ihmsa forums

I disassembled my contender to see about lightening up the 4-1/2 lb trigger pull and to see why it has a crunchy feeling when opening. I think I found the crunchy bit. The back of the sear is very rough and the face of the striker appears to be softer and has some wear.
Is there any problem with smoothing out the back of the sear? and is there any problem with smoothing the face of the striker as long as I keep away from the tip that engages the trigger? I looked for a replacement striker but couldn't find one that matches the one I have.

The frame is a pre-easy open that was converted at some point so I'm not sure if parts that look slightly different will work or not.

Answering my own question.

First, parts for the G1 contenders are sparse to non-existent. S&W does not have parts. Some can be found on ebay though there seems to be more available for the pre easy-open models. I did find a new striker. It is slightly different in profile but could be made to work. Sears for the easy-open models are no where to be found.

Onto my issue with the worn striker;

I removed about .008" from the face of the striker with a rough diamond file and then polished. This removed all of the wear marks and left the finish smoother than factory. I had some concerns the striker may have only been case hardened as I have run into that on other firearm trigger parts but it appears to be full hard. Removing the material from the face left the tip that engages the trigger sharp. Not wanting to risk chipping the tip I softened this with an ultra fine stone.

On the backside of the sear I ground/honed and polished the back edge that contacts the striker when the trigger is pulled and when the striker is reset. Opening the barrel now is very smooth and takes about half the previous force to do so.

I also discovered that removing the small amount of material on the striker and sear it creates a little more clearance between the two allowing for the trigger over travel to be set shorter.

While apart I lightly polished the trigger, sear and hammer. With only cleaning and polishing, the trigger pull went from 4-1/2 lbs to 2-1/2 lbs. I swapped out the trigger return spring for a lighter spring and now have the trigger at 1 lb. 4 oz.with no bump off issues. I'm not quite ready for the "don't breathe" triggers.

Go to Mike Bellm's website. He has parts for all the different Contenders. Pre easy open, easy open, and those that have been converted. You must know your serial number and if it has been converted.

Bellm has springs, pins and a few misc parts for the G1 but not other parts like the striker and sear.

Here's a business opportunity for someone that has existing equipment and some horsepower between their ears. Not just replacement parts but competition parts. No, one is not going to get rich. I'd be all over it if I had all the equipment needed. Bellm supplies the easy stuff.
In the same note, I have a 1943 Logan lathe and I can buy brand new replacement parts for it. The Logan family still has all the drawings. Not cheap but there are scads of old Logans out there that can be kept running. Better than Chinese boat anchors.