Who has the best prices on replacement triggers? I'm looking for one to fit the M700.

Jewell, RifleBasix, etc?

jewell.

Shilen's trigger is $78, Timneys is $84, Rifle basix $80 to $110, Jewel is around $200. Let you do the math.

[ 03-08-2003, 03:37: Message edited by: Customstox ]

To expand on Chic's post a bit...

Shilen's 2 oz competition trigger is about $100. I have two Jewells, a bunch of Timneys, and a recently acquired Shilen comp. My hunting guns get Timneys, and I'm going to Shilens for all of my tactical/target rifles. They are every bit as good as Jewells, at half the price.

Timney triggers aren't as adjustable as Shilen, hence better for hunting rifles then target. Canjar is still in business (and makes great triggers) but the waiting period can be quite long. - Dan

How does the Rifle Basix stack up against the Timney(2-4lb model)? I have a Timney on one rifle and thought I might try the Rifle Basix on another.

One thing i have noticed is most of the aftermarket triggers for a given model are similar. Cannot get too radical in design since it still has to fit the factory action. Some do offer more adjustment etc, but some also require you modify such things like the stock. I like Timney, they are cheap and smooth.

I had problems with a Rifle Basic,do a search.The sear was warped and didn't reset,I got no help from them.Others have had problems with service, too,Avoid them

Since I don't shoot Remingtons...I use mostly Blackburn triggers on my hunting rifles, Mausers.
They are steel and not cast and sit back in the trigger guard where a trigger is supposed to be.....

Are any of the above mentioned aftermarket triggers two-stage models, or are they all single stage?

What about a replacement trigger for a Brno 601 in .223 which purchased used, only came with the funky straight trigger? What will fit? Thanks for any assistance or if anyone knows of a facory trigger for sale.

Mike, my hunting buddy had a custom rifle built last year by a local gunsmith, using a Shilen trigger. I built my own using a Jewel. My trigger is set a 2.5lbs pull weight, the Shilen is suppose to be set at the same weight. When my buddy shot my rifle he swore my trigger was 1lb lighter than his. Out came the scale, mine was 6oz heaver than his! Mine was on the money at 2.5lbs. Yea, the Shilen is cheaper, there's a reason I refer to them as Shitlen.

Cold-Bore,
The last Timney I had was junk. I ended up with the original trigger back in the rifle. I have found with a little polishing and a lighter spring you can do wonders with a Rem. factory trigger down to around 11/2lb pull. Lower than that I would definitely go aftermarket.

Rem. 222

Which aftermarket trigger is the best (not necessarily cheapest) depends on the use to which you wish to put it.

Shilen triggers are a rework of the basic Remington trigger design, using/adding a 3rd lever. To perhaps over-simplify, the more levers you use in a trigger, the lighter you can make the pull while maintaining approximately the same amount of scear engagement (for safety purposes). There are several makes of modified Remington triggers on the market. Shilen is as good as any of that particular geometry.

One of the problems of adding levers to any trigger is that each lever contributes a tiny added fraction of a second of lock time...thus allowing the target or the shooter greater opportunity to move or wiggle while the trigger is working its way through to release of the striker or hammer.

Another way to lighten triggers is to redesign the geometry of the trigger. That is what Arnold Jewell did when creating his trigger.

I can't recall the issue month, year, or #, but several years ago there was a thorough write-up of the geometry of the Jewell trigger vs. both standard and modified "Remington" triggers, in Precision Shooting magazine.

I have seven or so benchrest rifles at the moment, all equipped with Jewell "benchrest" ("2 oz.") triggers. In my opinion there is no Shilen or other modified Remington trigger that approaches the Jewell in dependability. Apparently most competitive benchresters feel the same, if you look at the match equipment lists. I initially started out with Shilen triggers, of which I now have an unused drawerful, so this statement is from my own particular experience. YMMV.

One of the major weaknesses of modified Remington triggers or Remington-style triggers is the tiny spring that is used to reset the scear. The spring weakens or breaks easily, and can be lost easily. That scear spring has failed in most of my Shilen triggers, and not just once. The same is true of the several private makes of modified Remingtons which I have tried. But then, benchrest rifles are generally fired a great deal more often than hunting rifles, so perhaps higher breakage is to be expected.

Another potential problem is that Remington style triggers may release the scear when the rifle is suddenly jolted hard. According to the PS article, and my own experience tends to bear this out, the Jewell triggers tend to jar INTO full scear engagement when suddenly jolted, rather than OUT of engagement...which should make them safer over the long haul than modified Remington-style triggers..

Both styles of ultra-light triggers are particularly susceptible to dirt. Small bits of grit in either may prevent the scear or trigger levers from fully resetting, which in turn may allow the striker to over-ride the scear when the bolt of the rifle is closed. That, as a result, may cause the equivalent of a slam fire...ie., the rifle may fire as the bolt closes.

It is important to periodically clean and preventatively maintain 2 ounce triggers. With Jewell triggers, they are very easily disassembled entirely, cleaned with a cleaner such as brake cleaner or contact cleaner, dried with compressed air, then reassembled. Some Remington-style triggers are very difficult to entirely disassemble and clean. At least that has been my experience using my hands (which have the equivalent of 9 thumbs and one large toe for fingers).

In my opinion, no make of benchrest trigger has ANY place in the field in circumstances where a gun may be carried loaded.

For rough hunting use, I happen to like Model 70-style triggers and the basic Mauser style. Having shot 1.5 kilo triggers in competition for years, I do not find that 3.3 lb or heavier trigger to be much of a handicap, if professionally worked to break cleanly.

For a 2-1/2 lb or so trigger, I have had no problems with several Timneys used over the years.

For really light triggers, I'll stick with the Jewell, thank you. For the level of performance and reliability received, nothing is less expensive to my way of thought.

AC

[ 03-25-2003, 04:03: Message edited by: Alberta Canuck ]

I was surprised at the amount of work it took to install a Timney after-market trigger on a M70 at one time. At least for me, this was definitely not a "drop in" operation. OK ok, I know that I'm not the world's most talented guy with my hands (understatement of the year ), but installing that Timney right was definitely a gunsmith job as far as I'm concerned. (I have actually had a smith "adjust" a Timney such that the gun automatically fired when the safety was taken off - most interesting effect!). The problems involved with the installation mostly seemed to center around dimensional differences, and having to drill certain parts - if memory serves?

I don't know if the above problem is limited to the Timney triggers, and I must say that the ones I have had (2 on Mausers, 2 on M70s, 1 on an Enfield) were more than servicable once properly installed and adjusted. Trigger pull slightly "mushy" though. See below for comparison.

In Europe, trigger pulls (talking hunting rifles here) are usually held a good deal lighter than in the US. I suppose it has to do with all those pesky set triggers people seem to dote on over here...?? Anyway, seems to be a fact of life, don't ask me why.

Having to shoot both European and US rifles side by side, made me wish that I had a trigger on my M700 that could be set as light as my European triggers. We are talking around 600 grams here (22 - 23 avoirdupois oz). Not exactly 2oz territory, but this allowed me to have the same trigger pull on my range rifle as on my primary hunting rifles.

Got a Jewell, I'll never look back. This is the best and most easily controllable trigger I have ever shot. Unfortunately, there are triggers I have not tried, so I can't state the Jewell is THE BEST trigger, but it sure beats anything else I have tried. Try one, I'm sure you'll like it (if not necessarily the price, around $200+).

- mike

I would not own a hunting rifle with less than a 3.5 LB. trigger, it might be cold, I may be wearing gloves, it might get exciting and Lord knows what??? Crisp is the secret...If I can pull a trigger 4 or 5 times I don't really care what it is within reason...I have use military triggers so much as long as I KNOW when it is going off I'm OK...Some can't handle this but for hunting it is a must IMO. I don't like surprises of any kind, especially triggers.

Have any of you had experience with Bold Triggers.
They are inexpensive and seem to do ok on my mauser.
Frank

I have one Bold trigger for Mausers and 25 Mausers. The bold will not be thrown away, but will go on one of the least favorite.

I don't have any other aftermarket triggers except a JP on an AR15, and I don't like that either.

I like to do my own trigger jobs on a Mauser:
1) Replace the the spring with one with three times the spring index [ratio of coil to wire diameters].
2) Mill a flat spot on the trigger and Silver Solder and piece of steel that is then drilled and tapped for a sear engagement adjusting screw.
3) cut a piece of nail to the precise over travel and put it inside the trigger spring OR drill and tap the spring shroud on the sear piece for an over travel adjustment screw and relieve the stock for that screw.

My own Mauser trigger jobs will adjust down to 9 ounces with a reasonable amount of safety for range shooting, but I can't get any better groups in an AR15 with a one pound trigger compared to a four pound trigger.

Just an aside to this thread, some double-set triggers can be set incredibly light and remain reliable so long as you do not slam the action around.

I have an 1885 Swiss Martini Schuetzen Rifle by Corbaz of Geneva that has a set of 5-lever double-set triggers either made by or copied from Hammerli. These are currently set at between 1/8th and 1/4 of one ounce and are quite dependable. This trigger set is so light I have no really 100% accurate manner of weighing the pull weight.

To use them, I set the rear trigger then lay the pad of my right fore-finger against the side of the front trigger and press slightly and gently forward. When I want the rifle to fire, I simply relax my finger.

Very light, but because of the 5 levers, a slow lock-time for a Martini. So, you do have to "follow-through" when using it.

Okay for offhand target shooting, if you keep in practice with them, but defnitely NOT the thing for field use.

AC