Reduced Trigger Pull Marlin 1895

[TCLouis]

So as I read around the net, I will get a somewhat reduced trigger pull just by putting in a Wolfe reduced power hammer spring.
Internet hocus pocus or fact?

It is pretty high now and I am tolerant of milsurp triggers.

[slam45]

you can reduce the pull weight by filing the hammer spring... easy to do... i take about a half to 3/4 of a coil off the factory spring... do a search on marlin trigger tune... the wild west guns happy trigger will reduce pull weight and eliminated creep and flop... it's easy to install... they are not inexpensive though

[cwlongshot]

Brownells used to carry lighter main springs. Couple this with a POLISH of prts should get ya a nice trigger.

CW

[Drm50]

I have and do own several post WW2 Marlins, newest being m39 from middle 70s. I have deer hunted most of them at least once and the 30/30 many times. For hunting purposes I never felt the need to lighten triggers. Only on the m39 did I fool with trigger and main spring.

[W.R.Buchanan]

goto www.leverguns.com and read about slicking up an 1894 for Cowboy Shooting. You don't have to do everything but the trigger mods are simple and Brownell's sells a spring kit for it. There is a little more to it than just the hammer spring,(lever detent spring that keeps the lever closed) and you need to tweak another spring that prevents the gun from firing unless the lever is closed.

An 1895 works exactly the same as a 1894, so all the mods are the same.

Randy

[MostlyLeverGuns]

The Marlin lever guns triggers are not difficult to improve WITHOUT lightening springs OR buying aftermarket parts. Careful work with small three-square and four square fine ceramic stones can take the factory Marlin trigger to a very crisp 3lb or less trigger. The disassembled Marlin trigger plate can be used to check sear/trigger interface without reassembling rifle countless times. There are several solutions for the Marlin trigger flop (if it bothers you) that are on several internet sites. Work carefully and save the hundred bucks plus for powder, primers and boolits/mold. Weakening springs can lead to misfires, there are many things to smooth and polish before springs need chopped. REliability is VERY VERY important to me. I have installed extra power hammer springs and one piece firing pins on my back country rifles. The trigger lock prevent accidental firing of an open actions. Early Marlins (before 1950-52?) don't have this.

[rkcohen]

MLG is pretty much on it from my point of view.

let's say you have a cartridge in the chamber and when the time comes, you want it to go "bang" instead of "click.."

how hard was that primer, how deep was it seated?

I bring this up because I've been fortunate to talk "gun stuff" over the years with some pretty smart guys when it came to gunsmithing.

springs have a certain length as well as their pressure described often as weight in pounds - start cutting coils and yes, you do drop that pressure but you also lose lock time and hammer-to-primer impact..

just something to consider.

just as easy is a "drop-in" trigger like the ones offered by wwg and rpp - both quality products.

I have two marlins with the wwg "happy trigger" and the difference was night and day - while retaining the factory hammer spring and consequently, power and hammer speed.

is there a down side? sure, they aren't giving them away, but from my actual use and range testing - I would do it again.

just two cents, fwiw...

[Prairie Cowboy]

It's true.

My 1894 Cowboy in .45 Colt had a trigger pull of about 7 pounds I think.
I clipped about 1 1/2 coils from the hammer spring and then slightly re-flattened the last coil on my 1" belt grinder.
This resulted not only in a quite acceptable pull of about 4 1/2 pounds, but also in a relaxed hammer draw.
That in turn resulted in a slicker action with less effort to cycle the lever.
Despite this, primers were deeply indented as per normal and ignition remained reliable. Hammer mass is the key.

The question is whether large rifle primers are harder than large pistol primers, and whether ignition would be affected adversely in the 1895.
If I were doing this with an 1895, I would clip off and flatten about 1 coil first and then test the ignition.

Also drop out the ejector and check the ejector spring. The ejector presses against the side of the bolt and can cause a significant amount of drag when cycling. If so, the spring is soft enough to be easily bent inwards with a pair of long-nose pliers without damaging it. Usually, ejection remains normal and you can bend it back if you wish.

[Tripplebeards]

I read a sticky at Marlin owners group on lightening triggers. I first stoned and polished my trigger group. Every time I took my trigger group apart to polish and stone it in slow increments and then reinstall it to test my gun’s trigger pull weights my pull weight would completely go up and down like a roller coaster. I would assume I was changing the sear angle every time causing sporadic pull weights. Every time I had it around the 2.5 pound pull weight I would let the gun sit and would try the trigger pull a few hours or a day later my pull weight would go back to or even heavier then the original 5.5 pounds for some reason. I read another sticky over on Marlin owners group to bent the trigger return spring up a quarter inch or so to lighten 336 Marlin triggers. It took all of a second or two to do and it took my trigger from 5.5 plus pounds to a consistent 2 1/4 pounds. You can see the 100 yard cast HP group in my avatar after I adjusted my trigger in my 336 35 Remington. At the 5.5 pound plus pull weight the same load averaged an inch before lightening. While your at it remove the firing pin and clean the bolt hole to make sure it moves freely so it will drop completely in and out of your bolt with zero force. Also, stretch your bolt stop spring or change it along with filing a sharp edge on the bolt stop to make sure you get good lever lock up. After polishing my trigger I had a few random double taps to get my gun to finite primers. I figured maybe it was a headspace issue so I measured my shoulders and bumped back a little over a thousands of an inch from my fired cases. I also double checked my primer seatings. I had a few that weren’t perfectly seated. I also cleaned carbon build up on my firing pin that was causing my pin not to drop through the bolt without force. I also stretched my bolt stop spring and stone my bolt stop to a sharp 90 degree edge. The bolt was coming open if I breathed on previously. With the tube up my gun now fires flawlessly every time if pull the trigger. I’ve learned that 336’s are a pain to get to be 100% reliable to go bang every time...but it does now.

[Prairie Cowboy]

I would not mess with the sears in any way. Leave the trigger and hammer angles alone. Period. Leave this to a qualified gunsmith.
The hammer spring can be easily replaced or backed up with small shim washers to restore hammer tension if you shorten it.
Likewise, leave the lever plunger spring alone, lest you wish to deal with the lever popping open with a full magazine.

Installing a reduced-pressure firing pin safety spring in the breech bolt will reduce the amount of force needed to drive it forward, making your reduced hammer fall more efficient. As long as the new spring reliably drops the short firing pin section every time, it will be fine. I suspect that before WW2 this spring was lighter anyway, as was the hammer draw. It was probably increased in tension with the introduction of the new 336 model in 1948 to ensure that the firing pin safety would operate reliably even with gummy old lube or in extreme cold weather conditions.

Also, a one-piece firing pin will eliminate the heavy firing pin drag entirely. You lose that safety, but the trigger block safety plunger still functions. Considering that the 1866, 1873, and 1876 Winchesters and the Italian replicas all have only a trigger-block safety, I wouldn't worry about this too much. The rifle won't fire unless the lever is fully closed and the locking bolt has engaged the breech bolt. But, your choice obviously.