Has anyone here used the Davis single set trigger or have any recommendations for other brands? I'm a single trigger fan but am thinking of a single set for the next project.
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Single set triggers
- Thread starter The Crisco Kid
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If he's still offering them, Stan Hollenbaugh has a fantastic double-action single-set trigger. If that one is no longer an option, I'd probably go with the Cain-style trigger from Buck Ridge (Rice), keeping in mind that it has to be set before cocking the rifle.
Setting the trigger before cocking would be problem since I'm building this one for sale and it has to be simple. I'll check out the Hollenbaugh trigger.
Thanks.
Thanks.
rich pierce
70 Cal.
Some single set triggers fly away from your finger with release. It can feel weird.
Col. Batguano
75 Cal.
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I used the Davis DASST on my last build. It was a royal PITA to get working right. Apart from the trigger plate being WAY too straight necessitating bending it, the blades were all wiggly and flopped side to side on the trigger pin. I hate floppy rattly triggers. The fix for it that I came up with was to buy a single wire bit drill bit 1 size up from the 1/16" pin and drill out the trigger blades and hole in the trigger plate. Then I simply broke off the non-machined part of the bit (or shank) and used that as my new trigger pin. It still rattles some, but not a lot.
Note; If you're going to try to bend that thick trigger plate you have to get it plenty hot. Take all the springs out of it first, and they're pretty small and hard to work with. Since the rear catch is sensitive to too much bend (or else it won't work) the curvature I needed with my stock to get the right profile for it I got from doing a LOT of filing of the trigger plate.
The other thing you have to be aware of is when setting the trigger, it has a tendency to swing downwards as it is moving forward. That necessitated heating and bending the bow outwards of the trigger guard to accommodate it. On the plus side it seems to work like a charm though.
To get the location for the trigger mechanism right I built a jig to be able to find the right spot. You want it's far forward on the blades as you can get it so you have 100% reliability when using it, which will give you the lightest possible pull of the regular trigger when you use it. I've never tested the pull weight, but think it's right around 3 1/2 pounds (unset). Just a few ounces when set.
So, as I worked on it for a goodly amount of time to get it all working, it DOES work for me 100% of the time, but it's NOT a "buy it and drop it in" affair.
If you're asking me if I would install one of them again on a subsequent build I would do it only if there are no other options.
Note; If you're going to try to bend that thick trigger plate you have to get it plenty hot. Take all the springs out of it first, and they're pretty small and hard to work with. Since the rear catch is sensitive to too much bend (or else it won't work) the curvature I needed with my stock to get the right profile for it I got from doing a LOT of filing of the trigger plate.
The other thing you have to be aware of is when setting the trigger, it has a tendency to swing downwards as it is moving forward. That necessitated heating and bending the bow outwards of the trigger guard to accommodate it. On the plus side it seems to work like a charm though.
To get the location for the trigger mechanism right I built a jig to be able to find the right spot. You want it's far forward on the blades as you can get it so you have 100% reliability when using it, which will give you the lightest possible pull of the regular trigger when you use it. I've never tested the pull weight, but think it's right around 3 1/2 pounds (unset). Just a few ounces when set.
So, as I worked on it for a goodly amount of time to get it all working, it DOES work for me 100% of the time, but it's NOT a "buy it and drop it in" affair.
If you're asking me if I would install one of them again on a subsequent build I would do it only if there are no other options.
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Thanks, I'll probably stay with a good single trigger.
Not necessarily. Some people prefer them that way. Learning time for a newbie is about five seconds.
Sorry for my ignorance, what’s a “single set trigger”? Is that different from a two stage trigger?
I would stay with a plain single trigger. I have had single set triggers on several guns over the years, and could still detect creep in them.
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I never cared for double-sets. Just having a good single trigger is fine.
It's not the newbies that have the problem. It's us old guys.Not necessarily. Some people prefer them that way. Learning time for a newbie is about five seconds.
A single set trigger is pushed forward until it clicks into position and engages a spring. It then becomes a "hair trigger" that fires with a light touch. A two stage trigger has some slack in it before it engages the sear and has a heavier pull than the single set trigger. A double set trigger has two triggers, the rear one is pulled to set the front one which becomes the "hair trigger". The front trigger on most double sets can be used as a single trigger as well as a set trigger.
Can a single set trigger be used as a regular trigger with a heavier pull, or does it have to be in the forward position before it can fire?
I have a couple of two stage triggers. I don’t care for them, but I have to say I absolutely love the double set trigger on the SMR.
I have a couple of two stage triggers. I don’t care for them, but I have to say I absolutely love the double set trigger on the SMR.
The few that I have been around functioned as both a set trigger and a regular trigger. As mentioned, they did have a lot of over travel when used as a set trigger. Personally, I like the two stage trigger as long as the side to side slop is taken out. Also, there is usually a way to install a light trigger return spring to remove the first stage slack.
You're right about the Kibler triggers. Like everything else he makes they are excellent.
You're right about the Kibler triggers. Like everything else he makes they are excellent.
I’m not a fan. I tuned my AI triggers to be quite crisp with no travel or slack, and I never liked them or signed on to their utility or supposed added safety. To me they’re a solution looking for a problem. Who keeps their finger on the trigger before they’re ready to fire? It sounds like the single set is at least safer being that the set and pull are in opposite directions. As soon as they came out with the adjustable competition trigger those two-stages went on a shelf. I certainly don’t want a 1lb 3oz trigger on a field gun, but a set triggers give you the best of both worlds.
In my sort of humble opinion, if you have multiple rifles the safest thing to do is to stay with one type of trigger on all of them. I've known a few people who pulled the front trigger thinking that they were pulling the set trigger. One resulted in a lost moose, luckily not hit , and another cost a shooter a lost shot in a big silhouette match.
Regarding the Cain style trigger from Buck Ridge Flintlocks, with careful filing of the trigger bar, you do not have to cock the lock first. I've done several like this.
rich pierce
70 Cal.
Also the “guy with one gun” story backs this up. I’ve settled on one rifle and one smoothbore for 90% of my shooting. In hunting it’s not always that the hunter is in a stand with a game animal slowly coming into view. It’s good to keep thing simple.
flatcreek
40 Cal
Simple single trigger for me, with a light pull.
The Browning mountain Rifle had a single set trigger
My ,Perversion Charles Moore also has single set, I like them
My ,Perversion Charles Moore also has single set, I like them
