"shelf" on trigger plate/trigger guard junction

[Red Owl]

Maybe a dumb question but.... I have usually filed a matching shelf at the front end of the trigger plate and the rear end of the forward portion of the trigger guard, such that the trigger guard overlaps the front of the trigger plate maybe 3/16" but because the two matching areas have shelfs filed into them, all fits together nicely.
   This issue was raised on another forum and suddenly I thought- am I jumping to assumptions again? Is that the way the original guns fit in this area? Any help appreciated.

[rich pierce]

There are originals where the trigger plate does not extend far enough forward to interfere with the guard at all and these are inletted flush.  The first one below just about meets it head on.  The second one is independent- no contact with guard.  Third and fourth ones are under the guard but flush.

[keweenaw]

As Rich said, all options are possible.  It's probably more typical on longrifles to have the guard overlap the trigger plate.  On a number of guns I've seen, and the way I build mine, the front of the trigger plate is inlet slightly below the bottom line of the stock and a notch in the guard allows it to extend back over the trigger plate.  I've not seen guns where the trigger plate was notched but then there are lots of things I've not seen.

Tom

[Red Owl]

I'll have to re-check how I've done it, but generally, if there is an overlap the guard is notched to fit over a trigger plate wherein the trigger plate is flush with the stock- is that correct?
 

[Old Salt]

I'm no expert so take this with a grain of salt  .

On two of the rifles I've built I filed the shelf in the trigger gaurd to overlap the trigger plate.  Both trigger plates are just below the surface of the wood.  On aother rifle I built the trigger plate is flush with the wood and on a Tip Curtis in-the-white rifle the trigger plate is just below the surface of the wood.

I'll be honest and tell you on the first rifle I didn't know exactly what to focus on.  I was lucky and had some good people advising me.

On my second and third rifles I was more concerned with how the trigger bar interacts with the sear.  In my mind that should be a priority when installing a trigger plate. 

The trigger plate really went in deep on my last project, but I wanted the trigger bar close to the sear.  I removed as much wood as possible to get a decent matchup with the trigger gaurd and in the end had to file a hair off the trigger bar.  I can tell you I'm very happy with how the triggers work on that rifle. 

Leo

 

       

[G-Man]

Red Owl- not a dumb question at all.  

Unless I missed it, no one has mentioned that it lso varies a lot depending on your style of rifle.  

Just in case it is a Tennessee style rifle - on most upper East Tennessee rifles I have seen, they used double set triggers and they did not use tang bolts.  The triggers were held in place by the triggerguard.  They would cut a notch, or rather a little "step" in the forward end of the triggerplate, and the triggerplate was inlet flush with the wood so that the little notch at the front was slightly recessed below the surface of the wood.  This formed a little ledge and the triggerguard (i.e. the 90-degree bend where the front of the bow meets the forward finial) rests on that ledge and holds the guard in.  The triggerguard finials were usually inlet till the surface was just slightly proud of the wood, as the finial surfaces were often very slightly convex.

(PS You can still do this on most commercial triggers if want to use a tang bolt - there is usually room unless you are copying old original set triggers, like Myron Carlson did.  Many of his triggers do not allow use of a tang bolt.)

If not a Tennessee rifle, this information is not so useful , but the main point is, it varies a lot depenidng on the style of gun and type of triggers.

Guy

[Acer Saccharum]

On this job, I narrowed the trigger plate at the front end to slip under the guard with lots of coverage. The tail of the guard has a bit of a shelf filed into it so it can go over the trigger plate with grace.