Author Topic: Brass Triggers?  (Read 1018 times)

Offline Bigmon

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Brass Triggers?
« on: February 26, 2024, 01:21:38 AM »
Anyone know of someone has brass triggers?  Just simple single (probably casting?) that are pinned in place.  Same as the iron ones but brass?
Thanks

Offline B.Habermehl

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Re: Brass Triggers?
« Reply #1 on: February 26, 2024, 03:32:16 AM »
Reaves Gehring used to sell brass trigger castings. They were slower sellers for him. People thought they would wear prematurely. I personally don’t see how, if set up right there would be almost no sliding movement against the sear. How many lifetimes do these things need to last? BJH
BJH

Offline smylee grouch

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Re: Brass Triggers?
« Reply #2 on: February 26, 2024, 04:18:22 AM »
A brass trigger could be bought or made. If wear concerns you, you could quite easily solder a steel strip to the top or side of the trigger blade.  ;)

Offline Manitou

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Re: Brass Triggers?
« Reply #3 on: February 26, 2024, 04:45:43 PM »
I miss Reaves Goerhing very much. He forgot more about American history than I will ever know.
When making a Dickert rifle, I only had to mention Dickert and he would pick out a trigger guard, butt plate, and thimbles that would be good representatives of his work. His castings were very good quality and soft enough to modify.
I used to look forward to seeing him every year at Dixon's, and when I worked in Mount Joy, PA, I would see him at lunch at Darrenkamps supermarket lunch counter. We had many good conversations.

Offline Bob Roller

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Re: Brass Triggers?
« Reply #4 on: February 26, 2024, 06:22:39 PM »
I met him in Friendship YEEEEERZ ago and he had a lot of brass items on display for sale.I haven'r been to Friendship for a couple of years and heard there were too many empty booths.Cost of travel and inflated prices are a real deterrent to long drives.We are only 180 miles from there so gas cost is not a factor but for the faraway folks it can get costly.
Bob Roller

Offline Hungry Horse

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Re: Brass Triggers?
« Reply #5 on: February 26, 2024, 07:15:44 PM »
 I own a Lehigh smooth rifle that along with some other unusual features has a forged brass single trigger. The brass trigger functions perfectly and shows almost no wear. I would speculate that a brass trigger was less likely to develop
rust in the area where the trigger flag and the pivot pin interact.

Hungry Horse

Online bob in the woods

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Re: Brass Triggers?
« Reply #6 on: February 26, 2024, 07:38:58 PM »
Brass seems to me to work against the steel sear extremely smoothly . The ones I have made don't show any wear after a lot of use. I just cold forge them out , same as mild steel ones

Offline 44-henry

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Re: Brass Triggers?
« Reply #7 on: February 26, 2024, 09:38:41 PM »
Years ago I took apart a New York percussion halfstock that had been heavily used. It had a brass trigger which showed almost no wear. Don't think there is much to worry about, least nothing that any of us will need to worry about in our lifetimes.

Offline Bigmon

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Re: Brass Triggers?
« Reply #8 on: February 26, 2024, 09:58:54 PM »
I just thought it might look good in a fowler with a brass Chambers lock plate.  Also I have a pistol to build that I am going to use a small Siler with a brass plate.  No other reason than for looks.  If I find a couple I'll probably make brass trigger plates also.  Just some goofy thinking, be a little different.
I found an old one once in a box of junk parts that came from my friend (actually every bodys friend) Phil Cravener at the Bushy Run show some years back.  But someone needed it so I gave it away and now I am searching.
That's all I want them for.  I may try and beat one out but I'd just as soon buy a casting and clean it up. Not sure how to get that wide trigger look turned 90 degrees from the flat part?

Offline Daryl

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Re: Brass Triggers?
« Reply #9 on: February 27, 2024, 03:06:22 AM »
If wear of bending on the sear bar was a perceived problem, I thin piece of steel could easily be sweated onto the top of the trigger bar.
Daryl

"a gun without hammers is like a spaniel without ears" King George V

Offline Hungry Horse

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Re: Brass Triggers?
« Reply #10 on: February 27, 2024, 03:48:45 AM »
 Mild steel can be work almost indefinitely, but that’s not the case with brass, it will work harden pretty quick often resulting in fractures. So annealing the brass is important. Brass, and bronze alloys harden at different rates, so keep a close eye on your progress and if it seems to be getting harder  to move the metal anneal it just to be safe.

Hungry Horse

Offline mony

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Re: Brass Triggers?
« Reply #11 on: February 27, 2024, 06:37:41 AM »
Don’t know anything about it, but there is a bronze trigger for sale on this site if that would suffice.