doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DIY Gunsmithing @ doublegunshop.com Reversing triggers

Dealing with an English BLE that has the triggers reversed from what I�d call typical: front trigger fires left barrel. Before I take it back apart, I wanted to ask what the likelihood is that they can be switched with a hassle.

I am not sure how you are looking at your gun but the traditional English setup for double triggers is looking from the breach down the barrels. The front trigger is for the right hand barrel from what I have been told that was set from the days of external hammers, with the right hammer on a double barrel being the shortest span between index finger and thumb. For a lot of folks making it the easiest hammer to bring to full cock this includes myself if you are right handed. Gunmakers surmised that every person in the world was right handed of course!!!! If your gun has double triggers on the standard trigger plate set up there is a good chance you will be able to swap them over. Though as we all know there can exceptions to everything in this world.

I would be surprised if you could not simply switch them.

I have seen this a few times on different makers of guns. I always just attributed it to either someone intensionally or un-intensionally switching them around.

Switching them back around should not be a problem. Most action designs would allow for this because most have their triggers being the same on the upper section that is inside the frame.

Thanks All. My hope is that it will be an easy change. Should have seen it when it was apart.

I have seen this left firing first setup on some grouse guns. It is supposed to suit fast incomers, firing the tighter barrel first. Same thing could have been done via reversing the chokes, but maybe it was easier to mess with the triggers, or maybe keep the resale value etc.

It is possible to change trigger positions but the rear trigger may require some bending. Usually rear triggers are bent to center, so the rear blade is in line with the front.

FWIW, in something like a A. H. Fox, its a 5 minute Fix. My gunsmith inadvertently switched them on my 20 gauge Sterly. I took it back the next time I was up there and it was indeed a 5 minute fix for him.

Are you sure one example applies to all A. H. Fox shotguns?

All two trigger AH Fox guns work that way. I am sure of that.

All A. H. Fox guns have the same design as SKB is sure but consider each trigger was hand fitted to mate against the hammer sear with only a little play taken up by the trigger spring. Also to mate against the safety slide with zero play when slide is rear. Tut's Fox worked out because triggers were returned to factory's set up and not switched. But his example seems to give assurance to amateur gun smiths that Fox triggers may be freely switched in 5 minutes with no other considerations or things to check and that could create an unsafe gun.

Amateur gunsmiths should be very careful with triggers, safeties, sears etc. If you do not fully understand the principles behind the designs then you should not attempt to repair them. Safety first always but at the same time, no real need to over think this one. It is a very common issue.

In my case, the triggers swapped perfectly. No issues.

That could be true. This happened on two different Foxes where the triggers were switched. In both cases the guns were test fired to include the safety working manually with the triggers switched with no problems. Perhaps it was luck of the draw, but in both cases the smith switched the triggers back to their original factory position in 5 minutes. What I will say is in both Foxes the automatic safety rod had been removed.

Many fox guns that i have been into have the top of the trigger blades that contact the safety bent inward slightly. Reversing them may cause the safety to not work reliably or wood clearance issues might arise.