I have two different 22 bolt action rifles that weren't working just like I wanted. One is a Remington 541-T Sporter in a custom stock. It shot really well, but had a heavier trigger pull than I liked. I removed the barreled action then the trigger housing. Got the trigger spring out and searched for a similar spring with the same outside diameter but a lighter wire gauge and less compression strength. The trigger springs in the 541 rifles are fairly strong. There are a few companies offering lighter pull springs but at a relatively high price. Paying over $10 plus $5 shipping for a spring smaller than a ballpoint pen spring is just not what I think of being a good deal. I searched my parts boxes and came across a spring that had the same diameter as the factory trigger spring, but lighter wire. Just what I was looking for. It is a firing pin spring for a Remington 870 shotgun. It was twice as long as the factory 541 spring. I cut it to the same length so it would fit in the trigger housing channel, and not stick up higher, interfering with the sear. I reassembled the gun and tested the pull weight with my Timney trigger gauge. Instead of a 6-7 lb trigger pull, I now had a 2 lb trigger pull. I did the normal safety checks, putting the safety on and trying to fire the gun, flipping the safety off rapidly trying to get an accidental firing, and doing the "bump test" by putting a towel on the floor and bumping the buttpad on the floor with the safety on and off, trying to make the gun fire. No problems. It worked perfectly fine. I took it out to my range and shot a box of ammo through it. Shot really well and didn't have any problems. So replacing the trigger spring did the job for me. Now, I'm not a certified gunsmith. And I'm not suggesting anyone replace their factory trigger spring with something not designed for that firearm. I'm just reporting what I did "at my own risk" and the results I obtained.
My second firearm is a Winchester model 69a. When I cocked the gun by working the bolt to the rear, then back forward, and rotating the handle down, put the safety on "safe," pulling the trigger, putting the safety back on "fire," then when I slightly raised the bolt without my finger on the trigger, the gun would fire. I disassembled it to clean the trigger housing and bolt. I removed the adjustment screw and trigger spring to clean in that area. I noticed someone had cut the trigger spring down to lighten the trigger pull. It just so happened that trigger spring was the same outside diameter and about the same wire diameter as the Remington 870 firing spring I used on the Remington 541. I had cut that spring in half to use it on the other gun, and the remaining piece was about 1/4 inch longer than the spring I removed from the 69a. I dropped it in the trigger spring cavity in the 69a housing, replaced the adjustment screw and screwed it in about half way. I tested the trigger pull with my Timney gauge. It was around 2 lbs. I turned the screw in another 1/2 turn and ended up with a 2 1/2 lb trigger pull. I tested the action again as before. But I did not get any accidental firings. Seemed to work fine. Took it to my range and fired a box of ammo. No problems. And again, I'm not a certified gunsmith, did this modification "at my own risk," and I'm not suggesting anyone replace a factory trigger spring with another spring not designed for that gun. Just reporting my results.
I uploaded photos of the two guns I worked on, and the targets I shot at 50 yards with the Remington 541-T Sporter using Federal Gold Medal Ultra Match UM22 ammo.
Rod
My second firearm is a Winchester model 69a. When I cocked the gun by working the bolt to the rear, then back forward, and rotating the handle down, put the safety on "safe," pulling the trigger, putting the safety back on "fire," then when I slightly raised the bolt without my finger on the trigger, the gun would fire. I disassembled it to clean the trigger housing and bolt. I removed the adjustment screw and trigger spring to clean in that area. I noticed someone had cut the trigger spring down to lighten the trigger pull. It just so happened that trigger spring was the same outside diameter and about the same wire diameter as the Remington 870 firing spring I used on the Remington 541. I had cut that spring in half to use it on the other gun, and the remaining piece was about 1/4 inch longer than the spring I removed from the 69a. I dropped it in the trigger spring cavity in the 69a housing, replaced the adjustment screw and screwed it in about half way. I tested the trigger pull with my Timney gauge. It was around 2 lbs. I turned the screw in another 1/2 turn and ended up with a 2 1/2 lb trigger pull. I tested the action again as before. But I did not get any accidental firings. Seemed to work fine. Took it to my range and fired a box of ammo. No problems. And again, I'm not a certified gunsmith, did this modification "at my own risk," and I'm not suggesting anyone replace a factory trigger spring with another spring not designed for that gun. Just reporting my results.
I uploaded photos of the two guns I worked on, and the targets I shot at 50 yards with the Remington 541-T Sporter using Federal Gold Medal Ultra Match UM22 ammo.
Rod
glad you got them working great !
