Lyman's GPR Trigger Problem

[bronsht]

Dear Folks!  I generally lurk since I do not feel qualified to post anything useful.  I took my trigger out of my .54 caliber percussion Great Plains Rifle to clean it/lubricate it.  When I reinstalled it, I was unable to cock or half cock the hammer/lock.  I tried 6 times to reinstall the trigger to no avail.  If I set the rear trigger I can then half cock and full cock the hammer but this backwards and potentially unsafe.  I really tried to figure this all out but there is no room to finagle the trigger back in the way I think it should go.  It seems to me that the hook of the front trigger bar should loop aroung the lock bar which is showing inside the stock.  There is no way I can manage to set the trigger assembly into the stock and get the hook around that bar.  Can someone explain to me how to properly install the trigger?  Thank you all so much.  bronsht

[Gambia]

I do not know anything about it, I am only guessing, but did you try and take the lock off and put the trigger in and then put the lock back on. Just a guess, but I would try this next if I were in your shoes.

[rollingb]

Dear Folks!  I generally lurk since I do not feel qualified to post anything useful.  I took my trigger out of my .54 caliber percussion Great Plains Rifle to clean it/lubricate it.  When I reinstalled it, I was unable to cock or half cock the hammer/lock.  I tried 6 times to reinstall the trigger to no avail.  If I set the rear trigger I can then half cock and full cock the hammer but this backwards and potentially unsafe.

That usually occurs when the triggers are misadjusted,... did you turn the small screw "behind" the set trigger when you were cleaning/lubricateing?


 

I really tried to figure this all out but there is no room to finagle the trigger back in the way I think it should go.  It seems to me that the hook of the front trigger bar should loop aroung the lock bar which is showing inside the stock.

There shouldn't be anything on the lock that the triggers actually "loop" around,... when the front trigger is pulled a bar comes up and hits the lock's sear bar which releases the hammer from it's cocked position.

 

There is no way I can manage to set the trigger assembly into the stock and get the hook around that bar.  Can someone explain to me how to properly install the trigger?  Thank you all so much.  bronsht

Try removing the lock and THEN replace the trigger mechanism in the stock,... THEN replace the lock in it's mortise.
You should be able to remove and re-install the lock from it's mortise (for routine cleaning) without ANY interference from the trigger mechanism itself.

It's been a while since I've had a Lyman lock and triggers in my hands,... but they are basically the same as other locks and double-set triggers.

HTH

[bronsht]

Thank you both for replying so quickly.  I did not adjust the trigger.  I will try tonight to remove the lock and reinstall it.  Why didn't I think of that?  bronsht

[Wyoming Mike]

The condition you described is caused by the rear trigger bar being too high.  This is usually caused by tightening the trigger mainspring screw which will raise the rear trigger bar.  

If you didn't mess with the mainspring screw and the triggers were working fine before, I'm guessing you tightened up front screw on the trigger plate and pulled it up higher than it was before.  If loosening the tang screw doesn't help try to shim the trigger plate out a little.

[bronsht]

Wyoming,
I played with lock and trigger with several reinstallations and failed.
I have (previously) shimmed the front and the back of the trigger with leather which is now oil soaked and I hope you are correct.
I will make a metal shim for the front of the trigger.  By the way, only the rear of the trigger has a screw to secure it.  The front of the trigger guard holds the front of the trigger in place.  Thank you for your suggestion.  bronsht

[Wyoming Mike]

I just found out today that Lyman GPRs don't use a bolt through the tang and threaded into the trigger plate.  That was a bit of a surprise to me.

If the shim doesn't work you can try backing off the trigger mainspring a little.  This will lower the trigger bar.  Don't back it off too much or it won't trip the lock.

[rollingb]

Bronsht, have you tried operateing the trigger mechanism outside the rifle to see what it's doing?

The triggers DO NOT have to be installed in the stock in order to be checked and adjusted.

Just an idea.