I have been working on a S&W J-Frame for a customer recently and thought I might share some of the insights that you need to consider with trigger work on a J-Frame. These guns are great for pockets, purses and backup carry situations. The one gripe that we here is that the double action is hard to use, especially for women.
There are several things that can be done that will make the J-Frame more pleasant to shoot. First, you can lighten the double action (DA) pull. The DA pull can be reduced to a certain extent, and it can definitely be cleaned up. One thing to consider if you are going to try this at home, DO NOT go too light or change the geometry of the trigger system. You will end up with a gun that won’t fire. You need a certain amount of pressure for the primer to ignite.
Second, do not change the Single Action pull. These are generally great from the factory, and you shouldn’t monkey around with this part of the trigger system.
Third, you can have the trigger itself polished. When we do a trigger job we always ask if they want the trigger polished. The face can be made smoother making the it feel so much better to your finger, and it allows your finger to move on the trigger as you pull it rearward in DA firing.
What you shouldn’t expect is a 1911 style trigger pull from a trigger job. It will be smoother, and a little lighter so it will definitely feel better. However, every gun or system has its limitations. This is one of them in the J-Frame series. Your gunsmith has to strike a balance between comfort and function.