floppy trigger?

[crest117]

I have two trapdoors that I shoot regularly, an 1873 and an 1884. On the 1884, the trigger just flops loose when cocked. When I take up the slack. there is no resistance but once the slack is taken up, it fires as it should. The rifle is quite accurate but this trigger thing is annoying. Can anyone diagnose what is amiss? Hope I have described the problem clearly.

[Dick Hosmer]

The trigger is always "loose" (in that no spring ever exerts force directly against it) but is definitely more noticeable in some guns than others. The sear is acted upon by the sear spring - that is what keeps the tip engaged in the tumbler notches - and should not have anything to do with a floppy trigger. Nor should any other lock defect, such as a broken bridle, which is fairly common. I would disassemble the lock and check to see that everything is OK, however.

Make sure the trigger screw is present and snug. You could - I guess - pinch the lugs on the trigger guard VERY SLIGHTLY closer together to lessen any lateral motion. Perhaps someone has removed metal from the top of the trigger? If so, that would allow more fore and aft motion.

[crest117]

Thank you for the prompt reply Dick. The rifle shoots great and if this is not abnormal I will just continue to shoot and enjoy it. I really get a kick out of shooting a rifle that is more than 130 years old. Others at the range are always asking me about it and I try to give them a brief history lesson on the trapdoor including Gen. Custer and Teddy Roosevelt in Cuba.

[mhb]

Thank you for the prompt reply Dick. The rifle shoots great and if this is not abnormal I will just continue to shoot and enjoy it. I really get a kick out of shooting a rifle that is more than 130 years old. Others at the range are always asking me about it and I try to give them a brief history lesson on the trapdoor including Gen. Custer and Teddy Roosevelt in Cuba.

to the lesson that Teddy and his boys were the only volunteer organization armed with the then-new Krag carbines, while the other volunteers were stuck with trapdoors and blackpowder ammunition, and the Regulars had Krag rifles.
Also, that while there were definitely problems with the inside-primed, copper-cased ammunition Custer's boys had to deal with, their worst problems were: A. Custer as a commander and; B. too many Indians.

mhb - Mike

[John Sukey]

Not to mention that Custer left his Gatling guns behind because he thought they slowed him down! One wonders what the outcome of the battle of the "greasy grass" would have been if Custer had not been so impatient.

[Dick Hosmer]

An old and oft-misquoted and/or misunderstood canard. The Gatling gun was treated as artillery, and would have been of little to no use in that setting. Custer made plenty of mistakes but leaving the Gatlings was not one of them. The huge number of Indians - plus their (not seen before) willingness to press home the fight that day, is what turned the tide.

[John Sukey]

Have to disagree about the Gatlings. The Indians had never encountered them before and they could easily have made the difference.

[Sportsdad60]

I might stray from this topic, but is there any way to lighten up what seems to be a 11 lb trigger pull? WITHOUT altering the firearm?

[Dick Hosmer]

No.

However, you could purchase an extra sear and tumbler - then have them reworked by a good GUNSMITH (not Joe down at the corner who mounts rails on black rifles) to produce a safe 3-4 pound trigger.

NSSA (I think) put out an article years ago on modifying such triggers: http://www.nwtskirmisher.com/useful-locks.shtml