S&W Revolver Gunsmith Wanted

I have an accurate S&W K14 that needs to have its trigger refined. The single action is fine, but the double action is not so good. If you know of a good pistolsmith who specializes in S&W revolver work, would you please identify him/her and provide contact information there about.

I am a long-time high powered service and match rifle shooter and a relatively new pistol shooter. I am interested in becoming Distinguished with a revolver and a service pistol and that is my present quest. I am new to this forum and I have to get up to speed on my tools (inventory of target pistols).

Presently I have a Les Baer Wadcutter for my .45 ACP and it will hold a 2" ten shot group at 50 yards all day long with a handload I developed, so I am fine with that pistol.

For my .22 LR I am using a Kart conversion on a Colt Gold Cup frame and it too will hold a 2" ten shot group at 50 yards all day long, but it is tough to keep running. It really doesn't like to be dirty. After fifty or so rounds, it has a tendency to malfunction.

My "hardball" gun is a Beretta 92 custom. I won't say who built it, but it is a well known name. I have tried over 116 different ten shot test loads (both factory and hand loads) and it really doesn't like to group better than 8 1/2 inches at 50 yards and that is with Winchester SX9 via Bass Pro. Don't laugh about the Bass Pro stuff. I "HAD" a Beretta 92 that shot ten shot groups at 50 yards that NEVER exceeded 2" (via a Ransom Rest) with this ammo. I wanted to get my son-in-law into shooting so I sold it to him for $900 and I bought a custom gun for $3,440. Now he has a tack driver and doesn't shoot and I have an expensive plinker. I have tried everything to buy the gun back, but he won't budge and he isn't shooting, either! So, as a side note, NEVER sell a firearm that shoots a great group to anyone, but especially a relative.

I have always tended to moderate loads in my .38's and .45's to achieve the best accuracy. Does this hold true with 9mm hand loads? I have read blogs where shooters say that accuracy improves when velocities are closer to maximum pressures, but I just don't know.

I have two K14's with 6" barrels for my target revolvers. Both shoot well; however, both need trigger jobs. I like to shoot double action, but these two revolvers aren't as smooth as they could be. I can fire a better group at 25 yards via double action with my Ruger SP101. Now that doesn't hold true at 50 yards.

Can anyone help me with my 9mm loads and also recommend a competent S&W pistolsmith? Thanks...

Call the guy who built the 92 and ask himwhat load you should be shooting. If it still shoots 8" groups and it was mine it would be back at that gunsmith as fast as I possibly could get it there.

Ditto! I worked on a 92 for some time and never got good performance out of it until I had someone check the barrel for me. It had a crooked crown and the throat was incorrect. Fixed both of those issues shot a 100 7x timed fire target and sold it.

If I spent $3k on a gun that shot an 8" group you bet it would be back to the smith for work and I would expect a test target with proof of performance. This is not a MCP by chance?

Oh and welcome to the forum!

A lot depends on what barrel you have in your Beretta. If it has a Barsto barrel, try some Atlanta Arms 115 gr. FMJ match ammo. If it groups well with that, there are some loads that you can work up with that weight bullet using Alliant Power Pistol powder. Someone can comment on loads for other barrels.

As to the OP's question - Apex Tactical does great work on S&W revolvers - double action most specifically. They're geared toward IPSC (all shot dbl action) so you'd need to specify pull weight you want for single and double.
http://www.apextactical.com/services.php
/B