Reduce S&W 638 Trigger Pull ??

[1sourdough]

 I took Cabela's up on their deal of $359 for a S&W 638 today. I have to wait 48 hrs to take it home though. During my brief store checkout the hammer spring seemed harder than need be. I don't know if it's an approved method but I have taken a coil out of a spring before(security-six) & been fine. I won't do anything until I look it over & shoot it some but what's the thought on a replacement spring or reducing the factory spring? Any advice about this? Thanks

[Graybeard]

I'd recommend having a smith who really knows what he is doing take care of the job for you. Are you concerned most with the DA or SA pull? There are somewhat different things needed to reduce one as opposed to the other and when messing around with the DA pull you can easily lighten the hammer strike to the point of it not going bang every time. NOT a good thing.

The DA pull on mine is a bit heavier than I'd prefer but the SA pull is excellent as far as I'm concerned. I don't see the DA on mine being so heavy that I'm in any hurry to have it reduced but some day I might.

That was an excellent price for sure. I paid $400 out the door for mine and $415 out the door a bit later on my 637. The latter was bought after the guy I've dealt with for so many years sold the store and his right hand man was in charge that day as the new owner of the store was not in that day. Still I don't know that the new owner would have done any better. I'm thinking I'm gonna hafta get used to somewhat higher prices now that my old friend no longer owns the store.

[1sourdough]

 No I really have to have it at home for awhile. I was thinking about the DA trigger pull & I didn't want to do much dry fire testing in the store. Yes I have previously worked a spring where it didn't go bang every time & had to fix it. I would lean to a heavy pull rather than less than sure fire. I may just end up leaving it alone.

[Keith L]

When I get a new gun I tend to take it apart and clean it up well.  That includes removing burrs and polishing mating/bearing surfaces and then re-lubing.  Then I shoot it for a while prior to planning changes.  Often I am pleasantly surprised at how they improve from the initial cleaning.  I am normally surprised at the amount of metal I find in them left over from manufacturing.

[1sourdough]

 I agree that an initial cleaning & lube check on a new gun is important, I will start there. During my usual bedtime reading I did see where Midwayusa sells 'spring kits' for common revolvers & semi-autos. I'll give stock a try & if need be I try the Wolf spring kit.

 As a side note, I have an extremely clean background & on the initial call-in the gun counter said I came up as 'delayed'. I am no stranger to a gun purchase & have never had a hiccup. He said since there is a 48hr wait it should be no concern. I did buy another handgun(S&W #37) 2-3 weeks ago. We don't have any kind of gun a month limit & I can't see that as a problem. I know it could of been for any number of system glitches & will leave it at that.

[Mikey]

1 sourdough:  you may be able to reduce the da pull on that 638 without clipping coil springs.  I would first disassemble and check the parts for burrs or sharp edges.  You can reduce the drag of the trigger trigger bar (or whatever they call the pat that houses the trigger recoil spring) by stoning off the sharp edges and assuring there aren't any burrs or sharp edges inside that bar as well. 

If that doesn't satisfy you then I would get a new spring kit from Wolff Springs - they have 3 for the j-frames:  Bullseye, factory replacement, and combat (I believe).  The Combat is the heaviest, Bullseye the lightest.  You can probably mix and match the recoil spring weight of your preference to the desired hammer spring weight to obtain a lighter trigger pull and positive, continually reliable detonation. 

You will also need to practice with your double action pull as you will most likely not get the chance to cock the hammer on that 638.  If your da pull is too heavy you may well pull your shots from one side to the other and miss your target even at close range.  A smooth trigger pull will help keep you on target........

The same applies to the grips.  The 638/38 come with horribly small grips.  My 38 would 'roll' in my hand when it was fired because I couldn't tighten my hold sufficiently with the small grips - a set a Pachmyer grips fixed that problem.  JMTCW and HTH.  Mikey.

[Mikey]

1 sourdough:  sorry, it's called the rebound bar...........Mikey.

[1sourdough]

 Thanks again for the tips. I took home the 638 today & did an initial cleaning & going over.  The S/A trigger pull is very fine & the D/A pull is quite livable. I guess I'll take the 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it' advice. It seems like a tight little revolver. I have been reading about the lock at the S&W forums. I also plan to leave that alone, though it's nice to see there are some home fixes if one wants to get rid of it. If it ever becomes a problem in the future I'll deal with it then. 

[Mohawk]

  Just keep in mind that a stainless revolver will not "wear to perfection" the way a carbon steel revolver does. It is just the properties of the metals.

[SHOOTALL]

for whats its worth i have found with a new gun a long range session will help alot . why pay a smith if shooting will do the trick ? if after say 4-500 rounds it still needs help then go for it .
why 4-500 rounds ? Browning said thats what its guns needed in the O&I man. that came with my A5 so i try it with most guns and have found it was worth while .
I had a stainless Mod 38 air weight S&W and it was rough so i got 5 snap caps and kept pulling the trigger until it gave up and got better .