modify rekord trigger

[Tom1340]

I want to lighten the 2nd stage pull weight on my r9 trigger.  The lightest stable setting I can achieve with the adjustment screws is heavy enough that it wears me out after 15 or 20 shots, and my shooting suffers.  I believe that by moving the 2nd stage “bump” on the trigger blade forward a little bit (marginally closer to the 1st stage bump), I could lighten the pull while still maintaining a good spring pressure and safe sear engagement.  Has anyone done this?  Are there any aftermarket trigger blades with this feature?  Yes, I know the r9 is not designed as a target gun, but that is what I use it for.  Thanks

[Stinger177]

I have been in and out of Rekord triggers many more times than I've been alive (and I am old, trust me).

I have NEVER had a Rekord trigger tire me out, even factory adjusted. I have adjusted them to the scary point of them almost firing on their own - Don't go there!! - again, trust me.

One can do further adjustments in the first stage, but you'll have to remove the trigger block and know what you're doing.

I notice that you say "screws" (screws - plural). There is only one screw from the bottom that one has access to without removing the trigger block itself, so exactly what screw(s) have you been tweaking?

You can buy triggers for it that have a more rearward setback, reducing the LOP (length of pull), and that may help you. I have never heard, or even read it suggested, to move the second stage "bump" more forward. The interaction between first and second stage should be completely adjustable to your liking with the available factory designed adjustments.

I am not near my guns right now, but I suggest you PM Ron (Bayman, here in GTA) and ask his advice.

If you need further advice, please feel free to respond, either in this thread, or by PM.

IMO, the Rekord trigger is one of the best engineered of any that I have fired.

 

[Roadworthy]

One possible solution is going to youtube.com and doing a search on Rekord trigger adjustment.  You will learn a lot about how that trigger works.  My basic understanding is that the second stage sets the point at which the trigger fires.  The first stage controls movement up to that point.  The first stage has more leverage for an easier pull until you hit "the wall" which is where the second stage comes in.  Properly adjusted most of your pull should be pretty easy, it's only the firing where the pull gets harder.  Dismantling and polishing the sliding surfaces will significantly improve trigger operation but whether to get involved that deeply in the trigger is best left with people with experience.  Polishing incorrectly can ruin a trigger.

[Bayman]

There's three adjustments on a Rekord trigger.

The first and least known is the metal tab that hangs down frim the housing in front of the trigger blade. That's used to adjust first stage travel. Bending that tab backwards will reduce first stage travel to almost nothing. It's a good cheat to set back the triggers resting position so it's more reachable. It does nothing to change the break point. I don't recommend eliminating all first stage travel because it helps prevent bump fires on a trigger that's set too light. This tab is easiest to adjust with the trigger guard removed.

The second adjustment is the big soft aluminum screw behind the blade. This is the most used adjustment. Hence there's a hole in the trigger guard to access it. Turning the screw out reduces trigger pull weight. Turning it in obviously increases it. It's said that turning it out too far can result in the trigger not reseting. I've never experienced that, but I've had where turning it out too much causes the trigger to lose first stage return from the second stage wall. Basically if you come back to the second stage without firing the trigger blade dangles loose and doesn't spring back to the first stage position. Every rekord trigger has its own limit to how light you can get the trigger down to with this adjustment screw. Most will get down to a pound of a little less.

The third adjustment is the Torx 9 screw. It's accessible only with the trigger guard off. For good reason this screw is know as the "Forbidden Srew". This screw can get you in a lot of trouble. Trust me on this there's a pellet in my old shop ceiling and neighbors garage to prove it.

This screw adjust sear engagement. If you turn this screw in too far the trigger will not set.  Turning the screw in reduces sear engagement. This reduces trigger creep and to small degree pull weight. There's a circular window where sear engagement can be checked. Even though that window exist the trigger behaves differently under the spring pressure of a cocked rifle. A trigger that tests ok out of the rifle may fire the instant you take the safety off. Or it may bump fire in actual use when it didn't out of the gun. If you dare mess with this adjustment I recommend you make adjustments in eighth turns or less. Changes are drastic and come quickly.

I'm not going to address stoning and polishing because I don't do it unless there's a visible flaw or uneven wear. I believe there's more to be lost than gained doing this. Some people swear it makes a huge difference. Frankly I've never noticed that but that could just be me. Without polishing I get most of my rekords down to a smooth clean 8-10oz break. I've gotten a couple down to a safe 5oz. Safe as in won't bump fire.

The rekord trigger is a pretty magnificent piece of engineering if you consider the amount of pressure it has to restrain compared to the amount of pressure it takes to release it. Officially I don't recommend you mess with your triggers and I don't for others. Use this information At your own risk.

HTH
Ron

[Tom1340]

Thanks all for your comments.  Ron, your notes inspired me to finally buy a trigger pull gauge.  Mine comes in at 14 oz.  This is lower than I expected, and am surprised that it sometimes tricks me into unwanted hand motion.  So I suspect my technique is part of my problem.  I'll work on this.  My pull weight screw returns the trigger from the 2nd stage wall to a fresh 1st stage position, but without room to safely reduce spring tension further.   There is room to reduce sear engagement, so I may play with the torx screw a bit more, now that I have gauge to measure results.  So far, I have not planted any pellets in my ceiling. 

[Mark 611]

I'll make a comment on this, NCED and I have posted a lot on this subject, IMO, if you want to make you REKORD trigger very good? buy a ROWEN extra set back trigger blade to start, I personally do not bend the tab in the front of the housing to adjust first stage travel, to adjust the REKORD trigger, you need to stand the rifle so the barrel is pointed upwards, adjust the big silver screw out until the trigger blade drops down and just stops falling downward, you have to watch this closely, as you turn this screw out you need to watch the blade drop as soon as the blade no longer moves while turning out the silver screw STOP! turn it back in about 1 1/4 turn, then adjust the #8 torx screw inwards to adjust the second stage break, this can all be done with the trigger guard removed and its easier to do so! once you find the adjustment on the #8 screw your trigger should have a long pull that stops on a solid wall, then breaks without thinking about it! this will yield a very light and safe trigger in the ounces range, but I will say if you're not use to shooting a trigger set up like this? you will have to adjust your finger to do so!

[Mark 611]

P.S. this is for those who don't know how to adjust these triggers, that BIG screw sticking out of the trigger guard is not the do all screw! if you adjust it out too far! the gun will fire as soon as you push off the safety button! that's how people get holes in their ceilings or worse! also, if adjusted out too far the screw will keep on loosing up and will fall out! adjusting the #8 torx screw will probably take several attempts to get the correct adjustment, yes that means firing the gun every time you make an adjustment, if you over adjust the #8 screw, the gun my not lock up or have a straight pull through with no 2nd stage at all, there is a fine balance on these adjustments, some of the #8 screws I have adjusted over the years have a lot of inward adjustment before I got them in enough to get the adjustment I wanted about 2 turns inward, I would suggest you make 1/8 to 1/4 turns at a time with the #8, also do not try and adjust both screws at the same time, adjust the BIG screw like I described to start, then make only the #8 screw adjustment until you get that right, then you can tweek it, but I would not at this point make any further adjustment to the BIG screw out wards my 2extra CT

[nced]

I'll make a comment on this, NCED and I have posted a lot on this subject, IMO, if you want to make you REKORD trigger very good? buy a ROWEN extra set back trigger blade to start, I personally do not bend the tab in the front of the housing to adjust first stage travel, to adjust the REKORD trigger, you need to stand the rifle so the barrel is pointed upwards, adjust the big silver screw out until the trigger blade drops down and just stops falling downward, you have to watch this closely, as you turn this screw out you need to watch the blade drop as soon as the blade no longer moves while turning out the silver screw STOP! turn it back in about 1 1/4 turn, then adjust the #8 torx screw inwards to adjust the second stage break, this can all be done with the trigger guard removed and its easier to do so! once you find the adjustment on the #8 screw your trigger should have a long pull that stops on a solid wall, then breaks without thinking about it! this will yield a very light and safe trigger in the ounces range, but I will say if you're not use to shooting a trigger set up like this? you will have to adjust your finger to do so!

+2

Concerning the "tab bending". This tab can be used to adjust the 1st stage travel however I also prefer not to mess with it.............


I prefer to have my second stage pull sufficient to notice the "wall" after finishing the 1st stage travel. I adjust the 2nd stage trigger pull exactly Mark explained. My brother on the other hand didn't like his Rekord two stage action so he bent the "1st stage tab" to remove all 1st stage travel before adjusting the 2nd stage "silver screw". I prefer to know exactly when thesear will trip whereas my brother prefers to "be surprised" by the sear break.........

[Stinger177]

Concerning the "tab bending". This tab can be used to adjust the 1st stage travel however I also prefer not to mess with it.............

Ed, what is you that sent me a replacement casing after I broke that tab, and after you broke one as well?

 

[nced]

Concerning the "tab bending". This tab can be used to adjust the 1st stage travel however I also prefer not to mess with it.............

Ed, what is you that sent me a replacement casing after I broke that tab, and after you broke one as well?

 

Nope, However I did have a Rekord that broke the "deformed tab holding the aluminum adjustment screw".............

Actually, that tab broke where it was connected to the trigger housing due to "hamfisted operator error". After a few years of "excess amounts of trigger adjustment" the tab had "wallowed out" the aluminum adjustment screw enough that it would back out under recoil so the trigger pull became lighter and lighter with use. I attempted to fix this issue by adding some "extra bend" to the tab to once again grip the adjustment screw. Well, the attempted "extra bend" only served to crack the tab at the housing. My "solution" was to replace with a used Rekord trigger housing from my parts bin.   

I don't mess with my trigger housing anymore and I did find a "solution" to a trigger screw that lost it's tension. I started cross drilling and tapping the adjustment screw for a nylon insert at the tab like this...........


A couple home made Rekord trigger adjustment screws...........


Anywhoo, after threading the nylon screw through the tapped hole it is cut flush with out outside of the adjusting screw threads and when the adjusting screw is screwed through the trigger housing the nylon insert ends are compressed into the bent tab threads and maintains a snug fit, even when readjusted.   

[Tom1340]

I readjusted my trigger using the Mark/Nced method.  In my case, it involved tightening the "weight" spring, and reducing the sear engagement.   My overall pull weight dropped by an ounce or so.  It also shifted more of the required pull weight to the first stage, so when I reach the 2nd stage "wall", it is not as big a jump to get the trigger to break. I believe this is an improvement....time will tell.  Thanks

[Jason_Garvin]

Good information here as usual.  Once I have set all of my triggers, they stay put and I leave them alone.

I do take up a bit of first stage slack, but just a little.  I have played around with it over the years and have found that this system like some first stage slack and functions better with it.  Most notably when taking up the first stage and then letting off not taking the shot.

The trigger weight screw, I tend to see that it has two points of contact, thread engagement through the bent tab, and one thread or so in the housing.  I always bend the tab back slightly.  This area is also degreased and I use a drop of fast set clear fingernail polish on the thread contact and you can watch polish pull around in a circle.  Works like a charm.

Like Ron above and others, I don’t stone anything and don’t find a need to in these rifles.  I like a clean function that breaks well and is safe and repeatable.  I do soak mine full of aerosol Remoil and blow them out.  I grease the sear, piston catch, and that catch to the sear lever.

Years ago I did tons of work in Ruger 10-22 triggers.  The first one we did was a home job.  Gentle polish, sanding, etc.  As many are aware you need to be careful not to break your hardness by going to deep depending on in what you are working with.

That first 10-22 felt wonderful for sometime, however one day started tri bursting.  Tearing it down I believe it wore quicker in areas such as the sear due to the polishing.  I found aftermarket parts with proper heat treat to work better in the long run.

I had just taken the stance on my rekord triggers, that I am going to tune them to my liking and leave the rest alone.

One thing you don’t see mentioned often is before putting my stuff to use after going through one is, I will cock and load one, take the safety off, point it in a safe direction and smack the butt pad hard with my hand, then a rubber mallet.  Making sure it doesn’t discharge by smacking it.


Jason

[eeler1]

Part of the genius of the Record trigger is that you can take the unit out of the gun and make adjustments without having to worry about putting pellets in the ceiling.  Just be careful to keep all the pins in place.  Easy and safe way to test stages and pull weight.  Then, put it back and then fine tune as needed, safely as mentioned earlier.  Check on youtube, lots of videos on the record.

[Tom1340]

.....IMO, if you want to make you REKORD trigger very good? buy a ROWEN extra set back trigger blade to start, ......

 I just read up on the rowan setback trigger.  They tell a good story, but $63.... I do not have large hands, so a closer trigger might be helpful.  I wonder if these are in common use amongst HW and Beeman shooters.  Is there a preference for set back vs. xtra set back?

[Mark 611]

JMO, I use the extra set back style triggers, they change the fulcrum point or leverage it takes to break the trigger, it also brings you trigger finger back so you're not reaching out with the tip of your finger to pull the trigger, the extra set back allows you to get the center of the pad of your finger on the blade, and yes these triggers are very common in use especially across the pond and in the U.S. every HW I have has an extra set back trigger in it! I personally love this style of trigger, and won't use anything else, I have some of my rifles with the T.R. Robb extra setbacks in them a cheaper DIY finish yourself ruff cut blade, but they work and less than half the cost of the ROWEN, but the ROWEN is top notch!!!! these triggers will change the game, I'm sure there are some you out there who don't realize that making the proper trigger adjustments to your HW's will change how they shoot, a good tune and set up REKORD trigger along with a good, tuned power plant is what make these rifles outstanding in accuracy! I'm Talking hole in a hole accuracy if you are doing your part? your trigger release is a big part of the accuracy

[Nitrocrushr]

I always set mine up out of the rifle on my bench.  I just tuned up a new Rekord trigger assembly this afternoon with a Rowen blade installed.  Light polishing of sears and lightly lubed.  Finished up with an 8oz pull and feels very smooth with a crisp break.

With the Rekord triggers out of the rifle just be careful not to let that top sear flip to far around when testing.  Doing so will allow it to spin around and smack the bottom sear assembly which can cause dimples in the outer plate where it touches the trigger blade.

Steve

[eeler1]

You can put a pin through the holes in the frame and it will keep the top sear from flopping.

[Tom1340]

My right hand has been the weak point in my hold.  To get the pad of my finger on the trigger, I need to choke up on the wrist of the stock.  This puts my trigger finger at an angle relative to the length of the rifle and it is awkward.  It wears me out and I am soon introducing rotational or vertical stress with my hand.  I’m 5’9” with proportional hands, so I doubt this problem is unique to me. 
I installed my new Rowen xtra setback trigger 4 days ago.    I can now comfortably maintain a symmetrical hold on the pistol grip portion of the stock, with my finger pad comfortably on the trigger.  When I squeeze the trigger, I am pulling straight back in line with the rifle.  The improvement has been impressive.  Thanks Mark for suggesting the Rowen.

[Razor62]

Something that I haven't seen mentioned in this thread, yet. There's a window in the trigger housing which allows you to see exactly how much sear engagement you've got while adjusting the "forbidden screw" (#8 Torx screw)

[Methuselah]

My Remington Express is said to have a clone Rekord trigger group. It matches geometry of what I've seen pretty well save for the case.

Would that Rowen setback trigger work on it? I too find I have to "reach" more than I like.

Of the adjustment procedure, mine had washers blocking the front screw. I'd seen posts saying remove two and check because that can put it on the hairy edge, but I looked at the sear engagement and was satisfied removing one - I like heavier than you guys are talking about anyway.