trigger plate installation

[gmarc]

Fellows:

Should a trigger plate and its surrounding mortise be level with each other at all dimensions?

I'm guessing that they should, and the forestock forward of the trigger be leveled to avoid a "pot belly" effect

Any other opinions here?

 

[Old Salt]

In many cases the trigger guard will over lap the trigger plate at the forward end. Since the trigger gaurd is also inlet it stands to reason the trigger plate has to be more deeply inlet than the guard. That would cause it to sit a little deeper than the surface of the wood.

You could choose to inlet the plate to the same depth along it's length. The bottom line is how the trigger interacts with the sear and what can you do to the trigger bar to make it work well with the sear.

Leo

 

[Bruce Bogart]

The gaurd can be reduced (filed) thinner where it overlaps the triggerplate or the triggerplate can be reduced in depth for the triggergaurd. But to answer the original question yes I believe that the trigger plate should be inlet flush with the surrounding wood.

 

[Old Salt]

You're right about filing the trigger gaurd to add clearance for the trigger plate. At least in my experience.

A person can usually uncover more than one way to solve many ML building obstacles.

Leo

 

[Erzulis boat]

I file a "shelf" on the triggerguard, and butt the shoulder against the triggerplate. This keeps everything inlet nicely.

You might have noticed quite a few buils where the trigger is very far forward in the triggerguard bow......this is done often to hide tang screw "mistakes"!

Typically, your tang screw will come out on the forward part of the trigger plate, if it not drilled in the center, many builders will try to hide this "mistake" by running the triggerguard back far enough to hide the off-center threaded hole. This isn't always the case, but it is very common.

There are some tricks to get the tang screw/triggerplate alignment perfect, but that is another step.

I will try to dig up some pics-

 

[Erzulis boat]

You can see the little shelf that I filed on the forward part of the triggerguard. This is also another trick on how to hold a triggerguard for filing without damaging anything- I just used a piece of scrap wood.

 

[crockett]

I do the shelf as well and never thought about whether it is PC.

 

[gmarc]

Erzulie

I'm planning to use an alignment spike jig to drill the tang bolt, after drawing a line from tang to trigger plate.

I'm guessing I should drill the tang-bolt with the lock plate removed.........seems no reason to leave it in as it does not influence line up of tang and trigger plate.
Is your screen name a reference to the goddess Erzulie? She had a boat........

 

[Erzulis boat]

Erzulie

I'm planning to use an alignment spike jig to drill the tang bolt, after drawing a line from tang to trigger plate.

I'm guessing I should drill the tang-bolt with the lock plate removed.........seems no reason to leave it in as it does not influence line up of tang and trigger plate.
Is your screen name a reference to the goddess Erzulie? She had a boat........

I will sometimes leave the lockplate in to protect the inletting when in a vise, and yes, my screen name is a play on that fact :grin: