Bending a trigger guard

[thenderleiter]

Working on my 1st build (Traditions Kentucky Rifle) and am having trouble fitting the trigger guard to the stock. The trigger guard is almost straight and will need to bend 20 -30 degrees to fit the stock. Can I bend the brass trigger guard cold, or do I need to heat it up? I have seen several posts on various forums with complaints of breaking the trigger guard while installing it, but the OP did not state how or what they were king when it broke. Please help!

 

[Zonie]

Usually, brass and bronze should be bent cold.

There are hundreds of different kinds of brass and bronze so it is next to impossible to say what kind of material was used to make your trigger guard.

Unfortunately, some of these materials are quite brittle and will break when they are bent very far. 20-30 degrees sounds like it would be pretty far.

All of the copper alloys share a tendency to "work harden". That means when they are bent, they get harder and more brittle.
I mention this because one never knows if the trigger guard you have was bent at the factory and it has become hardened by some bending.

If you have a method of heating the trigger guard so it is red hot, you can soften any hardening that might exist before you attempt to bend it.

To do this, the brass in the area to be bent must be heated up to a fairly bright red color. ( Not orange-red which may melt it.)

After it has reached this red hot color, let it air cool. That should soften it enough to allow it to be cold bent without breaking.
I say should because cast parts like a trigger guard can have internal flaws that will break even though the part is annealed (softened) before bending it.

I should mention that before bending it, study it and the area it fits into.
First time builders sometimes jump to the conclusion that something radical needs to be done to a part when in fact, it, or the area it fits only needs a little modification to make it work.

On a positive note, if you do break it, Traditions should be able to sell you a replacement.

 

[thenderleiter]

Thanks for the reply, Jim. Would a propane torch work?

 

[LRB]

Yes.

 

[Col. Batguano]

To soften brass for bending, while it's super hot, don't you plunge it in to water to quick cool it first? I was always told that air cooling leave it hard, which is the opposite of steel annealing.

 

[crockett]

Yeah, it's the opposite of steel, for example to soften the necks of modern brass cases you stand them in a water bath, heat the necks cherry red, and tip them over to immediately quench/cool.
I'd call the manufacturer on how they finished the part, probably soft and can be bent. It could snap however if brittle.

 

[LRB]

No. It makes no difference to the brass, but can let you get back to work faster. AND, you should not get it super hot. Only a dull red or the zinc will begin separating from the copper.
Also, do not try to bend while hot. Many of the brasses will crumble if you do. I know first hand on that.

 

[galamb]

The majority of "Brass" trigger guards made today are a type of bronze (silicon bronze is quite common).

And as Zonie notes it can be very very brittle - it will let you bend it so far then "snap".

I have a growing collection of two piece trigger guards, so do be careful...

 

[crockett]

Thanks for the input Wick, that was what I thought, DON'T bend hot but I wasn't sure. The other thing is the overheating, I didn't know it was zinc, I thought maybe lead. BUT the thing is if you overheat (I did once) it will leach out and leave little pinholes- or at least that happened to me.
Question, I've only bent a few trigger guards so I don't know that much about this but I've been told that after each bend or two you ought to re-heat and quench to keep soft. That seems excessive. In any event, any thoughts appreciated.

 

[kaintuck]

I say buy GOOD brass parts......don't do bad brass!

marc n tomtom

 

[LRB]

That is about all you can do. I repeat anneal after every bend, but do be careful about over-heating. The quenching only allows you to get back to work faster, but does no harm.

 

[crockett]

Thank you Wick, as I said, I read about that and wondered if repeat anneal after every bend was necessary.

 

[Herb]

That sounds like a lot of bend. I looked at Traditions web site and their trigger guard appears about correct for the stock profile. E-mail them and ask them your question, something does not sound right about that trigger guard.

 

[thenderleiter]

I've sent e-mails to Traditions with no reply for month and a half. So, I'm left with the option of bending the trigger guard myself or buying a replacement that may or may not have the correct bend.

 

[nhmoose]

Bend it if it breaks find one at TOTW, not like it is a financial crisis

 

[fahopity]

I broke my traditions kentucky rifle trigger guard also, right across the screw holes. Very little pressure was all it took. I found a replacement on EBay and it fit better than the original. Usually there are several listed so look carefully to get the one you want.

 

[Vaino]

Bending brass TGs can be tricky.....due to alloys and voids. Tried to bend a Chambers Isacc Haines TG and snapped 2 at the rear finial due to casting voids at a sharp corner. Finally went to a different Lancaster TG that I've previously used and bent it w/o a problem. Probably should've called Chambers so he could redesign the gating and venting, but never did call.

Some TGs are cast w/ bronze alloys...they can be difficult to bend and I no longer use them. Bronze also as it ages turns a different color than when first polished and installed. Below is a bronze Bplate from a LR that I built many years ago and still have access to, so the difference in aging is quite apparent to me.

Have always used Reaves Goehring's TGs on my Bucks County LRs and his brass is very soft.....never had any problems whatsoever......Fred