Odd Makarov problem......

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Al Thompson

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Got a Bulgarian Mak that has a very light trigger pull. Have not weighed it, but we're talking two lbs or so. Much too light for anything other than the range.

Anybody know how to increase the pull weight?

TIA
 
Al,

Mine have pretty light triggers, but not that light! Have you measured the trigger pull? A fish scale and a simple coat hanger wire hook will work, if you don't have a trigger scale.

Check to see that the main spring clip (under the grip) is slid fully upward into place, and that it does not allow the main spring to move. The grip screw goes through a hole in the clip, into threads in the main spring, and the clip and spring should be held solidly in place.

I think there is also a way to get the upper fingers of the spring out of place on the hammer or sear, but I'm not sure the gun would fire that way?

You might also try a new main/hammer spring from makarov.com, if everything else seems right.

Hope this helps.

Bill
 
If you get a new mainspring from Makarov.com, you may find you have the opposite problem - too heavy a pull. The DA trigger pull (I assume you're talking about the DA trigger and not the SA) on my unissued Bulgarian was probably around 14 lbs. My used EG is perfect, very light but not too light. I ordered an EG and Bulgarian mainspring from Makarov.com but that didn't help. 200 rounds and over 2,000 dryfires didn't help it either.

Following the advice of another fella who had done it before me, I put a grinding wheel on my dremel and ground down the sides of the DA "prong" of the mainspring. I grinded it a little at a time, put it back in and tested the DA pull in comparison to my EG Mak. Kept grinding till they were approx. the same. Then I smoothed it out and re-blued it and tested it with 75 rounds (3 different types of ammo) and it worked fine.
 
Was this gun "new" from a distributor, or something that may have gotten to "Bubba" first?

I'd recommend buying a new hammer and sear, Dremel polishing engagement surfaces with a felt tip and that's it. You might just buy a sear first, though, since this is more likely to have been altered than the hammer.

The mainspring probably isn't the problem if the gun will actually fire. Orientation of the internals shouldn't be a problem if it works both DA and SA.
 
Light Trigger

Al,

I'd subscribe to the "Bubba" theory, or at the very least,
the wrong sear engagement surface on the hammer hooks It sounds like the hooks are cut to make for a negative engagement, or the force of the mainspring is trying to push the sear out of engegement. As opposed to a neutral or positive engagement, where the mainspring works to pull the sear to the bottom of the hooks.

At any rate, your trigger sounds a little risky, and just a little
wear on the surface could push it over the edge, literally.

many don't understand the inertial forces at work in an autoloader's hammer/trigger operation, and with these
"razor's edge" engagements, all it will take is a tired mainspring
to bring on some grief, or at the very least, acute embarassment.

I'm not familiar with the Makarov, being more of a 1911
specialist, but the same principles will apply.

Take care, and keep safe...
Tuner
 
Oops, my mistake. DA pull is nice - 8 lbs or so. SA is where the issue is - 2 pounds or so. My Kimber is fairly light - IMHO right at 3.5 to 4 lbs. This little fellow is half of that.

Bubba may have gotten into it. I don't see any signs, but the possibility is there.

I knew it would be an issue when I got the Mak, but the price was chump change. Now to avoid being the "chump" - :D
 
Bubba?

Maybe Bubba..maybe not. Since hammer hooks are milled
with the hammer in a fixture...and sometimes the mill operator
doesn't get things tight enough, the hammer can shift to
produce a positive or negative engagement instead of square.
(Neutral) The result is a heavy, rough SA pull, or one like
you describe. I've seen factory-fresh 1911's come in with
it both ways. A square, sharp stone carefully applied usually
straightens things out. If the hooks are too short for comfort,
I stone a light escape angle on the backside with a .020
feeler gauge under the sear legs to get the sear deeper into the hooks. 3 or 4 strokes on the stone usually does the trick.

Our club is rife with 1911 shooters. Most of them had their triggers done by a certain unnamed "Triggersmith" native
to the area. I'm an invited guest to all the matches...not to
compete, but to be on hand when one of his trigger jobs
goes south, and some of the pistol fails the required
hammer-drop test. Rare is the match that I don't address at least one.

Get it fixed. That's way too flaky to trust.

Take care,
Tuner
 
Sounds like a sear problem, since the DA of the PM isn't sear dependent, last I checked.

I seem to remember not being able to get the gun to cock last time I broke a sear spring, so I'm doubting that is the problem.

New sear and hammer still sounds like the solution.
 
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