doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Occasional hair triggers on a sidelock

Any idea what would cause an occasional hair triggers on a side lock? I've taken the locks out and looked at them, but I didn't see anything that might cause the problem.

Left barrel is one in every 20-30 shots and the right barrel just had it's first hair trigger

Gun in question is a Rigby side lock

Thanks!

Two items come to mind. First is the trigger plate on which the triggers are mounted is moving around allowing the trigger to rest on the sear. When you fire the gun there is just enough movement to partially disengage the sear from the hammer. When the hammers are cocked is there any play in the triggers, there should be a little movement. if not try putting a shim cut from a playing card under the trigger bar and see if this helps. A lot of older guns have had the trigger bar removed and replaced a number of time and this can compress the wood to a point that causes problems.

The other area to checks is there the sear arms pass thru the stock (usually thru a hole running horizontally. Again over the years there can be some wood swelling or the wood below the lock plates can get depressed allowing the sear to ride on the triggers.

In either case there should be a slight play or movement in the trigger.

Hope this helps...

WBLDon

Cocking rods/arms could be worn enough that a light opening of the barrels may not allow for a complete recock, whereas a spirited opening does. You’d probably see firing pin drag in that instance though. Make sure when you open the barrels you are hitting the stop, nothing hard though. Wood contact could be another. A cleaning perhaps?

A cracked stock?

Little to no play on the triggers.

Last time I had the gun apart the locks were clean and I have not shot the gun enough for any appreciable amount of fouling to build up

There no visible cracks on the stock

"Cocking rods/arms could be worn" could be the problem, possibly aggravated by my tendency to baby the gun. I have not seen any drag marks on the primer, but I haven't really been looking too closely at the fired hulls.

Thanks everyone

Are you aware that they must be "play in the triggers" which means that there is a few thousands of an inch gap between the triggers where they contact the sears with the safety disengaged ? With the safety engaged there should be no play. If you are saying that this clearance does not exist with safety disengaged, then you need to determine why this is the case and correct it.

With the safety off there is some back and forth play in the triggers, not a lot, maybe between 1/32" and 1/16", probably closer to 1/16".

Send it to a good gunsmith (preferably one familiar with English-Continental guns) and have him work in the sear/bent geometry and have them set at 4 lbs front, 4.5 rear. Good to go. It’s obviously an issue that needs remedied.

It is probably best to leave the sear geometry last, after ensuring that all other causes (such as wood shrinkage etc) can be ruled out. Sear work is one of those "once done cannot be undone" things and I have seen some high end double ruined by a rush to change the sears. All by skilled smiths who were too busy or too lazy to proceed cautiously. Like they say, fools rush where angels fear to tread etc.

“Once done cannot be undone”

What a load of crap. I just did exactly that….a FH Greener that came to me with 2 lb hair triggers, and now they are 4 and 4.5 pounds, accomplished by doing a legit trigger job aka changing the geometry of the sear/tumbler bent.
Before ANY trigger work is done by a legit gunsmith, all other factors are considered, this is accomplished by that skilled gunsmith inspecting the parts to include the wood.
A “skilled” gunsmith doesn’t botch a trigger job. I think your definition of “skilled” is too easily handed out.