Crosman trigger - another go at it

[nervoustrigger]

About the only thing I do different is use a spent .22LR shell case as a "spring guide" instead of your plastic block.
Drop it in the spring from the top so the rim contacts the sear.
No doubt your square block fit the rectangle slot better but the .22 shell was super easy and eliminated the "catch" as the rear of the spring come off the back of the sear.

Thanks Scott.  The .22LR casing seems to work satisfactorily for most but after trying it on several guns, I realized it doesn't reliably prevent the spring coil from hanging on the edge of the cover plate (or the grip frame, just depends on which direction the spring is biased as it bends).  Granted it was always made a noticeable improvement but there were some triggers that would still have a hitch in the pull and the little block cured it 100%.  I made some out of Delrin which was tedious with my meager skills and tools but I'm thinking a little scrap of hardwood like cherry or walnut would be super simple to use and be plenty durable for what little friction is involved here.  I'm gonna give that a try soon and report back.

[nervoustrigger]

Hey, I want to give a sincere thank you to all you guys that gave such positive feedback.  I really do appreciate it!   

I don't know that it's worthy of being stickied, that's for the staff to decide, but it means a lot to me if it helps my GTA friends get more enjoyment out of their guns.

[Rick67]

Very nice write up, NT 

Made a simple mod on mine. This will make your trigger a single stage with no slack/take-up. Before you cock your bolt, put a piece of paper (fold it to make it thicker until you get the desired thickness) between the trigger and the frame and you will know what I mean. The paper acts as a tensioner, btw. You could also put a cloth in lieu of a paper for simulation. You would notice that without a tensioner, your trigger blade would bob up and down in cocked mode, right?



This small dome-shape rubber is from a disposable lighter. Just sand it to get to your desired thickness. I just glued it there.

[nervoustrigger]

Hi Rick, thanks for the tip.  I may try that with a small grub screw.  The pull isn't so long as to be a nuisance to me, at least not like some Gamo triggers I've seen, but trimming it a little would be nice.

Okay I just took my .177 HPA conversion (started as a 2240) outside for a few minutes to try it out.  It rained all day yesterday and all night so the target paper is waterlogged.  It's not my best shooting ever but considering it's just resting on a pillow and I'm bobbing up and down a bit, I am very happy with this.  The trigger tune was a big help.

[Rick67]

NT, the material needs to be rubber, at least a yielding material is my preference..On my other Crosmans that have this rubber mod, I need to nudge the trigger upwards for the sear to engage the hammer. Just got lazy sanding it to have that perfect thickness, lol!

Good luck!

[Techie]

Thanks for the instructions Jason.  I'm about to do it.  You said:

...but I'm thinking a little scrap of hardwood like cherry or walnut would be super simple to use and be plenty durable for what little friction is involved here

I'd say using a piece of maple would be better than cherry or walnut.  Much harder, denser, and tighter grained so can be polished to a smoother surface.  Maybe impregnate it with some moly or graphite powder too.

[nervoustrigger]

Good point about the maple, Mike.  I think the others would work just fine too but might as well use the hardest and tightest grain you have.  I intend to orient it so the end grain is against the sear and saturate it with cyanoacrylate if it looks like it needs it.  This approach can be used to make pretty durable machine threads in wood, for example.  End grain soaks it up nicely, and after sanding it down to 600 grit, it will have a perfectly level and low friction surface.

[Techie]

Good idea about using end grain and cyanoacrylate.  I'm a woodworker but never thought of that, or for using that method to make strong wood threads.  Thanks for the idea.

[nervoustrigger]

Okay, this is pretty funny.  Today I'm looking at the little spring guide I made...



And I suddenly realize I'm looking at a Lego piece.  We have 5 boys aged 2 - 12, and consequently enough Legos to start our own Lego museum.  So I rummage though one of the many organizers filled with Lego blocks and pull out a couple of similarly sized pieces.  Over to the calipers and it's precisely 0.31" square.  No kidding, exactly the same cross section as the one I made.

It works like a charm:


The little cap on top is a smaller diameter so my 1/4" ID spring isn't a snug fit but it has no negative effect and the trigger works just as smoothly.

[K.O.]

LOL  LOL

you can call others Lego rifles/pistols but now we have proof... Crosman/Benji is THE "LEGO" Brand..

[Hoosier Daddy]

I suddenly realize I'm looking at a Lego piece.

[CraigH]

I'll be looking for a Lego piece to replace clevis pins currently in use!   

[Old Corps]

EUREKA!!! That's pretty cool that the Lego part just happens to be the correct dimensions.

Ed

[K.O.]

and works/fits like it belongs their...while maple is one of the more dimensional stable woods it does swell and shrink with temp/humidity...

[silent_airman]

Extremely well done, Jason!   Good to see the dimensions for others to use.    The sears are so distorted when stamped that a file is the first tool necessary to get them reasonably flat.   That factory sear to sear spring interface is an abomination.   I have been (when not doing a hundred other things) trying to reshape sears to a rounded interface with the spring guide.   Hope that comes to importance after Chief and Maximus and much other work.

To keep the ball and spring in place I dab a little silicon grease on the spring and it holds onto the ball and keeps the whole thing in place within the frame. It does not interfere with the normal safety operation. Just a little trick I learned.

[silent_airman]

Okay, this is pretty funny.  Today I'm looking at the little spring guide I made...



And I suddenly realize I'm looking at a Lego piece.  We have 5 boys aged 2 - 12, and consequently enough Legos to start our own Lego museum.  So I rummage though one of the many organizers filled with Lego blocks and pull out a couple of similarly sized pieces.  Over to the calipers and it's precisely 0.31" square.  No kidding, exactly the same cross section as the one I made.

It works like a charm:


The little cap on top is a smaller diameter so my 1/4" ID spring isn't a snug fit but it has no negative effect and the trigger works just as smoothly.

Just a thought Jason, but what if you cut a groove in the top of the Lego block to help keep the sear from moving laterally? Combined with those Delrin washers, you could have a nice tight yet freely moving sear. Just a little idea I might try sometime soon.

[nervoustrigger]

Great minds think alike!  One of the guys over on the CAPOF mentioned that he used to fabricate a part like this with a notch for the sear, pretty much because it seemed like the right thing to do.  But he went on to explain he determined it made no difference so he stopped.
 
I simply mix a little slow cure epoxy (30min) and fill up the pocket on the Lego piece, just to the point where the pool is a few thousandths proud.  Slow cure not because the working time is useful but because it tends to cure to a harder, low-friction surface than the slow cure stuff.  Then once it cures, I sand it flat against a piece of glass using 320 -> 400 -> 600 grit and at that point it’s nice and smooth.  It’s such a good fit to the channel in the grip frame that it doesn’t tip sideways or anything like that to adversely affect the pull.

[bandg]

Excellent write up/pictures and good supporting ideas from many.  This type of information makes this site invaluable. 

[USAFANG6799]

A bit late to the trigger mod party but looking forward to try this on my 2240.

Many thanks!

[silent_airman]

Great minds think alike!  One of the guys over on the CAPOF mentioned that he used to fabricate a part like this with a notch for the sear, pretty much because it seemed like the right thing to do.  But he went on to explain he determined it made no difference so he stopped.
 
I simply mix a little slow cure epoxy (30min) and fill up the pocket on the Lego piece, just to the point where the pool is a few thousandths proud.  Slow cure not because the working time is useful but because it tends to cure to a harder, low-friction surface than the slow cure stuff.  Then once it cures, I sand it flat against a piece of glass using 320 -> 400 -> 600 grit and at that point it’s nice and smooth.  It’s such a good fit to the channel in the grip frame that it doesn’t tip sideways or anything like that to adversely affect the pull.

Good info! Well, looks like I will be making a detour into the toy section on my next Wal Mart trip! What I love about the Crosman trigger is it's simplicity and the parts are cheap and plentiful so it just begs for experimentation, not to mention easy for klutzs like me to work on!