I sure glad that I'm not the only one left scratching my head on this setup. When such as yourselves are a little befuddled, I don't feel as foolish about this trigger. But then, there are many things that I have not understood, but lived with..................

Original 44 triggers I have experienced seem to be poorly hardened, (I think only case hardened), so if you do go cutting one up, it may require some heat treating.   

Phil

Guys,

I did discuss triggers & single-set triggers with Gail at CPA.  They only have trigger used in their double-set triggers for sale.  Gail was familiar with the Stevens single-set triggers although CPA has never offered the feature.  She understood that Stevens discontinued the single set due to problems with the flat spring.  Typically after a couple hundred shots or so the spring would take a "set" (weaken) and the single set would no longer work, but the rifle would still fire without the single-set feature.  Gail indicated the spring only worked within a narrow range of tension, to light & the trigger will not go into the set position.  She was not clear on what happens if the spring is too strong, but may eventually result in a broken spring.

I did do some work on the sear & hammer notch of my rifle and reduced the trigger pull from a creepy 4 lbs to a safe, crisp, no creep 1.5 lbs.  Afterwards I banged on the receiver with a heavy rubber hammer & bounced the rifle by the stock off the floor a few times to check for a safe trigger.  It would not inadvertently or unintentionally fire.

But, as a fun project, I still plan to make a single-set trigger.   So I ordered a couple of 44-1/2 triggers from Numrich Gun Parts, which were the last two in stock.  They appear very close if not identical to the 44 triggers.  If not identical they should be close enough to modify.  It seems the flat spring will be the most challenging aspect of the project.

BTW, as I figured, which was confirmed by Gail, the Model 44 could be converted to double-set triggers but the modification to the receiver would be extensive and require a different hammer, and a different lever to allow room for the two triggers.  

Wayne

texasmac wrote on Sep 29^th, 2017 at 2:03pm:


Never heard of any "old" vs. "new" distinction with regard to 44-1/2s.  Are they confusing 44s with 44-1/2s, as many do?

I was surprised to find that the Stevens single-set trigger is patented.  James N. Fisher, May 7, 1907, US 852,942, assigned to the J. Stevens Arms and Tool Company.  The drawings are very clear, as is the explanation of the function.

I was unaware of this patent when I wrote up the trigger mechanism with Tom Meyer in the Jan-Feb 2006 Journal, but it does not appear that John Dutcher caught it either when he wrote it up in the Sept-Oct 1997 Journal.  It certainly does not appear that the Stevens Company advertised it as their patent; perhaps they recognized that it was kind of a makeshift.

The description of the functioning leaves no doubt that the trigger works off the overcenter rubbing or friction of the sear lever on a rounded projection on the sear spring, rather than a using a positive small catch or bent, like other set triggers.

Set, it mimics the situation some hardball .45 shooters used to experience, where they turned the aftermarket overtravel screw on their trigger far enough to positively eliminate the last thousandths of overtravel, but, alas, not quite far enough to completely release the sear.  The situation then resembled two razor blades balanced on their edges, with a live cartridge ready to go off when the inevitable imbalance finally slid them past each other.

I argued in my writeup that there was no way this trigger would work well for very long.  The spring cannot be glass-hard throughout and still be springy; if it was hardened on the end, that end would inevitably break off.  The sear, on the other hand, would have to be casehardened, and this surface would wear the hump on the spring, meaning that the set screw for trigger engagement would need to be turned further and further in to maintain engagement.  The trigger action would vary over time from acceptable to gritty creep to unexpected letoff (a "scare break" rather than a "surprise break").

Sort of like that other invention of the Devil, the Allen head screw.  Two choices: the screw is harder than the wrench, rounding its facets off, or the wrench is harder than the screw, rounding the hexagonal socket out.  I've never seen them exactly matched, at least on the teeny screws that the Allen head system is best applicable to.

On the other hand, as Mr. Fisher notes, this trigger system does not need the extra length or width in the tang that other set triggers need, since the sear and trigger sit alongside each other and pivot on the same pin in the tang.