Traditional Trigger Question

[elkhorne]

I was at Jim Chamber's class last year and got well on my way with an Isaac Haines rifle from Jim. We got in a hurry with the traditional trigger installation and I wound up taking too much off the top of the trigger bar where it meets the sear. The result of my "hurry" error was that the trigger had to be pulled some distance with no resistance until it contacted the sear. It would fire and operate the lock each time we tested it but would rattle every time you moved the rifle. When I returned home, I filed a piece of soft steel to replace what had been ground away in error and Swif soldered it in place.
Now my problem as I start to refit the repaired trigger, is what is the proper amount of trigger bar to file or grind off. Should the trigger bar just touch or touch with very slight pressure, the sear to eliminate the trigger travel and rattle the trigger had before I reworked it. Any help from all those more knowledgable than me out there would be much appreciated. I do not ask too many questions on here asi I feel I learn so much from all the other discussions that take place all the time. So much to learn in such a short time for most of us!
elkhorne

[L. Akers]

The sear bar should be in the same position in half-cock as in full-cock.  Unfortunately, many are lower in half-cock than in full-cock.  I would fit the trigger blade to just clear the sear bar at half-cock which is the minimum you are going to get away with.  I have put light springs on triggers to keep positive contact with the sear bar.

[Curtis]

Elkhorne, +2 on what L. Akers said.  A couple of thousandths should be enough clearance when the lock is at half-cock.

Curtis

[Hungry Horse]

Make that three, I use a piece of old guitar string as a spring. I drill, and tap, a hole in the rear of the trigger plate, and a small hole in the lower rear of the trigger bar, and bend up a piece of fine music wire to lightly lift the trigger bar, and keep it from rattling, screwing it down at the rear of the trigger plate with a small screw.
 I've fixed dozens of old kit guns for young shooters this way. Unless the lock is a very modern reproduction model, it will have two different positions for half cock, and full cock. Even the early Silers had this problem. Jim Chambers fixed this issue when he bought the company.

  Hungry Horse

[Bob Roller]

A light spring keeping the trigger release bar in constant contact with the
sear is common on high quality English guns.

Bob Roller

[Hungry Horse]

It is also common on side lock double barreled shotguns, and rifles.

  Hungry Horse

[elkhorne]

Thanks all! Hungry Horse - I think I understand your fix but one question. I would guess you are using a trigger plate that has the vertical extension that the trigger is pinned in. Is that correct? That would definitely keep slight upward pressure on the trigger bar and stop any potential rattling. From all I have seen, it looks like I need to carefully file and fit the trigger until the bar just touches the sear arm with the lock at rest. Again, thanks for all the ideas and will now try to implement.
elkhorne

[L. Akers]

it looks like I need to carefully file and fit the trigger until the bar just touches the sear arm with the lock at rest. Again, thanks for all the ideas and will now try to implement.
elkhorne

No, no, not at rest-- at half cock!

[elkhorne]

Thanks again! Maybe that was part of our problem from the start. To my recollection, we did all the trigger installation with the lock in the rest position instead of the half cock position. Always new thing to learn from members on this site.
elkhorne

[Hungry Horse]

No these were not pedestal mounted triggers. They were plain Jane cheap triggers on cheap kit guns. The screw, and wire spring, were added to the rear of the trigger plate, and entered a small hole on the rear of the trigger flag.

  Hungry Horse

[elkhorne]

Hungry Horse, Thanks for the clarification. I will definitely do this. It takes away a lot of final fine tuning and will help insure the trigger is not putting too actually putting pressure on the sear by pushing it up at rest, half cock and the cock position which would or could be dangerous. In a class one time, Jack Brooks talked about putting a piece of spring wire in front of the trigger somehow, I think into the wood, to put pressure on the trigger  but he did not go into detail like you did. Thank you very much for your help and hope others will heed your advice and technique. These things are what makes this forum so valuable to makers trying to learn the fine points.
elkhorne