So I have a Pendersoli Brown Bess and I really enjoy shooting it especially with paper cartridges. My question is what is the normal trigger pull weight? I’m becoming a weakling in my older years and was thinking about getting the trigger pull lightened. I guess ordinals probably had heavy triggers because of the environment of being in a line formation to help prevent guys with itchy trigger fingers from not firing until called to do so. Mine is heavy never measured it but will. The trigger pull on my Pendersoli Charlesville is significantly lighter and easier to keep the ball on the target all things being equal; that is using patched round ball. The Charlesville lock is a bit smaller but I’m not sure that matters. I think lighten it up just a bit would improve accuracy. So I was wondering what would be considered normal trigger pull for the Bess. Thanks!
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Another Brown Bess comment/question
- Thread starter Joemolf
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Hi,
I would not go below 2lbs and maybe stay above 2.5-3 lbs. The lock has no fly detent in the tumbler and with light trigger pulls the sear often hits the lip of the half cock notch when fired gradually damaging it. I've repaired many Pedersoli Besses with damaged tumblers because the owners lightened their trigger pulls to far.
dave
I would not go below 2lbs and maybe stay above 2.5-3 lbs. The lock has no fly detent in the tumbler and with light trigger pulls the sear often hits the lip of the half cock notch when fired gradually damaging it. I've repaired many Pedersoli Besses with damaged tumblers because the owners lightened their trigger pulls to far.
dave
I agree with @dave_person. The simple lock is less likely to have the seer damage to the tumbler with a pull weight between 3 to 3 1/2 pounds. The firing procedure was to pull the trigger with authority.
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Hi Joemolf,
If you go to this link and scroll down to pages near the end I show how to modify Pedersoli Bess locks so they can handle lighter trigger pulls. It is not for folks without the capacity to heat treat the parts properly.
https://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/threads/new-reworking-a-pedersoli-brown-bess.107405/
dave
If you go to this link and scroll down to pages near the end I show how to modify Pedersoli Bess locks so they can handle lighter trigger pulls. It is not for folks without the capacity to heat treat the parts properly.
https://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/threads/new-reworking-a-pedersoli-brown-bess.107405/
dave
Dave thanks for reply! I would like to keep it well above that though that light 3 pounds would certainly help with tighter groups on the target. I have access to a trigger pull gage I’m very curious as to what it is out of the box. If I could get it close to the Charlesville Id be happy which is pretty heavy but not a heavy as the Bess. I’ll post the trigger pull when I get up north this weekend. Thanks!
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Thank you kindly and yes this is out of my league of repair I’m going to have a gent I’ve worked with before who rebuilt a lock for me that I would not part with due to the nice engraving that was done to it in 1980.
Thank you!
Incredible! Man oh man
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Hi Joemolf,
Here is another thread that may help.
https://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/...nto-a-dublin-castle-short-land-musket.138872/
dave
Here is another thread that may help.
https://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/...nto-a-dublin-castle-short-land-musket.138872/
dave
My Coach Harness Brown Bess has a trigger pull of around 31/2 to 4 lbs. No creep just heavy compared to most other stuff I shoot. It's just the recoil that takes the fun away! I don't use paper cartridges just a patched round ball with approximately 65 grains Swiss 2.
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Hi Joe,
Got my Pedersoli Brown Bess Carbine (w/old style mainspring) around 1976 and my full length Pedersoli Bess at the end of the 1990's. I have also weighed the trigger pulls, using calibrated weights, of around a dozen more during or after that time.
Trigger Pull weights go from as little as maybe 8 1/2 pounds to 12 pounds.
Gus
Thanks I really interested now in finding out how heavy mone is. Thanks for the answer
I’d never believe it I measured the trigger pull and with aTimney Trigger pull gage. The trigger pull comes in at 8 pounds. I tested it a few times. I was quite surprised I would have bet money it was significantly more. Anyway I’m going to see if I can get it down to 4 or 5.
Dave thank you for all the great info I bookmarked them all!
Dave thank you for all the great info I bookmarked them all!
Thanks Gus I averaged out at 8 it was repeatable after the first first try at 7.5 and then 8 three more times
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It's a military flintlock with a very stout mainspring , made for reliability when dirty and to make sure the flint sparks. These are not target guns.
You could probably polish up the lock internals with Mag Polish but I wouldn't try to re-invent the wheel here. Your Brown Bess is a repro of a weapon that was intended to be a "spear that can shoot" and for firing in ranks to put balls in the general direction of the enemy.
My Pedersoli 1816 Springfield has a heavy trigger pull , it's just the way it is. I can shoot fist sized groups with it at 50 yards after a few hundred rounds helped break the lock in a little.
You could probably polish up the lock internals with Mag Polish but I wouldn't try to re-invent the wheel here. Your Brown Bess is a repro of a weapon that was intended to be a "spear that can shoot" and for firing in ranks to put balls in the general direction of the enemy.
My Pedersoli 1816 Springfield has a heavy trigger pull , it's just the way it is. I can shoot fist sized groups with it at 50 yards after a few hundred rounds helped break the lock in a little.
