111 hunter trigger adjustment

**thermaler** · 09-21-2013, 11:23 AM

The trigger on my new 111 300 win mag hunter is a piece of poop--I figure many here have done adjustments on it. Can you safely adjust the sear spring to get a lighter pull/release or do I have pony up for an after-market trigger?

**Blitzfike** · 09-21-2013, 10:00 PM

If this is the accutrigger model, do a google search on adjusting the accutrigger and there is lots of info out there. You need a special tool to adjust the trigger pull weight, but it is easy to do. FOLLOW the directions and be safe. If it is an older 3 screw model, here is a link to the info here on the site.
http://www.savageshooters.com/conten...ent-Procedures
What ever method you use, make sure the safety is still fully functional after you finish. WITHOUT a round chambered, cock the rifle and drop the butt of the stock gently against the floor. Not hard enough to break it, but hard enough that is simulates it being dropped. If the sear doesn't trip, should be safe. If it trips, go back through the adjustment procedure again and make it safe. Good Luck, Blitzfike

**thermaler** · 09-22-2013, 02:49 AM

This seems to come up a lot on many forums. The accutrigger equipped 111's are the trophy hunter xp models only--the "regular" hunter (with no other qualifier words attached) xp (which includes yet another inadequate scope to go into my box full of em) is a run-of-the-mill more or less nonadjustable trigger with a very stiff pull and hard release, maybe worse than the trigger on the axis. It has a cocked sear spring which is more less a miniature of the AR principal--which is why I thought of a lighter spring.

**Blitzfike** · 09-22-2013, 10:36 AM

The last build I did was on a new Stevens 200 bought for that purpose. The trigger on it was the worst I have ever experienced, and was different from the older stevens triggers. This one was very close to the axis trigger in design, and was assembled incorrectly from the factory in that the spring was screwed completely out of the trigger and was just resting against it. The threaded hole the spring was supposed to thread into was full of thread locker. Once I disassembled it and cleaned all the gunk out of the hole, I was able to get it down to about 6 pounds. I talked with Jim at NSS about a Rifle Basix replacement for it and at that time, Rifle Basix didn't make a trigger that was a direct replacement for the new Stevens 200. I hate cutting and stretching springs, but that is my next step until I can get a replacement aftermarket trigger that is adjustable down to about 3 pounds. I haven't seen the trigger you are referring to, could you post a picture or a link to it? Thanks.. Bitzfike

**J.Baker** · 09-22-2013, 11:38 AM

Been covered numerous times - same adjustment procedure as any pre-accutrigger Savage. Yours won't have all 3-screws but everything else in this How-To applies.

http://www.savageshooters.com/conten...ent-Procedures

**thermaler** · 09-22-2013, 01:26 PM

Originally Posted by MrFurious

Been covered numerous times - same adjustment procedure as any pre-accutrigger Savage. Yours won't have all 3-screws but everything else in this How-To applies.

http://www.savageshooters.com/conten...ent-Procedures

Nope that ain't it and nope it cannot be adjusted thusly. There is a screw for safety engagement and one for overtravel. There are no screws or adjustments possible for the (very stiff) sear release unit as far as I can tell other than the cocked spring which maintains tension on it. Obviously I'm going to have to take some pictures--but that's fairly involved but I will do so soon. I'm guessing maybe the fact it's a magnum budget rifle it may be slightly different from other hunter models--I just noticed that the 6.5 284 trophy hunter stock cannot fit the 300 win mag hunter because it is a smidgen thinner in the trigger well area--otherwise the stocks look identical.

stangfish · 09-22-2013, 01:36 PM

Polish, change spring.

**thermaler** · 09-22-2013, 01:41 PM

Originally Posted by stangfish

Polish, change spring.

Thanks stang--I thought about that--though the sear itself looks like it has very little "shelf" to it so I've decided against polishing it. Change spring is what I've had in mind all along--but other than a stock replacement I can't seem to find one anywhere with less tension. I definitely don't want to accidentally launch a 300 win mag which is going to go a very long ways with a whole lot of hurt!

stangfish · 09-22-2013, 01:57 PM

There are two surfaces and either one or both would benefit from careful use of a dremel with a rouge wheel. This is done very carefully on the trigger and should not alter the radius or angle.

**thermaler** · 09-22-2013, 02:05 PM

Originally Posted by stangfish

There are two surfaces and either one or both would benefit from careful use of a dremel with a rouge wheel. This is done very carefully on the trigger and should not alter the radius or angle.

I've polished other sears/releases carefully without hesitation. I can't put my finger on it and put it into words--my intuition simply tells me messing with this particular one increases the chances of an accidental launch given the way the rest of the trigger group is put together. If I can't find a replacement spring I'll just bite the bullet and put in an after-market trigger--the price is worth the peace of mind to me. I can't find a diagram of the trigger group anywhere--no even in Savage's manuals.

**thermaler** · 09-22-2013, 08:27 PM

here she is in all her glory:

stangfish · 09-22-2013, 08:30 PM

Got her fixed so I deleted my version.

stangfish · 09-22-2013, 08:32 PM

You may need the special top secret spring adjustment tool. Shown in this pick with an accutrigger.

You may also need to modify the spring shelf with a spring guide and find a softer spring.

**thermaler** · 09-22-2013, 08:38 PM

LOL--if you look at the left (front) part of the trigger group from my pic--you'll notice there are no screws or adjustments anywhere that affect the sear enagagement.

stangfish · 09-22-2013, 08:41 PM

You will either have to live with all of the creep you currently have or you will need to hone the top of the trigger sear so the creep will be less. Or change the trigger.

**thermaler** · 09-22-2013, 08:46 PM

Makes you wonder why people build rifles with anti-accuracy devices built into them : )

**Blitzfike** · 09-22-2013, 08:47 PM

Thermaler, that looks awfully like the new Stevens 200 trigger I described as being a piece of junk. Your picture looks like a spring within a spring, where the newer 200 just has a single spring wound in two diameters, the smaller threading into the trigger. It also has a vertical piece of the spring that fits into a matching hole in the receiver tang. Mine was screwed all the way out of the trigger and was just butting up against it. They filled the threaded hole with thread locker and I couldn't see what was going on until I cleaned it out. Best I could do was around 6 pounds. Thanks for the picture.. Blitzfike

**thermaler** · 09-22-2013, 08:51 PM

Originally Posted by Blitzfike

Thermaler, that looks awfully like the new Stevens 200 trigger I described as being a piece of junk. Your picture looks like a spring within a spring, where the newer 200 just has a single spring wound in two diameters, the smaller threading into the trigger. It also has a vertical piece of the spring that fits into a matching hole in the receiver tang. Mine was screwed all the way out of the trigger and was just butting up against it. They filled the threaded hole with thread locker and I couldn't see what was going on until I cleaned it out. Best I could do was around 6 pounds. Thanks for the picture.. Blitzfike

You could reduce that spring pressure all the way to zero--but you'd still have a hefty gritty pull by virtue on the non-adjustable sear which is under tension by the spring in the lower left of my picture.

**Blitzfike** · 09-22-2013, 09:01 PM

The spring in the lower left of your picture is just the bolt release spring and shouldn't have any bearing on the sear. In that trigger, the spring to the right is applying tension against both the trigger pull and the sear. There should have been a second spring holding tension against the sear.

**thermaler** · 09-22-2013, 09:39 PM

Originally Posted by Blitzfike

The spring in the lower left of your picture is just the bolt release spring and shouldn't have any bearing on the sear. In that trigger, the spring to the right is applying tension against both the trigger pull and the sear. There should have been a second spring holding tension against the sear.

OK--I'm perfectly willing to admit I'm not smart enough to figure out how to lighten the pull without polishing down stuff. I guess what I'm really looking for--and have yet to find anywhere--is somebody who has exactly this trigger on this gun model and says "Hey, this is what I did and it now pulls at 3 lbs safely." Discussions about trigger adjustments without pictures is often very hard for me to get my few brain cells around. : )

**thermaler** · 09-22-2013, 09:42 PM

Originally Posted by Blitzfike

The spring in the lower left of your picture is just the bolt release spring and shouldn't have any bearing on the sear. In that trigger, the spring to the right is applying tension against both the trigger pull and the sear. There should have been a second spring holding tension against the sear.

Take that trigger spring off altogether and I'm willing to bet you it makes no difference in the pull you need to get the sear to break if your trigger is truly the same as mine.

stangfish · 09-22-2013, 09:45 PM

Originally Posted by Blitzfike

There should have been a second spring holding tension against the sear.

The firing pin spring does that for you. The bolt release spring is what resets the sear.

**thermaler** · 09-22-2013, 10:01 PM

Originally Posted by stangfish

The firing pin spring does that for you. The bolt release spring is what resets the sear.

Thanks stang. Most of the adjustments I've seen to sears involve "lifting" the sear up slightly with a screw (not sure if them's the right words) reducing the pressure needed to get the sear to break.

stangfish · 09-22-2013, 10:12 PM

If you lft the sear to trigger relationship you have changed creep. Creep is how far you have to pull the trigger before it breaks. This is the savages achilles heel. Geometry needs to be changed to really make big improvements.

Also... When you change the amount of trigger movement rearward you change or reduce the overtravel. On a savage you need to have enough overtravel for the sear cocking arm* to travel far enough for the cocking pin on the bolt to travel unmolested.

Wildboarem · 09-25-2013, 07:55 PM

Stangfish is on the right path. The savage trigger/firing pin interaction is different than most triggers I've dealt with. Correct me if I'm wrong, but the Stevens trigger looks a lot lime an accutrigger except without the safety features. I just bought a 116 for a build for my wife. Even with the trigger return spring adjusted all the way in ( trigger bar, meaning lighter trigger pull) the trigger was still to heavy. I think it was a stock 3.5# spring. That trigger return spring is what will adjust the the pull weight( correct me if I'm wrong please). So I found out that our good buddy Jim @NSS has 1.5# springs. Swapped out springs, trigger is lighter but not too light, viola. Also, as long as you don't remove any significant material, polishing the sear and trigger won't make it unsafe. Dremel with a cotton top and some flitz or jewellers rouge with just make it butter, or at least margarine..