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Trigger issues.

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Hello.

So Im just putting the trigger in a Lancaster.If the trigger group is in the stock and screwed into where it should sit it cant be cocked to the point where it will remain cocked. If I move the trigger group out a bit so it sits more out of the trigger group inlet, it will function properly. Ive read a few posts on this and the different thing I have happening is if I pull the set trigger the rifle can be cocked and fire as it should.

Thanks for reading
 
Sounds like you may have file down the finials. Also make sure your sear bar has enough room to move without hitting the side of the hole when cocking the lock. Hope this helps............Daniel
 
Boogaloo said:
Sounds like you may have file down the finials. Also make sure your sear bar has enough room to move without hitting the side of the hole when cocking the lock. Hope this helps............Daniel

That should have said "you may have TO file down the trigger finials" Sorry for the typo.........Daniel
 
The trigger could be too tall when screwed in all the way. Which will put pressure on the sear bar, not allowing the sear to engage the tumbler properly. You could shim the plate and see if that helps.
 
OK....
First......
Are these double lever set triggers? Double lever sets allow you to fire the rifle set or un set. They have two levers sometimes called bars. The front trigger has a bar/lever that faces backwards and the rear or set trigger's bar faces forward.
A single lever double set has only one lever/bar on the rear trigger facing forward. The front trigger has no bar and it's only purpose is to trip the rear triggers lever for firing. This type of trigger can only be cocked set as the trigger lever is up until it's set. If you have a single lever, it's likely working correctly.

How about posting a photo of your triggers if you are not sure.

If it's a double lever set trigger likely the lever/bar needs to be filed where it makes contact with the sear.

Paint the tops of the levers with liquid paper. Place them in the stock. Try to cock the rifle. Pull the triggers and look for the witness mark on the lever.

Hopefully you have laid out the triggers in the right place. Ideally the sear should be in line with the adjustment screw and where the trigger levers cross.

Set up correctly, the front trigger should have crisp useable pull unset. This may require some trigger and lock tuning. That's for later though.....let's get it working first.
 
thats the approach i`d take as well. do a recce to see what the problem is. start with a shim.
 
Hi,
I'll assume they are double lever set triggers designed to shoot set and unset. What is likely happening is that your trigger levers (the parts that hit the sear of the lock) are too high so that when you tighten the tang bolt, they are touching the sear and pushing it up so it will not cock. When you loosen the tang bolt, the triggers move down a tiny bit and the lock works. When you set the rear trigger, that also lowers the levers allowing the lock to function properly. The remedy is to determine which lever is hitting the sear at rest, it could be both. Then grind that lever down a tiny bit until the triggers and lock work properly.

dave
 
I'm assuming this is a build? The higher you can get the trigger plate in to the stock the thinner you can make the whole breech area. If you want to, you could even bend the sear bar up a bit, but be careful so that it doesn't bind on the lock plate.

I like to make my guns so that the front foot of the TG is just barely breaking through in to the RR channel. The deeper you can seat the TG, the deeper you can seat the trigger plate, but of course, the lock and trigger internals are paramount to function. It does not good to make it thin if it doesn't work.
 
Thanks for the replies fellows.
I have double lever set triggers in a kit Im just finishing. I ll have a chance to look into it this weekend.
 
If you will notice, when you cock a gun, the sear bar will drop down, just a tiny bit, before it goes into the full cock notch. There must be a tiny amount of clearance between the trigger bar and the sear bar in order for this to happen. I have at least one rifle, that was inletted a little too deep. I have a thin spacer(washer)in place to allow for the necessary clearance. Try, this before you modify.
 
Usually those trigger blades are a little taller than they need to be, which means they can be filed down. (Not so much so for the set trigger blade, but the single action one, if it has that feature.) The set trigger blade needs to have room to fully unload the set spring before it contacts the sear bar After that it is actually losing momentum the further it has to travel to trip the sear.

With the last two guns I built (one a simple pinned trigger and the other a Double Action Single Set Trigger) . I located the trigger blade so the sear bar was slightly loaded when the cock was down. Usually that meant the cock would not engage the tumbler notches. Then, I filed on the trigger blades a little bit at a time until it WOULD work 100% reliably, but just barely. The sear bar is at it's lowest position when it's at rest, so that let the sear provide forward pressure on the trigger in that position, as, I hate slack and sloppy triggers. It's slow and tedious work to assemble, test, file, reassemble, repeat, but trigger function is one of those things you want right when the gun is done.

Of course, once there is stain and a seal cote in the trigger inlet odds are you're going to need to clear wood again to make it function when you do your final assembly, but you'll have gotten it really really close when you built it "dry".

P.S.; That's also why I don't drill and pin my TG until the last minute either.
 
New set triggers, like all of the parts we use to build these guns are just "rough stock" when we get them.

Most things are made oversize so they can be machined, filed, ground or modified to fit the build the maker is working on.

This is the reason the triggers don't work after they are just screwed in place.

File the top of the front trigger blade (the area on top of the trigger that pushes against the lock sear arm) down so the trigger has a little "shake" to it when the lock is at full and at half cock.

The position of the sear arm is usually slightly different when the lock is at half cock and when it is at full cock and the trigger must not be touching the sear arm at any time when the lock is in either position. If it is, the gun may be unsafe.
 
Thanks for all the input and advice on this one. first rounds down range this afternoon went very well. It was just a bit of filing the trigger bar and adjusting the spring to function. Just need some tuning now. I found on track of the wolf a good description of what you guys have explained with pictures to help.
 

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