Poor Boy Trigger Job?

[Norwester]

I was thinking about doing this http://www.gunblast.com/Poorboy.htm  to my SBH Hunter but  then I ran across a couple comments about it on a gunsmithing forum,and I'm not sure if I should.

I don't recommend lifting one leg of the trigger return spring. It often results in two safety issues. Some guns will "push off". That means the hammer can be pushed forward without squeezing the trigger. Without proper spring tension, the trigger may remain to the rear, allowing the transfer bar to stay in the "fire" position.
The second is sear engagement. Without proper spring tension, the sear doesn't engage the way it was designed. One time you might get 4 lbs pull; the next might be 2 lbs. This inconsistent trigger pull could result in a premature discharge and it certainly will give you fits when you are going for accuracy.

I do not recommend this practice, not because of the "trigger stayin back", but because of the asymetrical loads placed on the trigger and pivot points. It may lead to uneven wear and premature part failure.

Anybody have any thoughts,experience with this?
Jeff

[MS Hitman]

I have had success with using a pair of needlenose pliers and bending the springs to releive some pressure in stead of removing a leg.

[Lloyd Smale]

I agree with both quotes but its easy for me as my buddy does action jobs for free for me. Do yourself a favor and spend the $75-$100 it takes to get a proper action job done they will not only lighten trigger pull but get rid of the creap which is the biggest detrement to accuaracy and even smooth out the action so it cocks smoother. Youll never regret it.

[Flint]

Not as expensive as a gunsmith, but effective is a set of Wolff springs.  Go to gunsprings.com

[Lloyd Smale]

problem with wolf spings is you loose hammer power and that can be avoided and if the gun is rough to start with it seems to make them feel even rougher when cocked.

Not as expensive as a gunsmith, but effective is a set of Wolff springs.  Go to gunsprings.com

[Iowegan]

I believe the first quote was one of my posts. To expand a little; Yes, lifting one spring leg will lighten the trigger pull. The good news is, it's very easy to reverse if it doesn't work well. The bad news is, both quotes are correct.

Replacing the trigger spring or lifting a leg without deburring, polishing, and smoothing the action leaves you with a gun with a light creepy trigger pull. Creep and grit are a lot more noticeable with a lighter pull.

Replacing the hammer spring with a lighter one will also reduce the trigger pull. Again the creep issue plus it takes longer for the hammer to fall. So you end up with a gun that has a lighter creepy trigger, may not detonate some primers, and it takes longer for the hammer to move thus giving you more time to move off target before the gun fires.

My recommendations are to leave the factory springs in the gun as designed. Have a gunsmith go through the “action” and smooth it up. That will reduce the pull a little and will be much more fun to shoot. A smooth trigger often feels much lighter than one with light springs just because there’s no creep or grit.

[Bullseye]

But if you are lucky and get a factory trigger with very little creep (I get double actions like this, but rarely single actions), then you can change the trigger spring and leave the hammer spring alone.  Most I have done this way gets down to the 3-3.5 lb trigger pull using the factory hammer spring.  Now if you have creep, time to see the gunsmith.

[jar-wv]

I may be the dumb one here but I have done that exact thing as described in poor boys trigger job. I have a 45 Colt ACP BH conversion that broke at 7 1/2 lbs when it was new. after the pbtj it breaks cleanly at a little over 3 lbs. It now has over 5,000 rounds thru it & seems to be none the worse for it. I can't even find anybody around here to do an action job, though I realize that would probably be the best way to go.

jar

[Flint]

Actually, from what I've seen, it's pretty difficult to wear out a Ruger, unbalanced springs or no.  I did have better luck bending the factory trigger spring than with a Trapper spring.  Never tried the Wolff, because the only Rugers I kept are 3 screw.

[Norwester]

Thanks for the replys! This is my first SA and its another learning process. The first thing that I noticed is that theres very little creep if any at all. I guess I lucked out there. As I'm going to give handgun hunting a try I'd just as soon not have to worry about safety issues and/or the possibility of a light primer strike at an inopportune time,so I think I'll ask around and get some recommendations for a smith in the area and have him go thru it and smooth things up. Thanks again,
Jeff

[Camp Cook]

If you are mostly handgun hunting with this revolver and have very little creep I would leave the springs alone. I have done the PBTJ on Ruger Vaquero's and now my 2 new S/S 5.5" Ruger Bisley Vaquero's 45 Colt. For my bush carry gun I leave the springs alone but do the PBTJ when I shoot Cowboy Action shooting. I am going to change the hammer spring assembly to lighter Wolff springs someday to lighten my hammer for Cowboy shooting(need for speed) but will switch back to my stock springs for bush carry.
Cam

[Winter Hawk]

So Camp Cook,

What's a Canuck doing with a handgun anyway?  What a friend of mine told me many, many moons ago, you could own a pistol but have to have a special license and the local Mounty's blessing to carry it to the range to shoot.  Then when you are done you have to take it directly home, no stopping at the store on the way to lock it up.  How do you rate taking it out in the bush?  Are you the local Mounty maybe?  :eek:

-WH-

[Camp Cook]

I am one of a very few nonauthority people here in Canada that has a handgun carry permit for protection of my life or the lives of others in remote wilderness areas but it is only for within my province, B.C. Remote area means not in a municipality, has to be an unsettled and uninhabited area. Which actually is most areas around here. I am licenced to transport 4 handguns to these areas but can only carry one in a holster at any given time the others if I had them with me would have to be locked with a trigger lock and in a locked case. This may not sound like much to you guys but for me this is a very special permit. Before I got this permit the only way I could transport a handgun was with a permit that is good for 3 years and allowed me to travel to any gun club in B.C and Alberta or any U.S. border crossing within these 2 provinces.  You should see the looks that I get from people when I'm standing there with one of my handguns on. My carry guns are Gen 3 Glock 20 10mm, Colt Delta Elite 10mm, and 2 consecutive ser. # S/S 5.5" Ruger Bisley Vaquero's in 45 Colt.
Cam

[Buckskinner]

For what it is worth, I have been working over the actions and triggers on Ruger blackhawks for 30 years and have incorporated "bent" trigger return springs on virtually every trigger job that I have ever performed. I have three such jobs lined up as I type this and intend on doing those the same way.

Cutting one side of the trigger spring arm will not cause any measurable or premature wear nor am I aware of any safety issues that doing so may create. It is however, quite unecessary to do so as a much better "tuned" effect can be achieved on a good trigger job by utilizing both legs of the spring and altering them in unison to achieve the desired poundage of let-off.

It should also be mentioned that "push-off" conditions are associated with improper hammer and sear surface angle/wear than what little role the trigger return spring may play in that condition. In any event, "push-off" will exist regardless of the tension provided by the trigger return spring. A light spring merely tends to bring such a condition to light sooner than a strong one would.

[Steve P]

Buckskinner,

WELL SAID.  My experiences have been the same.  I have never had one of my Rugers trigger jobs end up with 'push-off' on the hammer.  I don't get over zealous and am not afraid to disassemble and re-assemble them a few times to get them right either.

Steve