Unfamiliar double trigger lock config

[dogfood]

Hi all,
Several months back, I purchased a Golden Age Arms .40 half stock percussion, single barrel rifle on the the for sale subforum here. Looked great in the photos and in getting it, it did not disappoint. However, one thing about it has me confused. I'm relatively new to blackpowder still, but I've never encountered a double trigger configuration like this.
So what would be the set trigger needs to be pulled first, before the hammer is cocked and then the main trigger works. If the set trigger isn't depressed, the hammer won't engage and lock back.
To put out it another way, the order of operations for this guns lock is.
1. Pull set trigger
2. Cock hammer
3. Pull main trigger
That's the only way it can work.
I can see it as a safety feature kinda, but I'm thinking it's more likely that the lock needs work.
Any ever encounter something like this, either purpose-built or by mechanical failure?
If I've left out anything that would be helpful, or have not been clear, please let me know. Thanks in advance,
Ken

 

[Kansas Jake]

I have a Tingle rifle and it works as you describe. I pulled the lock and looked at the trigger setup and it was designed to work that way. There is not a way to cock it without first setting the set trigger. The trigger setup doesn't have a double bar to engage the sear lever. If yours is that way, I suppose you could replace the trigger assemble to work both ways. There also may be other issues. You might pull the trigger and see how it works out of the gun.

 

[bubba.50]

See if the set trigger bar is interfering with the sear arm in the unset position. May need to take a bit off of it if it does or perhaps shim the triggers out a bit.

 

[Zonie]

There are two different possibilities here.

If the trigger assembly is a more common "double set, double throw" trigger like the triggers used on almost all of the commercially made guns either the trigger assembly was installed too deeply into the stock or it has become too deep because of wood shrinkage which allowed it to move closer to the sear arm on the lock.

The second possibility is, the trigger assembly is one of the less common "double set, single throw" triggers. These triggers do not have a blade on the front trigger to release the lock and they must first be cocked or set before the lock can be fully cocked.

The way to find out which type of trigger you have is to remove the lock from the stock. There will be a hole in the wood for the arm on the sear to fit into.

With the lock removed, use a flashlight to light up the inside of that sear arm hole and pull the front trigger back to the fired position.
If you see a metal blade rise up into the sear arm hole, your trigger assembly is a "double set, double throw" type that should allow you to cock the hammer regardless of whether the trigger is first set or left unset.
To fix the problem you can install a thin piece of cardboard between the underside of the trigger assembly and the stock. This will move the trigger assembly away from the locks sear arm so the lock can be set in the full cock position.
Also, look at the trigger assembly plate. If there is a screw behind the rear set trigger, loosen it a bit and then try cocking the gun. By loosening the screw you are lowering the spring pressure on the trigger blade and allowing it to move downward, away from the locks sear arm.
Another fix for this condition is to remove the trigger assembly and then file material off of the top of the blade that is on the rear trigger.

If, when you looked down into the sear arm hole, you did NOT see a metal blade rise up into the hole when you pulled the front trigger, your trigger assembly is a "double set, single throw" trigger. These triggers cannot fire the gun unless the triggers are first set. You also cannot fully cock the gun unless the triggers are first set. These triggers are popular with some target shooters. They also allow a double set trigger to be used with a lock that does not have a fly in its tumbler. In other words, they can be used with even the simplest of locks. In fact, they can be used with any lock, fly or no fly in the tumbler.
If your gun has a "double set, single throw" trigger installed you can either replace it with a "double set, double throw" trigger or just learn to live with what you have.

 

[Kansas Jake]

Thanks again Zonie for giving a much better description of part of what I was trying to relay.

 

[Phil Coffins]

Zonie‘s explains the triggers very well. Except at least the triggers used by CVA and others that have the screw behind the rear trigger Needs the set screw turned in to lower the bar on the rear tiggers. Here’s one out of the gun to illustate this.
Screw out,
IMG_0270
by Oliver Sudden, on Flickr
Screw in,
IMG_0271 by Oliver Sudden, on Flickr

 

[Larry (Omaha)]

If I've left out anything that would be helpful, or have not been clear, please let me know. Thanks in advance,
Ken

Determine the type of double set triggers you have as per Zonie. If you have the double set, single throw, I would like to expound on what Zonie said. I have three rifles with double set single throw triggers. They had no means to adjust the spring when I purchased. I have installed my own set screws to adjust spring tension. It is real easy if your abilities include drilling and tapping metal.
Good luck
Flintlocklar

 

[Phil Coffins]

If you lock doesn’t have a fly in the tumbler then having the triggers as they are is desired.