S & W revolver issues HELP!!!

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I have a S & W model 625-3 in 45 cal "model of 1989" its machined for moon clips and my issue is that sometimes it seems the pin doesn't make hard enough contact with the primer to fire. It's about 1 in 6 actually fires the rest have a small indent in the primer but not deep enough for ignition.

I wonder if I can just get a longer firing pin and if so would this solve the problem. The replacement seems pretty straight forward from what I can tell. Could it be just worn out? Is this common on revolvers of this vintage?
The gun has been well used I can't begin to guess how many rounds have been through it.

Doesn't seem to matter what type of ammo I use. I thought I had a bad batch of reloads but it happens with factory stuff sometimes too.

I have a sentimental attachment to it and don't want to give up on it. The gun was my Dad's (he was really active on this site and in the community in general when he was alive)

Thanks for any help you guys can provide.
 
Not sure about the 625 but on the 686 if you take the grips off there is a screw near the bottom of the handle that increases or decreases pressure on the main spring. I would try tightening it up a little and see what happens.
 
Yes, the Strain Screw should be all the way in. . Some folks will back the strain screw out to lighten the double action but don't realize the hammer doesn't go back as far with double action compared to single action causing an occasional hard primer to misfire.
 
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Hmmm... I have a 625-8 in .45 ACP as well. One of my "never sell" guns! Adjusting the mainspring tension screw is not advised as it can indeed lead to poor ignition and other woes, but make sure it is fully tightened.

Now I believe some folks have loosened the screw as part of performance enhancement work, and as I recall, some smiths will also install a small cross-screw to keep it locked at the desired point, but this usually requires the use of Federal primers (the "softest" and easiest to ignite) and other smoothing of the action.

Did your dad have any issues with it? If you've tried some Federal ammo - which presumably uses Federal primers - then there must be another cause. There could be some crud in the frame-mounted firing pin channel; if you #### the hammer and depress the FP with a pencil, does it seem to move freely against the spring? Or possibly the hammer block strut not descending fully to allow the hammer to hit the FP (unlikely) Or maybe a worn-out mainspring? Does the trigger pull seem OK? Silly question here: You ARE using moon clips?

You have a beautiful revolver and no doubt a bit of sleuthing will provide the answer. They're "fun" to disassemble (I've had my Model 19 apart several times to try and figure out what's not quite right) although you must have the proper gunsmithing screwdrivers and, in the case of S&Ws, the proper tool for removing and reinstalling the rebound block & spring.

ps- I see "Rod" beat me to it re the strain screw! :)
 
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Beav said:
Federal primers are a must if it's had a trigger job.
Click to expand...

Only if the job is taken to the extreme. I put Wolff kits in all my S&W's and have no issues with igniting CCI primers. And those have a reputation for being quite hard. The Wolff main spring and light 11 lb rebound spring make for a combination that is pretty darn smooth on the DA pull and almost silly light on SA.

Barnyarder, when you're evaluating the pin hit on the primer you can't compare fired to non fired primers. When the primers and main charge in ammo goes off it pushes back against the firing pin and THAT is what produces the deep mark. The marks left on the ones that do not go off are actually the mark from only the firing pin pushed by the hammer. That same mark, or at least something just slightly harder but very similar, is what sets off the other primers. But what happens after ignition is what makes the deeper divot in those primers, not the hammer and pin itself.


As mentioned check the strain screw and if it loosened off screw it back in and give it a firm pinch to tighten. Just keep in mind that there's nothing in a S&W that is supposed to be tightened to more than around 6 to 8 inch-lbs. That sort of torque is easily generated with just two fingers on a usual screw driver handle. So when using your whole hand for added stability keep that amount of torque in mind.
 
I had the very same issue that you have on one of my 625's because before I got the gun some clown decided to make it better. The problem, better didn't turn out to be better.

I sent the gun to Murray Charleton and he repaired it and after that is worked like it was supposed to.

I rather suspect someone worked on the gun that maybe didn't really know what they were doing.

Graydog
 
Are you using moonclips? If not, the cases will go too far into the chamber and it will misfire.

S&W changed the way the chambers are machined. They are no longer cut to headspace on the case mouth. 45ACP cases need the moonclip.

I bought moonclips cheaply on ebay.

There are 2 types - steel and plastic.

Steel need a tool to load and unload the clip. The plastic ones are easy to load by hand.
 
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Ganderite said:
Are you using moonclips? If not, the cases will go too far into the chamber and it will misfire.

S&W changed the way the chambers are machined. They are no longer cut to headspace on the case mouth. 45ACP cases need the moonclip.

I bought moonclips cheaply on ebay.

There are 2 types - steel and plastic.

Steel need a tool to load and unload the clip. The plastic ones are easy to load by hand.
Click to expand...

That's why I cherish my "Model of 1988" 625-2. I can fire it w/o moonclips and it functions just fine.

IMG_2337_zpstnfdbji7.jpg

IMG_2339_zpssq7xu2jp.jpg
 
Harry Callahan said:
That's why I cherish my "Model of 1988" 625-2. I can fire it w/o moonclips and it functions just fine.
Click to expand...
Congrats on owning your 625-2 HC! The dash 2's can indeed fire without moon clips but they had reported problems with hard extractions due to very tight chamber tolerances. Some were returned to have chambers polished which reportedly corrected the problem. The dash 3's had chambers cut a little bigger which allowed extraction with hot loads right out of the box. The take away was the need to use moon clips to ensure reliable ignition. As moon clips are widely used as a default with 45ACP in revolvers anyway, the dash 3's are considered the more desirable variant. I've had two of them and by far prefer smooth reliable extraction with all loads - over the ability to shoot without moon clips whereby you then have to finger pry out the empties one by one.
 
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