doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Intermittent hair triggers

I have a couple of guns that have Intermittent hair triggers, almost always the left lock. It's often weeks in between it happening. Am I not opening the gun far enough to fully reset the trigger or do I get to give a lot of money to m y gunsmith?

Any other potential causes?

Are the hand and wrist pins tight?

I'd try making a valiant effort to fully open those guns, in the weeks to come, and try to determine if that eliminates the issue. It could be that the sear is not fully resetting into the tumbler notch, leading to a hair trigger. Also could be accumulated gunk in the notch that , at times, may not allow the sear to fully seat. Either is a simple fix, most of the time, for a good 'smith.

I've had it done myself, by the late Jim Kelly of Darlington, SC. Jim's nephew is running the gun shop, last I heard, and while I had some limited dealings with the young man prior to Jim's passing I cannot testify to his abilities. I will say that I was always impressed with his demeanor and knowledge of vintage doubles. Perhaps another member here has some current info as to the state of affairs at Darlington Gun Works.

Good luck!

Gunk, is a fairly common problem in old guns. If you aren’t “that guy” who can pull one down, a strip and clean by a good double ‘Smith might be your best friend.

If your tools were a wedding gift to your wife, and have pink handles, you aren’t “that guy”.

Good luck.

Best,
Ted

Thanks. I have had the lock plates off and there is no visible gunk and everything looks ok, I'll take more care to make sure I fully open the action.

It could also be moisture swelling wood in the inletting around the locks.