Recommendations for a trigger for my 303

[peter2772000]

I've got a bubba'd 303 Enfield which was given to me by an old friend years ago. Never bothered firing it 'till last weekend. Scope was adjusted perfectly (1-1.5" above point-of-aim @ 50 yards), and I grouped 5 rounds at around 1". I was impressed.

The trigger sucks. So much creep that it's embarassing. Any suggestions? New trigger group or an easy mod?

 

[macadoodle]

someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I think your referring to the first stage on the enfield 2 stage military trigger. Except for my long lee, they're all like that.

 

[fat tony]

I have a Huber trigger I never used. . .

 

[louthepou]

I nicely adjusted Lee Enfield trigger is quite pleasant to use. It's a double pull. Can't remember off the top of my head the numbers though. Plus it's not that tricky to adjust the pulls, but it's a bit of fine work. Typically though, (in my limited experience anyways) a bad trigger pull on a bubba'ed is caused by badly fitted chopped forend around the receiver and trigger guard, or too many swapped parts with no care given to adjustment.

Lou

 

[TheTooner]

I've only fired them with the stock triggers, which I like well enough, having done most of my shooting with military rifles. But I hear the Can West trigger is good. The website says they are $139, (it says Ellwood Epps is a dealer) not including installation. Which you could perhaps do yourself, but still, understandable if you don't want to spend that much on a rifle that may be worth less than $200?

 

[bigedp51]

You don’t need a custom trigger, all you need is very fine wet and dry sand paper or stones and you can make the stock Enfield trigger slicker than snot on a door knob. Smooth the sear and cocking piece bent paying attention to the angle on the cocking piece bent and you will have a light trigger pull.

Go to a hardware store and have a thick piece of glass cut slightly larger than a sheet of wet and dry sand paper, apply water or oil to the sand paper on your new ultra flat sanding/lapping block.

You should be able to get combination packs of wet and dry sandpaper from 1600 to 400 grit and the finished surface will be mirror smooth.

 

[RRCo.]

double post

 

[RRCo.]

You tell 'em Ed.

If you can't find a chunk of 1/2" plate glass, go by the granite counter top place and pick up an offcut of black granite - unless you like pink of course - and voila! Instant surface plate...and your wife/GF can use it as a trivet when you're not lapping things on it.

 

[mmattockx]

You don’t need a custom trigger, all you need is very fine wet and dry sand paper or stones and you can make the stock Enfield trigger slicker than snot on a door knob. Smooth the sear and cocking piece bent paying attention to the angle on the cocking piece bent and you will have a light trigger pull.

Having read all of that great info, how would I go about achieving a sharper, cleaner, more defined break after the first pull? I have no complaints about the pull weight on my No.4 Mk.I, but it mushes through the second pull with lots of travel and hardly any "set" right before the break. Would I stone the full bent to increase the force required?

Mark

 

[peter2772000]

You don’t need a custom trigger, all you need is very fine wet and dry sand paper or stones and you can make the stock Enfield trigger slicker than snot on a door knob. Smooth the sear and cocking piece bent paying attention to the angle on the cocking piece bent and you will have a light trigger pull.

Go to a hardware store and have a thick piece of glass cut slightly larger than a sheet of wet and dry sand paper, apply water or oil to the sand paper on your new ultra flat sanding/lapping block.

You should be able to get combination packs of wet and dry sandpaper from 1600 to 400 grit and the finished surface will be mirror smooth.

My God, that is EXCELLENT!

This is exactly what I wanted. Only thing you didn't do is fly up to Montreal and perform the trigger job in person. I always liked people from PA

I had accessed some similar info on another site, but without pics I was hopelessly lost.

Thank you very much. I will definitley try it out. I already have the glass and sandpaper. Will give a report when finished...

 

[peter2772000]

someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I think your referring to the first stage on the enfield 2 stage military trigger. Except for my long lee, they're all like that.

Unless the two stages aren't well-defined, no. It just feels like an atrocious amount of creep

I have a Huber trigger I never used. . .

I may get back to you on your trigger if I can't slick up mine

I nicely adjusted Lee Enfield trigger is quite pleasant to use. It's a double pull. Can't remember off the top of my head the numbers though. Plus it's not that tricky to adjust the pulls, but it's a bit of fine work. Typically though, (in my limited experience anyways) a bad trigger pull on a bubba'ed is caused by badly fitted chopped forend around the receiver and trigger guard, or too many swapped parts with no care given to adjustment.
Lou

It's a possibility, but the fine gentleman who gave me this rifle is one of the most meticulous sob's I've ever known. Among the hundreds of other things around his home, he actually built his own fully-functional model steam train set. From scratch. I've never seen someone show so much patience and attention to detail.

I've only fired them with the stock triggers, which I like well enough, having done most of my shooting with military rifles. But I hear the Can West trigger is good. The website says they are $139, (it says Ellwood Epps is a dealer) not including installation. Which you could perhaps do yourself, but still, understandable if you don't want to spend that much on a rifle that may be worth less than $200?

I hear ya!

 

[louthepou]

Mark, there sure is a way to fine tune both pull so that both are crisp and the difference obvious. Mushiness can be eliminated, you just need to find the cause. Read bigdp51's excellent posted info (thanks eh, I was hoping that would come up! ), try the rifle without the forend and you should be able to adjust it so that it becomes reasonably pleasant.

Peter, same tip, try the trigger without the wooden forend. And go slowly on each adjustment. It's easy to remove some metal, not easy to add!

I find it particularly fun to adjust the weight by modifying the angle of the contact face on the cocking piece. That can be tricky. But, a very slight modification has very significant impact on the pull, so it's very satisfying when it all works well.

Lou

 

[louthepou]

We were posting at the same time Pete!

I'll add that I've seen some sporterized LE that were modified so that they would have only a single pull. More work to revert back to double pull. (Sometimes need to change the trigger).

 

[Elliott]

I'll add that I've seen some sporterized LE that were modified so that they would have only a single pull. More work to revert back to double pull. (Sometimes need to change the trigger).

I have a no.4 Mk.1 that has been sporterized and scoped for hunting by a previous owner somewhere along the lines. The trigger has been changed to a single pull trigger for hunting purposes. It was done well and is a nice trigger pull. I'm not sure if the trigger was modified or replaced, but it works well.

 

[bigedp51]

I’m an American and I have watched “Strange Brew” and “Ice Road Truckers” so I think I understand the Canadian language fairly well. I also studied the finer points of the Canadian language by watching “The Red Green Show”.

Please read the following from the Canadian No.4 Manual, the key words are “expedient means of adjusting trigger pull” and one word addressed to the Armourer “MAY” need to be corrected” (if it ain’t broke don’t fix it)

On the Mk.1 with the trigger mounted to the trigger guard the trigger pull was sensitive to bedding shifts, humidity, moisture etc. Also the trigger guard bushing controlled the angle of the trigger guard which effects trigger pull.

The British manual states that if the fore stock has more than .020 wood crush at the base of the receiver and trigger guard the fore stock was to be replaced, below are examples of wood crush that can effect trigger pull. The wood crush increases the trigger guard angle and effects how the lobes on the trigger function.

Now if a Canadian Ranger while drinking Strange Brew and watching The Red Green Show can figure out how to improve his trigger pull you other Canadians should be able to trust an American who speaks fluent Canadian you hosers.

Bottom line, most Enfield fore stocks suffer from wood crush and wood shrinkage, the stock was to be oiled once per month by the soldier it was issued to with “raw linseed oil”

Our wooden stocks have gotten smaller with age effecting trigger pull and bedding, we are not going to replace the fore stock with a new one, we are going to make “corrections” to the stock we have.

Below, wood shrinkage on a wooden deck after one year exposed to the elements, 90% of your Enfield problems are caused the wood drying out and wood crush. The first stage of working on your trigger is giving your stock a long soaking in raw linseed oil to help make it “grow and swell”.

Strange Brew part 2

 

[louthepou]

Well bigdp51, I already knew you and I had same taste in rifles, we'll have to add same taste in beverages too

 

[RRCo.]

I would just add to this that para. G. (i) above seems to suggest stoning the face of the cocking piece while it is still on the bolt, which is practically impossible. You'll have to remove it from the firing pin first. For that you'll need to buy or make the simple two prong tool to remove the firing pin. Unscrew the bolt head and look inside and you'll see the two notches the two prongs or pegs on the tool engage with. You can make a nice one out of a suitably sized screw driver.

If the face of the cocking piece is grooved, rough, not at right angles to the firing pin etc., you'll need to reshape/resurface it. You'll need a very good hand and eye to do that manually. Otherwise get it ground. Any sharpening shop should be able to do that for you if you show them what you need.

If the angles look good and it is just rough or grooved, I would lap it on a diamond lap by hand - if you have the 'feel' to be confident you can keep enough pressure on it to slide it back and forth across the plate, while not rocking it from side to side etc AT ALL.

You can clean up the surface of the sear as well the same way: roll it as you pull it along the lap to maintain the curvature of the tip, then flip it over and roll again. Each side you are effectively completing a 90 roll and and together you get the 180 degrees of the tip, more or less.

Ensure the cocking piece does not wobble AT ALL on the firing pin. If it does, centerpunch the end of the pin to enlarge it and thereby tighten it in the threads of the cocking piece.

You could also lap the face of the bolt head face after you remove the extractor if you feel confident. While you're at it, you might want to get some headspace gauges and check the HS.

You can also check the squareness of the bolt face to the chamber by putting some layout bluing on the bolt head and seeing if it bears evenly against the gauge.

First talk to your old friend though and see if he tuned up the rifle already as he sounds like he knows what he's doing.

The reason you hear people slagging the accuracy of Enfields is mostly that they are abused and neglected and then expected to perform like something that just left the factory.

 

[fat tony]

I think I'm falling in love with you Ed - welcome!

 

[peter2772000]

Now now, Tony....

 

[bigedp51]

I think I'm falling in love with you Ed - welcome!

Just remember Fat Tony, I may be cheap but I’m not easy