Trigger slot

[Red Owl]

There's probably several ways to do the job but how is the trigger slot usually cut? Thin, home made chisels? A series of drilled holes that are then connected?

As I understand it, the higher the trigger pin the lighter the trigger pull but does a deeper slot weaken the stock?

[Birddog6]

I seldom use one that I have to cut a slot in, as I usually use trigger asm. However, the few I have done & when I need a thin straight slot, I have had the best results with a small thin cutting wheel on a arbor with a dremel.   
I have drilled them an connected the holes & also use a small milling bit on the drill press with a adjustable milling vice, but the easiest & less time involved was with the cutoff wheel on the dremel.  On guards of the knives I have made the dremel disk is too long a slot for what I usually need, or I would use it on those as well.

[AndyThomas]

It would be much easier to show you than tell you, but here goes.

I lay the trigger on the side of the stock in the position that I want it to be in, then draw some lines where the front and rear boundries of the slot will be. Next a series of holes are drilled within those boundries. Then I use two chisels to dig out the rest of the wood. One of them was originally 1/4" wide, but has been ground down to about 1/16" wide. The other is a very thin chisel that I got from my Dad some years ago. It's only about 1/16" thick and about 3/8" wide. I go back and forth between these chisels until the trigger fits right.

Hope that helps,
Andy

[jerrywh]

 Color plate with sharpie for layout purposes.  Drill appropriate sized hole on each end in the desired spot for slot. Scribe guide lines between the edges of each hole. Proceed to cut out the slot with a jewelers saw following the guide lines and file smooth.   No charge.  
   I Assumed you were talking about slotting a trigger plate.

[Dave B]

I found an original tricker plate that had a left over cut from a cold chisel having been used to start the slot. They use a drill bit to open up the area then file out the rest. I played around with the technique and found that once the holes were drilled I could use my small cold chisel to remove the webs between the drill holes very quickly then touched up with a file. I have tried to drill a series of holes to do this and the bits always manage to get off line. The cold chisel indent gives the center punch a better chance of staying in line.

[Pete G.]

Use your graver to cut a guideline. When you drill the holes they will all center on the line. Now if I could only learn how to engrave a straight line I could follow my own advice.

[Birddog6]

There's probably several ways to do the job but how is the trigger slot usually cut? Thin, home made chisels? A series of drilled holes that are then connected?

As I understand it, the higher the trigger pin the lighter the trigger pull but does a deeper slot weaken the stock?

I thought you meant the slot in the triggerplate.  If you are referring to the slot up into the stock for the trigger to go, I use a thin chisel & cut it out.  I take out only enough to let the trigger work freely.

[Randy Hedden]

The best thing I have found for cutting out for the trigger is a thin mortise chisel. 

Randy Hedden

[smart dog]

Hi Red Owl,
Determine the depth you want for the slot.  Mark that depth with tape on an appropriately sized drill bit and drill a series of holes.  Use a thin 1/4 chisel to slice away the sides and then use a 1/8" chisel to scrape the bottom of the trench smooth.  If you want to cheat, drill the holes and then use a dremel with a small router bit.  Stick the bit out from the collet as far as you can to get the depth and clear the stock with the collet.  I've done it both ways.  Just make sure that you allow for a little slop on either side of the trigger so there is no friction with the wood.

dave

[Red Owl]

Thanks to all, I meant the slot in the wood stock.  I think I'll make a small  3/32" wide chisel for the job.

[Stophel]

I drill it out (slightly undersize) to depth, or nearly so, and then finish up with chisels.  I made up a narrow chisel for cutting the front and back, and the bottom, and I use a thin carving chisel for the sides.

[Birddog6]

Thanks to all, I meant the slot in the wood stock.  I think I'll make a small  3/32" wide chisel for the job.

Make the tip just a shade wider than the shank and it will not bind when ya get in it deep.   

[hyltoto]

I bought one of those tile cutting wire blades you put in a hacksaw at lowes. I cut it in half with my dremel cut-off wheel. you can saw real easy from hole to hole for a trigger slot or for installing wedges.

[Red Owl]

Thanks hyltoto- that's a good hint and I think I have one of those blades around someplace. There is a electric drill bit sold that is supposed to also cut- which I thought might work in connecting holes except I am a little afraid of hand held power tools as they can be hard to control. The tile saw blade, used by hand, seems as it would do more exacting work.

[hyltoto]

I found out early on, stay away from electric cutting tools at all costs. Big mistakes real fast on an expensive piece of wood.