Trigger/lock Problem

[Molly]

Puzzling?  Have just purchased a rifle made by a quality builder which was offered as one with a "single lever trigger".  The original owner and builder characterized the triggers as needing to have the rear trigger "set" which, when set, allows the hammer to be retracted and stay in firing position and then fired by the front trigger.  That's the way it works now.  So are you saying this trigger was faulty from the beginning?  Hard to believe.  Also wonder if "single lever" and "single phase" means the exact same thing??

As far as searching tutorials, I can never seem to successfully find what I am looking for.

[Ross Dillion]

Some rifles were/are built needing the trigger set before cocking. I personally cringe at the thought of cocking a rifle with the trigger in the set position. Not a design flaw in your triggers. More of a clearance issue. The tutorial was about 3/4 the way down on the first page. I urge you to look at it.

[Ross Dillion]

There could also be an issue with your lock on the old rifle. The sear may not be engaging properly. The sear and or sear spring may need replacement. As far as locks go I’d have to refer you to Mr Roller. He has a vast amount of knowledge.

[Dennis Glazener]

Puzzling?  Have just purchased a rifle made by a quality builder which was offered as one with a "single lever trigger".  The original owner and builder characterized the triggers as needing to have the rear trigger "set" which, when set, allows the hammer to be retracted and stay in firing position and then fired by the front trigger.  That's the way it works now.  So are you saying this trigger was faulty from the beginning?  Hard to believe.  Also wonder if "single lever" and "single phase" means the exact same thing??

As far as searching tutorials, I can never seem to successfully find what I am looking for.

Here you go.

https://americanlongrifles.org/forum/index.php?topic=4616.0

[Ross Dillion]

Thanks Dennis! 👍.   Another thing that may not have been addressed is the depth of the trigger plate mortise. Old wood shrinks, screws get over tightened and over time the needed clearance is gone. Try some shims under the trigger plate and see if that helps after you get the trigger itself sorted out. Tongue depressors and popsicle sticks work great and I’ve had to use them before.

[Dale Halterman]

Molly, I think what Ross and Dennis are trying to convey is that the trigger bar (the part that actually trips the sear) should not be high enough that it prevents the sear from dropping into the full cock notch completely even when unset.

After the lock is brought to full cock, the trigger is set. Pressing the forward trigger releases the trigger bar which, power by the spring, snaps upward. Because of its momentum the bar rises past its rest position and trips the sear.

It can be a bit fidgety to set up properly but it really isn't that hard. You may be able to correct the problem (assuming you believe it is a problem) by putting a washer or shim under the main trigger spring so it doesn't hold the sear bar as high in the rest position.

Hope this helps.

Dale H

[Bob Roller]

The only rifle I used for hunting with set triggers, I adjusted the set trigger for as hard a pull as possible
and still remain crisp.

My real hunting rifle, the .69, has a single standard trigger, that "pulls" just under 3 pounds.  Taylor's
Lang rifle has a single set trigger. I can "see" that on a hunting rifle, if pinned high enough to give a
3 pound pull, unset.

Best of both worlds.

The very high quality of the lock on the Lang and other similar rifles has a lot to do with
the amount of effort needed to fire the rifle.The Hawken representation I made for myself
had the regular Hawken two lever triggers and had a good release when unset but that was due to the attention I paid the the lock
and not the position of a pivot pin.
Bob Roller

[Molly]

Dennis:  Thanks for the link. 

I followed Mr. Roller's initial advice as given in post #5 but used a new length of wire.  It works just fine esp for the little shooting it will get.  Appreciate all the info from everyone. 

[Craig Wilcox]

Molly, it seems as though every day with our hobby is a learning day.  I sincerely admire you for your love of the old firearms, and the devotion that you have to seek and find what you want to add to your collection and knowledge base.
These trigger and lock mechanisms, compared to the new-fangled ones, can often be difficult to find where the problem is, but on the forum here, you have access to some of the best minds in the world to assist you.
Hope all your shots are "on target"!

[Standing Bear]

I have an older set of TC does ble lever triggers (Hawken Renegade) with a hole drilled and tapped under the mainspring.  A small screw runs through the lock plate from the bottom and adjusted to limit the travel of the main Spring and preventing the trigger from holding pressure on the sear bar.

I’ve thought about adding this arrangement to a single lever trigger on my .36.

Pictures to follow hen said triggers are located.

Safe travels
TC