Single trigger in a double-set inlet?

[jethro224]

Say one purchases a pre-carve Beck stock from TOW that is inlet for a Davis #4 double set trigger, but would rather have a plain old single trigger. Is there one that would fit that inlet? Or would a trigger plate need to be fabricated that fit the inlet?
Would the recommended trigger guard still work or would it look goofy?

 

[Stophel]

Simple. Make and fit (WELL) a piece of wood to fill the original trigger inletting, glue it in with Titebond II, and start fresh and new, inletting a single trigger in normal fashion. The new triggerplate will cover most of your inset piece of wood, the rest will be hard to see up inside the triggerguard. :wink:

 

[Birddog6]

Very simple if you have access to a wire welder. First of all, how much of a Inlet do you have. Some of them are just a small hole & you can put whatever trigger asm in you want.

If it is a Long slot or inlet, just buy the double set trigger it is supposed to have, take out the rear trigger & weld up the slot in the triggerplate a bit.
Mark where the trigger plate Needs to be on the stock, according to the sear arm & the triggerguard you will use.
Cut off the rear of the triggerplate to appropriate length needed, and if you need some added on the front, weld it back to the front.

Now you have a triggerplate that fits the inlet. And this eliminates trying to glue in wood & match stripes & grain, or staining it black to cover it up. A Patch is normally very obvious, unless you are Very skillful at doing them. Few can do it & it not be seen, IMHO.

Keith Lisle

 

[Obi-Wan Cannoli]

would just cutting out a new plate large enough to fill the inlet from some scrap steel, cutting a slot in the plate to allow the upper part of the trigger room to clear it, finish inletting it into the pre carved opening, and then mounting it with a cross pin in the lock inlet (similar to ramrod pipes, trigger guard, and tennons pins) around the pivot point of the trigger be an easier method?

once you are done, you can use a center punch to tap both sides on the inside of the plate surrounding the trigger to tighten up any wobble?

 

[jethro224]

First of all, how much of a Inlet do you have

Pretty much all of it on that stock. I believe they said 98%.

 

[jethro224]

would just cutting out a new plate large enough to fill the inlet from some scrap steel, cutting a slot in the plate to allow the upper part of the trigger room to clear it, finish inletting it into the pre carved opening, and then mounting it with a cross pin in the lock inlet (similar to ramrod pipes, trigger guard, and tennons pins) around the pivot point of the trigger be an easier method?

That's what I was thinking, but I don't know. I'm no gun builder. :surrender: My experience is limited to a couple of CVA kit pistols. But I'd like to learn. Been buying parts for the TOW kit and have most everything but the stock and triggers and they are both out of stock at the moment anyway.
I'd really rather have a simple trigger instead of the double-set triggers TOW calls for on the kit tho.

 

[Obi-Wan Cannoli]

personally, I liked the fill in the gap with another piece of wood idea better. probably one piece at either side to fill the gap, titebond 2. cross pinned triggers were authentic to early rifles according to Dixon but later phased out for the most part for the stronger trigger assembly (can't remember the technical name, could look up). As far as the glue seem and lining up the stripes in your maple ,I think another member posted here "they won't be able to tell if you got em at running at a full pace"

 

[Obi-Wan Cannoli]

regarding how it would look or appropriate. I have seen this trigger repeat itself in other becks. I looked up the tow beck kit, I would ask them to swap out the double set for a simple single trigger assembly (with the plate) and inlet via stophel idea. I saw the triggers they had, appeared most of them could be easily modified to look like these becks cosmetically with small mil file. I would ask them which assembly fits the inlet the closest to save on work. here is the picture, I use this book a lot for references bc the pictures are a lot better than all my shumways. ask if you need additional beck references:

still getting photobucket worked out. gonna post b4 I time out, will repost beck

 

[Obi-Wan Cannoli]

beck

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[Obi-Wan Cannoli]

I forget to mention: make sure the trigger assembly you pick out is for a rifle, don't get a pistol one by mistake. also the square of metal on the trigger that is above the plate will more than likely have to be altered slightly with a mil file to properly fit against and engage the sear. I have never heard of trigger assembly where that part is not tall enough to engage the sear on certain locks, but I also don't have as much experience as other builders here so maybe such a thing exists???

 

[Obi-Wan Cannoli]

also note that there is a slight curvature in the original trigger that the picture does not pick up clearly enough unless you really stare at it.

 

[Pete G]

Get some 1/8" thick flat bar from Lowe's and make you own trigger and plate. Triggers are very unique to each long rifle and standard catalog parts are easily recognized.

 

[Dave Marsh]

Jethro,

If you don't have the stock and triggers yet can't you just talk to TOW and have them do the single trigger or whoever does their stocks. I think someone said Pecatonica does their stocks. Can't hurt and sure a lot easier. And then I might be missing something..... :hmm:

Dave

 

[Obi-Wan Cannoli]

Triggers are very unique to each long rifle and standard catalog parts are easily recognized.

While I agree with you 100%, I was thinking that slightly modifying a catalogue part to emulate an original would be easier for a first time fancy kit builder than fabricating one from scratch.

To the original poster: here is a rifle Beck had made 10 years prior to the first one I posted. Notice the similarities in triggers between the two rifles.

I am not directing this point to anybody here, but just making a general observation: while each rifle was a piece of art with variations in their elements, there were also reoccurring themes that showed up in various examples over the course a master's career. It is a common misconception of the lone genius, when in reality it was more often than not a factory environment with possibly upwards of 20 or 30 people working under the direction of the famous name. da vinci to the famous masters discussed on this forum. it was as much about creating something to be proud of as it was to just using muscle memory to crank out rifles so nobodies families went hungry.

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[Obi-Wan Cannoli]

...and before somebody corrects me, I consider "cottage industry" under the banner of my original description

 

[M. De Land]

I just converted my double set TC to a simple trigger to the rear and left the same guard in place.
Never liked double sets that fire from the front trigger.

 

[jethro224]

Thanks to everyone for the advice and ideas.
I'm not sure what I'll end up doing but at least I have some options.

Obi-Wan,
What book is that? Nice pictures.

 

[Obi-Wan Cannoli]

Obi-Wan,
What book is that? Nice pictures.

The Lancaster Long Rifle by Patrick Hornberger and John Kolar. Highly Recommended!!!!!!!!!! The pictures are a thousand times better than my scanner is able to show. My copy was signed by Mr. Kolar in 2012. About 130 pages, pictures on almost every one

 

[don hepler]

Getting a single trigger that has a good pull, can be a challenge itself. More than likely you will have to do some work on the tumbler and sear engagement in order to achieve a good trigger pull.

Double triggers, become second nature, after you shoot for awhile. And a Davis trigger, is about as sweet as it gets.

I have a couple guns with a single trigger. One is a single "set" trigger, which is as good as a double set trigger. The one with regular single trigger, has been stoned to perfection, with no creep, and 3 to 4 lb. pull, which is pretty good.

It's going to take some luck, or a lot of work to get a clean pull and a safe pull.

 

[Eric Krewson]

Trigger plates are super easy to make as are single triggers.

My first rifle was a Beck like gun, I made the trigger plate and cold forged the trigger.

All you need for a trigger is a piece of cold rolled steel, a vise, hammer and some files and start banging away to form the trigger.

Here are a couple in the forming stage;



Trigger plates are pretty straight forward as well, make them the size you want, cut a slot, bend them to match the curvature of your gun and inlet them.

This one is for an English fowler, a little different with an offset slot as well as one of my cold forged triggers.



In and working fine;



Now, as it being hard to make a single trigger work right, I haven't found this to be the case. Pin it slightly higher than sear with the trigger bar hitting the sear 5/16" from the pin and you will have around a 3# trigger every time. My fowler is 2.8# and my beck is 3.1#.

I am a rank beginner builder, if I can do it, you can to.