Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Gunsmithing Help on S&W 19-4

Trying to find what is wrong with a buddies S&W 19-4 revolver. Cock the hammer, put slight pressure on the back of the hammer and the hammer falls forward. I have a pic of the hammer/trigger point of contact. I haven't pulled this apart yet but looking at Numrich parts it appears the hammer has a step in it. I am thinking the hammer has the step worn off. Any one experienced with this problem, I would appreciate some advice. All I've done so far is pull the side plate and take a pic.

Thanks, Mark

That is a common problem on Smith revolvers that have been used a lot or have been "worked on". The single action sear on the hammer is very small. It is critical that the sear notch is sharp and square. The notch can be recut by an experienced gunsmith with the proper stones but this is beyond what the owner should tackle.

Ok, thanks. I will pull it apart and see if I can order one. Numrich has a few in stock

Thanks Kp321

From the scratches in the area of the sear notch of the hammer it would appear that someone has attempted to do a trigger job on that revolver. Also the trigger appears to have been worked on also causing the condition you are experiencing which is called "push off". It appears that in an effort to improve double action trigger pull that the single action sear on the trigger has been rounded off. This sear has a very precise angle and the end needs to be sharp in order not to have push off. From the looks of the hammer and trigger it would appear that the unsuccessful attempt at a trigger job has made them unuseable and they would need to be replaced. The job is definately one for gunsmith with proper training and experience working on S & W's. I am a Smith & Wesson factory trained armorer and hope this advise proves useful.

I have corrected this problem many times, and it has been wear to the sharp sear edge of the trigger every time. Stoning the edge of the sear to a sharp edge has always corrected the problem. It is about a 10 minute job with a 6 inch india stone, if is is just simple wear. If an amateur has been working it over with a dremel tool, the parts may be ruined, as the case hardening is sometimes pretty thin. If you are not very familiar with timing and stoning revolver actions, you you probably send it off to be done. The S&W factory is actually pretty reasonable for simple repairs.

Yes that is great advise gunswizard. I really didn't know what the sear was supposed to look like. I had an idea looking at replacement parts from Numrich site. Being a toolmaker I am kind of mechanical so I took the hammer out today and the step on the hammer isn't clean cut. And you are right, the trigger has been rounded and not sharp. Is Numrich a good place to get parts? I have before and seemed like the quality was OK.

Thanks

Just a dumbass here, but that is a very good quality gun.
Too good to fix half-fast. I would get prices from Smith first.
If they didn't sound bad, they would fix it for me.


As a toolmaker, I very well might see it different.

+1 on returning the revolver to Smith & Wesson and letting them supply the parts and fit them correctly. If the hammer and trigger have been worked on by a "Bubbasmith" there may be other parts that need repair/replacement. Smith & Wesson will do a thorough inspection and your revolver will be returned to you in proper working order.

Looking at the wear marks on the cylinder, this is a well used model19. Based on the markings on the metal surrounding the cover plate opening, I would surmise the cover plate has been improperly removed by prying a number of times. This damage would support a previous post which alludes to bubbasmith having worked on this model 19.

The marks on the cylinder being referred to while heavier than most do not necessarily indicate lots of use. The bolt notches which are the more important part look fine showing no signs of peening which would indicate heavy use. Bubba left his trademark in lots of places on this S & W, other than the hammer and trigger nothing appears un-repairable. The drag line on the cylinder looks like Bubba didn't get it timed correctly and may have not gotten the spring installed correctly. Can't say what he did to the bolt to cause the wide drag line leading into and in the cylinder notches. I suspect this revolver has issues other than push off. The large pry marks on the frame show conclusively that the side plate was removed by prying rather than the proper way by rapping the grip area with a soft mallet.

Wow gunwizard, I can tell you know your way around these revolvers, as you could tell so much from the pictures. I am no way a gunsmith and hope I didn't offend anyone with my "toolmaker" trade statement. Only thing that I meant is I understand fit and finish of metal, having worked by hand to thousands of an inch.

But yes, buddy said he had the side plate off before, as I could tell by the screws someone had. Not sure what he did but will confer with him on the next step. I will strongly suggest sending back to Smith

Thanks