This is the story of how I broke my rifle while installing trigger shims and springs on a CZ452. Crap. 
I have a cz452 silhouette (blued action and barrel, plastic stock) and love it. Its a fun little .22. The trigger was not bad, but I read a few accounts of how great the Eric Brook's trigger kits are - and they're only $15... What could go wrong?
The kit includes four shim tubes to take up trigger creep, and 4 springs to reduce trigger weight. Supposedly, you can swap them in to make a nice light crisp trigger. OK simple. Lets rock!
I start with the thickest shim, and put in the lightest spring. Hey, if its safe, I'll go with it. On reassembly, the trigger doesn't seem to work at all. WTF? I see it no longer engages, and the firing pin drops on bolt closure. No big deal, next shim, more springs, I'll find a good combo....
I move through the next shims, heavier springs and things get better and better.
I get the trigger to engage, but then it goes off when I close the bolt hard. Thinner shim, heavier spring...
I get the bolt to close, but then the trigger goes off when I tap the butt of the stock. Thinner shim, heavier spring...
I get the trigger to hold when I tap the butt, but a conk on the floor and it goes off every time. Thinner shim, heavier spring...
Finally, the thinnest shim and the heaviest (2 - 2.5 lb ) spring seems like a good combination. Trigger feels great, action seems safe. My hand is sore from bumping the gun to try and make it go off. I conk it on the floor and it doesn't go off. It really seems safe.
So how safe is safe enough? I ask myself what I can live with. I want the gun to be fun, but the thought of an injury due to accidental discharge make me ill. I'd like to shoot this gun with my son one day. I don't really like conking the butt of my gun on the floor, but its got a squishy rubber pad on the end, and pretty well everything else on the rifle is made of steel.
OK - Ten conks on the floor and we'll call it safe.
Bump, bump, bump, bump, bump, bump, bump, bump, bump, click.
The trigger goes off with conk ten, oh and hey look a giant crack in the stock just behind the receiver tang. Crap.
Just then my wife come in and says: "Hey Hun, do you want some ice cream cake?"
I want some frikken' ice cream cake!
The worst part is there was really nothing wrong with the gun when I started.
I'm not sure what the moral of this story is, but it seemed like something which should be posted on CGN. I'll take pictures if this thread generates any interest...
KFB
BTW: In this story a "conk" on the floor is me holding the gun by the barrel vertically, and dropping it on its butt about 12"...
See carnage on page 2...
I have a cz452 silhouette (blued action and barrel, plastic stock) and love it. Its a fun little .22. The trigger was not bad, but I read a few accounts of how great the Eric Brook's trigger kits are - and they're only $15... What could go wrong?
The kit includes four shim tubes to take up trigger creep, and 4 springs to reduce trigger weight. Supposedly, you can swap them in to make a nice light crisp trigger. OK simple. Lets rock!
I start with the thickest shim, and put in the lightest spring. Hey, if its safe, I'll go with it. On reassembly, the trigger doesn't seem to work at all. WTF? I see it no longer engages, and the firing pin drops on bolt closure. No big deal, next shim, more springs, I'll find a good combo....
I move through the next shims, heavier springs and things get better and better.
I get the trigger to engage, but then it goes off when I close the bolt hard. Thinner shim, heavier spring...
I get the bolt to close, but then the trigger goes off when I tap the butt of the stock. Thinner shim, heavier spring...
I get the trigger to hold when I tap the butt, but a conk on the floor and it goes off every time. Thinner shim, heavier spring...
Finally, the thinnest shim and the heaviest (2 - 2.5 lb ) spring seems like a good combination. Trigger feels great, action seems safe. My hand is sore from bumping the gun to try and make it go off. I conk it on the floor and it doesn't go off. It really seems safe.
So how safe is safe enough? I ask myself what I can live with. I want the gun to be fun, but the thought of an injury due to accidental discharge make me ill. I'd like to shoot this gun with my son one day. I don't really like conking the butt of my gun on the floor, but its got a squishy rubber pad on the end, and pretty well everything else on the rifle is made of steel.
OK - Ten conks on the floor and we'll call it safe.
Bump, bump, bump, bump, bump, bump, bump, bump, bump, click.
The trigger goes off with conk ten, oh and hey look a giant crack in the stock just behind the receiver tang. Crap.
Just then my wife come in and says: "Hey Hun, do you want some ice cream cake?"
I want some frikken' ice cream cake!
The worst part is there was really nothing wrong with the gun when I started.
I'm not sure what the moral of this story is, but it seemed like something which should be posted on CGN. I'll take pictures if this thread generates any interest...
KFB
BTW: In this story a "conk" on the floor is me holding the gun by the barrel vertically, and dropping it on its butt about 12"...
See carnage on page 2...
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