Trigger creep?

[Will52100]

I just got a 36 navy colt from cabela's, and overall am very happy with it.  Haven't had a chance to shoot yet, just got in and is supposed to rain for a few days.

The only problem, and it's not much of a problem is the trigger has a good bit of creep in it.  It breaks clean but the trigger moves around 1/8" before letting go.

anyway to corect this?

Thanks,

Will

[Flint]

You can change the angle of the trigger's sear surface so the leading edge is higher, or closer to the edge of the hammer's notch, and will fall off sooner than if the back edge is the trip.  You can stone the face of the hammer at the sear notch to make it shallower, but you have to make sure it's not so shallow as to make the trigger/sear strike the half cock notch as the hammer falls.  An jig with holes for the trigger and hammer(and bolt) is helpfull, drill out a piece of aluminum block with holes the proper diameter for the screws, or dowel pins of the correct diameter, spaced as the gun's holes are spaced, as a fixture to adjust and analyze the parts as they work together.  Brownells sells such fixtures, but they are expensive for the home hobbyist.  The shop manual for Colt Single Action Revolvers by Jerry Kuhnhausen is a wonderful investment.  It shows every part of a Single Action, and how it should be set up, and the percussion guns are similar enough to use it as a guide.

[Will52100]

Thanks Flint.  I thought that's what should be done, but wasn't sure.  Well I went at it after I found that the 60' parts gun I have will interchange hammers.  I little stoneing and polishing of the catch and end of trigger seems to have done the trick.  Still has a little creep, but not near as much as befor.  

One thing I noticed, my last Cabela's 36 I had to do a lot of work to get it right, lot of little things, like grind a little off the inside of the hammer, grind the hammer notch in the frame, grind a little on recoil shield to let the cylinder rotate with caped nipples.  This one aready had everything ground and fitted, the only thing was the trigger creep, and that was something that could be lived with.  I'm impressed with Pieta's curent work.

[Flint]

Pietta has significantly improved their quality in the last year or so.  Now if they could correct a few shapes that aren't right, and delete some models and variations that never existed in history they could give Uberti a real run for it.

[Will52100]

Well, did a few cylinderfulls from under a shed, and only one problem.  After firing the cylinder turns a half turn.  No problem with cocking and finish rotating to the next shot, but I've never had a gun do this.

Any Idea's?

[Full House]

Need more information...I own three Pietta '51s, Yank Navy, and two .36 Blue w/simulated ivory grips respectively.

My .36 Blue w/faux ivory are perfect in every way...very good quality.

Tell us more of what the cylinder is doing and give the load, type powder, diameter of ball...etc.

[Will52100]

HI,

I'm shooting 21 grains of Goex 3F as a basic load, with an ocasional full house load-ie. full chamber of powder and just a ball, the ball seats just below the chamber mouth.  Don't do many full loads, like to use wads.

I generaly use 375 swagged round balls, but on this one I used 380 cast.  I've got a couple hundred balls of 380 cast that I got by mistake.  Like to shoot swagged as I don't have to screw with keeping the sprue straight and centered, just drop a ball on the chamber mouth.  I do like the 380 dia. better though, and wish I could find a source of swagged 380.

Basicly the gun funtions perfectly, cock and fire, cock and fire.  But after each shot the cylinder has rotated half way between chambers and the hammer is resting on the blast shield where a safty pin would be if this gun had one.  Basicly, shoot, look and the gun and the hammer is resting between chambers on the cylinder.  It's like the cylinder bolt is coming unlocked a split second after firing.  The main spring is a little on the week side(but bust caps just fine), recoil as light as it is could be shoving the hammer back a little?  Like I said never seen this happen befor.  It happens after almoust every shot.

Thanks

[Full House]

Never heard or seen this...need to get Flint in on this one.

[John Traveler]

Will5210,

Try checking your cylinder bolt spring.  If the leg that provides upward pressure to keep the bolt engaged in the cylinder notch is weak or fouled with firing residue/dirt, the cylinder will not lock properly.  

Same thing for the cylinder bolt opening in the frame.  Check to make sure it is not peened or burred and causing the bolt to stick.

HTH
John

[crossbow]

My guess is that it is your mainspring the  blast from the nipple and escaping gas from the charge is driving back the hammer and unlocking the cylinder,are the spent caps staying on the nipple if not this is likely the cause, if they are it is likely another cause.

[Flint]

Crossbow may have it, if your nipples have too large a flash hole, and/or the mainspring is too light, it can partially (or fully) recock the hammer.  A shooter mentioned in the Ruger Forum that he had a ROA go to full cock, and fired as a semi-auto, then realized that had he held the trigger back it might have gone Full auto....  This is really the reason for the heavy factory mainsprings on pecussions, beyond the harder smack a pecussion cap needs over a primer, is to keep the hammer and cap in place under the pressure of firing the black powder charge.  This is also the cause of caps blowing off into the action and jamming the cylinder.  Years ago I had a Zouave 58 rifle go to half cock with a heavy load, and that mainspring could be used on the front axle of a car.  Good way to get a face full of copper and powder fouling.

[Will52100]

That may be it, I'll try changing the nipples out with some treso ones, then if it keeps doing it I'll put a little stiffer spring on it.  It's noticibly weeker right at the begining of the hammer pull, more so than the rest of my revolvers.

Full auto cap n' ball?  Sounds like that would be an interesting sport!