I just got a Stevens 44 22lr.  The mainspring is very stout and my trigger pull is 6-1/2 lbs.  I have been told to remove the spring and cut a coil off of it to lessen the hammer pull and subsequently, it should lessen the trigger pull.  This spring is on a plunger looking piece like the 1915 Favorite, I believe, or somewhat like it.  How do i get the spring off?  The spring is in an end piece that has a semi circular end that fits in the groove of the screw in the tang.  It is a very strong spring and  I  can't seem to move it enough to remove it.

Did you trip the trigger to allow the hammer to fall all the way forward, thus releasing spring tension?

no, it does not have a pin hole.  I finally got it off, and yes I had the hammer fully released.  The spring is very stiff.  It takes pretty good effort to pull the hammer back to fire.  The trigger pull is also 6.5 lbs and too much to be a good shooter as it is.  I would like to find another spring that has less compression strength.  I cut 1/2 coil off and it did not change very much, maybe a few ounces.

Getting a replacement might end up with the same spring again, or heavier. So best to either cut another coil to see if it helps, or take it to the hardware store and see if they have a similar length/diameter compression spring, but smaller diameter material to give lighter feel.
Either way you're going to need it lighter, so measure OAL before you go any further cutting coils. That way you'll know what you started with later.
I've also put a screw through the middle of coil springs to hold them, and then taken down outside diameter to lighten the spring tension. I use my belt sander to do this, and keep a dish of water handy to ensure it never gets too hot.

Shortening a coil spring reduces the preload, but it actually increases the spring rate.  Better to find a similar length spring wound with the same number of turns from a slightly smaller diameter wire. 

Would be interested to know the s/n of the O.P.'s rifle, so as to maybe establish when in the sequence the coil spring strut commenced.   

I just posted this on another thread:  To remove the spring from a 44 or a Favorite, open the action, then let the hammer down into the space vacated by the breechblock.  This will remove all or almost all of the preload, and the spring can then be plucked out with the fingers.  Worst case you may have to take the breeckblock completely out to get the hammer forward far enough.

waterman wrote on Nov 10^th, 2018 at 1:11am:


The man said it was a 44.  Considering the radically different configuration of a 417, how could there be any confusion?   

For a wide variety of springs I’ve had good luck buying springs for the Borchardt from MSC.  Beats any hardware store.

John