Traditional Muzzleloading Association
Craftsmanship => Gun Building and Repair => Topic started by: huntinguy on September 25, 2012, 04:27:28 PM
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So, I wish I had this book before I even thought about starting a build...
I am looking at the pictures of some of the original rifles and I notice some dramatic trigger differences.
Some are in what I would call the "normal" angle and others are swept back, these are not set triggers but rather single trigger guns.
The question... Why? trigger pull? style? manufacturing tolerances?
More questions to come as I read the book.
(also, Green Mountain Barrel Co. Are they out of the BP barrel business or ?)
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Set triggers are of a later period and not common on guns before @1780 or 90 or so.
And from what I've heard,not gosple,is they are concentrating on modern barrel's these day's. Too bad,they had a good product,but,M/L in general seem's too be in a decline.
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I think I read somewhere that GM was concentrating on filling gov't contracts for now.
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thats what i was told by GM , hank , when i called about a barrel .
Supposedly, there are plans to start turning out BP barrels again after the first of the year .
So if a GM barrel is what someone is after they should be able to get one soon .
As to the trigger differences.
Early triggers are a two piece set up .
a) the trigger
b) the trigger plate
The trigger pivot pin is placed into the stock and located under the lock .
. The tang bolt comes down and threads into the trigger plate .
When the trigger is place into the stock , it must first be slipped through the trigger plate . Then its slid into the stock and the pivot pin placed.
Now the trigger plate is secured to the stock .
Ok so , that info is probably all a given that most folks know .
BUT what a lot don’t seem to realize is there are more things at play .
One consideration is how the trigger bar engages the sear . How that engagement effects trigger pull .
Some builders like to have an angled approach to the trigger and sear engagement. In doing so you can get a back angled trigger . Others like to have a high pinned trigger. They then solve the engagement issue by filing on the trigger bar.
Next is the stop of the trigger … if the trigger doesn’t have a stop or its bar is not longer then the slit in the trigger plate , what will happen is you will have a lot of slop in the trigger pull , prior to the trigger engaging the sear . The trigger will also be able to pivot all the way forward allowing the trigger bar to drop below the trigger plate. .
The fix for this can still be seen today in original Muzzle loading SXS and early Breech loading SXS..
If you look at these , what you will find is that there is a type of pull stop . Most common is the finger plate of the trigger . Its filed so as to not allow the shooter to over pull the trigger . IE you can only pull the trigger so far and finger plate contacts the trigger plate .
With the trigger then pinned low in the lock mortise, you end up with an angle rear trigger . That is in a natural arc of the sear and trigger rotation . As such the bottom of the trigger bar is then filed away tell the trigger plate can be set to its inlet properly . While at the same time giving full contact of the trigger to the sear , when at the full cock ..
When done properly you get a better geometry to the trigger pull , that’s light and fast with little to no slop .. With out dealing with angles of engagement of a higher pinned trigger .
Now I have seen a couple very early originals with what I would call , match lock type triggers . Im not sure what those were all about other then an they were on rifles with very little drop . So it may have been a builders way of allowing for a softer squeezing trigger.
As to the timeframe of set triggers and single triggers of both back and forward placements . A quick look through both Volume 1 and 2 of rifles of Colonial America . Will yield some very interesting documentation .
You will find double sets being shown on 18th century Jaegers’ and even a couple on 18 to 19 century long rifles that date right around the turn of the century .
If you go slow , and look closely , you will also find a few with single set triggers . often time the set trigger isnt mentioned . Yet having a feather screw ,showing in the photos , tells the tail .
If one really takes the time and studies the rifles profiled . Looking specifically at the triggers . You can see how different makers made the stops for their pinned triggers . a lot of the time the fancy scrolls are nothing more then a dressed up trigger stop .
Another thing I recommend to people to do when they are looking at photos of originals guns like in the RCA . Use a magnifying glass or a pair of Loupes to study the photos .
You will be surprised at the small details that are visible under magnification . But not visible to the eye