New springs, no difference

[mikeperr]

New member, relatively new shooter.

I have a GP100 I bought new this year. It has about 500 rounds through it. Love it. However, DA pull is pretty heavy for me. I've read a lot about the trigger. I went through it and polished the internals first. Seems no different. I tried the Wolff spring kit. It still does not seem any different. It doesn't affect my accuracy, its more of a comfort thing.

Its kind of frustrating to put the work in and not get any result when others say how transformative it can be. This is my primary home defense weapon, so 100% reliability is important. My wife and I enjoy regular range time with it.

What's your experience with it? Would it be worth having a gunsmith work on it?

I appreciate your input.

 

[Varminterror]

Really surprising that you didn't feel any difference in lightening the trigger spring. In the two-spring Rugers (all but the RH), I don't usually notice much difference in trigger pull by changing hammer springs (I definitely notice the difference in hammer draw to SA though), but the trigger spring is usually a big transformation.

Polishing the internals rarely gives much effect for most shooters. If you felt some grittiness in the trigger before, polishing may help that, but gritty triggers aren't so common on Rugers (long, heavy, and stacking triggers, well that's a different story).

How much "rattle" do you have in your action? If you have a lot of play in the hammer or trigger, then sometimes it becomes hard to feel any improvements you're making. A shim kit can help, and they're dirt cheap.

Which weight of hammer spring did you install? Which Trigger spring?

 

[mikeperr]

I tried the heaviest and the lightest. You are right about the single action. I did notice a difference there, but I had no problem with the stock single action pull. As long as the DA pull is it would be nice if it were lighter.
Shims might be the next thing I try. Sometimes it seems to rub right when the hammer starts to lift.
Working on the gun is fun.

 

[Varminterror]

Yeah, it's always a satisfying challenge to do some of your own SAFE smithing. It's always easy to take your truck in to get the oil changed, but it's pretty satisfying when you get back behind the wheel after your own hands replaced the water pump.

 

[catfish621]

When I did mine I used the 12 lb. hammer spring and 10 lb. trigger spring. The single action pull is great but the double action is still heavy. I actually don't mind it this way cause I don't shoot double action that often and I like the safety of a heavy double action pull.

 

[hittman]

If 100% reliability is important, after-market parts and home gun smithing are defeating that goal.

The guns manufacturer is your best source for whatever "fix" may be needed.

 

[GP100man]

Completely disassemble the GP, start with polishing the wells for the plungers (drill bit shank with fine valve lappin compound spun slowly)polish the well for the trigger retun spring the same way.

You`ve already addressed the other surfaces, did ya polish the sides of the pawl & it`s window ???
Nows a good time to shimm the trigger, shimm it as close as,but no titer than .003"

Reassemble the trigger group with the 10# trigger spring.

Now lets shimm the hammer dog & break all edges on the hammer except the sears, don`t forget to polish the plunger well for the hammer dog , sometimes this makes SA pull a little gritty.

Shimm the hammer the same .003", try to center it the best ya can.

Now the hammer strut , it`s a stamped part & 1 side has turned edges round off the square edges ,make sure they are VERY SMOOTH as the spring will be rubbun on this surface. also smooth the sturrips edges in the slot where the strut goes.

Install the 12# hammer spring , polish the pivot point that goes into the hammer & install it .

Now the peices ya should be very lite handed on is the plunger in the trigger group & the stud on the trigger, polish only . The sears ,if ya don`t have the correct stones & good eye sight (5X magnification minimum for me) leave em alone . The hammer dog if it`s reshaped or heavily polished will not lift the hammer enuff to engage the DA sear correctly & could even lock the DA stroke up .

Now , go slow ,reassemble disassemble as needed to test retry final fits.

After final assemble I use CCI 400 small rifle primers to test reliability.

I have tuned many GPs (my own) to these instructions , while the actual weight of pulls are not litened that much ,they are much smoother & pull weights are alot more consistent !!

If you want to see the fruits of your labors , ya need a trigger scale that`ll weigh both SA/DA pull weights.

Recommend here : http://michigancenteroutdoors.com/ for your shimm needs !!
Lance is good people to deal with !!!

GP

 

[mikeperr]

Thanks GP. I put those springs back in today. Maybe the DA is a little lighter. I will shoot it tomorrow. The proof is in the plinkin'.

I've got a shim kit on order. Can't wait to try it.

 

[Jim Puke]

If 100% reliability is important, after-market parts and home gun smithing are defeating that goal.

The guns manufacturer is your best source for whatever "fix" may be needed.

REALLY....

Ridiculous statement.

I guess folks in Illinois have a different view on this, too...

 

[s4s4u]

I find it hard to believe that you couldn't feel the difference between a 10# Wolff and the factory spring. It made a world of difference in my GeeP.

I also believe the sentiment below is ridiculous.

If 100% reliability is important, after-market parts and home gun smithing are defeating that goal.

The guns manufacturer is your best source for whatever "fix" may be needed.

 

[Thel]

The stock mainspring is 14 lbs and trigger return 12 or perhaps 10 lbs (some say Ruger went to the 10 lb trigger spring a while back). Changing from a 14 lb to 12 lb mainspring probably would lighten pull a bit over a pound due to leverage. It would be hard to feel an 8 to 10% difference. With the 8 lb trigger return spring and 9 lb mainspring the trigger pull should be markedly reduced. I imagine a stock GP double action would be 11 to 12 lbs. On my tuned gun with the 9 lb mainspring and 8 lb trigger return the double action is 7.5 lbs or so with no misfires so it is possible to reduce the trigger pull substantially. Other spring combos should be somewhere in between.

 

[s4s4u]

I tried the 9 in mine and had some light primer hits so moved up to the 10 and all is well. And markedly better than the way it came from the factory, but this is an older gun too.

 

[wproct]

I'm running a 9lb hammer and 8lb trigger return spring in my GP100 and have had no FTF or trigger reset issues at all. It has given me a very light and smooth trigger pull, both single and double action. However, mine is a range gun, and if I needed to rely on it for personal defense, I wouldn't go under a 12lb hammer spring or 10lb trigger return spring.

 

[mikeperr]

I am using the setup you describe (12# & 10#). I can tell the difference when shooting. When I was dry firing they all felt the same. It helped me to notice that the hammer is dragging at the beginning of the DA pull. I think the shims are the answer to that problem. Appreciate all the input.

 

[GP100man]

WHEN I dry fire it`s usually a dry practice drawing/& firing on dummy rounds .

I can see where if a person was to sit & just pull the trigger over & over to burnish the surfaces it`d be hard to tell .

I really don`t advocate the second type of dry firing , Rugers are very robust/over engineered & we have there strength , but a weakness/down side is WEIGHT & when we dry fire parts pay the price for gettin those big cyls. moving & a bigger price stoppin em !!!

But if ya do dry fire , make it an excersice of a slow deliberate DA pull while sitting an empty case on the front site or aiming at a target & practicing holding it on it .

If ya polished the parts on my list the burnishing is a mute point .

I`m glad you came to a conclusion involving 10# trigger & 12# hammer spring !!
& get those shimms in before scratching up the hammer too bad .

GP

 

[mikeperr]

Yeah, the hammer is showing some wear on the sides already. I'll have to polish it after I shim it.

 

[catfish621]

I noticed some roughness when cocking the hammer so today I took the spring off the strut and rounded all the corners. Flipped the spring around and put together. Problem solved.

 

[WESHOOT2]

10,000 or so dry-fires helped my pair's DA pull.

If I want more it'll visit a pro, like Mr. Bob Cogan at Accurate Plating & Weaponry, or Grant Cunningham, or MagnaPort, or Bowen, or the like......

 

[mikeperr]

A little late with this...

A few range trips and I like this gun more all the time. Triggershims.com has got what you need. I think that's what made the difference. I would tell any one to start there and then mess with the springs if you're still not getting what you want. Shims and one step lighter with both the springs is my set up and I like it. I had the opportunity to shoot someone else's 6" gp100 that was brand new and it really put it into perspective.

Now I'm waiting for my CZ75BD to get out of jail so I can start messing with that one.