Ruger American Rimfire trigger; replace spring or clip factory?

[Patrick L]

Ok a question; I'm loving this new Ruger American, but I'd like to lighten the trigger a bit more than the factory unit will get down to (the lightest I could get was about 3 1/4# measured). Basically I see two options.

There is an aftermarket spring available for about $13 (can't recall the brand but I can find it).

Or, just clip a coil a time off the factory spring.

Who's actually done one or the other and how did it work out?

[tazman]

I haven't done one. What I would do is buy the aftermarket spring and do any modifications to it and save the factory spring in case I needed to return it to the factory for whatever reason.
As long as you have the factory spring, you can make it as it was when you bought it.

[crappie-hunter]

Remove the factory spring and install a spring from a ball point pen and see the difference.

[Tripplebeards]

I've lighted a couple of them up they're easy to do.

Don't waste your money on aftermarket springs. Remove your pull adjustment screw or back it out far enough that it dose not in contact with the spring that increases the pull. There is only one pin that holds the trigger in place. All you have to do is push down on the trigger and the pin normally will push right out. I polish the trigger mating surfaces with 600 grit sandpaper and polish it with a dremel and mothers chrome polish. This takes about 10-15 min. Then I pull the spring out that is vertical to the barrel and normally remove an average of a coil and a half. Try a half coil at a time. I wouldn't suggest removing over two coils or you'll be contacting ruger for a replacement spring. When your happy with the pull. Leave it cocked and hit the butt of your gun with a rubber mallet several times and or drop the butt on the ground a few times to make sure it doesn't fire. If so screw in your adjustment screw. Also slam your bolt closed a good 10 plus times in a row to make sure it doesn't fire. Ive done five of these now. My 450 bushmaster is the lightest. I have to tighten up the adjustment screw on it on of these days. It's gotta be under a pound. I also did a RA 22 wmr, a 77/44 which the group is almost the same, and a RA 30-06 for a friend a few days ago. I received a trigger pull gauge from a member a few days ago as well and tried my buddies 06'. I have it a a crisp 2lbs after 15 minutes of polishing and removing 1 1/2 coils from the spring. If you have any creep after doing this you'll either have to polish the trigger mating surface smoother or tighten your adjustment weight pull screw in. I have a posting of some of the work I did under factory rifles with the 450 bushmaster. If you don't feel confident in your work have a smith do it.

Found my post showing some of the polishing...

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...45#post4058445

[Tripplebeards]

I just tested my 450 bushmaster and it breaks a 18oz

I'll have to check my 22 wmr. It has to be pretty close to the bushmasters weight. The concept is the same.

It helped My 22 WRM to shoot .3" at a 100 yards using hornady 2200 fps vmax

[Patrick L]

Thanks all!

[sparkyv]

Remove the factory spring and install a spring from a ball point pen and see the difference.

What crappie-hunter said.

[Tripplebeards]

While your at it do yourself a favor and sand the bolt with 150 grit till all the machine lines are gone and smooth. Then working it with 200 grit and then with 600 grit. Then polish it with a dremel and some mothers. Do this with the three ruff looking machine marks by the bolt Lugs as well. It will cycle buttery smooth and quiet.

[Drm50]

Haven't done a American but many 10/22s with pen springs. I have a plastic box, when anything
is headed for the trash, springs go in the box. I also have Brownell coil spring asst. they come
about 1' long in a tube, you cut what you need. I hardly ever have to buy a coil spring.

[Patrick L]

Either way I don't think I'll be spending money on an aftermarket spring.

I'll likely try both. I've never heard of the ballpoint pen thing, I'll give that a try.

I'll also order a spare factory spring, put the original away, and work on clipping the new one.

One more question. Should there be a back to the safety blade on the trigger? On mine, there is a front face that my trigger finger touches, then three horizontal legs that go back through the main trigger when I squeeze, but no back to it. Did I get a miss cast one? The pictures that Triplebeards posted show a back blade as well, but I believe his pictures are of a centerfire, not a rimfire. It seems silly, as it wouldn't take much to bend one of those blades and make the trigger inoperable.

[Tripplebeards]

I'd have to take my 22 wmr apart and check. I never did polish the bolt on my rimfire. After my trigger lightening it shot a .3" group with hornady vmax and a .7" with winchester ballistic tip varmint bullets at a 100 yards so I was extremely stoked! I dropped two squirrels with head shots at a little over a hundred yards that day and one free handed at a 150 yards! I believe they are a little different looking between the two. Make sure you polish your trigger. If done properly it will remove all the gritty travel feel making a nice crisp pull. You can see in my post I replaced my loose pin with a bigger diameter punch pin. This helped as well but might not be needed with yours. I even removed my safety blade on my 450 bushmaster and the trigger functions normal. I put it back on and removed a coil or so from the safety blade pull so I know when my light trigger is going to go off. depending on how light you want to go I would tell you to remove about a 1/2 coil at a time and dry fire it for a while. Leave it alone, and come back and try it again. Then if it's not light enough take off another 1/2 coil and retest. I believe I removed a good 2 to 2 1/2 coils said and done on my 450 bushmaster but it was at a 1/2 coil at a time and tested till I achieved the pull I wanted. Make sure your adjustment screw is all the way out so if you make it lighter than your comfortable with you can adjust the screw in to give your trigger a heavier pull. It's a pretty easy operation. It's good to order a backup spring or you can even get one from the local hardware store like I did for my CZ 452 ultralux super exclusive...but you won't need one. Your operation will go fine. It's the removing of metal from the trigger group that is where things can go wrong. I use 600 grit sandpaper and sand for maybe a few minutes max till all the machine lines are smooth then polish. Those lines or scratches is normally in my case where the trigger catches and feels gritty and feels like travel. Making them smooth makes for a crisp pull. If you nervous about trying it just take a dremel tool first with some polish and the trigger will shine right up...but it won't remove the fine scratches cause the gritty travel feel...but it will make it better so you can try it and get the idea of what it feels like. You can literally remove your spring from the equation and the trigger parts are going to still be touching each other till you fire.

If your nervous about trying it start out by polishing the mating surfaces of the trigger without sanding and remove a coil. Put it back together and test. I can bet it will be a 2 lb pull. If you like it great, if not sand and polish it and remove a 1/2 more of the coil and retest. I was nervous the first time I tried this but am pretty confident in doing it now.

I wish more gun manufacturers would go to this design they are very easy to lighten and tweek. Forgot I have a savage 220 I did this to as well that will shoot 3" Remington accutips all into one large hole at a 100 yards. A sub MOA 20 gauge!

[Patrick L]

WOW! I tried the ball point pen spring trick, I can't get over the difference! I guess I won't be spending money on either an aftermarket OR a spare factory spring.

One think did tick me off. My rifle definitely has a miss stamped trigger lever (the safety blade in the face of the trigger). There is no back to mine. I called Ruger, they apologized profusely, but they wouldn't sell me that part. It needs to be"factory fitted". They were more than happy to replace it for free, but I had to return the rifle to them. I don't want to do that. I've read too many horror stories. I'll figure out something else.

[Tripplebeards]

Don't return the gun to them. I sent two back in for repairs and they both came back in worse condition and scratched. They want me to send my 22 wmr RAR back in because the bolt lifts very easy when there is a chambered round in it. Not going to happen. Guarantee they would replace my .3" grouping rifle for the issue. Glad you like you trigger now. Il, just keep my hand over the bolt when walking through brush and make sure it doesn't catch on my clothing while walking. I've had the action open and eject shells a few times when catching in a branch walking through the woods.