Anyone have any experience with....

[Intrepid]

Re-assembling a Belgian copy of a British Bulldog in .44?

I'm having a devil of a time trying to get the trigger return spring to stay compressed and latched under the trigger until I can get the trigger screw back in.
I'm beginning to suspect that the lip on the trigger where the spring engages is too worn down, yet it worked fine before I (foolishly) took it all apart...
Any thoughts? Tricks?

 

[scianna54]

They are a little tricky. Keep trying. I did it a few times and remember that it was tricky but that's about it. I think you have to push forward since it always wants to pop out.

 

[gewehr76]

V spring has to go in to the frame first. The kink of it has to be in the frame then you have to lower the trigger on it then compress them down together untill trigger hole aligns with the frame for bolt to go through.

 

[Intrepid]

Thanks fellas, I'll keep trying

 

[Old Guns Canada]

Putting the spring in first and then trying to align the trigger under pressure is one way, albeit more complicated. The easier way is to assemble the trigger with the hand and sear in place (leave the hammer out for now), attach the trigger guard so the sear does not flop down and place securely in a padded vise. Using two flat-head screw drivers, place the spring in the well and while compressing it with one screw driver to get the spring under the lip of the trigger, push the end toward the trigger with the other screw driver, and into the well. It should pop right in at this point. Once it is in place, take a center-punch and make two good marks on either side of the spring well, close to the edge to drive some of the iron inward. This will prevent the spring from popping out again. It's tricky but it works. To get the hammer back in place, pull the trigger to the rear-most position and insert the hammer in the cocked position. Align the hole, insert the screw and move to the fired position. You should hear the click of the sear, and the trigger should move forward freely. Note that the trigger return spring may go in only one way. Sometimes the angle of the spring's leaf will impact how the trigger resets, and on some springs the top and bottom are of different lengths. Hope this helps.