94 trigger help

[nekshot]

I have a winnie 94 made in 72, has the leaf spring at hammer. I cleaned and polished the action , stoned the sear alittle bit , and the action is slick now and the trigger is creep free , nice and clean when it breaks ,it simply is too heavy for me. It breaks at about 7 lb. Can I safely get this down to 3-4 lb?

[Trailblazer]

Yes!!

[nekshot]

Trailblazer, I know the answer is yes, I should have asked has anyone done this and how? Every one wants to give advice on the newer trigger but the only advice I could get is from Riflesmithing book and all he says is don't take too much off. Off what? That is enough info for me to be dangerous. I usually can follow directions but I don't like heresay when the safety of people is involved.

[Trailblazer]

The factory angles on the sear and hammer notch are such that the sear "hooks" into the notch. You are actually camming the hammer back a tiny amount when you pull the trigger. For a minimum pull you would stone the sear angle to a right angle to a line drawn from the center of the sear pivot to the center of the sears engaging surface. Then stone the hammer notch to a line drawn from the center of the hammer pivot to the notch. Old rifles that have been fired a lot will wear to these angles.

I don't go that far with mine since that will produce a light pull. I only take enough off to get down to 2 or 3 lbs. Stone it a little and try it.

There are also other ways to skin this cat. My 1873 Winchester, made in 1916, had a lot of creep and a heavy pull. I didn't want to alter it so I epoxied a piece of shim stock to the hammer where the sear touches the hammer when it is cocked. That way I can heat it a little to get the shim off if I ever want to and the rifle will be completely original. The shim reduced the engagement and coincidentally lightened the pull. I didn't know how long it would last but it has now been there over a year and hundreds of rounds.

I hope this is clear enough. It is hard to describe. A picture would be better.

Edit:I found a picture in Gunsmithing Tips and Projects
http://www.hunt101.com/data/500/Trigger3.jpg

[nekshot]

Thanks Trailblazer you have exceeded my expectation with those clear instructions. I am going to get this trigger sorted out in time to take it deer hunting next week.

[John Taylor]

For a minimum pull you would stone the sear angle to a right angle to a line drawn from the center of the sear pivot to the center of the sears engaging surface. Then stone the hammer notch to a line drawn from the center of the hammer pivot to the notch.

Both angles are figured from the sear pivot. The only time you could use the hammer pivot is if the notch is a true 90 degrees to the sear pivot. Some are not even close, like a Martini.
The end of the sear can have a radius as long as it matches the center of the pivot. This is done with a special grinding jig and the sear is turned on it pivot. A tool post grinder and a lathe will work.

[Trailblazer]

John, I reckon you are right. I had never thought of it that way. What I said works fine on a Winchester though.

Good luck Nekshot!

I should add that I work on the sear first. I usually only polish the hammer notch but it depends on how deep the notch is.