Three screw trigger spring

[olddav]

I have a 110 chambered in 338-06, and as everyone knows the stock trigger is too heavy. Read a lot of good threads here and performed a trigger job my self. Polishing the sear and trigger improved the feel a good bit but it was still a bit heavy. I found a wire spring measureing .040 and installed it in place of the stock one. Now I'm wondering if the .040 wire is too small. Help?

[drybean]

Nope , works perfect that all that I have ever used

drybean

[FW Conch]

+1..... .040" works fine for me. Just make sure the spring is under tension when the bolt is cocked.

[olddav]

Just to increase my knowledge base, when would y'all think the trigger would be too light to be safe?

[Maztech89]

It's too light when it slam fires, safety doesn't work, or has cocking issues. My hunting rifles all pass the bump test where I can bump the buttpad on the floor with authority and the weight of the trigger won't trip the sear. Bench rifles I don't care about bump test or safety functioning, but that's an entirely different ball game.

[big honkin jeep]

Not exactly the answer you're after but 2 very important aspects of tuning a 3 screw are to make sure the new wire has plenty of arch in it and is not flat. and to make sure to lock down all your screw adjustments with nail polish or weak threadlocker so that recoil cant adjust them any further.

[olddav]

Bump test is good advice and I don't want a slam fire, but I guess what I'm asking is, What is the lowest pull one can achieve in oz with a three screw trigger using a .040 wire spring. There are some assumptions made, like not dropping the rifle from a tree or a truck,and I will not carry the rifle around loaded.

[foxx]

I don't think anyone can answer that question as simply as you ask, olddav. Depending on how the sear and trigger rest and engage each other, depending on how much creep you allow, and even the spring itself, it will vary. I suggest you bump test as much as possible unti you are satisfied with it. Of course, I say that without having a scale. I just set it as low as I am comfortable with for safety reasons and what I believe are practical settings. Knowing how I react when setting up for a shot on deer, I do not want less than 2 lb pull on my hunting rifles. I do know I can get these a lot less than that.

[olddav]

Perhaps I'm not on the same page as most others (nothing new), but I was hoping that someone could give me some idea of what is possible.
I know that there are a lot of varables, and a 2 pound trigger is nice, but is that the best anyone has ever achived. Is there a physical limit due to the geometry of the trigger and if so, can it be altered?

[foxx]

Rifle Basix trigger is essentially the same design as 3 or 4 screw savage factory trigger, but with a lighter spring and better, truer edges on the sear engagement. In my opinion, it is basically what you would have if you took your factory trigger to a top-notch smith who honed the edges of the sear engagement, lightened the spring, etc. It does not allow for safe operation below 1#. I've tried, and the safety will not work below that weight, and the trigger does not hold, either. The design requires some resistance/tension against the sear or else it "flops" down off the sear, essentially "uncocking itself" when you close the bolt.
Therefore, if you "buy" my reasoning, you should not expect a factory trigger to perform properly below 1#, no matter how you try to improve it.

I said the safety doesn't work below 1#... it might work, but when going from "safe" to "fire" position, it fires.

[olddav]

Well that helps. I think I'll take another look at the trigger just to check my work, I may find room for improvement.
Who knows, I may achive a 1.5 lb trigger. Either way could be a good learning experience.