S&W model 60

[rfd]

single action is perfect, double action is just a dog and accuracy goes to hell.

what, if anything, can be done to improve the trigger, make it smoother and perhaps lighter?

230737

[marlin39a]

Wilson Combat and Wolff make spring kits available to lighten action. I did an older 60, and it involved complete disassembly and some polishing. Came out fine.

[rintinglen]

A light polish of the Rebound Bar, the Main Spring Guide, and the substitution of a Wolff reduced power Mains Spring and Trigger Return Spring for the factory springs will lower the trigger pull. If it is a carry piece, then I would not reduce the mainspring.

[243winxb]

Playing with springs may cause misfires, depending on the primers used.

[Outpost75]

If you purchased as new gun I would send back to S&W and complain.

[EMC45]

I would take it apart and stone the rebounding block (only 2 sides) make sure the hammer strut has no burrs. Check for machine swarf in the action (hammer and trigger pivot areas) and burrs there too.

I personally like the XTra power springs from Wollf. They are 9lbs. The S&W factory standard is 8.5lbs. I just stoned the rebounding block on my buddy's Model 36 and put an 8.5 in it. Slick and smooth.

[lotech]

I'd shoot it some more as is to see if things don't improve. These aren't the easiest guns to shoot well, particularly using double action. Heavy trigger pull, etc. from the factory makes the guns reliable. Modified, tampered with, or otherwise molested guns often turn out to be the ones that some owners complain won't work well with a particular primer or don't fire with 100% reliability.

[oldhenry]

I'd adhere to EMC45's suggestion after following lotech's advise on "break-in". I always use the factory mainspring. In addition: use a wooden dowel (or such) slotted & arrange a 800 or 1000 grit piece of emery paper in the slot (a well worn piece of emery paper is better). Polish the walls of the trigger return spring hole in the rebound block. Experiment with different trigger return springs (strength) but make sure the trigger returns every time. A good trigger/action job usually is done in stages with emphasis on reliability.

My wife's model 49 is very slick & shoots every time.

Good luck,
Henry

[JoeJames]

It has been my experience over many years that Smiths wear in very well. I have a J frame stainless kit gun, and I have never tinkered with the springs, but over time it now runs about 2 1/2 pounds by my trigger gauge. I wish Rugers did the same.

[MT Gianni]

J frames are not designed as target guns but putting three or four hundred rounds through it DA should begin to help.

[376Steyr]

Buy a set of snap caps (dummy rounds with resilient primers) and dry fire the heck out of it. If that doesn't help, you're only out the cost of the snap caps.

[tazman]

I have a Model 60 in 38 special that I picked up used. I have no idea of the round count through it. I haven't put more than about 300 rounds through it myself.
I never measured the trigger pull since I didn't get it for a target gun. The double action pull doesn't feel bad though. Somewhat heavier than my model 15 but the model 15 has had thousands of rounds through it.

The snap cap idea is a good one.

[Bigslug]

Load yourself a small mountain of light wadcutter loads, go to the range, and forget that your revolver even has a single action setting.

I'd bet that gun has a DA trigger of 10-12 pounds, in which case, it left the factory just like every other J-frame, and there's nothing wrong with it. Shooting DA takes a bit of mental adjustment and a lot of practice - it's all about putting the emphasis on making a clean, steady trigger press while CONSTANTLY correcting the sight alignment, and not caring one whit about the exact time of ignition (i.e., "surprise break"). This is what you SHOULD be doing with single action, but we tend to get into the habit of forcing the break when the sights look good. This does not translate to DA at all. The good news is once you get that little bit of brain wiring right, your SA shooting will improve markedly for it - although you may find that you quit bothering to thumb the hammer back at all on revolvers. That's certainly been the case for me.

[EMC45]

I shoot all my K, J and I frame guns better in double action than single. I just ride the trigger and "stack" it and shoot. They do well.

[Char-Gar]

Just a few thoughts on the subject at hand.

1. The J frame coil spring does add considerable weight to the DA trigger pull.
2. J frames are more difficult to fire with accuracy than the K, L, and N frames.
3. J frames are a booger to fire DA no matter what.

My suggestion is you practice allot and learn how to shoot the little popper DA. My solution was to install bigger grips to get a good grip on the gizmo. All is good now, both SA and DA.

[rfd]

i appreciate all yer valued inputs.

i'm just gonna shoot the dang gun. only have maybe 300 of my "medium" hand loads through it, so i think that's part of the issue. the other part is clearly me not getting in enuf d/a trigger time. though i can reliably hit an 8" plate at 7 yards with rapid fire, those 5 rounds are all over the plate. i'm used to much tighter groups, and can easily achieve that with the gun if shooting in s/a mode, with its real light 'n' crisp trigger. i'm just gonna bear down and shoot d/a only. i do have some larger, square shaped altai hybrid grips on order as well. thanx again y'all.

[salvadore]

I have mod 60 that hadn't been shot in some time and a 317 I've shot twice in about 2 years. I went out last week with those and a m-28. The N- frame was fine considering the amount of shooting I've been doing lately. The 2 J frames were a chuckle fest. They are tough to shoot DA.

[winelover]

If you want to get proficient with DAO revolvers, purchase a set of laser grips. That bouncing red dot will teach you exactly what your doing wrong, as far as the trigger is concerned.

Winelover

[Rodfac]

I'd bet that gun has a DA trigger of 10-12 pounds, in which case, it left the factory just like every other J-frame, and there's nothing wrong with it. Shooting DA takes a bit of mental adjustment and a lot of practice - it's all about putting the emphasis on making a clean, steady trigger press while CONSTANTLY correcting the sight alignment, and not caring one whit about the exact time of ignition (i.e., "surprise break"). This is what you SHOULD be doing with single action, but we tend to get into the habit of forcing the break when the sights look good. This does not translate to DA at all. The good news is once you get that little bit of brain wiring right, your SA shooting will improve markedly for it - although you may find that you quit bothering to thumb the hammer back at all on revolvers. That's certainly been the case for me. EXCELLENT ADVICE...Rod

[FergusonTO35]

On my 637, I honed the rebound slide and replaced it's spring with one about 2 pounds lighter. Big difference!

[MostlyLeverGuns]

Like others stoning/polishing the rebound slide, spring hole in rebound slide and a lighter rebound slide spring help DA trigger a great deal. Fill it with snap caps, practice pulling the trigger DA as fast as you can until you can go 50 or 100 pulls rapidly without stopping. This will polish the moving parts and develop your hand strength for DA firing. I don't normally change out or reduce main springs. polishing the mainspring strut might also help a little.

[RJM52]

Some suggestion:

Gun wise:
12-13# replacement rebound spring. I have done every Smith I have ever owned and that makes a big difference

Grips that really fit your hand and don't slip at all when fired DA


DA Practice:
Start out slow fire at 5-7 yards aiming at a 1" dot on a 6" paper plate or half-piece of typing paper. Trigger roll should be VERY slow almost staged in the beginning looking only for tiny groups and learning trigger control.

Once that is to your satisfaction up the speed but still trying to get as small as groups as possible at the dot. Then get rid of the dot just trying to hit the plate in the center as fast as possible.

231970

231971


Bob

[Petrol & Powder]

As a dedicated user of the snubnose platform I will add a little bit to this discussion.
The DA J-frame Smith is a proven concept but it requires practice. There's a temptation to put big grips on that little J-frame and that does make the gun far easier to shoot but it also destroys the primary attribute of those guns which is the ability to conceal them. When you put big grips on a snubnose J-frame you turn the gun into a K-frame sized gun.
That leaves you with the quandary of what to do with that little gun - and the only real solution is to practice, practice, practice.

The guns themselves are capable of excellent accuracy but it is difficult to extract that accuracy from that platform. That's a user issue and not a gun issue.

Snubnose J-frames require a high level of dedication and there's just no way around that.