Cost of a trigger job?

[JeffDilla]

This may be too general of a question, but what can one generally (or reasonably) expect to pay for a trigger job, mainly on a revolver? I'm thinking to smooth out the DA pull. I know there are probably a lot of variables involved, so forgive me if its not answerable as posted. Thanks.

 

[easyrider604]

JeffDilla, have you bought your revolver yet?

I'm not sure if this is the right answer to your question, but the best trigger job I know is dry-firing and live-firing the gun. So my answer is a trigger job is "free".

Two steps in getting a good trigger:
1. break-in the gun's trigger mechanism and
2. work on muscle memory and strength in your forefinger.

The most involved trigger job I had was changing my S&W 686's springs with a Wolff kit (and that brought on its own idiosyncracies). But I still had to work on the trigger finger to achieve decent accuracy and speed.

IMO, most S&Ws have great triggers from the factory. Recent Rugers are almost as good as S&Ws out of the box. After less than a thousand rounds .38/.357 through the GP100, DA pull is close and the only major difference between it and my 686s is the SA pull.

In all S&Ws I've fired, the SA is like the proverbial glass rod breaking, crisp with no creep. The GP100's trigger is creepy but the remedy can be a DIY job following the outstanding Iowegan's IBOK article on the GP100.

 

[MrBorland]

I typically see gunsmiths advertise revolver action jobs anywhere from $65 to $150. As you point out, there seem to be a lot of variables - the $150 version may include steps the $65 version doesn't. Best to look into each or to call the 'smith directly.

 

[Headless]

In my area, I paid 65$ for the trigger job on my S&W 642. It brought the stock 12lb+ trigger down to under 8lb's - which is still plenty heavy enough but isn't a chore to pull without my hand shaking either One thing to consider is that you may have to wait a while for your pistol to come back. For example, in my case it took 8 weeks before i saw my guns again. Check with the gunsmith(s) you intend to use to see how backlogged they are before you commit to buying a pistol and immediately having work done on it. 3-4 weeks was no big deal but i was getting mighty antsy around 7 weeks since he had all but 1 of my guns

 

[JeffDilla]

easyrider, I haven't bought a revolver yet, I was just curious because trigger jobs seem so common and I've been wondering what something like that would cost if I ever decided to get one done. I've also read, like you said, that sometimes dry firing and live firing are the best ways to do it, and then there are the spring kits that you can do yourself, etc. Thanks for the info

 

[highlander 5]

Depends on the revolver you get. Rugers have what's called a 5 min trigger job. If you take off the grips you'll see the legs of the trigger springs try taking one leg off the pin that it rests on and try the action to see if there's any difference. This will work on their Single or double action revolvers. Had a Wolff spring kit put in a SA Blackhawk that made a world of difference.

 

[Nowhere Man]

$16.95 http://www.bang-inc.com/store/index...s_id=7&zenid=6f8d3c164902e019a41cc0e6784fa702


Dave

 

[lesjones]

My last two triggerjobs on S&W revolvers cost around $70 each, which included the cost of the springs.

Couple things:

- New S&W triggers are not that great. I don't know why people gush over them. Every one I've tried has had a pull weight greater than the 12 lb max of my trigger pull gauge.

- The "pulling trigger to break it in" thing isn't total BS - it will help smooth things out a bit - but it will not drop a 14lb trigger to 9lb. You'll need new springs to do that.

 

[Saab1911]

Trigger jobs will cost around $100. And your gunsmith will charge more if
parts need to be replaced.

By the way, a really good gunsmith can do a trigger job in about 5 minutes.
So, I have no idea why trigger jobs cost so much.

 

[Sunray]

"...the best trigger job...is dry-firing and live-firing..." That's not a trigger job. Nor is it the best. That's wearing the parts smooth over time. It doesn't drop the trigger pull or give you a lighter, crisp trigger let off.
A trigger job involves polishing the internal parts(any place where metal meets metal) including the mating surfaces of the sear and hammer and changing the springs as a minimum. Just changing the springs will make a difference.
All firearms(the Colt Python was the one exception) come out of the factory with poor triggers due to frivolous law suits. A good, safe trigger job isn't difficult to do yourself. However, some revolvers, like Smiths(The rebound spring assembly needs a special tool), require special tools to get the parts out without damaging them or having springs launch across the room into the Twilght Zone.
Doing a Ruger GP100 is a piece of cake. No special tools required. Just take out the innards, polish(use jeweller's rouge and a cloth wheel in a bench grinder or emery cloth) the sear/hammer, the side of the hammer(they tend to rub on the frame) and change the springs. NB: No files or removing any metal. Polish only)

 

[greyling22]

a smith's not that hard to do. all I needed was 1 extra hand. later saw a guy make that special tool by grinding the left half off a cheap flat blade screwdriver. wolf spring kit dropped my pull from about 4lbs SA to about 1lb.

 

[machinisttx]

"...the best trigger job...is dry-firing and live-firing..." That's not a trigger job. Nor is it the best. That's wearing the parts smooth over time. It doesn't drop the trigger pull or give you a lighter, crisp trigger let off.
A trigger job involves polishing the internal parts(any place where metal meets metal) including the mating surfaces of the sear and hammer and changing the springs as a minimum. Just changing the springs will make a difference.
All firearms(the Colt Python was the one exception) come out of the factory with poor triggers due to frivolous law suits. A good, safe trigger job isn't difficult to do yourself. However, some revolvers, like Smiths(The rebound spring assembly needs a special tool), require special tools to get the parts out without damaging them or having springs launch across the room into the Twilght Zone.
Doing a Ruger GP100 is a piece of cake. No special tools required. Just take out the innards, polish(use jeweller's rouge and a cloth wheel in a bench grinder or emery cloth) the sear/hammer, the side of the hammer(they tend to rub on the frame) and change the springs. NB: No files or removing any metal. Polish only)

Sigh...

Any action job on a revolver performs EXACTLY the same function as shooting it--with the exception of changing the springs.

You either polish the internals through use, or manually with the use of tools.

 

[rj112275]

Just a quick $0.02, but Ruger GP100 and SP101 trigger jobs are very easy, a change of springs and some polishing. Easy disassembly and reassembly. I haven't tried any other brand revolver. The cost was springs, and sweat equity.

 

[jad0110]

Any action job on a revolver performs EXACTLY the same function as shooting it--with the exception of changing the springs.

That may be true in some cases, but it depends on how good the trigger pull was to begin with. If the trigger is loaded with creep and has a sloppy, inconsistent letoff, use won't make too much (if any) difference. I have a S&W 686 with thousands trigger pulls on her (both live fire and dry) and the DA trigger is still not that great. Not what I would call "mediocre", but not much better honestly. It has noticeable creep, the pull itself is rough and the let off is junky with a lot of overtravel. And I do remove the sideplate and clean it out/relube it every 500 rounds.

I also have a '59 M17-0 K-22 with a trigger that I would describe as "good". Not "excellent" or "superb". It doesn't have any creep, and the pull is reasonably smooth, but the let off isn't that great. And only God knows how many rounds that gun has seen.

Back to the OP's question though. It depends on how good of a trigger pull you want. The average action job will cost $150, give or take $50. A good action job isn't just about spring swapping. All spring swapping will do is lighten the pull. A lighter pull masks other crap that might not be right with it. Sure, my Springer 1911 had a light SA pull out of the box. But it was junk otherwise. In addition to polishing the appropriate contact/friction points, the "timing" of the lockwork (for lack of a better term) will need to be fine tuned. I guess you could call it fine tuning/fitting of each individual component so that everything works together perfectly, like a fine watch. If you want a pull that breaks like a glass rod, and is velvety smooth like a pre-war Smith or Colt, expect to shell out $300 plus. That's the kind of feel I want for my Smiths. Makes me misty eyed just thinking about it .

Again, it just depends on what you are looking for. Do you want the Chevy or the Caddy?

I've had an action job performed on my 1911, as it had the lousiest trigger of any of my handguns. And lousy is being kind. It was definitely worth the money. Before the trigger job, I could only muster 6" groups at 7 yards. Now I can make a big ragged hole at the same distance if I do my part. 3" groups are more common (unsupported). My 686 will be next, followed by my 642. I just have a lot of other things going on that are eating at my budget right now.

 

[threefeathers]

Think Bill Springfield. He just did my HK USP9 and will do a P2K LEM smoothout for me later this week. About 55 bucks which includes shipping back to you.