Reducing Savage Trigger Pull

R

RickD

Moderator
On the cheap.

Having just received my new SharpShooterSupply trigger (I will install it after I do some more testing with my stock trigger), I find from my brother, the Savage afficionado, that there is a method to reduce the pull of the Savage trigger for zero dollars.

Method 1:

Remove the trigger return spring, place the short end in a vise and give it a short heat treatment with a propane torch. That takes some of the temper out of the steel. Some have even taking that spring and filed a few thousandths off one side of the spring in addition to the heat treating.

Method 2:

Go to a piano store (one that tunes pianos) or a piano tuner and ask for about three inches of .049 inch piano wire.

Bend the piano wire in the shape of the factory trigger return spring and you will likely have a 50% reduction in trigger pull.

Make sure to adjust the sear and safety engagement.

Or you can spend $85 on a SharpShooter trigger.

Rick
 
Regarding method two...

I have that piece of .049 paino wire and it cut my trigger pull at least in half (by feel, don't have a guage). Nice, crisp and light.

HOWEVER, if I work the bolt hard and slam the bolt home and lock it (as if cycling a round...really hard), it "fires" (drops the firing pin). Not having done this on a live round, I don't know what will happen.

The new trigger is great...I need to work on the trigger, though, to keep it from "slam firing"...perhaps bending the wire to increase tension just slightly...it does it about 50% of the time I slam it, which is 100% too often. If I work the bolt "normally", it's fine.

TimW
Phoenix
 
Depending upon your date of manufacture, there is an adjustment screw to take care of that.

Does anyone have a URL with a Savage Trigger diagram?

Rick
 
Why not buy a good rifle with an adjustable trigger to begin with. For $85 dollars more you could have bought a rifle you could be proud of.
 
You show your ignorance. The Savage trigger is adjustable.

If you have nothing substantive to add to the discussion, I invite you to go waste others' time and bandwidth in different thread.

Rick
SubMOA Savage
 
Since the Savage has a fully-adjustable trigger, per Rick, couldn't you take care of the slamfire problem by adjusting the engagement?

There must be a lot of ignorant mullies out-and-about, as most serious Savage shooters seem to be too ignorant to truly appreciate their stock triggers and wind up going for an aftermarket trigger.
 
Yes, and as I mentioned in my original post....

Make sure to adjust the sear and safety engagement.
Click to expand...

There is nothing ignorant about replacing a stock trigger with a better one. It is done on Savages, and, I have a sneaking suspicion that Jewel and Timney triggers can be found on other sub-standard rifles such as Remingtons, Weatherbys and others.

My post was to show that it is not necessarily necessary to spend the extra bucks to improve the Savage trigger.

Be that as it may, just reducing the spring tension and adjusting the sear, etc is just the first step. It is said that one cannot stone the surfaces on the Savage, but it can be done. The difficulty is that Savages are case-hardened and too much stoning can work through to the softer metal.

What must be done with a stock Savage trigger is to stone the engagement surfaces and slightly change their angle. Another thing that can be done to Savage, and Remington triggers it to apply a dab of "NeverSeize" lube, which is available from all sorts of suppliers, including most car parts shops. Just the addition of slickery lubes will not only reduce the trigger pull by itself, but it will smooth it out as well (yes, even in a stock Remington trigger).

The other problem with a stock Savage trigger is that even though you can tune it pretty well, after several hundred shots, the Savage trigger becomes quite variable. But, during that time, you can save up for a SharpShooter trigger.

BTW, my .75MOA 10FP was done with a non-adjusted stock trigger that breaks around three kilograms (6.6 pounds) and it will only get better, even if I don't replace the trigger. How much does your Remingtong cost, again?

Rick
 
RickD

I plan to adjust the screw, but I need to find a diagram so I know what I am doing...I think there's one on http://www.snipercountry.com, but I haven't had the opportunity to look for it.

FWIW, it looks as if my trigger has only one adjustment screw, at the back of the trigger area. There is another screw at the front, but it is accessible only through the bolt release and only if the trigger is removed, since the magazine well prevents access.

Once I get this part taken care of, I don't think I'll be doing anything else...I'd be surprised if this trigger is over 3 pounds...down from somewhere between 5-8 pounds (using dumbbells...I don't have a scale).

TimW
Phoenix
 
Savage factory trigger

I couldn't find a diagram but here's the "how to" article from Sniper Country:

http://www.snipercountry.com/trigger.htm

The author claims that this adjustment on his factory Savage trigger is comparable to the Jewell trigger on his Winchester 70. The "pull weight" adjustment screw is vertically oriented and the "sear engagement" screw is horizontally oriented. My Savage 10FP is a new rifle and I haven't shot it yet, much less taken it apart.
 
I paid $479 for my 1/4 m.o.a., .223, Rem. VS. More recently, paid $510 for a .243 Rem. 700 VLS, that'll sure shoot better than .75".

I have a friend who shoots a Savage. After he installed the Sharpshooter trigger, he was ecstatic with his Savage.

How much is your Savage with a real trigger and an H-S Precision stock?
 
Savage triggers

If you want a diagram and a complete description of how to work on a Savage trigger, look in the Tech section on Varmints Den (varminthunters.com). From what it says' I'd be real, real leery of just changing the wire or using a propane torch. They REALLY stress how to check so inadverdent discharge.

That being said, I just sold my like-new Savage 110 .223 today (traded on a Ruger 300 Win Mag). In this litigation crazy world, I just don't want to imagine myself on the witness stand explaining to the plaintiff's lawyer how I worked on the trigger of my rifle to save $85 as the widow sits there watching. I consider myself to have considerably above average mechanical ability, but it's just not worth it to me. You can be as macho as you'd like, but I've testified in court and you can trust me that it's no fun. Lawyers and courtrooms have a way of making you humble in a hurry.

Be safe and have fun.
 
Savage shooters who know what they are doing have no problem swapping springs or adjusting sear engagement. You do adjust other replacement triggers, no?

I wonder who it would sound to a jury when they find out that the Savage owner swapped out his stock trigger, one originally designed for the Australian (or was it New Zealand army) to be adjustable *up* to 10 pounds). And imagine what the jury will think when they found out your trigger is called the "SharpShooter" trigger. You are surely doomed (same goes for Jewel, Canjar, and Timney for other rifles).

To be fair, my .75 MOA Savage is a .308, not a .223 and did its groups on the 6th through 10th (and last, so far) shots. This was done with only two brands of ammo. I have not had a chance to develop accurate handloads. I have little doubt that I will soon have a sub .5 MOA rifle. My brother's .22 cal Savages (.223 and .22-250) shoot under .2 and .3 MOA. Savage rifles shoot better as they approach 100 rounds. Can't speak for Rems or others.

It appears that my brother and I saved $100 per rifle over what you paid for your Rems. With the money saved, I will be buying a Dewey cleaning rod, scope level, trigger scale, some match bullets, match brass. The budget-minded shooter can buy a lot of extra stuff.

As for the new stock. I won't bother. I'll channel the forearm and insert fiberglass arrow shafts and dump in some two-part polymer.

All is well.

Rick
Penny-pinching subMOAer
 
My Savage project rifle was really the first one I'd played with. With a little mechanical aptitude, I had no trouble figuring out what the screws did and adjusting the trigger. Found the unsafe engagement point and backed off one full turn. Crisp, light, and smooth. Don't know why anybody would have any problems with the Savage.

I'll go further. The Savage is the SECOND most accurate factory rifle I've ever dealt with. The Remington 788 is the most accurate. I think the Remington 700, Ruger, and Winchester rifles are good, but the most Bang for your buck comes with the two most accurate of the bunch. I'd rather Savage take a little more time deburring and refining their rifles and sell them for about what the others sell them for. Not their nature, but I'd buy them.
 
Hmmm I'll admit my 116's trigger is stiffer than my 70's production 110B, but BOTH shoot sub MOA all day long (provided you let the barrel cool off after 2-3 shots) even with factory stuff. the 110B can still get 3/4 inch groups and the 116 1/2 inch 3 shot groups

I'd like a 'softer feel' on my trigger and while i know its adjustable I've never messed with my trigger since i tried it on my 110B and discovered the 'auto fire' feature closing the bolt (it wasn't loaded) but i decided right there that i'd leave that kind of work to a gunsmith rather than trying to 'do it myself'. I may do this this summer but I've killed a lot of game with it 'as is".

I realize TFL is full of knowledgable smiths and custom builders, but I'd match my 'stock" 116 against just about any other rifle off the bench at 100 yards. In the field is another matter, the gun shoots better than I do for certain and I'm not a very good shot past 350 yards but my 116 is a hunting rifle not a target/varmint model.

If I was going to buy a "long range" or dedicated heavy varminter I'd start with a Savage 112.
 
Walter:

Im glad you got a good deal on your 700 VS.. but unfortuneately it is very rare to find a VS for 479.. normally they are closer to 679 and up.. i was asking how much is it worth(how much it would cost a normal person) not how much you have in it.

just bad communication on my part

thanks
 
Again on the Savage trigger..

Sorry if my reply offended you. Didn't mean it that way and in fact was trying to help with the http://www.varminthunters.com website. As I said before they really stress how to check for safety. If you haven't had a chance to check it out, it may be a good idea. Not everyone has good mechanical ability or good sense. I assume you are different.

I have no problem with Savage rifles. If I had to bet on meat in the freezer, I'd pick the guy with the beat up 30-06 before I'd pick the dude with the new shiny super whiz bang magnum. In my case, the scope needed repair (probably replaced) and I was going to replace the trigger. I had a chance to buy a custom .25-06 with a McGowen barrel, top of the line Burris scope, Timney trigger, and really nice Fajen stock for $495. I could trade for about $500 less than upgrading the Savage.

The only problem with Savage shooters is that they try to defend their choice. I personally don't care whether anyone else likes my choices or not. If I could find an inexpensive rifle that shot great, I'd be quite content with the the knowledge that I could do as well as something that cost much more.

The only point I would take issue with is that fact that you think you're cheap. You haven't seen cheap until you've been around me. I got married two years ago and inherited the most fantastic daughter in the world. She was a city girl that was uprooted to the country. Today she and my wife were scrounging recycling yards for scrap metal for our latest project. That girl's come a long way in 2 years.

Hope all your rifles shoot .2's.
 
YoYo: I bought the VS five or six (maybe 7) years ago. Even then, $479 was a pretty good price. I mentioned the VLS, as I bought it this past fall, in .243. Would have bought a Tikka Continental, but they weren't going to be imported in .243 until this year.

I wound up swapping the .223 and .243 actions/stocks. I didn't notice any deterioration in accuracy in the .223, but did notice an improvement in the .243, using the VS stock.

I've seen VS's go for under $600, fairly recently.

I looked hard at Savages, before I bought the .223 VS. At the time, I don't think that Savage made the .223 in a short action, as they do now. I just didn't like the long action; didn't like the feel of the bolt action; hated the trigger.

I haven't regretted buying the Rems. Will probably try Tikka next.
 
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