Whats all involved in a "trigger job"

[spleify]

So when you get a "trigger job" what is actually being done.

I have a Springfield Armory 1911 and had a trigger job done to it to lighten up the pull, but what exactly did he do. The smith never gave me an answer and ran all the way around giving me any desctiption of what he did.

Thanks

[James K]

You sort of answered your own question. "Trigger jobs" are normally done to lighten the pull weight and/or reduce the pull distance. They also are done to reduce or eliminate "creep", or irregularity in the pull.

As to what that smith did, I can't tell you. He may have stoned the hammer to reduce the depth of the full cock notch, stoned the notch itself to smooth the engaging surface, stoned the sear to smooth it, reduced weight of the trigger/sear spring by bending it, and smoothed up things in general, like the surfaces of the trigger bow and where it rubs on the frame.

If he didn't cut through surface hardening or create a negative angle on the hammer notch, your trigger pull should be OK. If the hammer falls to half cock when the gun is loaded by releasing the slide, or the hammer won't stay cocked at all, the job was not done right and getting it right will probably cost a fair amount of money for new parts.

Jim

[Harry Bonar]

Sir;
Surfaces must be stones in a good fixture like the Ron Power jig. The rear of the ser notch must be relieved. The hammer notch must be at 90 degrees to the flat and never shorten the hooks below .018! After that, as Jim says, the sear spring mus be adjusted, the disconnector/trigger return must be set just right along with whatever trigger bow work is done and the grip safety spring must be set properly because to much tension can increase the pull.
Then you must test for following - it's a very complicated process only a master smith like Jim should attempt! Be very careful which smith you select!
Harry B.

[spleify]

Thanks for the info guys. After hearing how involved this is, I am worried now and question if the "smith" who worked on it did it correctly. Long story short, I had issue after issue with this guy, including putting the wrong parts on. I will NOT be going back to this guy, so even if there is a problem, I will NOT have him re-work it.

Thanks

Spleify

[James K]

Sounds like the folks who post that they want to be gunsmiths, then ask what is needed besides an FFL, a file, and a screwdriver.

Jim

[JMBstudent]

What's a "trigger job"?
A trigger job can vary greatly in the amount of work done, as well as the new parts included in the job.
It can be a little as stoning the sear and hammer notch surfaces.
A full blown "trigger job" can include high quality parts which in themselves vary in price.
Parts such as a sear, hammer, thumb safety, sear and hammer pins, sear spring and main spring, trigger and sometimes a new disconnector, strut, strut pin, firing pin and spring.
The labor involved includes polishing and hand fitting all of the new parts.
A light competition trigger in the sub 3# range will run a bit more in labor and parts than a carry trigger which has been smoothed out but still is 4# or more.
Of course a high quality pistol frame can require a bit less work to make reliable and safe compared to a lower quality frame which may require more polishing and even more new parts.
In dollars a "trigger job" can run as little as $50 for a simple sear and hammer polish up to as much as $400/$500 for a full blown competition trigger. A premier smith may cost a bit more than a journeyman smith, but you get what you pay for when dealing with a top name smith.
A simple sear and hammer polish job may require a new thumb safety depending upon whether the pistol passes a safety test or not.
All of the above should be discussed beforehand with your smith to be certain you understand what is needed and the smith understands what you are going for.

[James K]

All those answers are excellent, but I expect Spleify is suffering from information shock about now. He apparently just wanted a quick answer so as to be able to assess what the gunsmith might have done vs the cost.

Plenty of good info, though, especially the part about making sure you and the smith are on the same track regarding what is to be done.

Jim

[spleify]

Wow!! Information over load. Thanks so much for all the great info. The trigger job cost $75 it is definitely a "lighter" pull now, but unfortunately I havn't fired it yet I hope to this weekend.

Thanks

Spleify