Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters What were the old tang saftey triggers like?

Just bought an old tang safety Ruger and would like to know about the triggers. Are they adjustable...poor, rough or fine. I like a 2lb trigger, is this going to be possible? Any help would be greatly appreciated. powdr

I had a varmint-barreled .22-250 tang safety and I adjusted the trigger to nice clean pull of about two and a quarter pounds.

I don't recall any problems doing this but it was more than 25 years ago. Still, I would remember if it had been difficult.

I also glass bedded the rifle and had no problems with that either.

John

Hi again

I forgot -- I had another tang safety in 7 mm Rem Mag.

I bought it used, and the trigger was about 3 pounds (and a nice clean break without creep) when I got it -- so I never worked on it, nor gave it a second thought.

I do not know if the previous owner had adjusted it, or if it came that way from the factory (this was back in the days when lawsuits had not forced American rifle manufacturers to protect themselves legally with heavy triggers that could not "go off by accident" so perhaps it was factory).

John

I like Rugers, but for a time it seemed every one I took apart had a different trigger mechanism on it. Some are adjustable, most are not. Regarding making them nice, anything can be done with the proper technique. My Ruger with the best trigger pull is an M77 MkII with an aftermarket trigger and sear made by Timney. It is exceedingly nice. Others in my safe I have touched up with a stone and made "acceptable" but not so fine as the Timney. One old tanger I have came to me with a pretty nice trigger that I'm pretty sure has been tuned a bit as well (rifle is also glass bedded).

I have a .270 that as pretty easy to adjust. Don't remember the details, but pull is crisp at a whisker over 3#. I researched the old internet for instructions. Mine was different from what was shown, and actually an easier process. Good luck.

Yes the early ones were all adjustable far as I know.
You might not get oz weight target trigger but can be adjusted to a very crisp acceptable level.

Have had a half-dozen over the last 30 years and I think that every one ended up getting a trigger job. Never had one that couldn't be fixed, though...

Powdr -

All the tangers I needed to adjust we're user friendly.

Turn rifle upside down -horizontally - look 'inside the trigger guard AT the bottom of the rifle. There should be a small allen head screw.

With proper Allen wrench, (phone doesn't recognize the spelling for that wrench) .
Turn R or L for heavier or lighter pull.

I never saw a tanger w/o that adjustment.

Good luck.

I've had a pile of tang-safety 77's, and while their triggers adjusted easily, some only adjusted down to 4+ pounds, so had to be torn down to go lower. I did the work myself and it wasn't too hard, but not as easy as with the latest Mark II and Hawkeye triggers.

I think it was Handloader, may have been Rifle, that long ago covered adjusting and reworking the tang safety trigger in a half page sidebar to a related article. I can only guess why I don't see articles like that much anymore. Worth buying a copy used or the PDF for reassurance if in doubt.

A first rate 2 lb trigger is certainly possible with little trouble and negligible expense - assuming roll pin punches, stones and lube of choice on hand; I liked Isky Cam Lube for a high pressure high moly lube but that's been hard to find in recent years - maybe a new roll pin.

It's easy enough to get results that match the effort - not difficult but maybe tedious - all the usual cautions apply.

The old tang triggers respond well to a spring change.

I used a section of a ball point pen spring, worked well.

Virgil B.

I don't know if they're still available, but Bullseye used to offer a spring kit. I had a heavy barreled .22-250 I put new springs in and did a little tuning. I guess the final pull was about a pound and a half. Good rig.

I had a 77 RL in .257 Roberts that was in that range, but it was done by a gunsmith. I had a 77R in .300 win mag that I set to about 2 pounds. My father still owns a "green meanie" '06 we bought for my mom a few years before she "passed." It's sub 2 pounds.

They're pretty good triggers. I prefer them to the newer offerings. I'm not real fond of either safety, though, the tang safety should have been more prominent, easier to reach, and the wing on the Mk II style is the same, should have had a bigger wing like a Winchester 70 that's easier to get ahold of in a hurry.

Tom

Timney!

as i recall the very early tangers had an adjustment for weight of pull and pre travel i thought. then they only gave you a weight of pull adjustment on some later M77's. i'll poke around to see if i can find the article i read on that way back.

they later only gave adjustment for increasing wt of pull. or so i've heard.

Put a Timney in my .243RSI,tang safety;breaks nicely at 2lbs. Money well spent.

Yes, there are 3 places to adjust them, like an old-style Remington trigger.

The ones I've been around were kind of a crap shoot. Some triggers OK others horrid. Seemed to be the same with accuracy. Right now I do not own any.

I have an M77 from the early 70s that is plummed now. I cranked the screws as far as I could and got a fairly decent trigger out of that. So yep, they are mostly adjustable to something good. But I've got plans to rip it apart and give it the full voodoo.

The 270 I just sold has a wonderful trigger in it. So much in fact that I haven't even checked it with my trigger pull wt gauge. I know it's adjustable, but the original owner had it adjusted just fine so I left it that way .