Davis Double set trigger

[STJ1954]

Built Hawken rifle several years ago. Parts came from Track of the Wolf. Enjoyed it and always admired these guns. Everything went together very smoothly. Got the parts for Virginia style rifle from Muzzle Loaders Builders Supply. Chose .45 caliber 13/16 barrel. Wanted light weight slim rifle. I have been working on it for 2 years. Work on it a while and then put it up. This has been really challenging. I am hung up on decision to possibly add a backlash screw adjustment to the trigger. I fit the barrel, then lock, and then trigger. Had a lot to cut back on clearance for the triggers. As is the triggers work well set. Not set the rear trigger has so much pressure you can't cock to full position. I have good documentation on this. One suggestion was filing the mainspring. Adding the screw makes more sense. I know if I cut too much mainspring off, I will have to get a new. Open for suggestions.

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

To stop the trigger's mainspring from forcing the rear trigger up, the mainspring has to come to a stop on something.  Ideally, that is the trigger plate.  That takes some careful filing to get the mainspring to have lots of force on the trigger, but then stopping allowing the trigger to float, and under the inertia of having been set and fired to continue up to strike the sear arm with sufficient force to fire the lock.
Alternatively, yes, you can install a screw through the trigger plate to stop the downward force of the mainspring, thereby letting the rear trigger come to rest without interfering with the sear.  That screw must be adjusted with the trigger guard off the rifle..it's not something that is easy to access with the guard in place, though I suppose you could drill a hole big enough for your adjustment tool, through the trigger guard...ugly.

[brokenhand]

You know you can grind off the top of both triggers where they contact the sear, right? If you haven't taken any metal off of the top of the triggers, you can grind that off a little at a time and fit. It shouldn't take very much.  You would probably want to take your trigger set apart to do it.

[STJ1954]

Installed 4-40 backlash screw. I cut too much top off the triggers. Any way it works great. Cock hammer with triggers set or unset. It's all about learning. My documentation on set triggers came from TOTW catalog. 

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

Unfortuantely, that's about where the spur of the trigger guard contacts the trigger plate.

[Bob Roller]

Installed 4-40 backlash screw. I cut too much top off the triggers. Any way it works great. Cock hammer with triggers set or unset. It's all about learning. My documentation on set triggers came from TOTW catalog. 

Cock the hammer with the trigger set? OK on a target rifle pointed down range maybe.The screw behind the rear trigger can be a headless screw so it can't interfere with the trigger guard.
Bob Roller

[bama]

You can adjust the mainspring tension a good bit by loosening the attachment screw. Sometimes that does not help but it's an alternative to adding a screw that in my opinion does pretty much the same thing, taking downward force off the mainspring. I sometimes, will forge out the tip of the mainspring to lengthen it just a tad and put a little more hook in the tip and then adjust the pressure with the attachment screw. You have to reharden the spring and then temper it again but I prefer this to adding the screw to relieve the downward force of the mainspring.

[Dphariss]

I do as Taylor recommended. Its easier than the screw.

[STJ1954]

Haven't fit trigger guard yet. But agree with Bob. Will go with headless screw and finished product will be almost flush with trigger bar. If #4 screw can be cut with a slot, if not may have to go up a size on screw. Have to put it aside again so I can be onboard with roofers coming tomorrow.