Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Shilen vs. Rifle Basix vs. Timney

I will put a plug in for Timney's customer service.
I bought one off the classifieds and it came without a sear/spring. Seller said they didn't come with sears and you had to use the factory.
Rather than get into a piss'in match I figured I would just take care of it myself and gave Timney a call.
They said while they could send me a sear/spring and it should match they greatly prefer I send it in for them to give a once over.
While they did make me pay for the sear/spring, which I expected, I received it back in short order and out about $10- including my postage set at 2 pounds I specified.

FVA,

Good endorsement for Timney.
I've been using Timney's since somewhere in the 1960's, or maybe even in the 50's, exclusively back then for Mauser 98's. Never ever had an issue, or a problem with them; and today I have one on a Rem 700 that breaks as clean as any trigger I'd ever want.
The reason I started buying Rifle Basix triggers is based on an endorsement by Rick Bin. He mentioned having good reults with them, so I bought one for a Ruger 77 and was impressed with their set up for the safety, a much better approach than any other 77 trigger I'd worked with. The break on the 77 was good, so I bought a couple of them for Rem 700's and then two for Vanguards, all of which are as good as I could want, no creep and a great break with no overtravel..
So, today, I can go Timney or Rifle Basix and be satisfied.

I like my Rifle Basix LV-1 trigger that I have on the 223AI, and their customer service is good, but you have to deal with Bob to get said service. I called him up and he was rather blunt in telling me that there was no way his trigger could be pulling the poundage my scale was showing. He said that they are adjusted to a certain range and mine was out of that range because I must have adjusted it or I was running an aftermarket firing pin spring. I told him that I had not adjusted it and that I had even tried an aftermarket spring, which made the trigger even heavier. He claimed that something must be rubbing, which would give sporadic heavy pulls. I told him that the pulls were very consistent, just heavy. He finally told me not to adjust it, but to send it back to him with a detailed note addressed to "Bob", with only one "o". I guess he'd been referred to as "Boob" one too many times. So I get the trigger back, it is adjusted, and he included a note saying that I could have done all the adjustments over the phone. Duh.....

I dealt with what sounded like some kid named Jared, as I recall,at Timney. He said to attn: it to him and he would take care everything and it was so.
I broke a sear on a Jewell due to a blown primer ramming the firing pin back. Jewell had me send that one in and replaced the sear and back to me pretty quickly too. That mistake cost close to $80-.

The one experience I had with Timney customer service was pretty negative. I bought a trigger for my Mauser and installed it because it was advertised as "drop-in." The instructions were pretty poor and I realized something was wrong when I bumped the butt of the rifle a little hard and I heard the firing pin drop. My gunsmith checked it over and found that something was wrong and that it was the same problem they had found with several other triggers that had come from Timney at that time. I have heard that Timney fixed the quality control problem but the way that the customer service guy treated me has me wary of using them again.

Never used a Shilen.
Had one Rifle Basix for a Remington 700 that just would not fit, sent it back for a new trigger and sold it.
Have three Timney's and have never had a problem with them.

Greg

I have timney's on all my custom rifles and have never had a problem with them. they break crisp and clean for me. i dont see the need to spend anymore money on a trigger that what I spend on them.

Timney has recently changed the design on their 700 pattern triggers- and not for the better. I went with a Rifle Basix when the action maker installed two different Timneys that would time right and called them and found out about the change. I don't like Jewels for sporting rifles.

I have no complaints with the Rifle Basix.

I've had a Timney on my Remington for close to 20 years, been very solid.

Tried a Shilen on my son-in-law's Rem. XCR. Sold me on it.

I have Timneys and RBs on quite a few different makes and models and have installed a bunch more... Once a Timney is installed they are fine... As long as they get the right trigger in the package.

Never had a problem with a RB, but the last several Timneys I have installed have put me off them permanently. Trying to install one on a 96 mauser the first would not go and was obviously the wrong trigger. Brownell's sent a replacement and it was identical to the first wrong one. They "double-checked" and sent another... Exactly the same as the first ones.

An RB was not an option so they sent a Bold. It took minutes to install and works beautifully.

I attempted a 98 Timney, it failed and could not be adjusted. An RB worked and was installed in minutes.

A 700 Timney would not adjust and was replaced by a RB.

In total I have had more Timneys fail than all others combined. I still have several from years ago and they are fine, but I will never order another.
art

I see Shilen is coming out with a SS unit. Likely I will go with one on my next build.