629: reduced power main spring or not

[JumboJVT]

Picked up a 629-6 Classic 5" that dates to 2016. Trigger isn't horible, 4#-ish SA and DA that is 10#'+ I suspect (don't own a scale), but it can certainly be improved. Need to get inside it, and will at a minimum try a lesser trigger spring. But what have the expriances been with the Wolff reduced power main spring? Everything still go bang reliably? Obviously not a CCW, but a gun that won't go off everytime, always won't be acceptable to me. And I've got a bunch of CCI primers to use up. Thanks for the help.

 

[Yamifrk]

Shoot it, a lot, that will help for sure. You can grab some snap caps and dry fire it. But if I’m squeezing the trigger I want to make some noise and throw some lead down range. They come around after a few thousand rounds.

 

[trackskippy]

I think your best bet is to dry fire the gun every day. The trigger will "get better", and it wont change a bit.

Ive swapped a number of older S&W's mainsprings with Wolff springs, but I just replaced them with the normal power and not reduced.

Either way, something to consider with Wolff is, they have a "rib" stamped into the length of the spring. What Ive run into with that rib is, the strain screw is right at the base of that rib, but in the depressed part of it, and doesn't get a good bite on the spring because of it. The factory springs are flat at that point and the screw gets a better bite and more leverage with it. Wollf needs to bump that depressed part up the spring a half inch or so so the screw is on the flat.

With the Wolff springs as they come, I was getting a couple of light strikes each cylinder. What Ive had to do with a couple of the guns, and what I now do with any I replace with their springs is, I remove the anvil from a dead large pistol primer and put the cup under the strain screw and the base of the cup against the spring as a shim. Once I started doing that, the light strike issue went away.

 

[Oldschool shooter]

I've had good luck with reduced piwer spring kits from both Wollf and Apex. Wollf springs in a Model 29-6 and Apex springs in a Model 36 and a 638. Never had an issue using any factory ammo in any of them. The 638 is my normal carry pistol. You will also want to change the trigger return spring. Mainspring alone will probably not give you the results you want.

 

[UncleEd]

Leave hammer spring alone and just use a slightly
lighter trigger return spring. You might like the results.
Also consider a Wilson Combat kit using both
hammer and trigger return springs.

 

[reddog81]

I prefer to just swap out for a reduced strength trigger return spring. Of the half a dozen or more times I've tried a reduced power mainspring I end up with misfires. It might only be 1 or 2 rounds out of 100 but it has always happens for me.

 

[243winxb]

Wolff reduced power main spring? Everything still go bang reliably?

No.

 

[JumboJVT]

Thanks all. You've pretty much confirmed what I was thinking: polish up around the rebound slide, a lighter retrun spring and leave the main spring alone. Just what I've done with the few K/L frames I have. This is my first N-frame, so I thought I'd ask.

 

[Old_Grouch]

Leave the hammer spring alone. If you don't have the strength to pull the trigger comfortably there are three good options.
1. Work on strengthening your trigger finger.
2. A lighter rebound spring.
3. Take a half coil, or one coil off of the stock rebound spring.

Don't conflate smoothness with light pull. They are two separate issues.

 

[Jim Watson]

As always, Jeff Cooper's Embarrassing Question: What is it to be FOR?
Bears or felons; factory mainspring, maybe one notch less rebound spring.
Targets, Wilson or Clark set. Test with CCI, back to factory mainspring if necessary.

I had to put a primer cup shim under the strain screw of my Major Big Name Centerfold Gunsmith's Wolff Power Rib M25-2 spring. I don't particularly care for the design. I know we are told not to adjust with the strain screw, but if you just must, Teddy Jacobson had a scheme. He used a headless set screw with the tip ground into a pyramid shape. When that dropped down into the back side of the Wolff "rib" it would give a click stop action in quarter turns. So you could count the adjustment and not worry about it backing out.

In the middle distance, I may be shooting more revolver than now; I have a Wilson spring set on hand and I might get froggy enough to do the Skeeter Skelton contour.

 

[roval]

i ended up putting the reduced power hammer spring in my model 29-4. when i bought it used, it hadn't been shot much and the DA was heavy. i had a wolff spring kit with 3 rebound springs and the reduced power hammer spring. by then the only rebound slide spring left was the heaviest and after replacing it, the trigger pull was still heavy. i then used the reduced power hammer spring. this lightened the pull. i have had 0 misfires with it. i use CCI LPP and Win LPP with the gun. NO ISSUES FOR ME.

 

[Jim Watson]

I think the reason factory springs are stiff is to counteract the friction in the roughest gun they turn out. If you get one that is smoother and a better fit, you don't have to have all that spring.

 

[jmorris]

I played around with them quite a bit becoming a master class revolver shooter. A very lighter return spring might be ok for single action shooting but it made for a lethargic reset and felt weird shooting DA and in competition thats the only way I shot.

Reduced main springs generally put you into searching out Federal primers or what I found is to switch over to SPP brass for the 625's.

I have a bag of strain screws that I can modify to a certain length after playing with tension settings at the range.

CCI LPP are not going to allow you as much wiggle room before you start getting "clcks" instead of "bangs". They are great in the 458 socom though.

 

[halfmoonclip]

Concur about using Federal primers, when possible. I give guns I tune a good test; best way is to try double action with the muzzle elevated. This cushions the fall of the firing pin.
(At the risk of being Captain Obvious, this test has to be carefully conducted....)
Personally, no major problems with ribbed mainsprings, except in a 325.
Moon

 

[Old_Grouch]

I use CCI almost exclusively. Everything I have has to work reliably with them. That way I know I can use anything else when necessary. Some time back I accidentally dumped some CCI Small Rifle primers into the primer tray and about a dozen in I realized my mistake. Out of curiosity I loaded the primed empties into my Model 28. All of them ignited.
(I don't recommend substituting small rifle for small pistol. In some brands of brass they seat just a wee bit proud of flush)

 

[trackskippy]

Ive been usig CCI SR primers in SP cases for a number of years now. No problems shooting with them so far. Only thing that occasionally happens is, they wont pop out on the first stroke while depriming them.

 

[RugRev]

I have used the Teddy Jacobson strain screw and it works as noted by Jim Watson. The older method of having an adjustable strain screw that would not back out is to use a screw going in from the bottom of the grip jammed against the strain screw after drilling an taping a hole there.
In looking at spring weight one must consider headspace, endshake and firing pin protrusion.

 

[halfmoonclip]

Out of curiosity I loaded the primed empties into my Model 28. All of them ignited.

Used to do this when teaching our Handgun Safety Class...and invariably, without any pressure in the case, the primer backed out and tied up the gun. Had a dickens of a time getting the cylinder open.
Resorted to using a primed 9mm in an auto thereafter.
Moon

 

[Old_Grouch]

invariably, without any pressure in the case, the primer backed out and tied up the gun. Had a dickens of a time getting the cylinder open.

That can happen but a few taps on a wooden dowel down the bore resolves it.

 

[halfmoonclip]

That can happen but a few taps on a wooden dowel down the bore resolves it.

Now that I hadn't considered!
Moon