Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns Smith 69 Trigger Job

I have had my 69 for a few months now, I have ran a few hundred rounds through it of various levels and I love it....except for the trigger. It's atrocious; easily the worst trigger in my stable. SA isn't bad but DA is horribly heavy, creepy, etc. It is time to resolve this.

Would you guys send it back to S&W or do you recommend another gunsmith?

Dry fire it a few thousands times and see if it doesn't smooth out a bit. A few hundred rounds is negligible in terms of smoothing out a handguns action. A set of Wolff springs can be a good addition if dry firing doesn't get you there.

Dry firing hasn't done as much as I hoped it would. It has spent countless nights in the chair with me while I watched TV just snapping away. Not much difference...still horrible.

The Wolff spring pack may help, when you open the gun up you might look at the internals under magnification to see if there are any obvious burrs or high spots. Smoothing those with emery cloth, taking care not to alter any angles, can be helpful as well.

If you decide to DIY try Jerry Miculeck's video on S&W trigger jobs. You'd need a couple of stones from Brownell's, maybe some spring swaps but well worth the effort in improving the trigger pull.

Funny that I used to have to do or have an action job done on most every Smith I ever owned until the MIM parts replaced the case hardened ones. Since then the only thing I have had to do is replace the original trigger return spring with one of 13#.

Nothing "gritty" at all with any of the DA trigger pulls...

Personal opinion...call S&W and tell them how disappointed you are and see what they say...

Bob

On my #69, the pivot pin for the hand was rubbing on the frame.
It was too long, an extended too far beyond the trigger, rubbing the frame. A couple of passes with a stone fixed it.

I've gotta do something with the trigger on my model 69, too. It's smooth and crisp enough, but dang that pull is heavy.

Needs a taller front sight, also.

spring change is the quickest fix for your pistol

The model 69 has MIM internals, the action should be butter smooth. Spring weight from the box is heavy, but the action should be really, really smooth. If it's rough and gritty or jerky that's really out of character for an MIM gun.

Dry firing will not likely clean up the action on an MIM gun. The MIM internals are H A R D ! !

If the action is really gritty/jerky, then I'd send it back to S&W. If it's just stiff, I'd pick up a spring kit and give that a test drive.

New MIM S&W's should be very smooth right out of the box. MIM has made S&W's DA revolvers the smoothest they've been since before WW II.

Easy Peasy, just pick up a spring kit and you're GTG.

Anyone got a link to a spring kit that they feel confident recommending?

All of the above including dry firing do not apply to the S&W Model 69.

It is the worst Smith I have ever handled/shot, makes Rugers feel 'Butter Smooth'. A spring kit will help, but it will need a trigger job.

Jerry

A friend just ordered a 629 and it has the worst trigger I've ever felt on a S&W. I'd wanted a 69 for a 44 special gun, but I'm starting to back off my decision now.

If it's a hammer mounted firing pin, do not dry fire extensively without snap caps. You will damage the firing pin hole in the frame.

That's rich...I take it you aren't familiar with the Model 69?

I am, but I was commenting on the general recommendation to work-in a double action S&W revolver action via thousands of dry fires.

Frame mounted firing pins (like that on a 69) are OK to dry fire without snap caps.

Are you saying it doesn't apply to the model across the board? Or just your 69.

If it's just your gun, then what I said applies; there's something wrong because it should be very smooth.

If you're saying it's the entire model line; that just doesn't make sense.

If YOUR model 69 has a really bad action, send it back to S&W and they should make it right. It ought to be pretty darned smooth.

I'm a gunsmith, so it costs me ZERO dollars to do a trigger job. I don't even bother on the MIM guns anymore, they're GTG right out of the box. Many object to how stiff the springs are, so swapping springs makes sense.

So that should tell you that if your 69 is really bad, something is amiss and ought to go back to S&W.

Kevin,

I've got a couple of MIM S&W's (and a few non-MIM S&W's) and what you say regarding the MIM's smoothness in my experience is true of all... but the Model 69. My personal experience is only a sample of two, mine and another one I tried at the LGS. I have read over at the S&W forum the same complaint that I have. Maybe you're right, Find a shop that has some in stock (shouldn't be hard in the Reno area,.. I have only seen the two referenced above in my area) & try a couple and get back to us with first hand experience with the model being discussed.

I still like the Model 69 and recommend it (with a trigger job). It is kind of a draw between my 625 45acp (which is so handy with moon clips and load versatility) but the compact size of the Model 69 and approx. 6 ounces less weight make it very handy to pack... it may very well sideline my 625.

Jerry

One with a 2.5" barrel would be tempting (loaded with Specials) as a carry piece. Even better with a scandium frame. Do that, and get rid of that hole in the frame, and I'd almost certainly be a customer.