S&W 642 Action Job?

[mikenac]

Anybody in the Pittsburgh area know a good smith that can do an action job on a S&W 642 revolver? Also, any of you that have gotten action jobs on your J-Frames, is it ever possible to get the pull as absolutely perfect as the Model 19?

That gun has literally ruined me for trigger pulls.

[wlptpd3]

Buy an Apex Tactical J frame duty/carry kit they run around $ 25.00, If you are not comfortable installing the kit find a gunsmith in your area and have him do the install. You will not be sorry with the results after installing the kit, it is probably the best $ 25.00 you will ever spend. Dry-fire also helps a great deal, you can dry-fire at night while watching tv just make sure you are following all safety protocols when you dry-fire your j-frame.

[1blindref]

Before you take your 642 to a smith, try dry firing the be-jesus out of the little bugger.

I have a 642 that is well broken in with a trigger that feels pretty good. It's not as nice as some of my older Smiths, but then again the quality isn't as good as the older Smiths either. I doubt that it'll ever be as nice as an older K-frame or N-frame S&W.

When I first bought my 642, the trigger was extremely hard and somewhat rough. After dry firing it about 400 to 500 times (not all at one session ), the trigger smoothed out very nicely.

Give that a shot and I'm sure that you'll get some improvement on that trigger.

[mikenac]

Ya, I have dry fired the piss out of it, and put about 300 rds down the pipe. It has become better, but no where near that model 19... I'm certainly not complaining, but I'm always chasing the nicer trigger.

[wlptpd3]

Mikenac,
Do the research on the Apex kit,I did and it really makes a world of difference in the j-frames. I have been using it for a few months now and I carry my j-frame pretty much all the time. I am sold on the Apex trigger kit.

[ar15jules]

I second the APEX kit. See my small thread on the kit here:

http://forum.pafoa.org/gunsmithing-4...tical-kit.html

And here is a youtube vid of the install by the folks at APEX. I don't know how to embed if someone wants to fix it for me.

DISASSEMBLY:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JIUfmg1JulE


ASSEMBLY:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ATrz7SSbpAk

YOU CAN DO THIS AT HOME IN LESS THAN AN HOUR!!!!!!!! GO FOR IT!

EDITED TO ADD: The final result is about three to four pounds less of trigger pull with minimal stacking. It is worth the twenty bucks. You are going to pay more to have a smith get in there with an India stone.

Jules

[sprrdhawk44]

The trigger was the only reason we sold the 642 I bought for my lady. If it had a trigger half as nice as my Python, not only would I not have sold it, I'd have bought one for myself.

If you're willing to drive a bit, there is a smith in Farrell PA(about an hour north of the burgh) who has forgotten more in a day than I'll ever know. He is also a revolver man. He's worked on stuff for me that has turned out fantastic. Since he is retired, he does gunsmithing as a full time hobby. He is incredibly reasonable for 5 star quality work. If you are serious, drop me a PM and I'll give you his contact info.

[mikenac]

Thanks. Will check out that kit for sure.

[rwb1500]

Before you take your 642 to a smith, try dry firing the be-jesus out of the little bugger.

I have a 642 that is well broken in with a trigger that feels pretty good. It's not as nice as some of my older Smiths, but then again the quality isn't as good as the older Smiths either. I doubt that it'll ever be as nice as an older K-frame or N-frame S&W.

When I first bought my 642, the trigger was extremely hard and somewhat rough. After dry firing it about 400 to 500 times (not all at one session ), the trigger smoothed out very nicely.

Give that a shot and I'm sure that you'll get some improvement on that trigger.

I have to agree with this ^^^

I've had three J frames, a 637, and a 442 of recent manufacture, as well as a 38-2, manufactured in the early to mid 90s. The trigger on the 38-2 was worlds better than either of the two current guns.

The 38-2 came used, so I couldn't really be sure if the trigger was well used, or if the gun was just better constructed. Maybe both. I've since passed it on to another member here, unfortunately. I really liked that gun.

[ithinkimamedic]

I used a Wilson Combat Custom-Tune Spring Kit in my 638-3 which is the shrouded hammer version of the 642. It has worked very well and helped the pull quite a bit, that coupled with a bunch of dry firing and it's a nice trigger IMO.

I just picked up a 642 no-lock a week or two ago and plan on putting the apex kit in that when I get the time and motivation because right now it's a horridly stiff trigger but it's also not a carry gun yet...

Never had an action job per say but after switching out the spring and dry firing a bunch it has certainly helped!