Trigger failures

[Bigaldepr]

I have installed two Timney triggers, one is a two stage on my Tikka varmint rifle and one single stage on my Weatherby Vanguard woods range hunting rifle. The old Vanguard had a two position safety, the new Timney is three position that lets me remove the bolt with the safety on. Very pleased with both and no issues what so ever but I have a limited amount of experience with them though.

 

[Luke learned]

Ive had a cheap ar part kit that failed on me. A chunck of the hammer broke so every time you let go of the reset, it would skip over the engagement surface and fire. You get what you pay for....

 

[del2les]

Over a few decades as a range master, club VP an competitive shooter, I have seen a few failures. Dirty, gummed, broken and too light to engage properly with set screws backing off, and just worn out. While somewhat rare, it does happen. In the mil, I saw a few that failed also. A 45acp that went full-auto, that was fun.

 

[merbeau]

For those of you that shoot frequently and better yet compete how often do you actually see triggers "go down"? It seems like the old style model 70 trigger was the standard for a rugged trigger but surely all the new triggers aren't exactly frail.

Specifically, I'm toying with the idea of replacing my MOA trigger with a Timney. My particular sample adjusted down to 3 & 1/4 and is crisp, so hardly a bad trigger.

I have a Timney on a 6.5x55 SE from a Rem 700 receiver and on a 6mmx47 Lapua from a converted FN Mauser receiver used in local competitions over the last five years without any issues. I did have a trigger failure on a Colt 45 used in NRA bullseye competition in that the firearm went auto during a match. Of course the hand gun climbed with each shot and ended up making a hole in the overhead canopy. In order to have the trigger break at 3 lbs gunsmiths have to file the sear. The handgun was about six years old before the incident and many rounds cycled.

 

[theosmithjr]

For those of you that shoot frequently and better yet compete how often do you actually see triggers "go down"? It seems like the old style model 70 trigger was the standard for a rugged trigger but surely all the new triggers aren't exactly frail.

Specifically, I'm toying with the idea of replacing my MOA trigger with a Timney. My particular sample adjusted down to 3 & 1/4 and is crisp, so hardly a bad trigger.

Never had a misfire or failed trigger on any of my Bolt action rifles. I use only Jewell triggers in my center fires. Jewell triggers with Sako Extractors. I have had a few problems with Adjustable triggers on my Rimfires. But once I took em down and set em up myself there has been No Problems since. Years back I had a Jewell set so light that if I'd cycle the bolt on an EMPTY Chamber, then stand her up on end on the bench, she'd GO! Just the gravitational pull on the weight of the Jewell Trigger was enuff to send her. I've also seen Triggers GO when the Bolt was closed on a round that was NOT TRIMMED and outta Spec. This New er happened to me or on any of my rifles, but at the club while helping a NEWBIE out. Theosmithjr

 

[slim23]

Shooting prs a lot I have not had one go down on me yet. 20k fired 100k? Dryfires in 2 years. Never cleaned. But I have seen guys have them lock up or fail. Timney, jewel, bix. Like anything mechanical it can happen but I believe it's talked about a lot more than it happens

 

[rewiltshire]

The only trigger failure I have ever had was on a Remington 700 that I use for parrie dogging. It broke a small return spring. But this is out of many, many times being pulled in dusty conditions. Which is one reason why I have a couple of rifles with me in the 'Dog Towns'.
I have tuned factory stock triggers in some of my rifles, Timney, Jewel, Geissele and ALG (a Geissele set up for Mil Specs). I do a lot of shooting in some pretty nasty conditions. I have found that your trigger systems need inspection, cleaning and lubrication, just like any other part of your rifle.
Which trigger is the best, well the one you like and suits your needs the best.

 

[loaders_loft]

I had a jewel trigger lock up on a Remington action once during a match. The match is primarily shot prone from Burms covered in granite rock. Little bits of rock seem to find their way into everything. In this case, my trigger! The good thing is that I learned how to completely disassemble and clean the trigger assembly.

 

[ofbandg]

I have had at least a dozen Timney's and they were generally good except it was difficult to get a wrench on the lock screws and sometimes they loosened up. It was still better than Remington's adjustment screws which only locked with lock-tite and you had to watch you didn't get that stuff inside the body of the trigger and on the coil springs. That meant stripping the trigger down and soaking everything in solvent. In the early days of bench rest some gunsmiths became experts in re-doing Remington triggers down to ounces but those days are gone. The triggers I have had the most trouble with are the old "A" bolts from Browning. Getting them to a safe 2 pounds is tough. Trigger tech makes a nice trigger but a friend brought one to me that wouldn't adjust and I found the adjustment screw had split when he screwed it all the way down. He sent it back and they replaced it. It's an easy install if the rifle is built for it. I used to work on the old military Enfield and Mauser triggers for hunting rifles and they were easier to make better, even just snipping a ring off the trigger spring or polishing and squaring the sear contact made a world of difference, but you could never make them crisp unless you welded adjustment screws to them. The old Winchester triggers may be one of the best there ever was, not just because of the ease of adjustment but they were wide open and easy to keep clean. Anybody who has had to pull a Remington trigger apart because some goof was continually filling it with WD-40 will appreciate that.

 

[Toolhand]

Cleaning goes a long way. I had a guy From work bring me an older Remington model 788 that he said had a "broken trigger". The rifle would fire every time the bolt was closed on a round. After taking the rifle down the trigger was so gummed up it was stuck in the fire position and would not move. After a good cleaning and oiling the "broken trigger" was good as new.

 

[azsugarbear]

All my Rem clone actions wear the Huber two-stage trigger. I did have one malfunction with them. I had bought that trigger used. After several hundred rounds, it stopped working. I sent it in to Huber Concepts. They tore it apart and said the trigger had an estimated 8,000 to 10,000 rounds through it. They rebuilt it and sent it back to me for a nominal fee. In spite of that, I still stand by my Huber's and won't consider anything else - unlike barrels, stocks, etc.

 

[GunHawk]

I prefer the Huber Concepts, 2 stage. I like the triggers total weight set at 1.5# with a 50:50 stage break. I find 1.5#(or lighter) single stage too light for the bulk of my nunting, and even requires careful handling and safety awareness in PRS. IMO, the 2 stages adds a margin of safety with light triggers, and will use it for both PRS and hunting. The first stage take-up mentally sets you up for the shot and reduces the chance of "jabbing" the trigger when the crosshair wobbles on target. With about 50% of the take-up weight being used during the first stage, the perceived break at the wall of the second stage at 50% is apparent, crisp and benchrest light. IMO.

Wish I could find a w-stage for my SAKO 85.

 

[Taj]

Triggers need to be cleaned every once in a while also

Cohunt, you are absolutely right. I've been gunsmithing for over 40 years and to the best of my failing memory, the "failures" I've seen have been due to junk accumulation in the trigger group. Old oil and "belly button lint" from gun cases seem to be a real culprit. It turns to sludge and can keep a finely tuned trigger sear from engaging or slows down those very light sear/trigger return springs from responding the way they should. The other big reason is the end user or his buddy, has improperly adjusted the trigger. Not only can this cause failures but can be very dangerous. Just ask Remington.

 

[RegionRat]

I have seen many triggers go down both on hunting trips as well as competitions. I wasn't keeping notes so this is just based on memories.

The hunting trigger failures were all due to contamination and lubricant issues from no maintainace. Every case I have helped with the owners confessed to never cleaning or even checking those triggers. Many had what I would consider very low odometers. Some I was able to revive but many times I had to change them out because they would not respond to solvent flushing and I didn't take the time to disassemble since we had spares. These were typically REM and WIN with a few Sakos, Brownings, etc. The guys that hunt with aftermarket triggers tend to understand the risks and have heard me bitch about completely cleaning their bolts and triggers before every season. Firing pins getting jammed or broken from a lack of maintenance would be a whole separate thread... be careful what you lube with when you know you are going into cold wet weather.

At the high power competitions, I have see every brand I can think of fail every season, bolt guns and semi-autos. Most sudden failures were due to primers blowing out or being pierced, but a few were just bad luck and spring fatigue. Some of those spring failures were due to being run in gritty conditions where the spring was obviously being abraded by dirt, so I would group those with lack of maintenance. The cases where triggers went out of adjustment while still being functional, were mostly due to lack of maintenance with a few being from unknown causes. Very likely many of those were just due to high cycle counts since those cases were serious competitors.

I was happy with the previous REM designs for a hunting rig where the goal was about 2.5 lbs, but the new revision isn't workable. That raised the automatic question like the OP's about what to put on and which triggers are best for critical use. In my opinion, all of the popular aftermarket hunting triggers are better than the current REM. They are adjustable and if you are careful about contamination and lubrication, will out perform that new REM design running away. Some of the older target trigger designs, like Anchutz, were never meant for field use. While they set up for a beautiful break, they are just too vulnerable to contamination. The more modern aftermarket versions such as Jewel, Bix, Timney, Shillen, Trigger Tech, etc., offer more than one version so make sure you pick one that has a reputation for being reliable in the pull force range you plan to use. Don't try and take a BR trigger to a hunting trip for example. The mechanical approaches used by some of the new aftermarket triggers are very different from the old REM, so I would try to get my hands on a few samples before you commit to one.

I have run the Jewel hunting triggers and have mounted them on many rigs for friends, but I also recommend looking at the Trigger Tech and other options being run in the PRS matches. That crowd really puts hardware through the life cycles fast and bad hardware gets weeded out quickly.

https://precisionrifleblog.com/2019/01/20/best-trigger/