right.
They DO NOT just swap out some springs , they do some kind of magic !
Shooting a gun with a nice action job puts a song in your heart and a smile on your face, every one should have at least one .
Gary

[Petrol & Powder]

I'm going to politely disagree with Gary just a little.
Not everyone is mechanically inclined and if you're one of those folks that isn't comfortable working on guns, by all means hire someone who is skilled. However if you are comfortable and skilled, there's no reason to be fearful. If you are skilled, paying someone else to perform the same work you can do; doesn't guarantee better results.
I sent a S&W K-frame to a very experienced gunsmith to correct a timing issue and obtain an action job. He corrected the timing problem but the action job wasn't all that special and the gun was not 100% reliable. I ended up having to rework the action to make it right. This was a well known and highly respected gunsmith.

I will openly concede there is more to an action job than a spring swap. A spring swap alone can result in big improvements but it should be done in conjunction with an action job. If done properly, the gun will be 100% reliable and it should always be thoroughly tested to verify that reliability.

If you prefer to pay for professional work then that is what you should do but paying for professional work doesn't necessarily result in better outcomes.

[foxtrotter]

I bought a Ruger LCR because The trigger pull was so nice! The 38 SPL was my choice.