set trigger advice please

[Turtle]

I have an already built southern rifle with a small Davis double set trigger. The trigger arms are too far from the sear. The double set barely reached the sear and the front only trigger  pull is very heavy. Any ideas to fix this? Can I get taller triggers to fit this set? Maybe a new trigger assy with taller arms? I don't want to inlet the trigger plate deeper because of looks. Also my soldering stinks, so I'm hesitant to solder extensions on the triggers.
                                  Thanks, Turtle

[sz]

There are a few problems you are dealing with. First, if the front trigger is hard to pull it's because the sear and corresponding full cock notch have not been stones to a nice pull weight.

 Next you can either dog-leg the sear bar, or you can apply a spacer to the rear "trigger" blade, or you can inlet the whole trigger bar deeper, or you can apply a spacer to the sear bar.  Applying the spacers requires you to silver solder or braze, and dog-legging the sear bar requires it to be red hot.  So if you do not have a torch that will allow you to get the temp up to about 1300-1600 degrees, the best option is going to be inletting the whole she-bang deeper.

[Bob Roller]

I have an already built southern rifle with a small Davis double set trigger. The trigger arms are too far from the sear. The double set barely reached the sear and the front only trigger  pull is very heavy. Any ideas to fix this? Can I get taller triggers to fit this set? Maybe a new trigger assy with taller arms? I don't want to inlet the trigger plate deeper because of looks. Also my soldering stinks, so I'm hesitant to solder extensions on the triggers.
                                  Thanks, Turtle

Look in the TOW catalog with all those great full size pictures and pick out
a set to replace the ones that can't work. Another case of mismatched parts
and don't bend the sear arm,it might break.

Bob Roller

[thimble rig]

You could make yourself some triggers.Just use the ones you have for a pattern and make the bars taller.

[Levy]

Last year at the CLA Show, I purchased two sets of #4 triggers.  One set form RE Davis and the other from Chambers.  They look exactly alike except the set I got from Chambers had trigger bars that stood quite a bit higher than the ones purchased from RE Davis.  James Levy

[Turtle]

. thanks, I will check on the chambers triggers right now. I can save the ones I have for another build. Didn't say that I have actual sear release pressure as light as I can. I realized the distance was too far, but was anxious to finish the gun for a shoot.

[bgf]

There are also L&R triggers with higher bars, and they work better than the Davis unset.  They fit same inlet as Davis.  TOW has them.  I switched to them on my offhand rifle and used the Davis triggers for a chunk gun.

I have an already built southern rifle with a small Davis double set trigger. The trigger arms are too far from the sear. The double set barely reached the sear and the front only trigger  pull is very heavy. Any ideas to fix this? Can I get taller triggers to fit this set? Maybe a new trigger assy with taller arms? I don't want to inlet the trigger plate deeper because of looks. Also my soldering stinks, so I'm hesitant to solder extensions on the triggers.
                                  Thanks, Turtle

[rsells]

James is right.  Jim Chamber supplied triggers have taller trigger bars making it easy to adjust to get the correct height to the sear with a normal wrist height.  Works good for me.  Bob's recommendation to look at Track's drawing on locating the trigger assembly in relationship to the sear is very important to getting the triggers to function properly.
                                                                                  Roger Sells
       

[Turtle]

BFG-I just received the "taller" set trigger from track # TR-LR-1710. They don't look any taller than mine. Wrong packaging?
                                Thanks, Turtle

[rsells]

According to Track TR-LR-1710 are made by L&R and not Davis.  The #4 Davis triggers I get from Track have the standard hgt triggers, but the #4 Davis I got from Tip Curtis  had the taller trigger bars.  I know that Chambers sells the #4 with the taller bars.  I am not sure of the L&R trigger bar hgt because I have never used them.  If you would like to see a photograph of the Davis with the taller trigger bars, send me an email at rbpodge@twlakes.net and I will take a  photo and mail it to you for reference.  I am getting ready to install a set now. 
                                                                            Roger Sells

[bgf]

BFG-I just received the "taller" set trigger from track # TR-LR-1710. They don't look any taller than mine. Wrong packaging?
                                Thanks, Turtle

Sorry been out of town.  I have been remiss in not looking at tracks and l&r current offerings.  I think the track description is wrong somehow, but if I recall correctly there was once a short version (1700?) also.  L&R   no longer seems to have those 1700 or 1710 model numbers, but it might be worth calling l&r to see if one of the newer models is high bar.  Possibly the trigger bars were just too high in most applications and they dropped that feature.  I know. ended up bending the sear bar to get clearance for the l&rs.

I feel really bad about being some crazy guy on internet giving out misinformation!  Sorry for any confusion and trouble I caused you. 

[David R. Pennington]

I have soft soldered pieces onto a trigger to fix this same problem. Unless you put the triggers in the oven it will hold up. It is not hard to do. The parts have to be shiny bright clean. Use stay brite liquid flux and 95/5 solder. I have trained lots of apprentices to solder. The mistakes most people make are overfluxing, undercleaning, and overheating. Heat slowly and carefully just till the solder flows. Try not to appy heat directly on the fluxed area and burn the flux. Tin both pieces where they will join. Holding the pieces with pliers, shake the extra solder off while it is hot. Then put the two pieces together with a drop of flux and gently heat till fused. Don't touch surfaces to be joined with your fingers after cleaning. Practice on some junk.

[Turtle]

BFG-- no worries. I made things work and after getting the bars closer, I was able to move the triggers back a little to help the unset pull more.. Thanks to all for the advice

[Bob Roller]

I have soft soldered pieces onto a trigger to fix this same problem. Unless you put the triggers in the oven it will hold up. It is not hard to do. The parts have to be shiny bright clean. Use stay brite liquid flux and 95/5 solder. I have trained lots of apprentices to solder. The mistakes most people make are overfluxing, undercleaning, and overheating. Heat slowly and carefully just till the solder flows. Try not to appy heat directly on the fluxed area and burn the flux. Tin both pieces where they will join. Holding the pieces with pliers, shake the extra solder off while it is hot. Then put the two pieces together with a drop of flux and gently heat till fused. Don't touch surfaces to be joined with your fingers after cleaning. Practice on some junk.

I am on an automobile forum where one guy says if you get them really clean,
an ice cube can be soldered to teflon .

Bob Roller

[bgf]

Turtle,

Sorry, the only reason I spoke up is because I really like the design and feel of the L&R triggers better, plus I could not anneal and work the Davis triggers to modify them no way, no how, but the l&r triggers annealed readily.

Glad you got things working!  Did you use the Davis triggers?

[rsells]

Turtle,
I had a thought that I should have brought up earlier.  How about contacting Jim Chambers
or Davis and get the front and rear trigger replacement parts that have the taller trigger bars?  If you verify which set of triggers you have, I thought we were talking about Davis #4, you can use the trigger plate and springs, etc and make the fix easier and cheaper than using a complete new trigger set.   
                                                                                        Roger Sells