Accu Trigger question/concern

[jsmith]

I just bought a Model 11 .223 with the accutrigger. This is my first savage and I am not familiar with the accutrigger so bear with me. Is the silver blade on the trigger suppose to act as a safety? The gun shouldn't fire unless you pull the silver blade with the trigger, right? Because while tinkering with it, I dry fired it without pulling the silver blade and it did still fire. I'm assuming this is not how it is suppose to operate...

[LHitchcox]

That is exactly the way it is supposed to work. I have a couple of friends who have hands like hams and they hate the Accutrigger. They have a hard time because their fingers are touching the trigger before touching the tab and the sear block is activated. One guy let a nice deer get away because of this and thought the gun was defective. After I told him what the problem was, he put a piece of toothpick though the tab while it was depressed, so it wouldn't happen again. I tried to tell hm that was a no-no, but he went ahead with it.

[jsmith]

So what's the point of blade if the gun will still fire?

[BigDave]

So what's the point of blade if the gun will still fire?

I dont think he read your question properly. The answer to your first question is:
No. Your trigger is malfunctioning. Maybe.

It should never fire with out depressing the safety tang. But first, what is your definition of 'firing"? Did the trigger trip the actual firing pin? Realize the Accutrigger SEAR can trip and make a click. That is not "firing" in the strictest sense. The sear is still blocked and merely snaps against the safety tang which I believe is your case.
You need to take your action apart and see for sure if your safety tang is failing completely or the trigger is acting as designed..ie, just snapping but not actually tripping the firing pin. That can happen under some circumstances. That is not a mafuntion uless it happens all the time.

If your sear is moving but not setting off the firing pin then put the safety in the middle position and lift your bolt handle and close it. This will reset your sear. No need to cycle the bolt. Just lift it and lower the handle.
Hope this helps.

If you modify or disable the Accutrigger safety tang and have any kind of accidental discharge or even an intentional discharge where you damage property of a person....you may be in deep ca ca.
Anyone who does not like the Accutrigger is urged to either live with it or buy an aftermarket rigger that has NO safety tang involved with its function and over all design.

[jsmith]

Thanks BigDave. That makes sense. The trigger is not actually triggering the firing pin. It is just the sear that's tripping. That makes we feel a lot better about lowing the pull weight to the minimum.

[rebelwolf10]

I just bought a Model 11 .223 with the accutrigger. This is my first savage and I am not familiar with the accutrigger so bear with me. Is the silver blade on the trigger suppose to act as a safety? The gun shouldn't fire unless you pull the silver blade with the trigger, right? Because while tinkering with it, I dry fired it without pulling the silver blade and it did still fire. I'm assuming this is not how it is suppose to operate...

What you heard was probably the sear tripping and hitting the safety wedge. I have had this happen on my model 12. It is unsettling but with the way the trigger is designed it would be hard to know the difference between a partial release blocked by wedge and a full release where it would fire a round. You can remove the action from the stock and test it by as we all know very well first making sure it is unloaded. Then cock the gun and pull the trigger without depressing the center tang. You will be able to see the sear stop part way through its travel against the wedge. At this point if you try to depress the center tang it will be blocked. Recock the gun and pull the trigger with the center tang depressed the see the difference.

As a quick check you can leave the stock in place and do the above but you wont be able to see the full function of the trigger. It will tell you if the center safety is working.

[earl39]

Take a piece of brass with just a primer in it and try it. If primer goes bang trigger is defective. If gun goes click and primer does not go bang you have just learned how the trigger is meant to work. All standard safety procedures should be followed.

[LHitchcox]

So what's the point of blade if the gun will still fire?

I assumed that you were talking about the sear tripping and catching on the safety wedge. If the gun went boom, then I misunderstood the situation. One of the other posters gave a good idea in loading a primed case into the chamber. If the primer goes off, you have a defective trigger. If the sear trips and there is no boom, your trigger is working as designed.

[thebeav]

I thought I had the same problem as jsmith with my Axis II, .223.
After finding this thread, I watched the end of the firing pin in the bolt, both when tripping the trigger edge and when properly firing the trigger.
You can see from the back end of the bolt, the firing pin doesn't travel all-the-way to a primer when just tripping the edge of the trigger. I really couldn't tell by the sound, but visually, you can see the difference.
This is a great site, I found this thread with a simple search. I didn't see any value in starting a new topic.

[CFJunkie]

jsmith,

Be advised that many of my Accutriggers become very sensitive to any movement if you get too close to minimum.

I have 8 Savage Varmint/Target Accutriggers that are rated to minimum of 1.5 lbs.
While they function correctly at the minimum, the safety wedge becomes very sensitive to side pressure and trips the sear if you are not precisely on the center of the wedge.

All my triggers work beautifully without that extra sensitivity if set at 0.5 lbs. above minimum, so all my Varmint/Target triggers are set at 2.0 lbs.

[Robinhood]

The safety blade will stop the firing pin from striking the primer if it is not depressed.

It restricts the movement of the sear. If the sear has not moved sufficiently it restricts the cocking piece pin. If the cocking piece pin cannot complete its travel the firing pin cannot strike the primer.

I am betting that you tripped the trigger but the firing pin did not complete it's travel due to the safety blade.

[bsekf]

I have arteritis in my trigger finger, and it is crooked. I can't use a accutrigger unless I am very carful and pull it straight back. It is a super safety device.

[Dave Hoback]

I replace the spring altogether. The whole setup is deceiving. By “adjusting” the spring it’s only changing the spring RATE, not the load. But in going shorter, the trigger loses Pre-load; which is why it will become sensitive to tripping inadvertently. I use a correct length spring, but of thinner gauge wire. Keeps the pre-load correct but lighter overall. And it doesn’t trip “accidentally”.

Although, as soon as Trigger-Tech releases theirs, I’m jumping the Accutrigger ship. Just hasn’t been worth it up to now.. even the Jard is sub-standard for what it costs. I’m willing to bet Trigger Tech will remedy all past issues.

[GrenGuy]

Dave, I hope Your right about Trigger Tech. But others have tried, and we’ve been “teased” before. Either they will come up with the trigger of our dreams, or they will hit the same road blocks as others. One problem is Savage goes out of their way “not” to support aftermarket. In fact by constantly changing things, they discourage it. Think about it, Savage has never offered a barrel nut wrench...they are all aftermarket. Savage wants to sell their factory rifles. And lately, it seems difficult to get strong support for those sales when something is needed. I can think of 2 decent triggers that have gone by the wayside because Savage made stupid unnecessary changes. The same thing could happen to Trigger Tech. But if TT is successful, it certainly wouldn’t be a “cheap” trigger. Which means it may not get the customer support it deserves from the limited number of people who want a precision trigger for a Savage. I could be accused of not thinking positive, but I’m observing history and being realistic. There are any number of triggers suitable for most Savage shooters. What’s missing is a precision Trigger for those of us who are too stubborn to abandon the Savage “cult” following. I hope Trigger Tech is successful.

But Dave, I’m surprised You seem to have not tried the Elftmann Trigger? The price is certainly right, and it seems perfectly suitable for most Savage shooters. As stated before, I even have one working pretty well at 8 ounces in a competition rifle. With Your experience, I would think You could attain the most that simple trigger has to offer. What say You ?

Thanks ... GrenGuy

[RCE1]

I don't expect an AccuTrigger to become a Jewell, but following some of your recommendations, I've achieved pretty satisfactory results, Dave. Still waiting to try the shims but they're on the bench.

[Dave Hoback]

Dave, I hope Your right about Trigger Tech. But others have tried, and we’ve been “teased” before. Either they will come up with the trigger of our dreams, or they will hit the same road blocks as others. One problem is Savage goes out of their way “not” to support aftermarket. In fact by constantly changing things, they discourage it. Think about it, Savage has never offered a barrel nut wrench...they are all aftermarket. Savage wants to sell their factory rifles. And lately, it seems difficult to get strong support for those sales when something is needed. I can think of 2 decent triggers that have gone by the wayside because Savage made stupid unnecessary changes. The same thing could happen to Trigger Tech. But if TT is successful, it certainly wouldn’t be a “cheap” trigger. Which means it may not get the customer support it deserves from the limited number of people who want a precision trigger for a Savage. I could be accused of not thinking positive, but I’m observing history and being realistic. There are any number of triggers suitable for most Savage shooters. What’s missing is a precision Trigger for those of us who are too stubborn to abandon the Savage “cult” following. I hope Trigger Tech is successful.

But Dave, I’m surprised You seem to have not tried the Elftmann Trigger? The price is certainly right, and it seems perfectly suitable for most Savage shooters. As stated before, I even have one working pretty well at 8 ounces in a competition rifle. With Your experience, I would think You could attain the most that simple trigger has to offer. What say You ?

Thanks ... GrenGuy

I’ve spoken with someone at TriggerTech, and it’s a Go! Not an “IF” any longer, but rather a “When”. Not terribly soon, I know that. Next year probably. It’s in active R&D right now. Fine with me.

As for the Elfmann, it’s no different than any of the other triggers. The Elfmann, Rifle Basix, Timney… They all rely on the STOCK SEAR. I Can achieve very close to results with my overhauled Accutriggers. And for Pennie’s on the dollar, comparatively. The Elfmann has a good “schtick”, yes. They use a center bearing to eliminate sideplay. I use Titanium washers that I machine. (What RCE1 is talking about.) I do like how the Elfmann uses a contained spring with detent pin. That’s a nice touch. But just not worth $140 to me. If I were to get a trigger now, I’d choose the Jard because it’s the only one that includes a new Sear/bolt release made of high quality Tool Steel. But it’s $200, and I’s need to Re-Work the the entire thing anyway.

[Dave Hoback]

I don't expect an AccuTrigger to become a Jewell, but following some of your recommendations, I've achieved pretty satisfactory results, Dave. Still waiting to try the shims but they're on the bench.

If your trigger has side play, need to get ‘em on in there man, LOL! I agree with… the factory unit will never be a Jewell, or a TriggerTech, but for me, it’s about Dollars/Performance ratio. While not the very best, by worked over Accutriggers are nearly identical to what we have available(Rifle Basix, Timney, Elfmann). As I said above, I prefer to save the $150 +/- for the Pennies it costs me.

[Robinhood]

If your trigger has side play, need to get ‘em on in there man, LOL! I agree with… the factory unit will never be a Jewell, or a TriggerTech, but for me, it’s about Dollars/Performance ratio. While not the very best, by worked over Accutriggers are nearly identical to what we have available(Rifle Basix, Timney, Elfmann). As I said above, I prefer to save the $150 +/- for the Pennies it costs me.

I agree. There is some clearance on the pin to hole diameter and if you have sideplay it makes the whole thing a SOB. Deburr the inside of the hanger with a jewelers file or small hone. Shim it until there is no slop but still swings freely. You will be pleased if for nothing else than consistency.