Old Stumpy
Member
- Joined
- Mar 3, 2019
- Messages
- 1,451
The new Marlin 1894 Cowboy in .45 Colt that I bought a year or so ago was really well finished with nice wood and screw slots, straight sights, and no flaws that I could see. It functions well, and feeds and ejects very well.
However it did have a trigger pull heavier than the carbine, and in common with most newer 1894s, was a little stiff to operate.
So, I bit the bullet and tried to see what I could do to improve things.
- I simply cycled the action (lowering the hammer each time) for 800 cycles. I believe that this smoothed the bolt surfaces somewhat.
- I figured out that the ejector doesn't work any better if you increase spring tension on it by bending the spring outward. In fact it makes the action drag from the increased spring pressure. So I straightened it out some and the bolt slid smoother and easier, and ejection was unaffected.
- Finally, I gambled and clipped 1 1/2 turns off the hammer spring and flattened the end just a bit by touching it to my grinder. This had been suggested by other people in other forums, but not everyone was in favor of it, fearing that firing pin impact would be too light for reliable ignition.
Results were dramatic.
Although the spring is quite heavy, a little bit goes a long way if you shorten it.
- The hammer tension dropped more than I expected, but seemed still okay. Probably more like smooth old lever guns with leaf main springs. (Clipping off a single coil might be a better place to start.)
- Cycling the action was much easier and smoother. Getting past that initial "hump" was pretty much gone.
- The trigger pull was reduced to maybe 4 or 5 pounds. Certainly much better than it was.
- I loaded an empty case repeatedly with large pistol primers and test-fired them. All primers fired properly and all were dimpled deeply and normally. (I suspect that this would depend on how stiffly your firing pin moves due to the firing pin safety spring.)
So, if your trigger pull is too heavy you might try this. If your trigger pull is not too heavy, it might reduce it more than you would want.
However it did have a trigger pull heavier than the carbine, and in common with most newer 1894s, was a little stiff to operate.
So, I bit the bullet and tried to see what I could do to improve things.
- I simply cycled the action (lowering the hammer each time) for 800 cycles. I believe that this smoothed the bolt surfaces somewhat.
- I figured out that the ejector doesn't work any better if you increase spring tension on it by bending the spring outward. In fact it makes the action drag from the increased spring pressure. So I straightened it out some and the bolt slid smoother and easier, and ejection was unaffected.
- Finally, I gambled and clipped 1 1/2 turns off the hammer spring and flattened the end just a bit by touching it to my grinder. This had been suggested by other people in other forums, but not everyone was in favor of it, fearing that firing pin impact would be too light for reliable ignition.
Results were dramatic.
Although the spring is quite heavy, a little bit goes a long way if you shorten it.
- The hammer tension dropped more than I expected, but seemed still okay. Probably more like smooth old lever guns with leaf main springs. (Clipping off a single coil might be a better place to start.)
- Cycling the action was much easier and smoother. Getting past that initial "hump" was pretty much gone.
- The trigger pull was reduced to maybe 4 or 5 pounds. Certainly much better than it was.
- I loaded an empty case repeatedly with large pistol primers and test-fired them. All primers fired properly and all were dimpled deeply and normally. (I suspect that this would depend on how stiffly your firing pin moves due to the firing pin safety spring.)
So, if your trigger pull is too heavy you might try this. If your trigger pull is not too heavy, it might reduce it more than you would want.
Last edited: