home gunsmithing: trigger job: something an ammateur can do?

[Whiterabbit]

Hi guys,

Quick background on me: Engineer, good with my hands, own a full cabinet shop and building up a metal shop (have stick welder, Sieg metal lathe, mill but still learning how to use them), been doing moderate electronics work for a LONG time (limited surface mount soldering), cabinet design, electronic design, acoustic design.

In short, I'm handy! Including precision work.

But gunsmithing would be totally new. And my BFR needs a trigger job, badly, among more minor work (stiff loading gate, more minor stuff). They say the BFR is the same design as a blackhawk, and still more say the blackhawk is one of the easier guns to work on.

So I thought I might buy some literature:

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/615772/the-ruger-single-action-revolvers-a-shop-manual-volumes-1-and-2-book-by-jerry-kuhnhausen?cm_cat=Cart&cm_pla=ProductDesc

Read it a few times cover to cover, then have at it perhaps with some handholding from anyone here willing to help me out.

The question: think it's a reasonable project for an amateur? Since polishing a trigger isn't building a benchrest gun, is it simple enough with the right documentation for a cautious amateur with common sense to tackle?

only part of the reason to do it myself would be to save money. A big factor is the satisfaction of doing my own work, learning more about the internal mechanics of the gun. I've sometimes paid an extreme premium in time and money in other pursuits for that reason!

But in short: BFR trigger job simple enough for a good amateur's first project?

[Whiterabbit]

proof I am not a total dunce, I built this amateur project without instruction:

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/imagehosting/200824f49e03328a24.jpg
(also my homemade well-loved workbench in the pic, as well as a primered cabinet door I routed myself from dimensioned lumber, ready for paint)

[W.R.Buchanan]

Alot of us here do our own gun work.

You are an engineer, and hopefully a smart guy as well. Do your homework, and understand what you are doing before you do it. It is also a good idea to know your limitations.

There is nothing that difficult to doing a trigger job on a gun. The main issue is knowing when to quit and understanding exactly what needs to be done, before you start.

More parts are ruined by BUBBA by overdoing what should have been a simple job than any other single thing.

Also it is a good idea to NOT do any major work on any part you can't easily or economically replace.

I personally have screwed up many parts on many things, guns included, and have learned many things in the process. It becomes obvious real soon that all knowledge comes at a price.

However the redeeming feature is that the price per lesson goes down as you learn more.

*** On another note: you can probably buy a trigger spring kit from Brownells for that gun which will improve the trigger pull immensely by just removing and replacing some simple parts. Usually about $10-20 for the complete kit which will include instructions.

You may not even have to polish anything.

In closing there is another thing you can do before you polish anything. It's called the $.25 Trigger Job. You apply forward pressure on the cocked hammer and pull the trigger a few times. This will usually knock all the burrs of the sear surfaces, and may be all you need to do. It is certainly the cheapest thing you can do.

Randy

[Whiterabbit]

You are an engineer, and hopefully a smart guy as well. Do your homework, and understand what you are doing before you do it. It is also a good idea to know your limitations.


Do you believe the resource I posted above would be sufficient homework?

I'll look into the brownells kit, thank you

[Bren R.]

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/imagehosting/200824f49e03328a24.jpg
That is a REALLY small non-marring hammer. :)

Bren R.

[seagiant]

Hi,
I've been working on my own pistols for a number of years now and at first tried to go as economical as possible and was never happy with the results. Most GOOD trigger jobs include cutting the hammer hooks especially on auto type weapons,ie 1911. This is to get rid of creep and to cut down the poundage to trip the hammer. Most trigger jobs also include polishing the sear which is what rides against the hooks . My opinion is there are no substitutes to this! You can live with certain things maybe but it will not be as good as using jigs and doing it correctly.

The thing that got me to doing this and investing the money in the right tooling was a gunsmith that was "cheap" was no good and a good nationally known smith had a long back log and cost real $$$! My advice is to look at how many pistols or guns you will do in a lifetime and invest in your hobby. As you already know good tooling keeps it's value for that day you are ready to sale. Here is a pic of my Powers Series 2 jig cleaning up the hooks on a BHP hammer. I have the series one and two and can do a great trigger job on any number of guns by changing out adapters!

[375RUGER]

Short answer is "depends on your ability".
If you can sharpen a knife and I mean sharp by hand without a jig then you probably posess the "feel" to do a trigger job also.
If you use a contraption to sharpen knives then you probably need a jig to do the trigger job.

The Kuhnhasen books are great resources, I don't own those for the Blackhawk but I do have the 1911 manual.
What makes you think the BFR needs work?
Does FA make still make different grades of revolvers?
A trick I've used before mainly on DA revolvers is to dab a little bit of really fine, 800-1200, lapping compound on the sear/hammer engagement and start pulling the trigger several dozen times. Then flush it out and apply a little oil.
Either way you must have a good understanding of what affect each and every thing you change will have on the function. This might mean you take the revolver apart many times and each time making a minor change to 1 and only 1 thing at a time.
You can make a $850 hammer in a hurry, harbor freight has much better deals on hammers.

[Mooseman]

The above comments are right on target.
I would add that a trigger job must also be a SAFE trigger when done.
Its why we use gauges and scales and test.

Rich

[MtGun44]

The biggest problem with really bad triggers is that the angle on the sear is too steep, so
as the sear is moving to disengage, rather than just purely sliding parallel to the engagement
surfaces, it is actually cocking the hammer back a bit more due to the wrong sear and hammer
angle. This is very ticklish and the most important thing is MAGNIFICATION so you can see
what you are actually doing.

If it is just a little bit bad and gritty, then just polishing and not changing angles will often
fix it. Reduced sear engagement is also commonly done.

Be careful, it is easy to make it unsafe.

Bill

[Jammer Six]

You're going to pay the tuition, whether in parts or for a class.

The shortest route is definitely a class, and that's the route I wish I had taken. It would have been much cheaper and far faster.

The two trades I claim are carpenter and heavy equipment, then my career went to general contracting. I have the same type of shop you do, and I tell you true, a class in building the type of gun you want to work on is the cheap, fast easy way.

Best from a gunsmith, then I suppose from the NRA.

Good luck!

[seagiant]

Hi,
Well... I try to stay cordial on these forums and have fun,but from some of the above statments I'm glad you guys don't work on my guns!!!!!!!!!!:veryconfu

[dubber123]

BFR's and Ruger single actions are the same to work on. After you have done a few, you won't get too excited about doing one. between my brother and I, we have done probably a dozen, one of the last was his BFR. I don't care for spring kits, as it slows down an already slow hammer fall, and that doesn't help accuracy. It's easy to get a 2-2-1/2# trigger on a Ruger/BFR without changing from factory springs.

IF, (big IF), the sear was cut to a reasonable depth, and isn't full of tool marks, just try flipping one leg off the trigger return spring visible on the upper grip frame when the grips are off. I prefer to bend both legs to reduce tension, (looks more professional). Ruger and BFR use way more spring than necessary to return the trigger. If you get a well cut sear, this makes a big difference. If the sear is deep/rough, it will still lighten the pull, but you will really feel all the grittiness. 44man does a good job at describing the process of reducing the sear contact, (might even have pics). The sears aren't hard, and to remove the first metal, I find it easier to maintain a square cut using a large file, Vs. a small stone, which I use for final polishing.

[Whiterabbit]

yes, I really noticed the grittiness when I tried taking one leg of the spring off the grip frame.