Marlin 1894 heavy trigger solutions

[Jason_W]

I purchased a nib Marlin 1894 in .44 mag last February. I haven't yet had a chance to fire it, but I have run snap caps through it to check feed and function.

Everything seems fine except for the trigger which is a nightmare. I don't own a trigger pull gauge, but I estimate it breaks somewhere in the 8-10 lb. range. I've owned cheap shotguns with better triggers.

I've read that simply did assembling the gun and polishing contact points can lighten the pull a bit. I've also read that changing out the hammer spring with a reduced power can help, but misfires can result due to light primer strikes.

There's also the wild west guns replacement trigger, but that's a bit pricey for me at the moment and installation might be beyond my skill set.

I get that gun manufacturers are afraid of lawsuits, but a trigger that causes mild muscle aches is a bit much.

 

[Varminterror]

Wild West Guns trigger happy plus Wolff springs. Gets you about $120 into a 20min job, and the difference is night and day. If you get light primer strikes with the Wolff springs in an 1894 or 1895, you either have a bolt fit issue, a firing pin fit issue, or a fouled pin - I've tuned up just under 100 Marin 1894's for cowboy action shooters, all of them run with lightened springs.

The WWG trigger is pricey, but you'll pay more than that to properly modify your sear angles (meaning buy a fixture) without creating an unsafe trigger or to have a gunsmith do a trigger job. Polishing will help a bit, but NOTHING like a corrected sear job - and the WWG trigger is the cheapest option for this.

 

[Jason_W]

Wild West Guns trigger happy plus Wolff springs. Gets you about $120 into a 20min job, and the difference is night and day. If you get light primer strikes with the Wolff springs in an 1894 or 1895, you either have a bolt fit issue, a firing pin fit issue, or a fouled pin - I've tuned up just under 100 Marin 1894's for cowboy action shooters, all of them run with lightened springs.

The WWG trigger is pricey, but you'll pay more than that to properly modify your sear angles (meaning buy a fixture) without creating an unsafe trigger or to have a gunsmith do a trigger job. Polishing will help a bit, but NOTHING like a corrected sear job - and the WWG trigger is the cheapest option for this.

Thanks for the recommendation. I guess I'd better start making room in the budget for that trigger along with a set of gunsmithing screwdrivers. Any additional tools I should acquire?

 

[Varminterror]

Depends - are you going to be doing anything more than just installing this trigger in your 1894? Don't even need Gunsmithing screwdriver set to do that job, just a couple well fit tips. If you're going to take up Gunsmithing on a larger scale, then the sky is the limit. I'm somewhere between $15 and $20,000 into my shop right now last I checked, and don't even have a lathe yet.

A parrot vise is probably the most intrinsically valuable and versatile piece of Gunsmithing gear I have other than sets of screwdrivers and punches. Roll pin punches & starters, brass, delrin, and steel punches, and a fleet of magnatip tips, plus my machinist vise and my parrot vise are what I touch the most, and probably most applicable for the average gun owner. My stock checkering cradle probably gets the most hours of use after the above, but if you're not doing your own stocks, it's not needed - I built mine, didn't buy it.

If you're going to do action work, jigs and fixtures add up VERY quickly. If you're not getting paid, or not doing a LOT of action work for a large number of your own firearms, buying up a ton of tools doesn't make sense - pay a smith, you'll come out ahead.

 

[Dr. A]

With no training other than reading and sharpening knives, I have done over 25 guns.
http://www.marlinowners.com/forum/basic-triggers/21382-reduce-your-leverguns-trigger-pull.html
I now like mine better than a Wild West trigger.

 

[LoonWulf]

I stone my own triggers as well, but without a fixture you really better be sure of your angles. Any chance that Ive made a mistake the parts get trashed, and replaced with an aftermarket upgrade.

 

[jmorris]

Shoot it first, if you like everything except the trigger order new parts, modify them and save the originals to reinstall if you don't like what you did.

Lots of times a light "stoning" or even a light polish makes wonders but I have never heard a good argument against being able to put a decent firearm back to original condition.

 

[greyling22]

http://marauder.homestead.com/files/marlin94.html
http://marauder.homestead.com/files/tuning_m_1894.htm

in a nutshell, take the bend out of the leg of the ejector, take the nose off the hammer so you aren't overcocking the gun, take a couple coils off the hammer spring, bend the trigger spring, take coils off the lever retaining spring and you will have a whole new gun. You probably need a belt sander, dremel tool, and some fine grit sandpaper. If you are feeling really frisky, you can reduce sear engagement either on the hammer or at the sear. Takes about an hour to do a really good job and will cost you $0 if you have the tools already.

 

[ECVMatt]

I just use the WWG Trigger Happy trigger and call it good. It is very simple to install and yields great improvement. I have a house full of crazy kids, a crazy job, and an even crazier wife (that I love to death), and all of those things conspire against my most sincere endeavours. The WWG trigger is a good compromise and ends up being just about right for my needs.

 

[bikemutt]

All my Marlins have Wild West triggers, a very good improvement without a permanent change.

 

[Jason_W]

Depends - are you going to be doing anything more than just installing this trigger in your 1894? Don't even need Gunsmithing screwdriver set to do that job, just a couple well fit tips. If you're going to take up Gunsmithing on a larger scale, then the sky is the limit. I'm somewhere between $15 and $20,000 into my shop right now last I checked, and don't even have a lathe yet.

A parrot vise is probably the most intrinsically valuable and versatile piece of Gunsmithing gear I have other than sets of screwdrivers and punches. Roll pin punches & starters, brass, delrin, and steel punches, and a fleet of magnatip tips, plus my machinist vise and my parrot vise are what I touch the most, and probably most applicable for the average gun owner. My stock checkering cradle probably gets the most hours of use after the above, but if you're not doing your own stocks, it's not needed - I built mine, didn't buy it.

If you're going to do action work, jigs and fixtures add up VERY quickly. If you're not getting paid, or not doing a LOT of action work for a large number of your own firearms, buying up a ton of tools doesn't make sense - pay a smith, you'll come out ahead.

I don't foresee myself going that far down the rabbit hole any time soon. I really just want to be equipped to install drop in aftermarket parts on various firearms. I don't really have the experience to remove significant amounts of metal from gun parts with any sort of confidence, so I'll be avoiding that. Maybe just de-burring and polishing if necessary.

 

[Varminterror]

Then a select set of tips for a hex driver will suit you fine. Delrin pin punches would probably be a good investment for you as well - not all firearms are screwed together.

Proper cleaning tools are probably the one of the better investments as well. A bore guide, 1pc rods, quality nylon brushes, and quality jags.