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Trigger problem

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Joined
Oct 23, 2022
Messages
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Location
Louisiana
I have a custom .45 rifle with set triggers. I never really liked set triggers anyway, but now mine seems to be malfunctioning. Rear trigger sets OK, but front trigger does not work when pulled. Mainspring seems fine. If you pull the front trigger waaaay back, eventually it will drop the hammer. I have turned the adjustment screw in, out, and everything, doesn't seem to help. I would rather replace the whole thing with a single trigger, BUT I realize the trigger plate is set so far back that a single trigger might not fit in the space, especially since the tang bolt threads into the trigger plate about where the single trigger would need to pivot. Not sure what to do. Set triggers look to be high quality but I am one of those people who can take things apart, but never get them back together again right. Suggestions?
 
You may need to solder a piece on the front trigger bar to get the bar closer to the sear. I have done this with solder paste, very easy to do. I crudely temper the add on piece, the solder paste works at a low temperature and won't anneal the add on metal. Once the piece is soldered on, I polish the top of it to a mirror finish.

I wouldn't ordinarily show this goof-up on the first gun I built; for some reason I filed off part of the trigger bar, it was a long time ago and I don't remember why. The bar wouldn't come close to the sear so I added another piece. This was better but I had a lot of slop in my front trigger so I added another piece.

Seeing as how that this is a pretty rough looking first build but a great shooter, it has been my go-to gun for hunting for the last 12 years or so. Although my fix is a bit funky, I have never had seconds worth of problems out of it.,


trigger bar 002.JPG


Here is another one; I bought a cut rate pre-carve kit that I ended up calling my pre-carve from hell gun. The dang stock had a 3/8" web, I dropped the barrel but it wasn't enough, if I went any deeper with trigger plate, I would be in the ramrod channel. To get the front trigger bar to hit the sear I had to add a big piece of metal. What you see in the picture is my starting point, I ground down about 1/3rd of it to get the front trigger bar just where it needed to be to function properly.

trigger bar add on.JPG
 
I hope that I am understanding correctly that the set triggers worked initially and are now giving problems firing when set.

@Eric Krewson is correct in stating that you will need to add height t the front trigger lever to use the front trigger as a single (unset) trigger.

From the description of @tallPercshooter, the trigger group can be set. I am speculating that when using the set triggers, the front trigger does release the rear lever. However, the rear lever does not release the sear in the lock. Two causes come to mind. Since tallPercshooter did not do any trigger adjustment other than to the set adjustment screw, I am assuming that the trigger main spring has not been adjusted for a stronger release (cause 2). The most likely problem is that the lock bolts are over tightened and are pulling the sear lever into the stock enough that the rear trigger lever can't displace the sear from the full cock notch in the tumbler. This would also be consistent with the need for a long frint trigger pull. The lock can be removed and there may be rubbing observed in the lock mortise. A little bit of wood removal or shortening of the sear lever may solve these problems after the triggers are adjusted for acceptable release.

I do think raising the front trigger lever may be in order.
 
It could be as easy as removing the trigger and tightening the screw that holds the trigger spring down, hard to diagnose problems on this end...Do a search, there are plenty of threads on this subject...
 
Thanks everyone. I am also thinking about gutting the set triggers, just retaining the trigger plate, and installing a simple single trigger pivoting on a pin through the stock that is hidden by the edge of the lockplate. Or installing a single trigger/plate unit if there is room.
 
I think the trigger needs to be removed and inspected by someone who understands how it functions.

If you take it off the gun and do some pictures we might be able to spot the problem. After you take it off test the function off the gun. Something might suddenly be obvious.
 
OK, here is what I did. Purists don't read, ha ha. The front trigger was just a little shy of contacting the sear bar when pulled. So either make the trigger lever blade taller, or - lightbulb goes on - somehow lower the sear arm. I took a fired .22 long rifle case, filled it with JB Weld, and pressed onto the sear arm. Made the sear arm a little fatter, and a tiny big longer. That did the trick. Now I can fire reliably with the front trigger, not setting the rear trigger at all - which is all I wanted in the first place.
 
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