Bad trigger...

[SemperFiHunter]

Howdy Neighbors,

So, I am green as hell when it comes to flintlocks, but, I am stunned by how horrible the trigger is on my just received Pedersoli Kentucky Flintlock kit.

The trigger wiggles/rattles at half and full cock. Creep isn’t the right word for what it does right before it binds up like a backlashed baitcaster. And it breaks like a soggy piece of toast! And it averages 14 lbs!

I’ve never seen one this bad in person.
Yes, I know I can fix it. And I am sure some of the experienced gents here will help me out with some solid advice.

I’m just curious if this is common or if I got a bad egg.

I plan on doing a build post with pics.
Here is what it looks like when I received it:

Thanks,
SFH

 

[ApprenticeBuilder]

They gotta stay ahead of the lawyer class.

 

[rafterob]

Looks like you got a kit so it will need some work. Single triggers can be loose and depending on how they are mounted can have an easy or hard pull. Binding indicates some of the internals may be rubbing on wood. Most likely culprit wound be the sear arm.

 

[SemperFiHunter]

Looks like you got a kit so it will need some work. Single triggers can be loose and depending on how they are mounted can have an easy or hard pull. Binding indicates some of the internals may be rubbing on wood. Most likely culprit wound be the sear arm.

Thanks. My first kit, so maybe my expectations are out of whack? But for ~$700 I expected better.
So, I will fix it and maybe learn something to boot!
SFH

 

[NorthFork]

I own a full on custom longarm that was built by one of the 'better' builders that has a "wobbly" trigger. Does not effect anything other than my sensibilities. That said, the pull weight is NOT 14#!

 

[Zonie]

Except for any rattling the trigger might do and the annoyance of needing to take the slack out of it with your trigger finger right before firing the gun , loose triggers on a sidelock gun are a good thing.
If the trigger is loose, you are assured that the nose of the sear is fully engaged with the half cock or full cock notch in the tumbler.

If the trigger set up causes the trigger to be tight when the gun is at half cock or full cock it means the trigger blade is preventing the nose of the sear to fully engage the notches in the tumbler. If this happens, the sear could slip out of the notch and allow the gun to accidentally fire.

 

[bang]

Little floppy trigger a norm on single trigger sidekicks.

 

[SemperFiHunter]

Thanks for the help gents!
Gonna take it apart and look into it.
SFH

 

[rich pierce]

So far as the hard pull is concerned, you might check the trigger blade is not hanging up on the inlet anywhere. Take the lock out and look in the sear hole while you pull the trigger. It should pass upwards of most of the sear hole freely.

 

[M. De Land]

Howdy Neighbors,

So, I am green as hell when it comes to flintlocks, but, I am stunned by how horrible the trigger is on my just received Pedersoli Kentucky Flintlock kit.

The trigger wiggles/rattles at half and full cock. Creep isn’t the right word for what it does right before it binds up like a backlashed baitcaster. And it breaks like a soggy piece of toast! And it averages 14 lbs!

I’ve never seen one this bad in person.
Yes, I know I can fix it. And I am sure some of the experienced gents here will help me out with some solid advice.

I’m just curious if this is common or if I got a bad egg.

I plan on doing a build post with pics.
Here is what it looks like when I received it:
View attachment 67808
Thanks,
SFH

I personally hate floppy triggers and in almost all cases can remove most if not all of it by building up the trigger lever/bar to contact the sear arm more closely. Bending sear arms is not the best or even a good way to make this adjustment. You want square and level as much as possible in these lever movements.
Another thing to check when triggers bind is sear arm width/length. Quite often they will clear the through hole in the stock but the end of the lever in contacting wood on the far side of the stock. Simply mark the sear bar with some magic marker reassemble and cycle several time. This will indicate were the trigger lever is contacting the sear arm then you can grind off a bit of the length to where it clears the off side stock wood if it is binding there.
When ever one does trigger or lock work it is expedient to do a knock off test to make sure the gun is safe . I use a rawhide hammer to give a good shock blow to the barrel ahead of the breech plug on top and another at the head of the trigger bow where it is reinforced. Neither will mark the steel or wood in any way but will reveal a poor sear/hammer notch interface.

 

[SemperFiHunter]

I personally hate floppy triggers and in almost all cases can remove most if not all of it by building up the trigger lever/bar to contact the sear arm more closely. Bending sear arms is not the best or even a good way to make this adjustment. You want square and level as much as possible in these lever movements.
Another thing to check when triggers bind is sear arm width/length. Quite often they will clear the through hole in the stock but the end of the lever in contacting wood on the far side of the stock. Simply mark the sear bar with some magic marker reassemble and cycle several time. This will indicate were the trigger lever is contacting the sear arm then you can grind off a bit of the length to where it clears the off side stock wood if it is binding there.
When ever one does trigger or lock work it is expedient to do a knock off test to make sure the gun is safe . I use a rawhide hammer to give a good shock blow to the barrel ahead of the breech plug on top and another at the head of the trigger bow where it is reinforced. Neither will mark the steel or wood in any way but will reveal a poor sear/hammer notch interface.

Thank you, Sir! Sounds like solid advice.
Need to make me a rawhide mallet.
SFH

 

[SemperFiHunter]

Thanks Rich. Will do.
SFH

 

[Musketeer]

I've never done a Pedersoli kit, so I don't know if this is common or not, but the triggers on their finished guns I've shot or owned have ranged from okay to excellent. The trigger on my Bess is a bit stiff, but has almost no take up (yes, a tiny bit of rattle at full cock, but then it engages the sear almost the moment you start applying pressure to it) and zero mush. The trigger on my Harper's Ferry percussion pistol is almost scary light, with no perceptible take up and zero mush. Assuming there isn't some flaw in the lock on yours and that it's just a matter of cleaning up some of the remaining rough edges on the gun. I'd be surprised if you couldn't take it from the mess it is now down to something quite nice. Please keep us posted.

 

[Snooterpup]

If easily removable, take the trigger out. With the lock still installed on the gun, see if it works easily by actuating the sear with a flat blade screwdriver or similar tool. This will tell you if the sear or any other lock component my be dragging or contacting the wood internally. It is also a good idea to remove the lock and see how well it functions out of the gun. I've seen quite a few "factory" locks that need attention to work smoothly and freely. As others have said, a bit of wobble is not a bad thing and insures the sear will properly engage the tumbler. Best of luck!

 

[Red Owl]

Semper, were is the trigger pinned? On a lot of replicas the trigger is pinned to upward tabs on the trigger plate. The trigger is basically a lever. If the pin location is oved upward then that dropped trigger pull. If the trigger moves forward, that drops trigger pull. If you look at original rifles with a simple trigger the pin is through the stock, much higher. I do it that way and get about a 2 pound pull- very acceptable if hunting woodlands (7 yard shots) and foolproof. As far as the wobbling, that was how they worked but if you gently press the trigger until resistance, you can get off a god shot. The Glock trigger comes to mind.

If you are interested we can get into more detail. You might have to deeper the mortise a little in the stock. I first make a Plexiglas trigger and often make a couple until it is just right and then make a metal trigger.

 

[SemperFiHunter]

Thanks everybody for the help. It may be a few days before I get to dig into it, but I will try to keep this thread alive as I do.
Really appreciate the good advice from all.
SFH