Gunsmithing Trigger is pulled before I pull it. What the......

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Ok so I have been dry running my 700 long action just to play with it and practice. I am having a problem though... Here's what happens. I close my bolt and pull the trigger, then at a medium to slow pace I open it and slide it back and then close it an lock it into place again. Everything works great. As soon as I speed things up and start opening and closing with speed/force the trigger(I think) does not engage or cock. I will close the bolt with said speed and force and then go to pull the trigger and nothing. It's already been pulled. How I don't know. I'm baffled. Any help would be greatly appreciated because I don't want to be in a position where a bear is charging and I shot once open and close the bolt real fast to find out it's not cocked and ready to fire again. Thanks guys

Jake
 
Re: Trigger is pulled before I pull it. What the......

most likely the trigger isnt adjusted right, are you saying that it is slam firing? Meaning when you run the bolt back forward with speed and force, the firing pin falls? If so your sear engagment is to light
 
Re: Trigger is pulled before I pull it. What the......

Too little sear engagement. Thats adjusted by the rear screw on the trigger. You can see the actual engagement through a round sight window inthe side of the trigger. About .010" is what you want.
 
Re: Trigger is pulled before I pull it. What the......

Before you go messing with your trigger, have you ever adjusted your trigger? Maybe you might just want to do an upgrade trigger? Do you know how much a OOB will ruin your day? wnroscoe is a GURU so trust his decision completely. Maybe he can recommend a good trigger or pay him to fix yours and send it to him? Hope I am not putting you on the spot there William.
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Re: Trigger is pulled before I pull it. What the......

As already mentioned, too little sear engagement. I would also clean the trigger assembly. If there is any build up in there from oils and grit it can start causing a failure like you are having.
 
Re: Trigger is pulled before I pull it. What the......

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: The Mechanic</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Hope I am not putting you on the spot there William.
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Not at all.
 
Re: Trigger is pulled before I pull it. What the......

Jake
That condition is termed a "Follow Down". There are two forms of follow down malfunction - hard & soft. The soft follow down, that I take away from your post is when the cocking piece follows the bolt handle down when closing and does not build up much, or any main spring pressure. A hard follow down is the one that can be dangerous. This happens when you are closing the bolt and the sear restrains the cocking piece to allow tension to build up on the main spring, in the process the connector fails to support the sear and BOOM when the components fail!

The failure can be caused by incorrect sear engagement, OR a failure of the trigger connector to fully retract to a secure and reliable sear support condition on the trigger body. On this design, the sear can over-ride the frictional forces at the engagement surfaces of the connector and sear if the connector does not fully retract, or the trigger return tension is set to light.

With that said, the sear engagement is not necessarily the end all be all of the problem(s) you have recently detected, but could only be a temporary fix if you are experiencing some form of friction or binding on the connector. Another good question that has been raised: what has the trigger adjustment been set at if the trigger has been adjusted, and how old is the rifle? If the factory adjustment has been altered, AND the factory trigger return spring has taken some "set" over time may potentially no longer ensuring full, or complete trigger and/or connector retraction? Do not be lured into a false sense of security just yet...

More food for thought anyway???

Aug ><>



 
Re: Trigger is pulled before I pull it. What the......

^^^ Exactly. Sear engagement is only part of it. If the trigger weight screw was too far out to begin with there would be no spring pressure on the trigger to allow it to reset properly. If this is the case adding more sear engagement is a band-aid fix and you could still have a problem.