SCHOOL ME: Rem. 500 series (510) trigger

[oldhenry]

I have several of the Remington 500 series .22rf rifles. Up to now they have all had good smooth triggers. Over the years whenever I had one detail disassembled I'd smooth any burr (very gently) or any uneven surface on the contact surface (see diagram). I'd also polish the recess in the trigger for the trigger return spring + the trigger return spring plunger.

After re-blueing a 510 recently I found the sear surface to be OK & reassembled the rifle with the normal trigger spring/plunger/recess polishing..

The completed rifle now has a heavy trigger: no creep, just heavy. It took every trigger weight I have (5 3/4 lbs.) to trip it & there was a slight hesitation when I put the last 1/4 lb. weight.

Questions:
1. Does the torque on the rear left side screw that also secures the rear of the extractor have any effect on trigger pull?
2. Does the torque on the front screw to the extractor effect trigger pull (I'm desperate)?
3. Would a minor reduction (very minor) + extra polish on the sear contact surface to the firing pin help or hurt?
4. On most other trigger mechanisms a reduction in the main spring reduces the pull. Would that help on the 510 trigger? I'm thinking about 1/2-1 coil (no more than 1 coil).

I know some members are experts on these rifles & I'd appreciate any help.

[Gtek]

No expert here but have a couple. With the bolt removed does the trigger move freely and any interaction with safety movement?

[oldhenry]

No expert here but have a couple. With the bolt removed does the trigger move freely and any interaction with safety movement?

Thanks,
Trigger linkage works smooth as silk, but in removing & reinstalling the bolt another thought entered my old head. The 510 has a unique feature not present on the 511,512,513 or 521T: the rearward movement of the bolt moves the safety lever back to safety. In order to remove the bolt the safety lever must be manually pushed forward after the mechanism pushes it to the rear. I don't see how this could cause a heavy trigger pull, but wanted to put all info out their for consideration.

Henry

[oldhenry]

My diagam is misleading. The critical surface of the sear is the upper rear corner that interacts with the firing pin.

[Rapier]

What you drew was not the extractor. The two extractors on a 500 Rem are on the bolt's head, one located on each side. The ejector is in the receiver.
Yes the screw on the left side effects the trigger pull weight when too tight. I usually do a thumb and finger snug. When properly installed the trigger pull should feel a wee bit like a two stage trigger.

[Gtek]

It appears that one screw is factory staked on mine. Hmmmm.

[schutzen-jager]

first thing i would check if all contact + pin surfaces are clean + smooth - ck. the staked sear screw - back it off , tighten finger tight only , + start loosening it a small amount at a time + stop when trigger improves + than restake it so it holds position - go slow + be sure to have a find case in chamber to prevent damage to firing pin or chamber -

[oldhenry]

What you drew was not the extractor. The two extractors on a 500 Rem are on the bolt's head, one located on each side. The ejector is in the receiver.
Yes the screw on the left side effects the trigger pull weight when too tight. I usually do a thumb and finger snug. When properly installed the trigger pull should feel a wee bit like a two stage trigger.

The drawing is the sear (not perfect). You are correct: the forward hole interfaces with the rear hole of the ejector (not extractor).Thanks for catching that error,

Also, thanks for confirming that the torque on the side screws could effect the pull weight. That will be easy to correct.

[oldhenry]

No luck with shacking off on the 2 left side screws. I tried every possible tension (even no tension) but the pull remains @ 5 3/4 lbs..

I removed the trigger/sear assy. & gave it a close inspection. None of the parts have any wear marks. Maybe this gun saw little use by PO & very poor care. I had an extra trigger/sear assy. from a 521T that had normal wear marks: so, I installed it, but it made no improvement.

I'm going to disassemble the bolt & get a close look @ the firing pin engagement surface with the sear. When I assembled the bolt after the blue job the main spring pressure seemed much heavier than my 521T that I had apart a few months ago.

Thanks for the suggestions so far & I welcome more.

Henry

[Texas by God]

Try the bolt from another one of your 510,511s just for grins and see what happens.. with a snap cap or fired case of course.

Sent from my SM-A716U using Tapatalk

[oldhenry]

Try the bolt from another one of your 510,511s just for grins and see what happens.. with a snap cap or fired case of course.

Sent from my SM-A716U using Tapatalk

Great idea. That will tell me if the problem does, in fact, reside in the bolt without a lot of drama. First thing tomorrow.

Thanks,
Henry

[jeepyj]

Following, been shooting my 510 quite a bit lately. I like that rifle but I'm not a big fan of the Auto reset on the safety after each shot. On the one I've been shooting the trigger pull is right at 3.5lbs. Great shooter.

[schutzen-jager]

Following, been shooting my 510 quite a bit lately. I like that rifle but I'm not a big fan of the Auto reset on the safety after each shot. On the one I've been shooting the trigger pull is right at 3.5lbs. Great shooter.

you can replace the safety tumbler with one from 511, 512, 513, 521, or 525 to eliminate auto reset - can be tricky if you have not done it before - even easier to remove bolt + thru back of receiver shorten lug with a file or careful use of a dremel tool - clean any filings + lube -before installing bolt + stock - 3.5 lb trigger is great for those models - is it creep free with a crisp let off ? -

[oldhenry]

Using the bolt from my #1 511: 4.5 lb. weight can be lifted, but a 4.75 weight trips the trigger (any movement with 4.5 will trip it).
Using bolt from my #2 511: 4.75 can be lifted, but 5.0 trips the trigger (any movement with 4.75 will trip it).

To me this merits bolt disassembly to investigate.

Henry

[schutzen-jager]

do not believe in can be anything in bolt assy - too tight a sear screw will cause it to trip - did you try adjusting it by using factory method ? - are you sure that sear is polished on all contact surfaces - also is the trigger plunger + spring binding ? -

[oldhenry]

do not believe in can be anything in bolt assy - too tight a sear screw will cause it to trip - did you try adjusting it by using factory method ? - are you sure that sear is polished on all contact surfaces - also is the trigger plunger + spring binding ? -

I'm not familiar with the factory method: please explain. I did try the method you explained in your #7 post. As my #9 post indicates: I've tried every possible tension all they down to no tension on the sear screw.

The sear contact surfaces are smooth. I did not attempt to polish them for fear of distorting. I did notice that the sear contact surface on the 510 sear is slightly wider than the 521T sear.

Since using the bolt from two 511 rifles reduced the trigger pull by 1 lb., would that not indicate that the pull weight problem is bolt related?

The trigger plunger spring seems tight. It doesn't have any kinks. The plunger is slick. The combined action of plunger & spring feels smooth, but too heavy.

The bolt main spring seems to strong to me. In fact, I plan to disassemble a 511 bolt to compare main springs.

I'm willing to try anything. I have no problem detail stripping the entire action (I did so when I re-blued).

Your expertise is greatly appreciated.
Henry

[schutzen-jager]

factory repair spec, tighten screw , back off 1/4 to max. 1/2 turn + stake in position - make sure sear is not binding on screw -
if trigger pul was ok before reblue I don't think firing spring pressure would be affected in any manner - switching bolts would change sear contact , component finish + would not be a good indication - try polishing trigger plunger recess , plunger , spring + lube to see if it helps tightness - also polish all action pins + ck. inside receiver walls for any build up or residue from rebluing -
i currently have over 30 and all except 1 have trigger pulls from 3 1/2 to 4 /12 lbs - be careful the light trigger spring kits or cutting spring will easily make gun unsafe + will not pass bump test - i gave away my pull gauge years ago - a smooth pull with a crisp release is much more important to accuracy then actual weight -

[oldhenry]

Thanks for this information.

I'm unable to compare trigger pull prior to the disassembly/re-blue. I bought the rifle on Guns International. It was in sad shape with a broken stock & heavily patina/rust condition on all metal surfaces. In short: I never fired it prior to disassembly/re-blue.

I plan to spend all day today on the problem. I do not plan to trim springs, but am curious about the main spring tension & a side by side comparison with another spring will help eliminate or confirm the doubt.

Going through my spare parts I found a trigger return spring & plunger: I'll compare these. I also found a safety (non 510) & may change it out. I also will remove the trigger/sear & double check engagement surfaces. I hesitate stoning these surfaces, but a light polishing with white rouge on a cloth wheel should be safe.

Once again: many thanks for your input.

Henry

[schutzen-jager]

the plungers + springs are the same on 510, 511, 512, 521, + 525's - the 513's look the same but are slightly different length + tension - just a thought could it be binding on the sear spacer washer that is unique to the 510 ? - you will find numerous helpful threads on the Remington section of RFC Central forum - careful polishing will help on all surfaces , but do not remove material + change any angles - also the 510 + 521 triggers are the same + slight manufacturing differences do not matter as long as they are in factory specs' -

[oldhenry]

I disassembled the bolt from my #2 511 (I don't mess with #1) and found the cause of the heavy trigger pull. Take a look at the attached photo & you'll see big time differences in the firing pin springs. Although the 510 spring is shorter, it is also constructed of heavier gage wire. In short, it is not nearly as flexible as the 511 spring. Furthermore, the thick gage clamps down on the spring guide (the rear of the guide protrudes @ the rear of the "beehive" when cocked). This clamping action made the last coil of the 510 spring useless. I had to pry the spring from the guide with a small screwdriver to separate them.

I installed the 511 spring on the 510 bolt (I'll order another for the 511). The trigger will lift a 4.25 lb. weight, but trips (quickly) with a 4.50 lb. weight. This is a 1.25 lb. improvement over the 510 spring & a .50 lb. over this same spring in the #2 511.

I think I'll shoot the gun as is for a while to see if wearing-in improves everything even more.

Many thanks to everyone that joined in to help me solve this problem.

Schutzen-jager, I'll file away the information that you furnished because I'll probably be accumulating more of this series of rifles.