drilling for triggerstop

[stardust tommy]

I've bought a S&W mod 66 6" for fun and backup

I'm trying to dril my trigger for an overtravel screw but the trigger is verry hard. even cobalt drills won't start cutting.

I have a mod 10 with an overtravel screw mounted in the trigger and a 686 with the overtravel screw in the frame, so it must be possible to drill the trigger :-)

anybody some good advise?

gr T

[Braxton1]

Most all internal parts of a Smith are case-hardened. That's a process where the surface is heated up red-hot and then dipped in a carbon or bone powder. The part is heated again to red-hot and then quenched in water or oil to lock in the carbon. It makes the surface of the part harder than woodpecker lips, but doesn't require the technical savvy of full hardening.

To drill through it, you'd first mark the spot you want drilled. CAREFULLY, using a small grinding point, grind away a few thousandths worth of material to break through that skin. Underneath that, it should drill easily.

[okshootist]

I spot with a carbide center drill, then follow up with a 135 degree carbide drill at fairly low speed. Tapping can be troublesome with the case hardened triggers. Patience and a new, t.i.n. coated tap are helpful. I'm assuming you have a solid setup in a mill or quality drill press.

[RevolverJockey]

I would drill the hole from the back and install a fitted piece of a roll pin like the PC does. This would best be done by a machnist with an carbide endmill. Let a professional do it or you might be buying a second trigger.

Lee

[bikerburgess]

I tried to drill my 625 trigger for a stop and had the same problem, I eventually gave up and put epoxy putty on the back of the trigger and molded it into a trigger stop. Its not the prettiest thing in the world but it works great and has never come out of adjustment.

Mike

[Carmoney]

You can put the trigger in a vise with the trigger sticking up, which will allow the vise to function as a heat sink to protect the bearing areas where hardness might actually matter, then heat the trigger with a torch until it's cherry red, let it cool slowly, then it will drill just fine.

Better yet, you can install a new internal trigger stop by making an oversized trigger stop pin from a piece of drill rod, then fitting it inside the rebound spring/slide.

Then again, I think trigger stops are BS for double-action work anyway. As I mentioned in the other thread, the last thing you want when rolling a DA trigger is for the trigger to be "stopped" while the bullet is potentially still in the barrel. What you really want is not a trigger stop, but a nice smooth follow-through to your DA pull.

[stardust tommy]

I found te tip of the triggerstop rod on the S&W forum, looks like it comes standard on some N frame revo's

maybe I trie to heat the trigger to dril the hole.

I don't like te serrated trigger so I wil be grinding the serations away, will that remove the case hardening? will have to remove some of the back of the trigger to...

al my other revo's are DAO, with the overtravel screw set so it won't cock to single action (the hammers are bobbed so that doesn't help also) and never had trouble's or dips when the hammer hits the primer. hamers are also much lighter (not carmonized ;-) )

thanks for the tips

gr T

[Patrick1981]

You can put the trigger in a vise with the trigger sticking up, which will allow the vise to function as a heat sink to protect the bearing areas where hardness might actually matter, then heat the trigger with a torch until it's cherry red, let it cool slowly, then it will drill just fine.

Better yet, you can install a new internal trigger stop by making an oversized trigger stop pin from a piece of drill rod, then fitting it inside the rebound spring/slide.

Then again, I think trigger stops are BS for double-action work anyway. As I mentioned in the other thread, the last thing you want when rolling a DA trigger is for the trigger to be "stopped" while the bullet is potentially still in the barrel. What you really want is not a trigger stop, but a nice smooth follow-through to your DA pull.

Hello Carmoney !

You say -oversized- pin beacuse the original one is too slim and can go up and down inside the rebound spring ?

Thanks

[Carmoney]

No, I mean over-size in terms of length. In my experience, the stock internal trigger stop is too short for optimal function as a trigger stop in DA mode.

Again, I'm not a big believer in trigger stops for DA revolvers, but when I used them in the past I used a slightly longer piece of drill rod and then ground it to the right length, using trial and error method, taking only a little off at a time.

During that trial and error process, you will want to be careful not to bend the dog pin behind the rebound slide by cycling the action with the side-plate off.