Reduced power spring for S&W

[Tatume]

Please share your experience, good and bad, with replacing hammer springs and rebound springs in S&W revolvers.

[bosterr]

I tried a Power Custom main spring in a S & W 586 a while back and got a lot of light strikes that were probably using CCI primers. Once I bought an assortment of Wolff rebound springs that started at 11 lb and went heavier, but I can't remember how much stronger they went. Could have been 14 lb. I do remember I went with the 12 lb. because the 11 lb. didn't return the trigger very well. Since then I probably replaced rebound springs with 12 lb. on at least 6 more revolvers and they all worked very well.

[Outpost75]

I have handled and shot the late Ed McGivern's show guns which are now in the NRA Museum.

They all had stock springs and stiff actions. He wanted them to WORK!

[scattershot]

Good results here,but be aware that if you get misfires in double action you went too light.

[Chad5005]

not a fan of light springs in revolvers

[Hickory]

If you are going to reduce the spring tension on your S&W, Brownell's sell an in frame firing pin that is 0.010" longer than standard. However, don't reduce the spring tension too much you'll still want the hammer to strike fast and hard!

[Jtarm]

Never used one. I bend or grind factory springs to get the DA pull I want.

If you’re going to shoot all DA, bobbing/lightening the hammer helps.

Apex sells competition hammers & extended firing pins. But the hammers are not cheap.

Reduce it too much and you’ll end up limited to Federal primers.

[dubber123]

Not a fan of lightened mainsprings for several reasons, but I will reduce the rebound spring in revolvers which is often heavier than needed.

[Southern Son]

I had a smith put Wolf springs in my 686. I liked it so much that when I got my Mod 19, I put them into that. Then into my Mod 17. Unfortunately, the Mod 17 has been a bit of a disappointment. I can reload for the .357s, and I use Federal Primers which gives me the bang every time, but I have not been able to find an easy to ignite rimfire ammo and I have been getting fail to fire/light strikes which is annoying in a timed match. Love them in the .357s, but not in the rimfire.

[Char-Gar]

I quite grinding, bending, clipping coils and replacing revolver springs decades ago. Even factory springs will loose strength with time and use. When you start with a weak spring, you just hasten the day when you pull the trigger and you hear a click instead of a bang. The click could prove fatal or embarrassing at the least.

[Bazoo]

I've replace the rebound spring on 2 revolvers. A 642, I replaced it with a 12 pound spring if I recall correctly. It functioned flawlessly and the trigger reset was still good, but it lightened the pull enough to make it much more controllable.

The wifes 686, I replaced the rebound spring with a 12, and it didnt reset as "hard" as I wanted and switched it to 13 pounds. It still resets a touch light for my taste but she cannot handle anything heavier.

[rintinglen]

I replace rebound springs almost without exception, but I only replace mainsprings on guns that are strictly "toys." My PPC guns all had lightened springs, but I used Federal Gold Medal match primers exclusively in those. However, in my duty guns, I want a full power mainspring that will whack the primer stoutly.

[Mal Paso]

The factory S&W Mainspring is Better quality than most of the replacements and does not affect trigger pull very much. The trigger return spring is the one to change.

[El Bibliotecario]

Please share your experience, good and bad, with replacing hammer springs and rebound springs in S&W revolvers.

My personal experience is that they cause misfires and hang up the action during double action.

[Mytmousemalibu]

I put a full Wolff spring set in my 3" 686 Plus and a Cylinder & Slide extended firing pin. Its a bit finicky because I went light on the springs. I did create a brass shim (drilled a retention indent for the strain screw to positively hold it) to add some pressure back on it to lessen light strikes. This is only a competition/fun gun so I accept its not 100% reliable. It is not far off, it generally runs really well and the trigger is super slick. I did some action tuning on it also.

My EDC is a 442 J-frame that is always on me. That gun has a full Wilson Combat spring set, C&S ext. firing pin and some tuning. It is fairly light but it has proven 100% reliable, never let me down. Some of you wouldn't be comfortable with that but I am and thats all that matters. I am a competitive shooter when im not working or sleeping so I am comfortable with my choices.

I would highly recommend a C&S or Apex extended firing pin in any frame mounted S&W. I am a big fan of these, they increase reliability of ignition in any frame mounted S&W. All of my revolvers have one except collection guns and older hammer nose guns.

[imashooter2]

I've shot USPSA Revolver and ICORE for many years. My competition revolvers are a conservative 7 pound DA pull. The guys riding the edge are down around 5 pounds. I use Wolff rebounds and bend the factory mainspring similar to the Miculek springs using a simple jig of nails in a board. Any seriously lightened mainspring requires the use of Federal primers for reliability and I would never lighten the mainspring in a Revolver used for social purposes.

I’ve found that going less than 14 pounds on the rebound spring will limit reset speed for fast double action.

I have personally broken 2 of the C&S extended firing pins. I have no experience with the Apex. My competition guns run factory firing pins.

[beemer]

Not a S & W but a Taurus 605, I replaced the main spring with a Wolf reduced power spring for S & W 36, it made a difference in the DA pull. It worked fine till I tried some ammo that my buddy had loaded with rifle primers. Someone had given him the rifle primers, he doesn't load rifle ammo so he was trying to find out how they worked. My pistol would not set off most of them even with repeated strikes but would then work in his Ruger.

I know they were rifle primers but still this gun needs to work, it's not a show piece or a target pistol but my rough duty carry in the woods gun. It might be dirty,wet and frozen but it needs to work. So back went the stock spring.

[reddog81]

I've got a 12 lbs rebound spring in a 929 and that made a huge difference but the trigger return is kind of weak. I haven't had any problems but it is noticeable. A 14 lbs rebound spring in a 460 XVR dropped the DA trigger pull by about 1.5 lbs and the return isn't as noticeably changed.

I've never had good luck changing out mainsprings. In every S&W I've tested I always end up back using the original for 100% reliability.

[Mytmousemalibu]

On the C&S ext. pins, I was actually squadded with 2 of the guys from Cylinder & Slide at Area 3 last year. I had ask about the pins and the warning not to dry fire them without snap caps. The response I was told was the earlier pins had an issue but that was corrected. One our club shooters also runs a bunch of revos in USPSA and IDPA with C&S pins in everything with no issues. Not trying to make excuses for them, just my experiences. Good info to know if someone has had them break. I wouldn't be opposed to trying the Apex pins. I have run a bunch of Apex parts in my autofeeders and very happy with them.

[9.3X62AL]

OEM springs in my S&W revolvers. Period.