Daisy 880/901 trigger mods

[avator]

Yeah, some of us just take for granted that the flat spring is essentially the first thing to go. That really lightens the pull. The CC mod shortens the pull but also sets the trigger's home position more to the rear. Grinding shortens the pull leaving the trigger's home position forward just as it is stock. Basically not affecting the safety at all, but again, baby steps. To go even further... while you have the trigger and sear out of the group, hold them together and simulate the moving as if the trigger were being pulled. It becomes apparent where they rub and make contact with each other. These are the areas you will want to polish and apply preferred lube. I use moly paste because it tends to stay put better. You don't want to remove any material, just smooth it up and much as possible. I also cram a dab of moly in the holes where the pins go in. The nibs on the clamshells hold the pins so they can't slide out once the gun is back together. The top of the "square block" and the bottom of the "hook" also can be smoothed and lubed. I like to leave the edges where the "hook" leaves the "square block" sharp. (not rolled) This makes a very crisp break. Remember, any material you remove changes things.... a lot!

[dukja]

The credit card mod that I proposed (see the independent thread) will be reversible and easy to fine tune.  You might want to check it out.   

dukja can you do me a favor & post the link to your thread. New here & still trying to learn how to navigate your site.

Here is the link:
http://www.gatewaytoairguns.org/GTA/index.php?topic=116786.0

[Yng@hrt]

Dukja, thanks for the link. Great description & photo's (I'm a visual learner...or maybe technically challenged) . I certainly want to give this a go but like Bill mentioned; baby steps (kinda like that one). ? though; Scott mentioned the card mod nullifies the safety. Is this the case with your method?

Not really a hard core competitive shooter (not by a long shot  ). A 1lb pull would be great but not for my boy's or future grandkids. However, I like the idea that shims can be placed at different thicknesses to adjust to anyone's comfort level & it is reversible.

For now I think I will start by removing the flat spring & see if that is enough for what I'm looking for. If not, on to step two.

Thanks guys. Great stuff!

Oh ya...& the mid barrel support.

[avator]

LOL.... don't forget the cup shim, silicone caulk in the butt stock, foam heat tape on the pump arm to reduce pumping noise and the other 9999 little mods that we all do.

[Yng@hrt]

LOL.... don't forget the cup shim, silicone caulk in the butt stock, foam heat tape on the pump arm to reduce pumping noise and the other 9999 little mods that we all do.

Definitely the silicone. Cup shim for sure if the card cancels out the safety. Foam heat tape? Lost me...(which if you haven't learned by now isn't brain surgery, or maybe it should be) 

[avator]

Just to reduce that clackety clack pumping noise so you don't scare everything within 100 miles away when you pump it. You can get rid of the spring that holds the pump arm closed because once your shim the piston cup the cam over holds the pump arm shut. Then you can put a strip of 1/8" self sticking foam heat tape in the channel to silence the pumping noise.

[Yng@hrt]

Ok...took about 1 hour to complete flat spring removal & straw barrel tape wrap. You guys are having way too much fun. I don't think I would attempt mods like these on my high powered rifles, but with this $40 pea shooter...made me feel like a gun smith  .  Nice improvement on the trigger. Although I am sure the card mod will come sooner rather than latter. But again, can anyone tell me if this card mod eliminates the safety?

I am sure the tape wrap will also be a big improvement. Tried counting the number of wraps but forget that idea (+ - + -) until it finally snugged up just about right.

Off to purchase a tube of silicone...

Bill...Thanks. Your right about the pump racket. Can you post a link to this mod?

[avator]

I'm not sure if there is a thread on it. You'll know the spring because you have to put it back in if you take the clam shells apart. The pump arm has a bit of a notch near the trigger guard that clips to the spring when you close the pump arm. Just leave the spring out. You'll want to shim the pump piston cup first so the cam over (pressure from the cup pressed against the nose of the valve) keeps the pump arm from flopping open. The main reason to shim the piston cup is to eliminate all head space. This will give you all possible compressed air into the valve with each stroke. The local hardware store sells rolls of closed cell 1/8" thick X 2" wide foam pipe wrap tape. They could even call it window/door insulator. One side is peel and stick. Just cut a strip to fit into the channel that the pump arm fits into when closed. It prevents plastic from smacking plastic while pumping. Some guys even use the fuzzy side of Velcro. If you just plink and don't mind the noise it's really not important. I just find it annoying and use it on all my pumpers.

[Yng@hrt]

Thanks Bill. Will attempt it for sure soon.

Back to the Flat Spring; I dry fired the gun & the trigger definitely appeared shorter. However, just finished firing a few rounds & I was mistaken. The only difference for me is the trigger pull is smoother but the travel is the same  . Anyway sure would like to try the credit card shim but if I am not mistaken, I think I read somewhere that this mod illuminates the safety, or did I mistake this mod for another? Someone...anyone?

[dukja]

CC mode will shorten the travel effectively.  Not sure about the safety since I never used it and have no chance to try it yet (work).

“THIS IS MY SAFETY, SIR.” - Black Hawk Down.   

[Yng@hrt]

Ok thanks. Any one else? Have you tried this "CC" mod & if so, does your safety still work?

Maybe it's just me but a gun w/o a safety isn't for me.

[Yng@hrt]

Scratch that. Checked some old threads & there isn't any interference with the safety. Will try this CC mod tomorrow. Sounds like a great idea. In addition, also need to buff all the rough edges of the trigger & sear, & re-tape the straw barrel (shots were everywhere  ) but I'm having fun.

Thanks guys.

One more thing; since I will be buffing these parts what oil should I use? 30 weight non detergent oil? Any need to grease other parts? What kind of grease? Anything at Walmart I can pick up?

[avator]

I personally havn't tried the CC mod because I have had spare triggers laying around for various reasons to tinker with. I have seen at least one post that their safety didn't work after the mod. In all fairness to the CC mod, only that poster knows exactly what he did and how he applied the mod. Obviously the thickness of the CC affects the results. As for lube, as I stated before, I use moly paste from Jim Macarri. I have that on hand because it came with a few springer kits I ordered. As far as the flat spring... that has nothing to do with the length of the trigger pull. It merely makes it smoother and lighter and easier to cock the bolt. In my experience, the only way to shorten length of trigger pull is with the CC or grinding... I do remember something about a soup can mod but I never tried that either. Even as I type I also remember yet another way is to fill some of the notch on the safety bar itself with JB Weld. Never tried that either. When Stonykill wraps up his landscaping season for the year and gets back to the GTA regularly he is a wealth of Daisy information. You may also search his past threads on the Daisy.

[Yng@hrt]

Point well taken Bill. I decided to dive right in anyway & so far all is good with the safety. After 7 hours non stop, to say the results are amazing would be an understatement. This little guns trigger is sweeter than those on my high powered rifles. Hopefully I can figure out how to post pics & I will get some up before too long.

At any rate this is a summary of what I did;

1. Sanded all the burrs on both the trigger & hammer.
2. Buffed & polished all contact points including both pins.
3. Washed all parts with mild detergent & finished w/alcohol.
4. Here is where my method changed slightly; I mounted the shim on the trigger instead of the hammer (krazy glue). I found this spot a little easier to glue & file as needed.
5. Assembled, dry fired, & filed the shim several times until I had the right amount removed.
6. Lubed pin shafts, hammer & trigger
7. Re-taped straw barrel
8. Siliconed butt stock
9. Flat Spring (gone)
10. Rotated my 3x9 scope 90 degrees to get the windage out of the way.

Like I mentioned before...time consuming but the end result was well worth the effort! Hat's off to Dukja & Stonykill!

[Yng@hrt]

Here are the pics referencing the above post...

[avator]

Awesome job.. pics speak volumes. So many questions get answered through pictures. If I'm not mistaken, Dukja actually originally suggested the CC on the trigger. You did it correctly. Dude, you are going to be surprised what you've done for accuracy. Consider this.... I've found that even the 880 is going to have a favorite pellet.... ours happen to all three like the Winchester domes best of what we've tried. That is perfect for us because they are cheap and local ($4.59 for a tin of 500 @ TSC) We buy 4 - 6 tins every bi-weekly trip to town. Look around and maybe stumble onto a worn out metal receiver/metal pump arm beater and move all your tuned up guts into it. I pick my TW 779 or the 881 up and I can hardly put them down.

[Yng@hrt]

Thank you Bill. Means a lot.

Yes absolutely with regards to seemingly no limits as to what can be done with this model. Looking forward to trying out several different loads to see which ones this gun likes best. Thanks for your recommendations. Should quicken my search. Off to TSC in the morning for chicken feed. Will pick some Winchester's up while there.

Also looking forward to checking out the all metal conversions. I would imagine that if Daisy did that for us the $ amount for this model would go through the roof.

Thanks again.   

[dukja]

Nice work and I am glad that everything work out for you! 

Yes, the shim is supposed to put on the trigger.  And it is easy to try different thickness while the receiver is assembled.  No disassemble/reassemble is needed in the trial stage.

I am interested to hear that your safety still works.  In my case, I may push the thickness farther and my safety cannot be engaged (I finally checked it last night).

And thanks to the photo of CC mod.  When I invented it, I didn't know it will work so well, so i never take any picture of it.   

[Yng@hrt]

Thanks Dukja. Amazing mod you came up with. Brilliant!

As for the safety; Once the safety was released (gun under pressure) the gun fired. Happened a couple of times & then I felt something give as if though the safety mechanism seated itself. No problems since. Also banged on the gun a couple of times to make sure it wouldn't go off accidently.

I will pay close attention to the safety to make sure it's cured. Just curious; what is it about this mod that affects the safety's mechanism?

[dukja]

I have no idea why this mod may affect the safety, as I never used safety in my 10-m target shooting.   Someone takes a closer look at the safety mechanism may quickly discovery the possible solution.  In my experience with Daisy 853, I suspect the CC mod may case the trigger to moved and interfered with the safety rod.  I would imagine some notching work may cure the problem.

I am sorry that I am too busy to shoot my guns (let along to work on 880) at this moment.  Someone may come up a solution faster than I can atm.