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Heavy Trigger Pull


MBFields

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Have a pair of Pieta deluxe grande Californians. Beautiful engraved with smooth action except for trigger pull. 6 lbs. Have tried wire springs and lightened flat springs to no avail. Stays the same. Wondering if trigger/hammer sear engagement is culprit? Out of ideas right now. Anyone have any ideas? Thanks.

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Sorry misread, thought you said trigger pull. Thinking has to be the Sears are "over engaging" if that can happen?

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A poor angle on the sear tip leads to heavy trigger pull.  The angle that causes that is called a positive sear angle.   For best results the angle is stoned to a very slight positive sear angle.   (The angle on the sear and the angle on the hammer match up to within about 2 degrees, with just enough angle difference that the hammer slightly (a thousandths of an inch or two) moves to a more full cock as the sear tip is pulled off of the hammer's "notch") Going too far gives a negative engagement angle, meaning either trigger won't even hold the hammer, or you have an hair-trigger (ultra-light) pull that is dangerous to use.

 

If you have not done trigger work, best to take the gun(s) to a cowboy gunsmith and have him lighten pull (to about 2 pounds on a SAA) and remove any creep and also smooth rest of action.  Lighter springs need to have smooth parts engagement or else the springs are not strong enough to get past rough spots.

 

Pietta makes fine guns, but due to liability concerns, they (and Uberti too) usually leave a large positive sear angle that gives a heavy trigger pull.

 

Good luck, GJ

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Thanks. My other guns are all around 2 lbs but these have been hard to figure out. Think will have to send off.

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I don't know how old your guns are, but several years back Pietta put out some guns with really bad triggers, wrong angles I think.  It would actually sting your trigger finger when the hammer dropped.  

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That is what it feels like, the trigger basically snaps when hammer let's go. These are new, bought in Jan this year.

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Also, drag a fingernail across the full cock ledge, from back to front.  You may feel a slight hump at the front edge.  There should NOT be a slight hump and any hump will need to be stoned off.  It is really really easy to screw up the Sear angle without a dedicated Jig.

 

I'm with Garrison Joe.  If you're not real conversant with the angles and dangles of the SA trigger, best to find a Cowboy Smith with a Jig for this stoning job.  I personally prefer about a 3lb trigger.

 

Of course, your guns, your preference.

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MB...whatever you do...DON’T listen to anything that old binder mechanic up by you tells you to do...or let him try to fix them...

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51 minutes ago, Old Man Graybeard said:

MB...whatever you do...DON’T listen to anything that old binder mechanic up by you tells you to do...or let him try to fix them...

Well looks like you have 3 choices.   Shoot it like it is.   Send it to your gunsmith OR   Try to fix it yourself, then send it to your gunsmith    HA-HA          GW

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33 minutes ago, MBFields said:

I thought you were my gunsmith.

Smart enough to NOT mess with angles       GW=  the binder mechcanic

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Update, pulled Trigger from one of my 3rd gen colts and compared to pietta by putting pin through hole and checking sear angles. Pietta is very negative compared to colt, so then installed colt trigger on the pietta and solved problem. So now am going to match pietta angle to colt and should be good, if I goof will have to get another trigger no big deal. " Live, try, learn".

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24 minutes ago, MBFields said:

Update, pulled Trigger from one of my 3rd gen colts and compared to pietta by putting pin through hole and checking sear angles. Pietta is very negative compared to colt, so then installed colt trigger on the pietta and solved problem. So now am going to match pietta angle to colt and should be good, if I goof will have to get another trigger no big deal. " Live, try, learn".

 

Get the trigger first.....;)

OLG 

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Have the exact same gun with the same problem , the back of the  trigger should not be square, should be like a knife edge ,lightly file it until it's how you want it,  the gun comes with a wolf hammer spring , you also should polish the hammer notches. These are things you can do yourself, VERY SLOWLY, you might have to take it apart and do this more than once, again slowly. The hammer spring is light enough. You can also change the trigger bolt spring to a wire one, this will also help , but it really won't lighten the trigger much. 

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Did you have any timing issues once trigger was where you wanted it? Think I have taken apart 3 or 4 times already trying to get trigger angle right. Trying to match my colt trigger profile as that trigger in this gun resulted in a 2-2 1/2 lb pull. 

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There was no timing issues as the knife edge of the trigger sear was not excessive, only a slight angle was necessary to lighten the trigger pull. Matching one trigger against one from another gun will not necessarily work as the angles in single actions are not always the same. Parts of the same make gun are not always inter changeable.

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You are correct, but installed my colt trigger in the pietta and it fit and worked perfect, gave me Roughly 2.5 lb pull so that is why trying to duplicate.

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Yes. Now I am not a smith so cannot tell you how many thousandths but pieta trigger was a smidge longer. Have finished both of them now and when the trigger pull was finally 2-2.5 lbs with a crisp not mushy break, they were the same length as the colt, getting the angle as close a s possible. Also did not want to take to much off at a time so probably took apart 7 or 8 times trying to not over do it. Checked timing when finished and seems to be fine, dropping in the flute just before the bolt lockup.

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