Is my gunsmith' s paranoia normal?
 

I did some calling around today trying to find a gunsmith to adjust my Ruger M77VT' s trigger. I' d like to get the second stage down to about 1.5-2lbs with as little creep and overtravel as possible. I KNOW that the Ruger 2-stage target trigger is adjustable, only to have one ' smith tell me that there was nothing he could do with the trigger. This is after I made it clear to him that my rifle was a V/T model with the 2-stage trigger, so I think maybe that gunsmith is just an idiot.

The next smith I talked to, who works for a popular chain of retail sporting goods store whos name refers in part to a male goose, acted like he didn' t even WANT to work on my trigger. First he tells me that it' ll void my warranty, except that Ruger has NO written or stated warranty to void. Then he tells me that he' ll only adjust it down to a MINIMUM of 3lbs because it' s a " hunting rifle" . I try to explain to him that it' s going to be used for mostly benchrest shooting with some varminting and coyote hunting, which is done from a stationary setup and not while tromping around in the woods with a loaded rifle, so the lighter trigger isn' t a problem and is preferred for what I want it for. So then he asks me what cartridge it' s chambered for, so I tell him it' s a 22-250. He then tells me that the 22-250 is ONLY a hunting cartridge, and if I had a 6mm BR or 22PPC he' d be willing to take it as low as I wanted because they are " target" rounds. As if no one in their right mind would dare shoot a coyote or prarie dog with a 6mm BR, or punch paper with a 22-250!

On top of it all, he tells me that he charges a MINIMUM of $50 to adjust a trigger, which involves removing the receiver from the stock, tweeking three little screws, and reassembling the receiver and stock. There is no major disassembly, grinding, or polishing involved, just three little screws, yet he' s quoting me a minimum of $15 above what seems to be the going rate for basic trigger work.

So what I' m getting at is, is this guy stupid and paranoid, or is this crap the norm for gunsmiths? This will be the first time I' ve ever needed the services of a gunsmith, but if this guys attitude is the norm I' ll just live with the trigger the way it is, as there is NO way I' m letting him work on my rifle.

Hopefully I' m able to reach another gunsmith tomorrow who' ll be better than this guy. There just aren' t that many smiths in my area to choose from.

Mike

RE: Is my gunsmith' s paranoia normal?
 

Yeah, he probably is a little paranoid. But for good reason!!!!!

He has to live in this sue everyone world too. He has to look out for himself and his business that he has invested so much money and time into. You have to remember that the last person that had their hands on your gun and did work on it can be held liable if you or any one else, for some reason, shoots off your or their foot because the trigger was set too light. Wether it was your own stupidity or not, in the eyes of the jury, he is the one that adjusted the trigger and made the gun unsafe.

All gunsmiths are different and many just prefer to be on the safe side even if it means that they loose $50 for not doing a small trigger adjustment.

As far as the minimum $50 goes that isn' t too unheard of. Time is money and you are paying for his time and expertise.

Don' t knock him just because he won' t adjust a trigger down to 1.5 pounds. He may very well be a very compitent gunsmith. Sounds like he would rather make absolutly sure that a gun is safe than send it out the door and someone get hurt. Another thing to remember is that he doesn' t know you from Joe Blow and sure doesn' t know how responsible you are with fire arms.

Sorry but I am on the side of the gunsmith.

RE: Is my gunsmith' s paranoia normal?
 

As BB said, we live in a " suit happy" world!
I had the triggers on both my hunting rifles lightened. It cost me 35 dollars for each. The guy would not go lower than 3 pounds. Which is a lots better than the factory " lawyer triggers" !
One large gun shop I went to does not even do trigger jobs! They told me their insurance company would not allow them to do triggers at all!

RE: Is my gunsmith' s paranoia normal?
 

When folks ask me about adjusting triggers, I tell them how I' d do it....and let them adjust their own. I' ve built rifles from .222 to .375 and on many different actions. I am not for hire however...just a hobbyist and when I show someone how to make the adjustment there' s never any charge.

What would you do if your gunsmith shingle hung outside your door?

RE: Is my gunsmith' s paranoia normal?
 

The world is liability crazy. But just being the devil' s advocate, the Ruger triggers sometimes take more than a little tweaking to get down to that smooth creep free 1 1/2 to 2 pounds you' d like.

RE: Is my gunsmith' s paranoia normal?
 

That was going to the next thing I was going to try, asking the gunsmith to teach me how to adjust the trigger, for a small payment of course. But I was able to find a gunsmith shop that was willing to take it down to 2lbs for me. I also like their general attitude better. He even said that a 2lb trigger for a varmint rifle was not unreasonable.

I would adjust a clients trigger to his desired specs, stopping short of rendering any of the safetys inoperable or creating a mechanically unsafe rifle. I' d understand if a gunsmith objected to setting a trigger at two OUNCES unless it was a dedicated bench rifle only, or if modifying the trigger to get to my desired pull weight would allow the rifle to fire if jarred or make the safety inoperable. But that' s not what I am asking him to do. 2 pounds is not unreasonable for a heavy barreled varmint rifle designed for superior accuracy, which will only reasonably be loaded and fired from a fixed stabilized position, and not carried around loaded while tromping through brush or up and down mountains.

My personal take on the issues is that people make too much of a deal about liability protection for no good reason. If liability were really so much of an issue then Timney and Jewell wouldn' t be able to see their triggers, and no gunsmith in their right mind would install them. But, as we all know, aftermarket triggers are fairly common and gunsmiths install them all the time. What about the gunsmiths that custom build ultra-accurate rifles for their clients? I' d bet theiy aren' t building rifles with heavy trigger pulls for their clients. The fact of the matter is that the Ruger 2-stage trigger is an adjustable trigger system, which means that its weight, creep and overtravel can be adjusted by turning three screws in just a certain way. This is NOT the standard Ruger M77 trigger that is designed to not be adjustable by normal means. Fortunately I found a gunsmith that understands that the trigger should be adjusted for the purpose of the rifle.

The greedy idiots who sue to get rich aren' t interested in the little guy like a private gunsmith because they know that they can' t get any proverbial blood from a turnip so it' s not worth the trouble to sue him. The big manufacturers are at the biggest risk for lawsuits (which is hopefully about to change) because they have the money to pay big judgments or simply settle without a fight. That' s why the big boys have to build their guns to be lawyer proof. Their size and wealth make them worthwhile targets, while the gunsmith making 20-30k a year isn' t even going to get on a greedy lawyers radar.

If somebody can show me proof of a lawsuit ruling against a gunsmith for working on a trigger, I' ll concede that I' m wrong about this guy' s paranoia. Until then I think he' s being unreasonable.

Mike

RE: Is my gunsmith' s paranoia normal?
 

I can' t understand what the gunsmiths are worried about, especially with a 2 stage trigger. On a 2 stage trigger you should be able set the pull of the first stage heavier such as 4 or 5 lbs and the second stage as light as you want- 1/2 or 1 lb or even less and have the advantage of the safety of a ' lawyer trigger' but have the precision of a target trigger. Any gunsmith worth his salt should understand this, I' d keep looking until you find a smith that will do it. If a smith canot understand the concept of a 2-stage triger I sure as heck wouldn' t want him working on it.