Q's on doing the poorman's trigger job..

[vhince524]

i plan on applying the poor man's trigger job on my nork internals.... i read that one will use a polishing stone and a .020 feeler gauge to make the secondary angle on the sear, my question is, instead of using the stone, can i just use a 1500 grit sandpaper pasted on a really flat surface as a substitute? couldnt find the right stone anywhere near my place..... and another question, i want to measure the trigger pull... do I have to use an RCBS trigger pull scale or can I just use any ordinary (but high quality) hand scale available?

[Hawkmoon]

1) Sandpaper may not be tough enough to remove metal. You might do better to use whatever stone you can get, then lay a piece of extra fine emery cloth (or, better, crocus cloth) on it for final polishing. But stones aren't hard to find.

2) The problem with a fishing or game scale is that the maximum reading isn't recorded. A trigger pull scale marks the highest reading (either with a slider for the mechanical ones, or electronically for the fawncy ones) so the reading is preserved after the trigger releases the sear.

[Canuck-IL]

A 2 sided Arkansas stone, commonly sold as a knife sharpener, would be better than sandpaper. If you aren't using a jig, you at most want to polish - not remove a serious amount of material. A smooth pull is a lot more significant than a really light trigger.

To measure trigger pull, I'd rig up some dead weights from a wire hanger, similar to the 'official' NRA weights. Weigh some scrap lead, bullets, water in a bottle, whatever you can get weighed to the nearest 1/4 pound or better and hang it from the trigger (with the grip safety engaged) - once you're close, confirm several times with a few ounces more and less.
/Bryan

[sevenL4]

The 'crush' factor of the paper will prevent you from getting a dead flat surface no matter what you use for a backer/sanding block. A ceramic or genuine arkansas stone should be available at a good hardware store or a sporting goods store that sells lots of knives.

[John]

Don't you have a knife store in your area? Ask for a stone they use for sharpening knives. I have a Larsky kit and I am using the stones from the kit to do trigger work.

[Canuck-IL]

You can find the stones in WalMarts, Lowes, Home Depot, etc.
/B

[wichaka]

Use a fine or x-tra fine stone.

Once you get the secondary angle done, you will have a semi-sharp edge at the point of the primary and secondary angles. You want to just 'break' this sharp edge......so using the x-tra fine stone, roll the sear nose over 1-2 times while taking a light swipe with it.

[vhince524]

thanks guys... I thought that those stones are exclusively for gunsmithing only bec I almost always read that they're available from brownells... I asked a couple of stores here if they had india stone or ceramic stone and they do not have an idea what was I asking.... now, its clear to me that those stones are the same as what you use for sharpening knives... its because we call them here (Philippines) differently. thanks again, im sure I'll be able to get one the next time I go to the hardware store. ;)

[John]

I use the medium stone from the Larsky kit to create the secondary angle and the extra fine to smooth it and break away the edges.

[niemi24s]

Hi Vhince 524: If you are not too familiar with the various types of sharpening stones and terminology here in the U.S., an excellent introduction is available in the McMaster-Carr catalog on page 2600. This is available online at www.mcmaster.com.. When the home page opens up, enter "abrasive file" in the Find Products box and you'll open up page 2600.

Most hardware stores here in the U.S. don't carry them, and I usually have to get them from an Industrial Supply Company or order them from McMaster-Carr myself.

Once you get to page 2600, use the "<Page>" feature at the top to leaf through the catalog. Enjoy. Cheers.

[T-TAC]

Go to the "Technical issues" part of this forum. See "Poormans Trigger job". 1911 Tuner has just what you are looking for.