Siler single set triggers

[B.Habermehl]

I have a set of Siler single set triggers, the rear trigger needs bent quite a bit to suit my own hand forged guard. I think the trigger parts are castings. Would heating the needed areas to red orange be enough to bend the rear trigger with out damage? I have done lots of black smithing, but haven't tried to forge cast steel. Any experience from the board? BJH

[Jim Chambers]

Yes, you can heat the trigger to a red color and bend it to whatever shape you need.  You will need to reharden and temper the trigger after bending.  To do this heat it to a bright red color, quench in oil, and draw it back at 500 degrees in an oven for an hour.  You can avoid having to reharden by clamping the upper portion of the trigger in a vice with some heat-stop paste around it, and heat only the curved part of the trigger.  I've done this many times with the Siler and Davis triggers.  Heat stop paste is available from Brownell's.

[Hungry Horse]

BJH, I think you are referring to single phase triggers. Single set triggers have a single trigger that usually has to be pushed forward to set it. Single phase triggers have two triggers, but the front trigger won’t fire the piece unless the rear trigger is pulled to set it. These were the most common type of set triggers in the early days. Their advantage was the lock didn’t have to have a fly in it for the triggers to work. In fact many guns built with these triggers, didn’t even have a half cock notch in the tumbler.

  Hungry Horse

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

HH:  I concur, the nomenclature is off.  I refer to these mechanical triggers as set triggers of which their are three types common to longrifles.

1) single set - trigger is pushed forward to cock it, and a light touch fires it.

2) double set - single acting:  rear trigger sets the front trigger and fires with light touch of forward trigger.  Trigger must be set to fire lock

3) double set - double acting:  same as 2) but front trigger will fire the lock, AS WELL AS when the triggers are set.

[B.Habermehl]

Yes HH my nomenclature was off. They are single phase set triggers. I'm in the thinking stage on building a southern mountain rifle. That's what I get for posting when I should be sleeping. BJH