Homebrew Trigger Job Using J-B Bore Compound and Elbow Grease?

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CyBerlin

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I recently purchased an East German Makarov from the early 1960's.

The Single-Action trigger is nice and crisp but the Double-Action trigger leaves a lot to be desired. It's very, VERY heavy and not as smooth as I'd like.

I'm not prepared to do any homebrew polishing of the hammer, sear, and trigger bar by removing components from the gun and subjecting them to a polishing stone. However, I'm hoping that by patiently using some 9x18 Makarov Snap Caps and dry firing the gun (in both DA and SA mode), I can improve the trigger pull.

What I'd like to know is whether I can help the process along by using some J-B Bore paste as a lapping compound. Several years ago, I used J-B Bore paste on the bolt and safety tab on my CZ-452 Scout 22LR rifle; both of these steel parts needed a little help and the J-B Bore paste, along with several hours of manually working the action, did the trick. The bolt is now smooth as silk.

Can I do the same thing with my Makarov?

(And if this is a dumb idea, I apologize in advance.)
 
For what it's worth, I plan to disassemble the Makarov according to the following instructions:

http://myweb.cableone.net/leolani/mak-disassembly.html

If the feedback is "bad idea!" (for using bore compound), then I'll probably just lube any oil and metal-to-metal areas on the gun.

If the consensus opinion is that bore compound won't harm the internals, I'll probably use some J-B where the hammer, sear, and hammer bar touch each other, then spend a weekend dry firing the gun with some 9x18 Snap Caps.
 
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This is generally said to be a pretty poor substitute for a trigger job and a bit of a gun guys' old wives tale. (It is most often rendered as putting toothpaste into a revolver's action to loosen it up.)

Problems are, you can't control where the abrasive is going, and can't control what it is cutting. So in essence you're just wearing out the gun, in a random fashion, at an accelerated rate.

Of course, there will be plenty of folks who swear it has done miracles, but it isn't something I'd do to a gun I planned to keep and use.
 
This is generally said to be a pretty poor substitute for a trigger job and a bit of a gun guys' old wives tale. (It is most often rendered as putting toothpaste into a revolver's action to loosen it up.)

Problems are, you can't control where the abrasive is going, and can't control what it is cutting. So in essence you're just wearing out the gun, in a random fashion, at an accelerated rate.

Of course, there will be plenty of folks who swear it has done miracles, but it isn't something I'd do to a gun I planned to keep and use.
Thanks for the feedback.

So what are my options? Or what's the best approach to improving the trigger pull?

Should I just keep dry firing the gun w/ some snap caps? Or should I pay to have a proper trigger job done on the gun?
 
Well, dry-firing it will help it a lot, given enough repetitions. It also will make your trigger finger much stronger which solves a lot of problems. (That's part of why I spend at least part of each year shooting DA revolver exclusively in competition.)

But the best bet would be to find someone who knows what they're doing with a Mak and have them give it some love.

I did check Wolff gunsprings and they don't have reduced power mainsprings for Maks. That would have been my next suggestion.
 
Well, dry-firing it will help it a lot, given enough repetitions. It also will make your trigger finger much stronger which solves a lot of problems. (That's part of why I spend at least part of each year shooting DA revolver exclusively in competition.)

But the best bet would be to find someone who knows what they're doing with a Mak and have them give it some love.

I did check Wolff gunsprings and they don't have reduced power mainsprings for Maks. That would have been my next suggestion.
Hammer & trigger springs for the Makarov are available from Numrich, but I suspect that these are just drop-in NOS replacements, so I'd be back to Square 1 if I spend $16 on these.

http://www.gunpartscorp.com/Products/468780.htm

Looks like I need to find a competent Makarov gunsmith east of Seattle (Issaquah, Redmond, Bellevue).

EDIT: Just posted a separate thread asking for gunsmith recommendations in my area. Thanks!
 
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