Improving Trigger Pull...?

[Cruz]

Preface;
The piece in question, a 71' Ulm PP 32, was purchased for investment and last line defence for my 86 year old Mother...[replacing a sw 38]...
It continues to amaze me how this woman, who has never had much use for guns has taken to this piece. Alas, her hands, [like a lot of us], are not what they once were.
-----------------------------------------
This particular PP [which shows NO evidence of having been fired] has a very stiff double action pull I estimate in excess of 15#s...while single action seems about 5#s +...
From my limited knowledge of the pp series [gained mostly from this site] I don't consider spring change an option...[My understanding is that lightening the hammer spring would not only decrease reliable ignition, but also increase the beating parts would take from lightening recoil resistance].
Sooo...What are the options?
How about polishing the internals?... [or would a couple hundred carefully fired rounds accomplish the same results?]
Any tips greatly appreciated

[halfmoonclip]

Cruz, shooting it sure couldn't hurt; or get a quality snap cap (I like Azooms) and give it a bunch of pulls in a safe direction. Or stick a 1/8" drift in the hammer hole and use that to control the dry snaps. The shooting would of course be more fun.
Now, all that said, I just put a trigger gauge on a much-fired police turn in PP, and it measured 18 lbs, so I'm not sure how much improvement can really be made.
Is Mom able to rack the slide? Would she be better served chamber-empty, only charging if needed, and starting out single action? Can she manually cock the hammer, which should be less problematic than racking the slide?
Moon
ETA- a tip of the hat to your mother!
M

[MGMike]

There is really not much that can be done to reduce the DA pull in PP-series pistols without impairing reliability. I'd leave it alone for fear of introducing problems that were not there before. I've seen too many guns wrecked by well-meaning "trigger jobs".

Your mother is not alone. I can't pull through the double-action on some PP-series pistols either. And on some days my fingers can't get a good enough grip to reliably rack the slide, especially if I had to do it in a hurry under less-than-ideal circumstances; the recoil spring is just too strong. The short-barreled .380s are the worst.

My solution was to learn to instinctively cock the hammer with my free thumb as the gun is presented in a two-hand hold. This has one great advantage over DA: you are liable to hit something with the first shot -- not just make noise.

M

[Cruz]

Moon,

Quote; "Is Mom able to rack the slide? Would she be better served chamber-empty, only charging if needed, and starting out single action? Can she manually cock the hammer, which should be less problematic than racking the slide?"
She still drives a car, and yes, she can rack the slide......[not without difficulty]..no problem with a hammer cock...
One of the reasons I went with the PP, was the safety of double action first pull...I'm beginning to re-think this...'less problematic
' keeps running through my mind.
Looking forward to a trip to the range...pics will follow.
Thanks

[Cruz]

Mike,
Quote;
"My solution was to learn to instinctively cock the hammer with my free thumb as the gun is presented in a two-hand hold. This has one great advantage over DA: you are liable to hit something with the first shot -- not just make noise."
I like it...I assume you use your strong side thumb to release the safety first?
Gonna see her today...I'll see how this works for her...
Thanks

[MGMike]

Originally Posted by Cruz

Mike,

...I assume you use your strong side thumb to release the safety first?

Thanks

That is correct.

M

[MGMike]

[QUOTE=Cruz;161561]...

One of the reasons I went with the PP, was the safety of double action first pull...I'm beginning to re-think this...'less problematic' keeps running through my mind.

.../QUOTE]

Women in particular have a hard time accepting the fact that small pistols are NOT easier to use. The smaller and lighter the pistol and the shorter the slide stroke, the stronger all the springs have to be be and the less purchase area there is to get a good grip on it. And the less forgiving it is to mishandling.

The same is true for revolvers. It's much easier to hold and pull through a .38 M&P than a J-frame.

M

[BROBS]

for what it's worth I changed the hammerspring to a 16lb in my wife's .32 ppk/s, and she is now able to use the double action.

ZERO ignition problems with any type of ammo and haven't noticed any "frame battering" from using a lighter hammerspring.

[halfmoonclip]

I've never liked the notion of double-to-single action transition for anything but a range toy. Without a doubt, a light single action trigger pull will produce tighter, prettier groups at extended ranges.

But in a threatening situation, under the duress of fright and an adrenalin dump, gross motor movements are easier to control than fine ones. There's a case to be made for double action only pistols and revolvers for this kind of duty; it's not by accident that Glock has made huge inroads in the US police market for this reason among many.

If the only shot you are firing double action is the first one, then you may indeed throw it away. But if all the shots are DA, skill can be built quickly. All this assumes reasonable target expectations at reasonable distances; a B-29 silhouette at 21' rather than a B-3 bullseye at 50'.

Back to your problem, Cruz. See how Mom does with the Walther and cocking the hammer, and do your best to assess how she would handle it in a crisis. If you're comfortable and so is she, done deal.

But you might want to consider a revolver. I'll agree with Mike that bigger revos have somewhat easier actions to operate, but putting that bigger gun in small hands doesn't always work out.

Also think about the benefits of double-action only in a crisis; even with training, there will be an impulse to cock the gun, and then there is only a light target squeeze between Mom and putting a hole in something. Making the gun to be uncocked if the crisis passes can be dangerous too.

I like Centennials. They have an entirely enclosed hammer, so that the only way to shoot them is to pull the trigger. Just put a strain gauge on a lightly-modded 640 that I've had for a long time; it measured at 9 lbs and has never had any functioning issues or problems with sluggish trigger return. Any halfway competent gunsmith can shorten the rebound spring (or install a lighter Wolfe version), polish a few parts and end up with a similar pull weight.

The other advantage of Centennials is their ability to sit lower in the hand, reducing felt recoil. Consider a magnum version, not so that you can shoot magnums, but for the slightly greater weight; go with the steel gun rather than alloy for the same reason. There are a variety of grips shapes available to make the gun fit.

But you need to let Mom try one; it may be that 9lbs is still too much. Will her hand fit around a Glock's gripframe?
Moon

[Cruz]

Moon,
Sorry it took so long to reply...
Mom's previous gun was a SW m60ls .38...
Ergonomics worked for her, but 38 out of 2" tube was too much for her...
I'm starting to think target load for the 38...
Then I could claim the PP...
Could mean a fight...[She's grown attached to the Walther]...