CPA trigger spring replacement.

[upnorthwis]

My CPA 44 1/2 quit going off. Trigger sets but hammer does not fall. Called Gail and she had me do a test by pointing rifle up and seeing if trigger flops down. It did. She recommends sending it back. My question: Is the trigger spring replacement something with someone with reasonable mechanical skills and tools something I can do myself without needing special tooling or three hands? I'm trying to save $30+ dollars shipping.

[mazo kid]

I would suggest taking the triggers out and looking at the problem area. Should be pretty easy to determine if you can do the replacement yourself. If not, just send the trigger bar to CPA, much less than sending the rifle.

[upnorthwis]

I just didn't want springs and such to go flying to parts unknown, not having had one apart yet. Reminds me of when I tried to change a TC Contender hammer spring the first time without instructions. Felt like I needed three hands. Once someone told me how it was done, it was easy.

[mazo kid]

I'm not trying to be a know-it-all, but I would just pull the butt stock off and you should see how to go about it.

[upnorthwis]

Gail's going to send me a spring. I'll give it a try. What's the worst that could happen, I could send it back to her as a box of parts. I've had the buttstock off and all the "works" are inside the action and can't be seen.

[mazo kid]

Again, I am not familiar with that action, but would guess there is a trigger bar/lower tang assembly that would come off with the removal of a couple of screws. The trigger spring would be contained in those parts, IMHO. Let us know what you find out.

[country gent]

I have a CPA shillouette model and after dealing with Paul and Gail on that rifle I learned that they are both great to deal with and more than willing to share informatuon. Gail is also very knowledgable and if she is suggesting to send it back there is a reason for this. Spring tensions can affect trigger pulls and release. It my be able to be replaced easily but the fitting may be a learned skill. While Im not saying you cant do it but it may be experience makes it alot easier to do.

[slumlord44]

I have had my original 44 1/2's apart. Pretty simple. If in doubt take photos as you take it apart. Cell phone cameras are great tools.

[Ballistics in Scotland]

The test of pointing the rifle upwards was to make sure that the trigger wasn't binding in its housing. So it is almost certainly the spring. If there is no feel of a spring being there at all, it is probably broken. But if it feels springy, just not quite enough to bring the trigger quite far enough, it is too soft metal, and it has acquired a permanent bend out of shape.

You are ready to send it back as a box of bits if you have to. So what do you lose by taking out the spring and seeing if you can put the shape right with your fingers? It may break, but puts you no worse off than getting a replacement.

You could even reshape, reharden and temper the spring yourself. First heat it till you see it turn blue then change to dull grey, and let it cool. It is now soft enough to bend to shape in safety. Then heat it fairly strong but not light red, and quench it in water. It is now very hard, but will break if flexed in the slightest.

In theory it can be tempered by heating with a gas torch or similar until it is a nice royal blue all over, and then quenching to halt the process. But it is nearly impossible to heat a thin spring uniformly enough, without a temperature controlled furnace. What does work is to cover it with engine oil in a disposable tin lid or something, ignite it, and let it burn away. You need to do this outdoors unless you have a cooker hood with an extractor fan, and even then being single would help.

It is time-consuming and messy, but it wouldn't consume $30 of my time.

[upnorthwis]

Received spring. Decided to start taking screws out to see if trigger bar could be removed. Finally got it loose but it was a VERY tight fit and had to be pried out of the action. First thing I notice is that the new trigger spring is .06 longer than existing spring but with the same curvature. Getting the new trigger spring in was the easy part. Getting the hammer spring installed with the trigger bar so tight in the action was another matter. Loosening the hammer spring screw made it somewhat easier while wrestling with the tight fit of trigger bar. End result: Job done, saved $30 shipping. I can use that money to replace my neighbors holster that I accidently tossed into a box of stuff that I sold at a gun show.

[mazo kid]

I'm glad to hear you solved your problem! And also learned a lot in the process.