The muzzleloading industry depends heavily on investment castings. Without these it's hard to imagine it being anything like it is today. Locks parts, trigger parts, guards, buttplates etc. are typically produced by the investment casting process. These castings can work very well for some parts, but leave a lot to be desired on other parts.
Part of our push as a company has been to improve the quality of traditional muzzleloading parts and components available. Early on we made the decision to use CNC to produce stocks used in our rifle kits and the benefits were immediately apparent. We soon realized the precision of our stocks exceeded that of the metal parts in many cases! So naturally we became interested in CNC machining some of the other components. Eventually we purchased a VMC and it too quickly showed it's value. We started by machining relatively simple parts such as underlugs, trigger plates, sideplates etc. The next step was to machine set triggers.
We've recently finished the first batch and wanted to take the time to show what we have accomplished. These triggers are fully machined. No castings are used. The CNC produced parts have several advantages. First we can produce parts in-house. We are not at the mercy of a foundry. In our experience, the more we can control ourselves the better success we can have as a company. In addition and most importantly, the quality of these parts, far exceeds castings. Parts are produced to tolerances of .001-.002". This allows for repeatability and truly inter-changeable parts. In the end, this precision results in a part that functions extraordinarily well with very little hand work and tuning.
So, below are some images of our first CNC produced set triggers. It's a big step for us moving forward and we're quite proud. If you have any questions, just ask.
All the best,
Jim and Katherine
