Kentucky pistol trigger guard

[hortonstn]

Any one have any tips on installing a trigger guard on a pistol blank
Thanks Paul

[Dave B]

Where are you at in your build? You need to install the trigger guard only after you have established the placement of your trigger and have it installed with the trigger plate in place. If you have that squared away then its important that you start with a good center line. Next is to take the kinks out of the trigger guard. Most castings have some twist or crook to them. Make sure your pin tabs are square with the casting. Once you have those things taken care of your good to start. Inlet the trigger starting with the front tab used for the cross pin. Keep checking your center line. Once it is in deep enough so that the front extension is now flush on the stock surface check the center line and the rest of the grip section. You should still be on line with the the center mark if you've been working square. If so sink the front extension and work inletting front portion of the grip section into the wood. This is where some get into trouble trying to inlet it all at the same time. the curling of the grip of the pistol will cause a premature full cut inlet to gap as the section around the trigger plate and front extension get deeper. The last point for inletting is the back end of the grip section. You only do this when all the rest of the trigger guard is inlet.  I learned this the hard way. Good luck in your project

[Bob Roller]

Any one have any tips on installing a trigger guard on a pistol blank
Thanks Paul

If the guard has a curved tang to fit the inner curve of the grip,inlet it first and
when it's seated in the wood the rest is easy. I have only made 3 pistols in the last 50 years
but that's how I did it.

Bob Roller

[James Wilson Everett]

Guys,

Most surely agree with Bob R.  Inlet to very tip of the grip curve of the guard first.  To do this you must first cut slots for the pin tabs.  As you inlet the grip curve the guard will shift rearwards the depth of the inlet.  With the tip of the grip curve tight at its end, then begin to inlet the front portion. Once the tip end of the grip curve is tight, the rest of the guard is inlet with the guard rotating around the tip end as a pivot point.  The very last portion of the guard to be inlet is the very front extension tip. This is quite a bit different than the way we inlet a long gun guard.  With respect, I do disagree with the method suggested by Dave B.

Also, be sure to form the trigger guard to match closely the wood stock.

Jim

[hortonstn]

thanks i d appreciate the tips, i guess when i'm done i can decide
what works
paul

[David Rase]

I also inlet the grip rail prior to the forward extension.  After inletting the grip rail, I then start inletting the forward extension at the rear of the forward extension (junction between the front of the bow and the rear of the forward extension) and work my way forward.  I like to stop inletting about 1/32" short of the front of the forward extension.  Inletting the trigger guard this way allows me to apply a bit of rearward pressure on the front of the bow and basically "snap" fit the forward extension into the inlet.  This method will eliminate any longitudinal gap.  Based on the "feel" you may need to shave a bit of wood at the forward end of the extension to get a nice "snap".  Once the forward extension is inlet, I like to hold the forward extension in place with a C-clamp while drilling the cross pin.
David    

[Mark Elliott]

I am going to be a little contrary here.    I always inlet the trigger guard from the front, pistol or rifle, because it is the only way I can be sure the bow is oriented the way I want relative to the triggers.    Also,  things are usually pretty tight at the front due the pin tab or front screw having to fit behind the ramrod hole and in front of the trigger plate.   The rear extension or the grip rail of a pistol trigger guard has a little more leeway than the front, at least in my opinion for whatever that is worth.   I inlet the trigger plate the same way, front to back.   

Of course,  I could be doing this wrong.    I would be interested in how those who inlet the other way make sure the front pin tab/screw and front extension end up where they need.

[James Wilson Everett]

Guys,

I guess that there are more than one way to do this job.  Here are some photos on a related issue on inletting the pistol triggerguard.  I drill a small locater hole down from the barrel channel through the belly of the stock wood.  The hole is just about at the barrel/breechplug intersection.  Looking through the hole from the bottom it is easy to determine how much wood is below the ramrod hole.  Often, on newly made gun, it appears that there is way too much wood here giving the gun a rather fat appearance in the lock area.  These photos show a pistol ready for the triggerguard inlet job (from the rear to the front for me!).  Looking into the hole we see the lighter color of the ramrod wood.  The measured depth to the ramrod wood is 0.08 inches, just about right.  When the triggerguard is finished inlet a lot of the ramrod hole will be visible in the inlet cut, and, of course, the locater hole will not be visible as it is under the front triggerguard extension.  I hope that this makes sense.

Jim

[David Rase]

When I inlet a pistol triggerguard I like to keep the grip rail free of unsightly screws or pins.  To do this I file a slight bevel on the end of the grip rail and then undercut the stock to catch the bevel.  That little detail is another reason why I inlet the grip rail first. 
David





   

[Cory Joe Stewart]

I inlet in the same order as Mr. Elliot, and for the same reasons.

Coryjoe

[LehighBrad]

Wow.....glad I seen this thread before I begin my pistol's trigger guard inletting. Great info! And some things to think about. 

[Mark Elliott]

Wow.....glad I seen this thread before I begin my pistol's trigger guard inletting. Great info! And some things to think about. 

It would seem that it really doesn't make any difference how you do it. 

If you do inlet front to back, you need to be acutely aware that you must cut the rear inlet short or you will end up with a gap.   I have certainly done that a number of times, but I still feel like I have more control going front to back than back to front.   I think FEEL is the operative word there.   

If you do end up with a gap,  brass is easy enough to stretch by hammering it out.   Just make sure to anneal

Perhaps the above might be a good argument for inletting back to front, but I am stubborn.   

[James Wilson Everett]

Guys,

Here is what the wood looks like after the inlet of the triggerguard.  You can see the ramrod in the inlet cut for the forward extension.  This shows that the stock is a slim as it can get in the area below the lock plate.  Like David Rase said, this inlet requires a tiny compression of the triggerguard bow for the "snap-in" fit.  You have to flex the metal a bit to get the triggerguard in or out of the wood.

Jim