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How to Video on Removing a Thompson Center Mainspring

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waarp8nt

Smidgin Injun
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I have owned a T/C of some sort for a little over 30 years and over those years I have purchased a several used ones in need of clean up. I keep pipe cleaners on hand in my shooting box to clean and oil nipples and flashliners, so why not use something that is already in the old shooter box? I have been using this method to remove the mainspring for quite sometime and thought it might be worth sharing. This is my 1st attempt at a "how to video", so hope you enjoy it.

Watch "Thompson Center T/C or Interarms / Lyman Lock Spring Disassembly" on YouTube
https://youtube.com/shorts/b5-7PmMML0k?feature=share
 
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That's really neat how that works. Will have to try it. Thanks for posting.
I have used a special pliers on mine
 

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That's really neat how that works. Will have to try it. Thanks for posting.

Glad you liked it!

The idea came from a lesson my dad taught me years ago. The old man would help us kids or about anyone to be honest, but he preferred you first try to fix it and he would help if you needed it. That particular time it was rear brakes on my old Ford truck, before he left for work he told "me see how far you get, do not put the drums back on, I want to see your work, plus you will need help adjusting them". For the life of me I couldn't get the springs back on that held the shoes together. I tried pliers, channel locks, vise grips...you name it. He came home, I showed him how far I got, he said get me a piece of fence wire, so I did. He made it look so simple that I just had to try the other side. The wire to pull on the spring works for several applications, on the T/C lock the guide rod helps make it all possible.

Thanks to all those folks who hit the like button!
 
If you make a habit of doing videos you will need to get some better lighting.
 
If you make a habit of doing videos you will need to get some better lighting.
Thank you for your advise, I'm truly honored you took the time to watch it!

The video was an impromptu event for sure, I needed to take the lock apart to inlet it so I just threw my phone up on the desk magnification lamp and pressed play.
 
Pretty neat, I use a pair of needle nose pliers and can have one out in about a second, your method is very good as well. Before I ever fooled with a TC lock, I had read about how troublesome removing these springs was so I was apprehensive about removing my first one, turned out it was no big deal.
 
I have owned a T/C of some sort for a little over 30 years and over those years I have purchased a several used ones in need of clean up. I keep pipe cleaners on hand in my shooting box to clean and oil nipples and flashliners, so why not use something that is already in the old shooter box? I have been using this method to remove the mainspring for quite sometime and thought it might be worth sharing. This is my 1st attempt at a "how to video", so hope you enjoy it.

Watch "Thompson Center T/C or Interarms / Lyman Lock Spring Disassembly" on YouTube
https://youtube.com/shorts/b5-7PmMML0k?feature=share
With your kind of expertise on T/C locks, do you have any advice on lightening and smoothing the non-set trigger pull. My old bargain basement T/C flinter set trigger is fine, but the conventional non-set trigger pull is a crunching, grinding mess with a pull weight too high for my gauge. I can feel the sear spring stacking. Are these locks tuneable for a decent pull?
 
With your kind of expertise on T/C locks, do you have any advice on lightening and smoothing the non-set trigger pull. My old bargain basement T/C flinter set trigger is fine, but the conventional non-set trigger pull is a crunching, grinding mess with a pull weight too high for my gauge. I can feel the sear spring stacking. Are these locks tuneable for a decent pull?
Lots of folks on the forum could give good T/C advise. Any lock mechanism can be made better by lightly stoning the tumbler and sear.

Edit = I misread the request for information, Eric got it right see his post below. I was thinking single trigger issue not set trigger issues. Silly me.
 
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Trophy Guy; TC trigger bars look like a washboard, a light filing with a small file to get rid of the washboard followed by 220 then 400 and finally emery cloth and a Dremel buffing wheel will make amazing changes to your front trigger pull, polish the sear bar as well.

The bar condition before I polished it still shows on the left side of this trigger bar, the after where the sear rides is as slick as glass.

tc rough trigger.JPG
 

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