You should read this, and pay attention to the set trigger adjustment, they are opposite of the rifle,, and there was a specific loading stand(Shown)
Back in the day, I saw plenty of TC Patriots with broken stocks (I was requested to fix a few of them) that occurred in loading stands similar to the one pictured below. If one insists on seating the patch ball while in a stand, the support needs to be directly in line with the centerline of the barrel (‘yellow’ arrow) and NOT on the butt of the pistol. Supporting only the butt while loading puts a lot of strain on the stock at the top of the grip and through the lock area (‘red’ circle’). You are basically forcing the butt towards the barrel, kind of like closing a book. The weak point is where the pistol grip joins the rest of the stock and through the lock area. I suggest avoiding using a stand when seating the patched roundball.
The specific stand shown (and similar copies) in the referenced TC document is the one that was known for breaking Patriot stocks.
Thanks for the link necchi. I bought my Patriot at a gun show and there was no pamphlet with the sale. The set trigger difference between TC rifles and the Patriot is important to know.
What I did on my Patriot was remove the grip cap and drill a 5/16s hole clear up through the grip to just under the barrel tang, inject the hole with J-B Weld, inserted a 1/4 inch steel rod and force out all the bubbles. This will stop any stock breaking when using a loading stand and if accomplished correctly is invisible and impossible to detect until the grip cap is removed.Back in the day, I saw plenty of TC Patriots with broken stocks (I was requested to fix a few of them) that occurred in loading stands similar to the one pictured below. If one insists on seating the patch ball while in a stand, the support needs to be directly in line with the centerline of the barrel (‘yellow’ arrow) and NOT on the butt of the pistol. Supporting only the butt while loading puts a lot of strain on the stock at the top of the grip and through the lock area (‘red’ circle’). You are basically forcing the butt towards the barrel, kind of like closing a book. The weak point is where the pistol grip joins the rest of the stock and through the lock area. I suggest avoiding using a stand when seating the patched roundball.
Might work fine if the grip is tightly wrapped with some fiber tape to reinforce from splitting while the screw is being installed. I liked using the epoxy to fill all voids without possibility of splitting the stock grip and the adhesive uses the whole rod length not just the screw section for reinforcement. It bonds with the whole interior of the wood it's full length and supports clear to the barrel tang area.
Well, yeah, you could HAVE a trigger job done on it, but the fact that you are asking this question already tells me that you are not really very well qualified to do it. It probably needs some sear engagement work, but it could be something else. They have a similar lock... or maybe an identical lock as the T/C Cherokee and Seneca. I worked on my Cherokee lock once many years ago, but it can be finicky work. Find a good gunsmith and pay for his expertise.
