SAA 1873 with too light a trigger

gmckinney626 · June 29, 2012, 11:16 PM

Okay, so working on a clone of an 1873 that looks like all parts and internal workings match the 1873 SAA design. The problem is that the trigger is at 4 oz.! Anybody ever tried to make a trigger heavier on one of these?

rep1954 · June 30, 2012, 12:29 AM

Hard to say what to do without knowing where the damage is. It is most likely one or both the trigger or hammer sears is very worn or broken. Could also be someone did some home hobby gunsmithing to the sears and got carried away. Whatever the case the gun is not safe to use as soon you could go to full cock and have the gun fire without touching the trigger. With proper equipment and tools the sears can be welded up and recut by an experienced gunsmith or you could simply order new parts and replace the old. I would also look to see if the springs have been tampered with or a spacer has been placed between the main spring and the grip frame.

jhenry · June 30, 2012, 09:48 AM

A spacer on the mainspring, or an aftermarket cowboy action type mainspring will not affect the trigger like that. A trigger spring will affect it to a degree, but probably not to that degree. The most likely culprit is the engagement surfaces. Hopefully the surface on the trigger just because it will be cheaper to replace then the hammer. At any rate, it should be easy enough to get it right. Good luck.

rep1954 · June 30, 2012, 02:16 PM

Quote:

A spacer on the mainspring, or an aftermarket cowboy action type mainspring will not affect the trigger like that. A trigger spring will affect it to a degree, but probably not to that degree.

Wasn't trying to implicate that the spacer was causing a 4oz trigger pull just that if it's a blocthed home gunsmithing job thier might be other things that need to have attention as well. If the trigger is the culprit and has been overworked and out of tolerance for length it will usally set farther forward in it's position during full cock than it sould be.

James K · June 30, 2012, 08:43 PM

First, determine whether the hammer or the trigger is bad (the sear is the top of the trigger - there is no separate sear on a SAA).

With tons of SAA/clone parts out there, there is no reason for welding or working on anything, just replace the bad part.

A 4 oz pull is low for a bench rest rifle. A SAA hammer won't even stay cocked at that range. (For comparison, the trigger pulls on S&W target revolvers average 2 3/4 POUNDS, and some folks call them "hair" triggers.)

Jim

gmckinney626 · July 4, 2012, 11:09 PM

Well, I guess anybody with a screwdriver calls themselves a gunsmith these days. The full cock notch on the hammer was almost non-existent and negative at that. Unfortunately, the gun isn't really worth the price of a new hammer. Thanks for the replies guys.

James K · July 5, 2012, 10:22 PM

It sure must not be much of a gun if the hammer would cost more than the gun is worth! Not really any of my business, but if you don't mind, what kind/make of gun is it?

Jim

**Aguila Blanca** · July 5, 2012, 11:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gmckinney626

Well, I guess anybody with a screwdriver calls themselves a gunsmith these days. The full cock notch on the hammer was almost non-existent and negative at that. Unfortunately, the gun isn't really worth the price of a new hammer. Thanks for the replies guys.

If the gun isn't worth the cost of a replacement hammer, it's also worth so little that you can't hurt it any more by tinkering ... so break out the file and carve the engagement seat deeper.

Eghad · July 6, 2012, 03:26 AM

http://www.vtigunparts.com/store/sho....asp?type=home

June 29, 2012, 11:16 PM	#1
gmckinney626 Member Join Date: June 29, 2012 Posts: 16	SAA 1873 with too light a trigger Okay, so working on a clone of an 1873 that looks like all parts and internal workings match the 1873 SAA design. The problem is that the trigger is at 4 oz.! Anybody ever tried to make a trigger heavier on one of these?

June 30, 2012, 09:48 AM	#3
jhenry Senior Member Join Date: May 27, 2006 Location: Ozarks Posts: 1,840	A spacer on the mainspring, or an aftermarket cowboy action type mainspring will not affect the trigger like that. A trigger spring will affect it to a degree, but probably not to that degree. The most likely culprit is the engagement surfaces. Hopefully the surface on the trigger just because it will be cheaper to replace then the hammer. At any rate, it should be easy enough to get it right. Good luck. __________________ "A Liberal is someone who doesn't care what you do, as long as it's mandatory". - Charles Krauthammer

June 30, 2012, 12:29 AM	#2
rep1954 Senior Member Join Date: July 5, 2009 Location: Mid Western Michigan Posts: 1,187	Hard to say what to do without knowing where the damage is. It is most likely one or both the trigger or hammer sears is very worn or broken. Could also be someone did some home hobby gunsmithing to the sears and got carried away. Whatever the case the gun is not safe to use as soon you could go to full cock and have the gun fire without touching the trigger. With proper equipment and tools the sears can be welded up and recut by an experienced gunsmith or you could simply order new parts and replace the old. I would also look to see if the springs have been tampered with or a spacer has been placed between the main spring and the grip frame.

June 30, 2012, 08:43 PM	#5
James K Member In Memoriam Join Date: March 17, 1999 Posts: 24,383	First, determine whether the hammer or the trigger is bad (the sear is the top of the trigger - there is no separate sear on a SAA). With tons of SAA/clone parts out there, there is no reason for welding or working on anything, just replace the bad part. A 4 oz pull is low for a bench rest rifle. A SAA hammer won't even stay cocked at that range. (For comparison, the trigger pulls on S&W target revolvers average 2 3/4 POUNDS, and some folks call them "hair" triggers.) Jim

July 4, 2012, 11:09 PM	#6
gmckinney626 Member Join Date: June 29, 2012 Posts: 16	Well, I guess anybody with a screwdriver calls themselves a gunsmith these days. The full cock notch on the hammer was almost non-existent and negative at that. Unfortunately, the gun isn't really worth the price of a new hammer. Thanks for the replies guys.

July 5, 2012, 10:22 PM	#7
James K Member In Memoriam Join Date: March 17, 1999 Posts: 24,383	It sure must not be much of a gun if the hammer would cost more than the gun is worth! Not really any of my business, but if you don't mind, what kind/make of gun is it? Jim

July 6, 2012, 03:26 AM	#9
Eghad Senior Member Join Date: May 28, 2005 Location: Texas Posts: 6,231	http://www.vtigunparts.com/store/sho....asp?type=home