S&W 28-2 tune up?

[dk17hmr]

I have a Highway Partol 357 Magnum. I have had it for about 2 years now and have never really shot it much strictly double action, until recently, lots of single action shooting with it. There seems to be a little snag when I am trying to pull through smooth, sometimes it will stop half way through and I have to release the trigger and start over. When I am going quick I never have that little snag. Is there a simple tune up that I can do? Or should I send it off and have an action job done?

[machinisttx]

I can't think of anything in the S&W that would only give problems during slow use of the double action and not when it was operated quickly. It may just need the sideplate popped off and everything cleaned out well.

Have you been able to isolate it to one chamber or does the same problem occur on all of them?

[dk17hmr]

Cant isolate a single chamber. Is there a trick to get the side plate off? I tried the other day but didnt pry to hard, I didnt want to F it up.

[imashooter2]

DO NOT PRY! The plate is very precisely fitted and you'll booger it up. To get the side plate off, remove the screws, turn and hold the revolver so that the plate will fall into your palm when it pops off and then strike the grip frame on the opposite side with a screwdriver handle, plastic or rawhide mallet. It may take a few strikes for the plate to pop off.

[JMax]

It sounds like you may have stubbing and that would require a new DA sear to be fit or to properly fit the existing DA sear. This is not a task for a newbie.

[dk17hmr]

Ill take it apart and see if maybe there is something in there holding me up.....sage brush maybe? :)

Ill post what I find.

[imashooter2]

When you put the plate back on, don't try to pull it down with the screws, or you'll warp it.

Lots and lots of good information here:

http://smith-wessonforum.com/s-w-smithing/94072-faqs.html

[machinisttx]

I would suggest ordering the S&W Shop Manual from Brownells or Midway before you do anything else. Odds are you've already damaged the sideplate with the prying you did. :-|

[machinisttx]

It sounds like you may have stubbing and that would require a new DA sear to be fit or to properly fit the existing DA sear. This is not a task for a newbie.

I didn't think about that, but you may be right. I have an old M&P that was the victim of a grossly undereducated amateur. One of these days I'll get around to replacing the hammer and properly fitting a new DA sear to fix the one he ruined.

[dk17hmr]

I got the side plate off...to be clear I didnt pry hard, just slight pressure and saw it wasnt moving so I stopped.

I didnt see anything that was real obvious inside. I blew it out and lube it up. I did notice a slight bur on the lifter that rotates the cylinder, I smoothed that out with a stone, that helped alot but there is still a snag every once in a while. I might have to get a magnifying glass out and see if there is more that I missed somewhere.

[EMC45]

Check your trigger rebound block too. It may have something wedged under it and it is moving around creating a once in a while type feel.

[20nickels]

The cool thing about an S&W is with the side plate off and the parts pressed in you can cycle the action. You should be able to pinpoint the problem doing this.

[Bass Ackward]

There could be many things here.

Another place to watch is that the cylinder tries to rotate before the stop comes out of the notch. This can be viewed from the side when you have the bind occur.

If so, then that could be a few things, but you have to give us a place to start.

[Edubya]

My gunsmith buddy took about 45 minutes to take mine apart, showing and explaining each step, He made my 642 smooth but left a 7lb trigger pull for a deep cover SD BUG. I would hate to have to do one by myself, even after watching it done.
My recommendation; take it to a gunsmith.
EW

[HeavyMetal]

Take the Hammer block out, put the gun back together and dry fire it and see if the blockage goes away.

A good freind of mine, gunsmith, says that the top of the hammer block needs a a bit of a bevel on it to keep this "snagging" from happening.

Do not leave the hammer block out of the gun! Removing it is just a diagnosis tool.

If the "snag" goes away when the block is removed bevel both sides of the Hammer block in the area that slides up under the rear sight frame area and put it back in and try it out!

[454PB]

This may be over-obvious, but did you check the ejector rod for tightness? If it gets loose, it will cause binding. This has left hand threads, righty loosey, lefty tighty.

[KCSO]

If you need to tighten or loosen the ejector rod get the right tool and don't use a pair of pliers and a piece of leather. The right tool is a clamp wrench. I'll post a picture of S and W tools tomorrow with proper usage.

[dk17hmr]

Ejector rod is tight....ill look into it a bit more.

[dk17hmr]

After talkin about it with guys in chat tonight, I ordered a Wilson Combat spring kit for it from Midway....it was only $15 so it might be worth it. The kit and some Nosler Ballistic tips will be here on Monday next week so this topic is dead until than...unless there are some pointers.

[imashooter2]

Competition spring kits demand Federal primer reloads for reliability.

Also, springs make light, they do not make smooth. If there is a hitch in the action, it will be even more pronounced with the lighter trigger pull.

[machinisttx]

Imashooter2 is correct.

[Char-Gar]

My best guess if somebody monkeyed with the trigger return spring before the pistol got to you. I would replace it with a factory spring and would be a decent lunch, that would take care of your problem.

For many years, I chopped springs, ground springs and replaced springs trying to do an action job on a DA Smith. I learned to be pretty good at it, but for the past 20 years, I don't mess with springs. Just use the pistol and it will smooth out in time.

[dk17hmr]

Well I got it figured out and put a springs kit in it. There was a small bur on the ejector rod the part that rotates the cylinder....I cleaned that up lubed everything new springs, need to test fire it but the trigger is smoothed up and the snag is gone.