set trigger

[harley bill]

I have a custom 50 cal. Hawken with a lock problem. The set trigger is stamped 14 and has a very heavy spring on the set trigger. how does this work with the lock?
I was pretty vague with my question but I thank you very much for the responses. My original problem started when my main spring (coil) broke. I fixed the spring. After re-assembling I could not cock the hammer to half or whole unless the rear trigger was set. It seems this is how the lock works on this gun. The spring on the set trigger (rear trigger) is so heavy it will not allow the sear to engage.

 

[M.E.Eldridge]

Do you mean how does the set trigger work internally or do you want to know what it does? I can't help with the former, but the latter is quite simple. The rear or set trigger, when pulled back reduces the amount og trigger pull needed to fire your rifle with the actual trigger. I effect, the set trigger manually turns the front trigger into a hair trigger.

 

[sundance44s]

sundance44s

There should be a tiny little screw between the set trigger and the main trigger ... if its not there it could be missing ... but anyway if its there ya screw it in to adjust the hair trigger lighter and screw it out to make it stiffer . just don`t screw it all the way in cause yer hammer might fall from cock .

 

[ArmedBear]

Wait...

The SET trigger is heavy? Meaning the secondary (99% of the time rear) trigger you pull in order to set the trigger that actually fires the gun (99% of the time front)?

That might be normal. If the lock has a strong spring, then it might take a strong spring in the set trigger to trip the sear.

That's why you have a set trigger: so you can have a strong lock spring that allows for a short lock time and a heavy load, but you don't pay the price with a heavy trigger pull.

So it depends what you mean...

I'm assuming you mean:

Rear trigger "sets" the front trigger.
Front trigger fires the gun.
Rear trigger has a heavy pull.
Front trigger has a light pull.

Is that accurate? Or do you mean something else?

And the adjustment screw should be there as sundance says.

 

[harley bill]

That is how it works but I had never seen a muzzleloader that had to have the rear trigger set in order to be able to cock the piece.

 

[ArmedBear]

A modern rendition like the T/C Hawken has a couple of features that differ from the originals, as far as I understand it.

1. The front trigger will fire the gun whether or not it is set; it just has a heavier pull if it's not set. This is intended for hunting, so you don't get that "oh, crap!" feeling when you try to take the shot and nothing happens. It also makes it easier to lower the lock.

2. The lock can be cocked without setting the trigger (I'm sure this varied on the original guns; maybe someone can shed more light on it.

For all I know, your trigger is normal on an original gun (or a faithful contemporary muzzleloader built to an original design).

I'd ask the maker.

 

[ribbonstone]

Yep...they did make triggers that had to be set in order to fire the rifle. Weren't real popular "back in the day" and are supose to be used on match guns where the always super light trigger is appreciated, but they did make them...and make reproductions of them.

Basically, the back trigger did NOT contqact the sear bar at all, it's job was to only cock the set of the front trigger. The set (the part that flies up when the front trigger trips) is under heavy spring pressure...often so heavy that it's impossible to go to full cock without setting the trigger.

Idea was to speed up the set trigger and the lock's action...heavy spring driving the set to speed things up. The bad news for anything but range use is that the ONLY way to fire is to set the trigger at 1/2 cock.