Took the 686 4inch revolver to Old Bridge today to use her for the steel match. FAIL!!!

 

Light primer strikes littered my afternoon and ruined some stages for me. Well, like my dad said when I bought her, "shoulda went with da Ruger".

 

Off to Caso's I go on Tuesday.

By chance were u there a few days ago picking up? I was there with my fiance and noticed someone picking up a smith.

No, I've had this bad boy for 4 or 5 years.

I have same kind of problems with my 625 a month ago in a USPSA match in Shongum...

Luis and Ray- Two questions. #1 Have you had any double action trigger work done? #2 What brand of ammo?

RayRay, check the spring tension screw to see if it backed out. you may have to remove the grips.

RayRay, check the spring tension screw to see if it backed out. you may have to remove the grips.

 

Ditto what Tony said. When I picked up my 625 off the board, the previous owner had the screw WAYYYYYYYYYYY out. I tightened that biotch back in and now I get perfect primer strikes every time.

 

On another note my 686 will shoot and eat anything without ever a hiccup.

No work on mine and my problem hapened every time that I tried to rapid fire will miss fire une of the chambers hiting off center of the primer always the same chamber so I'm thinking is some defect on the extractor

I'll open it up tonight, but that could be the issue Tony/Matt/Frank. The ammo was WWB, Remington UMC, and a someones reloads. All failed but not all the time. No trigger work done on her and I only shoot double action. I would reload the rounds that didn't go off and some would go off and some wouldn't.

It is the strain screw Ray. Give it a turn and you will be good to go. Not too much or your pull will be heavy.

how much do i turn it?

probably give it a quarter or half turn and see how it feels.

1/4 should do it. Most of the time it does not take much.

I turned it maybe a full turn and a half. The trigger pull feels almost the same as it did before. I looked at the firing pin and it seems that it still barely pops out.

I turned it maybe a full turn and a half. The trigger pull feels almost the same as it did before. I looked at the firing pin and it seems that it still barely pops out.

 

 

Ray, chances are that will do it. Light primer strikes on a Smith are almost always a result of someone attempting a "screwdriver-trigger-job" by backing off the strain screw. If you find it backing off on its own (I've never had that happen, but apparently some here have) use some purple - NOT BLUE, and especially NOT RED - Loc-Tite.

 

Good luck.

 

Adios,

 

Pizza Bob

I turned it maybe a full turn and a half. The trigger pull feels almost the same as it did before. I looked at the firing pin and it seems that it still barely pops out.

 

 

Ray- Think about it! Mainspring tension will not effect firing pin protrusion. And I'm going to guess but, it only has to protrude about .040" to .060" to detonate a primer.

 

Luis- Get intouch with me. I'm more concerned about your Smith.

Luis- Get intouch with me. I'm more concerned about your Smith.

 

def get a hold of old school..

how much do i turn it?

 

I turned it maybe a full turn and a half.

 

The answer to your first question is turn it in un til it stops.

 

If your strain screw was turned out 1 1/2 turns that is most likely your problem.

 

Turning out the strain screw is a shade tree pistolsmith job and will eventually turn into a failure of some sort as you have experienced. No one should be doing it. If you want to screw with springs get a Wolf spring kit and make sure it works before you rely on the gun for anything

So should I turn it until it's tight?

I've had similar issues with my 625 I run it no moon clips and don't think that's the issue if I remember heaters brass bulk ran fine but tulammo steel and blazer aluminum have terrible reliability my screw is all the way in too I believe I need to run a quality ammo through it to check but it doesn't seem to go away

So should I turn it until it's tight?

 

Yes all the way in. Now if you want to find out if its the gun or ammo go to the range with some of the ammo that was misfiring and some you know to be reliable. Try the reliable ammo first if that doesn't work its the gun. Then use the ammo that misfired, if it works it was because the screw was backed out if it doesn't it's that ammo.

Thank you to all, I'll tighten the screw all the way until it's snug.

 

GP100 anyone?

I've had similar issues with my 625 I run it no moon clips and don't think that's the issue

 

 

That may be exactly the issue. In revolvers made to run rimless cartridges, theoretically you can run without the moon clips since there is a rebate in the cylinder that corresponds to where the case mouth falls - providing the cases are exactly the correct length. Rimless cartridges in a semi-auto headspace on the case mouth, but case length is not as critical as in a revolver application, since the extractor tends to hold the case against the breech. In a revolver, with no moon clips, if the case is short (most are) a firing pin strike can drive the cartridge deeper into the cylinder, thus lightning the strike and it may result in misfires, especially with ammo with hard primers (read that Russian). By using moon clips, the cartridge now headspaces, consistently, on the moon clip, regardless of case length. The other solution - at least with your 625 - is to use Auto Rim ammunition. In either case with moon clips or with Auto Rim, you don't have to poke the empties out individually with a rod, the way you do if you use rimless ammo with no moon clips.

 

Adios,

 

Pizza Bob

Why would you want to run your 625 without the moonclips? When I was looking for a revolver that could use the same ammo as my 1911 and finally found a nice used one, I was really glad when I found it uses moonclips! I finally get to pick it up this week.

Yea ill back out that screw a little and run Russian cheap ammo with clips and see thanks for insight

Luis, it sounds to me that you have a slight timing problem as you say it only happens rapid fire. It may need a slightly thicker hand to bring it back totally in spec. When people hear timing and the hand they usually think they need a longer hand but the thickness of the hand has more to do with timing. Not a hard fix if you know what you're doing but I'd send it to S&W. Your gun doesn't sound dangerous to use but I'm sure you want to get it fixed ASAP.

 

I'd like to throw a word in here on springs. Many shooters modift, replace, screw with springs for a lighter trigger pull etc etc. It has always seemed to me that the engineers that designed the gun kind of figured out what strength spring to use. In addition to turning the screw out on a S&W many cut down the recoil or trigger return spring. This actually slows down your shooting as it takes longer for the trigger to return to battery moreso if you're rapid firing DA. Ed McGivern who's speed records stood for quite some time until Jerry Miculek beat them always used stock springs in his S&W revolvers. He put 6 shots into an Ace of Spades at a distance I can't remember in something like .40 seconds. I think I read something about Miculek saying he used stock springs also but don't hold me to it.

 

I'll save my epistle on semi auto springs for another time.

Took the 686 4inch revolver to Old Bridge today to use her for the steel match. FAIL!!!

 

Light primer strikes littered my afternoon and ruined some stages for me. Well, like my dad said when I bought her, "shoulda went with da Ruger".

 

Off to Caso's I go on Tuesday.

 

I will take that POS S&W off your hands..... its the least I can do for you Ray....

Nevver had any problems with my 686. I've had more problems with their semi's which I am now not a big fan of!

I will take that POS S&W off your hands..... its the least I can do for you Ray....

 

and I'm sure you'd give me a fair price Troy.

 

No, she's my first handgun and it'll be my daughters when she's old enough.

and I'm sure you'd give me a fair price Troy.

 

No, she's my first handgun and it'll be my daughters when she's old enough.

 

 

She? Your're not referring to your handgun are you? If so, do you name your screw drivers. multimeter, channel loks?

 

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