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Ballard trigger spring (Read 1082 times)

Bluedog Participating Member Offline Posts: 47 Joined: Jan 14^th, 2024	Ballard trigger spring Dec 31^st, 2024 at 1:37pm	Print Post
	Hello, Does anyone know of someone making trigger springs for a #2 Ballard? It’s the small C shaped spring if I’m not calling it by it’s proper name. Thank you Jason


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JerryH Frequent Elocutionist Offline ASSRA Member #10876 Posts: 1260 Location: Easton, CA Joined: Nov 9^th, 2014	Re: Ballard trigger spring Reply #1 - Dec 31^st, 2024 at 4:03pm	Print Post
	I've made them from a piece of the return spring of a tape measure. They make for a very light trigger pull. Using a piece of the tape measure itself makes a much safer trigger pull.
	« Last Edit: Dec 31^st, 2024 at 4:11pm by JerryH »
	I'm not a complete idiot, some of my parts are missing.
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Bluedog Participating Member Offline Posts: 47 Joined: Jan 14^th, 2024	Re: Ballard trigger spring Reply #2 - Dec 31^st, 2024 at 4:57pm	Print Post
	Thank you Jerry! Do you heat to bend and re-heattreat or work cold? I just tried welding and heat treating a main spring and didn’t fair out very well with the finished spring Jason


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JerryH Frequent Elocutionist Offline ASSRA Member #10876 Posts: 1260 Location: Easton, CA Joined: Nov 9^th, 2014	Re: Ballard trigger spring Reply #3 - Dec 31^st, 2024 at 5:14pm	Print Post
	Just work it cold. Bend the lip first and then form the arch.

	I'm not a complete idiot, some of my parts are missing.
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marlinguy Frequent Elocutionist Offline Ballards may be weaker, but they sure are neater! Posts: 16459 Location: Oregon Joined: Feb 2^nd, 2009	Re: Ballard trigger spring Reply #4 - Dec 31^st, 2024 at 6:12pm	Print Post
	Jewelry pliers, or round tip needle nose pliers make the bending job easier. I bought an inexpensive pair just for this purpose.

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Bluedog Participating Member Offline Posts: 47 Joined: Jan 14^th, 2024	Re: Ballard trigger spring Reply #5 - Jan 1^st, 2025 at 8:20am	Print Post
	Thank you Jerry and Vall! You guys are the best!! Jason


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Deadeye Bly Frequent Elocutionist Offline Posts: 1077 Location: Stephens City Joined: Feb 25^th, 2011	Re: Ballard trigger spring Reply #6 - Jan 1^st, 2025 at 4:17pm	Print Post
	I've never had much luck trying to make an original style spring. I've fitted several with coil springs but you need to fit it with a plunger to keep it in place and control it. With a little ingenuity you can also make it an over travel limiter. I thought I had a picture but can't find one.


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Bluedog Participating Member Offline Posts: 47 Joined: Jan 14^th, 2024	Re: Ballard trigger spring Reply #7 - Jan 1^st, 2025 at 10:24pm	Print Post
	Thank you Deadeye! I’m new to this but I believe I grasp what you are saying, If you do come across a photograph in the future I’d love to see it! Jason


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marlinguy Frequent Elocutionist Offline Ballards may be weaker, but they sure are neater! Posts: 16459 Location: Oregon Joined: Feb 2^nd, 2009	Re: Ballard trigger spring Reply #8 - Jan 2^nd, 2025 at 12:07pm	Print Post
	I bought an old Ballard that worked when I got it, but quickly failed when the trigger stopped returning. Someone had improvised a coil spring, but didn't do anything special to keep it in place. Likely just stuck it in so it worked when they sold it. I messed with the coil spring idea trying to make it work also, but also had no luck. I'd like to see an example of a coil spring modification to see how it's done and working.

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bobw Frequent Elocutionist Offline Posts: 1597 Location: NW, Iowa Joined: Mar 19^th, 2013	Re: Ballard trigger spring Reply #9 - Jan 2^nd, 2025 at 4:33pm	Print Post
	I was thinking there was a thread a year or two ago about this trigger spring and the coil spring was brought up then, with pictures. But, darned if I can find it, so I might have dreamed it up! Bob

	Robert Warren
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WVsmoke Participating Member Offline Posts: 30 Location: West Virginia Joined: Feb 17^th, 2023	Re: Ballard trigger spring Reply #10 - Jan 2^nd, 2025 at 5:16pm	Print Post
	I am not an expert, nor have I made a no. 2 ballard front trigger spring, but I have made several front trigger springs for my Ballard Pacific. What I found was the annealed spring stock from Mcaster Carr, which is soft, easy to cut, drill, and shape before heating. It comes in a variety of thicknesses for many applications, of course the thicker the material, the more challenging the cutting and shaping. Allan


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bobw Frequent Elocutionist Offline Posts: 1597 Location: NW, Iowa Joined: Mar 19^th, 2013	Re: Ballard trigger spring Reply #11 - Jan 2^nd, 2025 at 7:12pm	Print Post
	WVsmoke wrote on Jan 2^nd, 2025 at 5:16pm: I am not an expert, nor have I made a no. 2 ballard front trigger spring, but I have made several front trigger springs for my Ballard Pacific. What I found was the annealed spring stock from Mcaster Carr, which is soft, easy to cut, drill, and shape before heating. It comes in a variety of thicknesses for many applications, of course the thicker the material, the more challenging the cutting and shaping. Allan I agree, their spring stock works well, I keep many different thicknesses on hand. The double sets does use a different setup and spring than the single trigger. The double set spring is much easier to make. Bob

	Robert Warren
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marlinguy Frequent Elocutionist Offline Ballards may be weaker, but they sure are neater! Posts: 16459 Location: Oregon Joined: Feb 2^nd, 2009	Re: Ballard trigger spring Reply #12 - Jan 2^nd, 2025 at 8:24pm	Print Post
	WVsmoke wrote on Jan 2^nd, 2025 at 5:16pm: I am not an expert, nor have I made a no. 2 ballard front trigger spring, but I have made several front trigger springs for my Ballard Pacific. What I found was the annealed spring stock from Mcaster Carr, which is soft, easy to cut, drill, and shape before heating. It comes in a variety of thicknesses for many applications, of course the thicker the material, the more challenging the cutting and shaping. Allan That's a totally different spring for a double set trigger Pacific vs. a single trigger Ballard. I bought a bunch of spring material from Brownells years ago and it too is easy to cut and work before being hardened. It works great for thin flat springs, but never tried it to make the C shaped single trigger springs.

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Bluedog Participating Member Offline Posts: 47 Joined: Jan 14^th, 2024	Re: Ballard trigger spring Reply #13 - Jan 2^nd, 2025 at 10:18pm	Print Post
	How are you gentlemen hardening after working the spring? I welded and heat treated a mainspring and my heat treatment didn’t work out for me I’ve had success welding spring steel with inconel heliarc and heating to a dull orange and quenching in oil but that leaves a brittle spring so……Then reheating to only 500-600 degrees and air cooling to anneal back to a healthy working spring. Vall you’ve got me wondering about hardening after cold working what you’re process is Jason


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bobw Frequent Elocutionist Offline Posts: 1597 Location: NW, Iowa Joined: Mar 19^th, 2013	Re: Ballard trigger spring Reply #14 - Jan 2^nd, 2025 at 10:33pm	Print Post
	Welding a spring is something I know nothing about but I do know 500 to 600 isn’t enough, it will still be too hard. I do 650-675 but many people take them to 750 and get along well. Too low temp annealing you get a hard spring too high a soft spring. A long soak when annealing 20-25 minutes in lead, or I do an hour in my furnace. Bob

	Robert Warren
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