Two months ago I purchased a Model 686 in .357 with a six inch barrell. (New) Serial No. DAY6093. My problem is I keep having misfires with .38 and .357. Out of every cylnder full one or two will not fire. At first I thought it was the ammunition, but having fired nearly every brand I am having the same problem. I have noticed that the firing pin is barely making a dent on the rounds even the rounds that do fire there is barely a noticable dent. My friend bought a Ruger the same time in .357 and and it really dents the casing. It is getting very frustrating. As I live in the Rep.of Ireland and handguns are relatively new here I do not know what to do. It would seem a bit extreme (let alone the cost) to sent the Revolver bact to America. In the manual that came with the gun there is no touble shooting article. Can the spring or the firing pin be adjusted, it appears the firing pin is not striking the rounds properly or the firing pin does not protrude enough. Regards Liam Slattery
I see your dilemma living outside the U.S. The firing pin is on the hammer face, there is no adjustment for it. The 686 has a leaf mainspring and on the front of the grip (the part your fingers wrap around) there is a screw near the bottom of the grip. This is called a strain screw and it puts pressure on the mainspring. This screw shoot be tight. See if that is tight or not. If it is, I would telephone Smith and explain your problem.
LIAM increase the tension on the spring , to do this take the rubber grips of and at the bottom of the grip frame there is a small screw, turn this screw clock wise to increase the spring tension and thus increasing the force which the firing pin will sprike the primer Daniel
Posts: 1488 | Location: AUSTRALIA | Registered: 07 August 2001
Liam, call smith and wesson before you do anything. I had a problem with my 686, the sights were not aligned, they picked it up, fixed, and returned it at no cost to me whatsoever.
Originally posted by delloro: Liam, call smith and wesson before you do anything. I had a problem with my 686, the sights were not aligned, they picked it up, fixed, and returned it at no cost to me whatsoever.
call them.
It will be a lot faster to simply pick up a screw driver and tighten the strain screw as was suggested. No cost, no bother.
_______________________________________________________________________________ This is my rifle, there are many like it but this one is mine. My rifle is my best friend, it is my life.
Exactly right. This is an easy one. Just take a good fitting turn screw with you to the range and give the mainspring strain screw a half turn at a time until you get constant ignition.
Then give it a quarter turn more.
Mike
Wilderness is my cathedral, and hunting is my prayer.
Posts: 13757 | Location: New England | Registered: 06 June 2003
Hi, does the firing pin hit the middle of the primer or is the dent off center? Could you post a photo of the spent brass bottom? Could you measure the play between the rear of the cylinder and the frame where the firing pin protrudes? Your friend did the right thing buying a Ruger.
Something is out of spec. You are not getting enough punch out of your firing pin.
Could be a bit short, I suppose. You can check firing pin protrusion with the cylinder out by holding the cylinder latch back while pulling the trigger and lowering the hammer with your thumb. I don't know the spec, but the pin should prortude from the backplate a fair bit.
Other possibilities might be a bent firing pin or a weak mainspring or a too short strain screw.
Mike
Wilderness is my cathedral, and hunting is my prayer.
Posts: 13757 | Location: New England | Registered: 06 June 2003
I had a Model 19 come in with a similar misfiring problem. The customer just had the action done by another shop and was concerned by the misfires. Rather than backing the screw out, the other shop trimmed the nose of the screw. A standard length replacement screw solved the problem. I will look to see if I have a standard strain screw that I can measure for you.
_______________________________________________________________________________ This is my rifle, there are many like it but this one is mine. My rifle is my best friend, it is my life.
Contrary to popular belief the strain screw we speak of is not for an adjustment and a top notch gunsmith who tunes actions doesn't mess with it. The poster found his strain screw tight as it should be. I thought perhaps Smith might have missed tightening it or it become looks by some other means.
I had miss fires with a ruger red hawk and tarus ti. Well the trouble with them were the Winchester primers I was using switched to CCIs and the trouble with both of them went away. It might be a ammo problem instead of a gun problem.
Posts: 19736 | Location: wis | Registered: 21 April 2001
Originally posted by starmetal: Contrary to popular belief the strain screw we speak of is not for an adjustment and a top notch gunsmith who tunes actions doesn't mess with it. The poster found his strain screw tight as it should be.
But many an ill-advised guncrank has backed off the strain screw to lighten the DA pull over the years. The really clever ones shorten the screw, which can confound those trying to undo their handiwork.
Originally posted by starmetal: Contrary to popular belief the strain screw we speak of is not for an adjustment and a top notch gunsmith who tunes actions doesn't mess with it. The poster found his strain screw tight as it should be.
As Westpac notes many an ill-advised guncrank has backed off the strain screw to lighten the DA pull over the years. The really clever ones shorten the screw, which can confound those trying to undo their handiwork.
Wildboar, for a reference ,G Nonte , "Pistolsmithing " talks about .050-.060" .I got out my M29 - .055" , 2 1/2 lb SA [no creep] ,9 lbs very SMOOTH DA ,fully reliable ignition !! I learned something in gunsmithing school !! The revolver has done many metallic silhouette matches ,taken woodchucks [marmotta],feral dogs and a number of deer !
I just measured 2 ea. 66's and a 19. The 19 has a recessed head and the firing pin protrusion on it is .045. The protrusion on both 66's is .035. The strain screw shank length on all 3 is .360.
Contrary to some opinions, the strain screw is very much a trigger pull adjustment screw. The problem is in knowing when to stop. If you go too much you experience light hits or spring stacking. Neither of which is good at building confidence.
_______________________________________________________________________________ This is my rifle, there are many like it but this one is mine. My rifle is my best friend, it is my life.
The really proper way is to reduce the width of the mainspring as I have done on my gun and many others.But that's not for the DIY group.I haven't done this work recently and perhaps other dimensions have been changed .The breachblock to cylinder distance is important too.The first question I always asked when tuning a revolver is "are you going to use it for just target or for defense ?" For reloaders the lighter primer strike will show up problems like not seating primers all the way !!
Thanks Guys. All my ammo is stanndard factory brands, we are not yet allowed to reload here yet. It would appear that the firing pin is not protruding enough on firing. Still waiiting for a response from S&W.
Originally posted by mete: The really proper way is to reduce the width of the mainspring as I have done on my gun and many others.
Yeah I used to thin and polish main springs myself, years ago, but there are new and improved springs on the market which produce the same, or, better results without resorting to "weakening" the orginial part. Back then I built tons of PPC guns so I was happy to see the new and improved springs hitting the market. Of course on those nights when I can't sleep, I lay there and think of all the old ways I used to do things and just cry myself to sleep.
_______________________________________________________________________________ This is my rifle, there are many like it but this one is mine. My rifle is my best friend, it is my life.
Originally posted by Liam Slattery: .....It would appear that the firing pin is not protruding enough on firing....
You could try to look carefully inside the hammer/firing pin housing/hole; may be there is some dirt or metal chip that can hamper the striking force or the protrusion.
I may be wrong but I don't think all of the factors are being considered. One, if this is a new 686 it will have a floating firing pin. Two, it will have a hammer safety lock. Depending on what firing pin type you have will determine protrusion. Hammer could be dragging on lock slowing hammer fall. The internal hammer block might not be clearing frame. Lots of possibility's. Just try S&W again and send it to them or a smith that knows what to look for.
James
Posts: 658 | Location: W.Va | Registered: 20 August 2002
Originally posted by J Bennett: I may be wrong but I don't think all of the factors are being considered. One, if this is a new 686 it will have a floating firing pin. Two, it will have a hammer safety lock. Depending on what firing pin type you have will determine protrusion. Hammer could be dragging on lock slowing hammer fall. The internal hammer block might not be clearing frame. Lots of possibility's. Just try S&W again and send it to them or a smith that knows what to look for.
James
Man, do I feel stupid. I guess it's because I don't have a Smith revolver that's newer than about 35 years old.
Mike
Wilderness is my cathedral, and hunting is my prayer.
Posts: 13757 | Location: New England | Registered: 06 June 2003
Most smiths will have a hammer block to prevent from firing if the trigger is not to the rear. Look down the revolver with the hammer back and see if it is tight against the frame. Sometimes dirt or powder residue can be forced between the two preventing the hammer from moving forward 100%. S&Ws not firing is a rare occurance and usually your local rep will not send it back to the USA but have a local gunsmith fix the problem under warranty.
John
John
Posts: 1343 | Location: Northern California | Registered: 15 January 2006
Originally posted by Liam Slattery: Put the shim in working well, S&W is sending me on a new longer pin Thanks Guys Deerhunter
I see guns every now and then with spent primers over the tip of the strain screw to make up the difference of a short screw. You could take the strain screw you have to a machine shop and have them remove the thickness of the shim, from the bottom of the screws head. That repair is fast and forever.
_______________________________________________________________________________ This is my rifle, there are many like it but this one is mine. My rifle is my best friend, it is my life.
The revolver has done many metallic silhouette matches ,taken woodchucks [marmotta],feral dogs and a number of deer ! 
