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Make sure the gun is unloaded. Not a gunsmith but it's the first thing that's always said! :cool:

That point is depressed when the cylinder is closed by a spring loaded pin in the middle of the cylinder; when it's depressed the trigger can be pulled, when it's not depressed the trigger can't be pulled. You can see this by - with the cylinder open - moving the cylinder release back and forth and pulling the trigger.

Is the spring loaded pin in the middle of the cylinder firm, meaning hard to push w/ your finger? If it's not I guess it could get stuck retracted into the cylinder, thereby making that point not depressed and locking the trigger. But I'm at a loss as to how oiling that point would free it up anything in the cylinder.
It is I mean it is virtually a brand new gun. I really haven't messed with it much because ammo got stupid so quickly. I don't think I'll ever be a "revolver guy" though.
 
The two things that could cause what you're describing would be the cylinder stop and the cylinder catch.

Does it just stop hard partway through the trigger pull, or will it just not pull at all? If the cylinder catch (also called the bolt, where you indicated you oil) were out of spec and causing the problem, I'd think it wouldn't let you pull the trigger at all.

The cylinder stop, on the other hand, could cause a "catch" partway through the trigger pull. I had this happen on an old model 10 recently. I'd be partway through a double-action trigger pull, and it would just catch and stop. I'd let off a little, and then complete the trigger pull. It turned out to be that the trigger stop spring was worn and bent, and occasionally allowing the cylinder stop to pop up and lock up the cylinder at the wrong time. I replaced the cylinder stop spring and now it works perfectly.

Replacing this spring is not an easy job if you're not technically minded and detail oriented. It's a piece of cake, quick and easy, for a gunsmith with the right tools. Having done it a few times myself, I've gotten pretty good at it, for an amateur. I don't know if that's the issue or not, just a guess.

Added: BTW, I'm not an expert, and NOT a gunsmith. There could be something else going on that I'm just not familiar with.
 
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@Esam85
Contact S&W. Send it back. They'll fix it.
Disappointing, yes. I had to send my 500 back to them because of the timing, but they turned it around very quickly.
 
I recently bought a Kimber K6 4" It's got a great trigger and is very well made but until I find some larger grips, I'll be wishing I would have gotten a 686.
 
I had a marvelous GP100-22 that would gradually bind up over 60-80 rounds such the cylinder couldn't turn nor trigger function. Let it sit overnight nearly normal function would return. Impossible to practice for steel match.. Even factory unable to remedy after 3 trips back, they replaced with new one. Odd, but stuff happens.
 
It is I mean it is virtually a brand new gun. I really haven't messed with it much because ammo got stupid so quickly. I don't think I'll ever be a "revolver guy" though.

A new Performance Center gun shouldn't (not saying can't) be having issues mechanicals.

Are you having this problem during live fire? or during dry fire?

What your issue sounds like is that you are "short stroking" the trigger, not allowing the trigger to return forward to its resting /reset point (position it returns to if you remove your finger from trigger) before starting to pull it for the next shot.

Short stroking is "usually" experienced when shooting light loads or dryfiring.

The Performance Center guns maybe more likely to exhibit short stroking with a shooter new to revolvers than would a standard production revolver.

The primary cause of this is that in tuning the Performance Center guns Smith uses a much lighter "rebound spring" than in a standard production gun. The rebound spring is responsible for forcing the trigger forward to its resting / reset position. A heavier rebound spring may help you.

When the trigger is short stroked the revolver WILL bind. This is a training issue similar to limp wristing with an auto pistol.

I suspect the "cam" you refer to is the "hand".

The point you are describing oiling to temporarily "solve" the issue IMHO would have no effect on your issue.

FWIW I am more likely to experience a short stroke with one of my PC or tuned Smiths as I tire at the end of a shooting session than I an too short stroke a stock Smith.

I don't think its the gun. Think of your PC revolver like a performance car, can you learn to drive in a performance car? Yes. Might you experience less issues learning in a Ford POS probably.

If ultimately you are unable to resolve the issues contact Smith, I have had very good results from Smith inn the past.

BTW Great gun.

(hope some of this made sense) :s0092:
 
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A new Performance Center gun shouldn't (not saying can't) be having issues mechanicals.

Are you having this problem during live fire? or during dry fire?

What your issue sounds like is that you are "short stroking" the trigger, not allowing the trigger to return forward to its resting /reset point (position it returns to if you remove your finger from trigger) before starting to pull it for the next shot.

Short stroking is "usually" experienced when shooting light loads or dryfiring.

The Performance Center guns maybe more likely to exhibit short stroking with a shooter new to revolvers than would a standard production revolver.

The primary cause of this is that in tuning the Performance Center guns Smith uses a much lighter "rebound spring" than in a standard production gun. The rebound spring is responsible for forcing the trigger forward to its resting / reset position. A heavier rebound spring may help you.

When the trigger is short stroked the revolver WILL bind. This is a training issue similar to limp wristing with an auto pistol.

I suspect the "cam" you refer to is the "hand".

The point you are describing oiling to temporarily "solve" the issue IMHO would have no effect on your issue.

FWIW I am more likely to experience a short stroke with one of my PC or tuned Smiths as I tire at the end of a shooting session than I an too short stroke a stock Smith.

I don't think its the gun. Think of your PC revolver like a performance car, can you learn to drive in a performance car? Yes. Might you experience less issues learning in a Ford POS probably.

If ultimately you are unable to resolve the issues contact Smith, I have had very good results from Smith inn the past.

BTW Great gun.

(hope some of this made sense) :s0092:
It definitely isn't short stroking it. I can set the gun down and as long as I don't open the cylinder you still can't pull the trigger once you you pick it back up. If you open the cylinder it seems to fix the issue maybe the oil is completely coincidental.
 
So the cylinder is just frozen solid once in a while, and the only thing that will un-freeze it is opening the cylinder? Is it always after firing, or sometimes with a cylinder full of live ammo? Have you checked for cratered primers?
 
This isn't a gradual thing, either.
As Esam told me in response to an earlier post, "its like hitting a brick wall".
So it works fine, then he'll go to pull the trigger and the gun's locked up.
 
It definitely isn't short stroking it. I can set the gun down and as long as I don't open the cylinder you still can't pull the trigger once you you pick it back up. If you open the cylinder it seems to fix the issue maybe the oil is completely coincidental.
Odd, are you sure this isn't your imagination?
Just kidding...

I've worked on a lot of Smiths over the years and as intriguing as it would be to tinker with to find the solution, being as it's a new premium gun I'd call Smith for a return label.
Last time I had an issue with a Smith they covered shipping both ways and made me a happy camper.

Have them make it right.
 
I think I'm with the "send it in" crowd, a lot of times S&W will go through it and it'll be better than before, not just in the area that was broken. It sounds to me like a bolt issue... if the bolt isn't pushed far enough back into the frame by the center pin through the cylinder, it will prevent the hammer from moving back as if the cylinder were open. I've had this issue. Took some careful fitting and fiddling with the parts in the cylinder to get it to where the bolt depressed far enough to be 100% reliable.
I talk with a lot of revolver competitors online, and it sounds like the consensus is that while Smiths are still generally considered the best, competition shooters still consider the Performance Center treatment to still be a "kit" that will need extensive work to get it competition ready. Definitely not an "out-of-the-box" ready to go thing like they'd like you to think.
 

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