Building KY pistol - loose trigger?

[awpk03s]

I’ve got a pile of parts to craft my first handmade muzzleloaders.  I’m starting with a Kentucky pistol, flintlock, .50 caliber, 10 inch barrel.  Using all parts from Track of The Wolf and MBS. 

Here’s my question.  The trigger, is very light and floppy.  There is no spring anywhere in it.  I have inlet the lock, installed the lock bolt, and inlet the barrel and breech plug/tang.  I inlet the trigger, and the trigger just flops there and goes back quite far (with no resistance) until it will contact the lock and release the hammer. 

Is there SUPPOSED to be a spring with this trigger?  Any advice or tips for how to eliminate the slop?

Thanks

[Clark Badgett]

Simple trigger or one of those assemblies?

[awpk03s]

This is the one I have

https://www.trackofthewolf.com/Categories/PartDetail.aspx/920/3/TR-PIST-C-TP

[Woodland]

Sounds like the trigger is too short.  You can either add on to the top of it, or you can inlet the trigger deeper. 

[davec2]

awpk03s,

There are others who will give you a better answer, but, in addition to proper trigger placement, I often modify a "store bought" trigger by cutting away or adding steel.  Even then, to accommodate the movement of the sear from rest to half cock to full cock, I sometimes add a spring.  Here is some information from and old post of mine.....

I have been working on several more guns, rather sporadically, but did something last evening that may be of some interest.  One of my pet peeves is a trigger that rattles.  A second preference (not really a peeve) is that I don't like to pin a trigger through wood.  I know it will probably out last me by a couple of hundred years, but then again, I am an engineer and pinning a trigger through steel or brass has always seemed like a better idea.

In regards to the trigger rattling, I always had a $#*! of a time getting the trigger / sear engagement just right so that there was no rattle to the trigger at some point in any of the uncocked, half cock, full cock positions.  So, some time ago, I started putting a leaf spring under the trigger bar to lightly keep the trigger in contact with the sear at all times.  Works great, but it does take some additional parts as well as excavating additional wood in the trigger mortice to allow the spring to function properly.  Here is what the spring arrangement looks like..





The beauty of this arrangement is that no matter where the sear ends up in each of its three positions (uncocked, half cock, full cock), the trigger stays in contact with it and will not rattle.

However, last evening, while working on a Chambers English rifle, I made a few modifications.  First, to avoid pinning the trigger through wood, I bent a 1/16" piece of mild steel and silver brazed it to the trigger plate.  Second, I had intended to place another leaf spring under the trigger to stop the rattle, but the trigger plate is really too short to do that.   The sear on the Chambers lock stays relatively in the same position when at any of the three lock positions, so I didn't need quite the range of motion.  Instead of the spring, I made and installed a 5-40 screw through the front face of the steel trigger pivot support and used it to push the trigger bar into light contact with the sear.  Works great and is simpler than the leaf spring arrangement.  No rattle in any position.

[smylee grouch]

Both of those triggers look great Dave. A drop of lock tight on the 5-40 screw once you have it where you want it might keep it from backing out. 

[awpk03s]

Thanks guys.  I’ve got some creative materials to work with now. 
I could let out more wood, but probably not a whole lot more.  One thing at a time and check progress…

[Clark Badgett]

Sink the assembly a little deeper and see if that solves your problem. I tried one of those assemblies on my first attempt, I ended up cutting the pivot tabs off and tigged up the hole on the trigger and set it in the historical manner.

[awpk03s]

I think this will work. Thanks again. 

[T*O*F]

I think this will work.

That won't work.  The angle of the trigger bar where it hits the sear is going the wrong direction.  The trigger pull will be so hard that it'll take a gorilla to fire the gun.  Throw that spring away and come up with another solution.  I just used a similar setup on 2 guns I am building.  I replaced the triggers with ones that had a higher bar, which I got from Jack Garner.  Get your trigger working first, then worry about a spring setup once that's done.