single trigger on smoothbore has lots of wiggle room/make it stop!!!!

[sonny]

I have a smoothbore musket that has a trigger with lots of left an right wiggle in it. What can I do to tighten the trigger slot so trigger play is removed or very little? Do I shim the inside slot with a thin slice of wood, or a thin slice of metal (metal to metal....oooohhhh), or get a thicker trigger (looks like I would need a .128 thknss to get out the slop.....which path is the correct one honorable master!!!!!................sonny

[jamesthomas]

 I would remove the trigger and  tape either some wood or metal shims on it till it doesn't wiggle anymore, then either permanently glue or solder the shims on. If you can get a thicker trigger from TOTW or MBS that would take up the slack I would try that route also. Also maybe it isn't pinned properly.

[E.vonAschwege]

I'd go with a thicker trigger - fit it and case harden it for a smooth action.  A lot of triggers don't get hardened, perhaps they don't need it, but you can feel the difference.  If that's not a concern, then solder some shims on either side. 
-Eric

[Jerry V Lape]

Make a flat piece of metal with a slot in it that fits the existing trigger properly.  Then solder that to the inside of the trigger plate.  Doesn't have to be very thick (or it might make it hard to assemble the trigger through the slot) so inletting it won't require a lot of wood removal.  The soldered piece only needs to be big enough to surround the existing slot with a soldering shoulder. It isn't going to be bearing any load so even soft solder will work. 

[E.vonAschwege]

Make a flat piece of metal with a slot in it that fits the existing trigger properly.  Then solder that to the inside of the trigger plate.

Love it Jerry - one of those simple "why didn't I think of that" things - brilliant.  Saves the trigger if it is hardened and hidden entirely by the existing triggerplate. 
-Eric

[WadePatton]

Make a flat piece of metal with a slot in it that fits the existing trigger properly.  Then solder that to the inside of the trigger plate.

Love it Jerry - one of those simple "why didn't I think of that" things - brilliant.  Saves the trigger if it is hardened and hidden entirely by the existing triggerplate. 
-Eric

yes, excellent.  And if anybody notices it, call it a dust guard


and insist that all the _cool_ rifles have them. 

[Dphariss]

I have a smoothbore musket that has a trigger with lots of left an right wiggle in it. What can I do to tighten the trigger slot so trigger play is removed or very little? Do I shim the inside slot with a thin slice of wood, or a thin slice of metal (metal to metal....oooohhhh), or get a thicker trigger (looks like I would need a .128 thknss to get out the slop.....which path is the correct one honorable master!!!!!................sonny

Use a larger pin in the trigger, one that fits the hole in the trigger within .0005" or maybe less should take out most of it.
Trying to shim the trigger tight in the slot will cause a problem if the wood swells.
Dan

[Pete G.]

What Dan said; additionally I use a small u-shaped piece of brass up in the trigger slot around the pivot pin. This gives a smoother bearing surface to the pivot and helps reduce any excessive clearance. This, coupled with fitting the trigger plate to the trigger can help a lot. If the trigger slot is too wide in the plate, just peen the underside on each side of the slot to reduce clearances. Do a little more than is really needed then use some thin files to fit the plate slot to the trigger thickness.

[Scott Bumpus]

Combine jerry and dans answers and you have the perfect fix.

[sonny]

I plunged in an did what I felt to be the most easy. I took my jewlers saw an cut a thin slice of curly maple from an old stock an sanded the darn thing down until it fit the inside of the trigger slot. It seems to work an not stick too bad! Then ,I had the trigger polished so the trigger an epoxied(don't tell anybody-I even stained it to match)maple shim, slid in like a slice of bread. The darn thing works good , but cold weather or damp weather might force further adjustment. I gave some thought about thickening the trigger, but when I polished the darn thing I could see where it had been soldered to get the preferred angle of the single trigger in the trigger guard.The shim was about 1/16 thkness an I would have liked to slide an equal thickness shim in opposite side to center the trigger. The 1/16 shim on one side didn't seem to make the trigger offset an favor the opposite side....guess the small amount won't mean much....sonny

[omark]

Won't the trigger being off center make your rifle shoot to one side???      Mark.       

[sonny]

No, what I have done is adjusted the fact that you use the heaviest part of your finger to apply pressure to trigger, an this will put that into neutral, cause the trigger surface meeting pressure, is now equal across the entire trigger face, not just to one side.......get it?.......sonny

[B.Habermehl]

If I understood what you did with the wood shim correctly, you did what some do deliberately. Offsetting the trigger slightly to the right for a right handed gun. This can yield a bit better ergonomic fit. BJH

[omark]

I got it. That was meant to be funny. Guess you didn't get it.        Mark

[sonny]

well what do ya know!...........I took a stab at the shim placement an got it right on the first attempt.........I am going to put the gun in my freezer overnite to see if it still works after a cold winters day......................ter

[Acer Saccharum]

I have see a number of original guns with the trigger slot placed off-center, ie closer to the lockplate side. Makes for an easier reach on a buxom/brawny gun.

[sonny]

omarc west.............he he he , I got it!.....I think I got it just right now....polished an smoothe an oh so good............Geez I wish I wasn't such a stickler for such things.....I know you were kidding!! he he he......sonny

[omark]

LOL.       Mark

[Vomitus]

   Yep, offset left to take up right hand pull.  Lately I've been practicing one eye open instead of both closed. It has made all the difference.

   I like the larger pin idea.

  I had a Frenchy that did this. It didn't affect the trigger pull so I just got used to it. I carried it a little cocked to one side and it made the rattle go away. Dang trade guns!