How do you tune a set trigger?

[Grenadier1758]

I hate to be disparaging of the builder of your squirrel rifle, but I would really have some issues.

1. The triggers on your rifle should have been acceptably adjusted when you received your rifle.

2. When you took the rifle back, he should have removed the lock, the trigger guard and the triggers and properly adjusted the triggers.

3. The pin to remove the trigger guard should be removable. Wood may have to be relieved to remove the pin. Is the other end of the pin under the side plate? It doesn't look likely, but it's worth a look.

Remedies:

The trigger guard has to be removed. See if the pin for the trigger guard is under the lock plate. If the pin is not under the side plate, then wood will need to be removed to extract that pin.

I see a lever in the lock mortise that is likely keeping the sear from engaging the full cock notch. The trigger plate must be removed so the triggers can be adjusted in accordance with the Track of the Wolf or L&R instructions. You appear to have the tang bolt threaded into thr trigger plate and a wood screw at the tail end of the trigger plate. No filing until the triggers are acceptably adjusted.

First the big screw holding the large flat spring on the trigger plate can be adjusted to lower the rear trigger lever while retaining driving power for the rear trigger lever.
Second, back the set trigger adjusting screw out to verify the rear trigger can be set. There is a weak spring on the trigger plate for the front trigger to apply pressure for the front trigger to capture the rear trigger.
Third, once the front trigger engages the rear trigger, turn the adjustment screw in until the rear trigger is released. Back the adjustment screw out one turn. If that screw is too short for adjustment of the triggers, buy a longer screw.
Fourth, install the trigger plate so the plate is flush with the wood. Triggers should be unset. Look at the opening in the lock mortise for the sear. Are the levers low enough for the sear to clear the trigger levers? If not the screw on the main spring on the trigger plate will need to be adjusted to lower the rear trigger lever.
Fifth, install the lock to test trigger function. If the trigger function is acceptable, the pin the trigger guard back in the stock.
Sixth, let us know if any of these ramblings was helpful.
Seventh let the builder know that his installation of the lock and triggers was unacceptable.

 

[Harry Marinakis]

Is the other end of the pin under the side plate?

No, I checked.

I hate to be disparaging of the builder of your squirrel rifle, but I would really have some issues.

I had never fired a muzzleloader before when I bought this rifle. It's a really beautiful rifle, but I didn't know what to look for when I bought it from a reputable builder.

Subsequently I bought an old, well-used .50 cal that has become my primary rifle. It has needed a lot of work, but at least I can manage all of it's idiosyncrasies myself. I even rebuilt the lock on the .50 cal.

I will pry out that front guard pin on my squirrel rifle. Come hell or high water.

 

[The Crisco Kid]

I wonder if that front trigger guard pin was bent and not going all the way through because it was hitting the mainspring? That's the way it looks from here.

 

[Harry Marinakis]

Go back and look at my third photo. You could see the set trigger lever in lock mortise.

I got the front guard pin out. It was a pin with one end bent, not a staple.

I got the trigger removed. I made the recommended set trigger adjustments, and reinstalled the trigger with the wood screw and bolt.

Now the set trigger lever is no longer visible in the lock mortise. But when I pull the trigger, I see the set trigger lever fly up into view. Something was binding and keeping that lever up too high. Whatever it was, it seems like it's fixed now.

I'll fool with this some more at a later date to make sure it all works properly.

I'll install the lock and make sure the set trigger lever is no longer binding on the sear. I'm worried now that there is too much of a gap between the sear and set trigger lever. If I get a lot a play in the set trigger, will that be a problem? If the set trigger lever has a lot of play, will the slap on the sear be a problem? I guess I could let off on the trigger spring a bit so it won't slap so hard.

Thanks for the help.

 

[Harry Marinakis]

I wonder if that front trigger guard pin was bent and not going all the way through because it was hitting the mainspring? That's the way it looks from here.

There's no hole on the opposite side for that front guard pin. I don't think it was meant to go all the way through.

 

[The Crisco Kid]

There's no hole on the opposite side for that front guard pin. I don't think it was meant to go all the way through.

Do you mean that the hole was drilled from the lock side and not all the way through the stock? That seems like a really strange way of pinning a trigger guard. I can't think of any reason for permanently installing a pin like that. Maybe the builder thought that it could be pryed out with a screwdriver enough to grab it with a pliers?

 

[Harry Marinakis]

Maybe the builder thought that it could be pryed out with a screwdriver enough to grab it with a pliers?

That's exactly what I did

 

[Grenadier1758]

@Harry Marinakis, the slap of the rear trigger lever is okay. What you need to check is for slop with the front trigger when the triggers are not set. You should be able to bring the lock to full cock with the triggers unset. When unset, the front trigger should come into contact with the sear after a short pull. With too much slop the trigger plate needs to be inlet more. No slop, the trigger plate can be shimmed.

You're getting there.

 

[Harry Marinakis]

I finally got the rifle fixed.

The trigger mortise was not relieved deep enough. I found this out with a grease pencil.

The middle of the trigger spring was touching the wood, and the entire trigger assembly was rocking like a see-saw on this high point in the wood. When the trigger was installed and the screw were tightened, the high point in the wood was applying pressure to the middle of the spring. It was as if you had the spring tension bolt tightened way down.

This kept the set trigger lever elevated too high, applying pressure on the sear, and none of the trigger adjustments worked properly because there was too much tension on the trigger spring.

Once I relieved some wood in the trigger mortise over the spring, all of the adjustments on the spring tension and set trigger worked properly.

FIXED.

 

[Harry Marinakis]

I took my rifle out to my backyard shooting range. Works perfectly.

 

[Chuck Tiller]

Smoke/soot the trigger levers. Use a candle to soot the parts. Reinstall and work them a few times. Remove them and look for signs that they are rubbing on the stock. If you see soot on the stock, remove a small amount of wood at that area and retest with more soot. This should eliminate your binding problem.
Good shooting!

 

[Harry Marinakis]

Smoke/soot the trigger levers. Use a candle to soot the parts. Reinstall and work them a few times. Remove them and look for signs that they are rubbing on the stock. If you see soot on the stock, remove a small amount of wood at that area and retest with more soot. This should eliminate your binding problem.
Good shooting!

I used a red grease pencil