Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Savage Collectors Trigger Job? Photos

A few days ago there was quite a flame job over Roy Dunlap and trigger jobs. While correcting the headspace on my new 1899H,today,I found something very scary.I know that Roy did not do this trigger job.Would it have left my shop???Hell no!!!

Included a few photos where you can form your own opinion. I will not say how I corrected my headspace and I will not comment on my thoughts on trigger jobs, I understand now that a gunsmith's opinion is not wanted or appreciated on this forum. (I do love this forum though, sometimes I laugh,sometimes I get really angry and sometimes I learn something.)

The photos will speak for themselves. There is only about 1/16 " both horizontal and vertical on sear engagement.Trigger pull is less than a pound, but try as I might, I cannot get it to slam fire. Even rapping the upper or lower tang with a rubber mallet will not disengage it. Would I ever sell it to someone in this condition,the answer is NO!!!

Wow, that's definitely not much engagement. Does it look like somebody ground it down?

No, it doesn't. It has been honed. I'm not going to make any snap decisions right now, have broken down another '99 to compare parts. Hoping that someone with more knowledge than I on the old ones (1914) will share some with me and give me some input on it.I will definitely get to the bottom of this problem! Just love a challenge.

I have never seen anything like this in all my years! Wow is right!!

I've seen enough variability in the amount of sear engagement in my early production 1899's to find it entirely plausible for that to be factory original. Another possibility is that one of the parts is a replacement from another gun. I tried to replace a trigger in a 250-3000 using a trigger from another 250-3000. It would not engage the sear.

How much engagement do you have if the safety is on and you pull the trigger against it?

Why is the hammer (striker head) rotating as you draw back the trigger? Is the mating surface of the hammer sloped; is that where you say it was "honed"? Too much play in the hammer.

Here are a couple of pictures of what I have readily available.

SN# 164xxx looks a lot like yours the other 310xxx looks different.

My C model(1922) has a thin engagement or short contact point, but the hammer doesn't rotate inward like yours. It is flush like CTW's middle pic. I have tried to make it slam fire and so far it has not. Like you though, I wouldn't sell it like it is. I have ordered a replacement hammer assembly for the future. On the bright side, it has a nice light trigger pull.

In your middle pic, it looks like the hammer is touching the lever. I don't see any drag marks on the lever arm. Slack in either the hammer or the sear and it looks like it will let go.

I'll say that the horizontal engagement is low and it appears the hammer might be rubbing the lever? is it rotating in the bolt? but the vertical contact, while not a lot and without the opportunity to see it in hand, would not concern me a great deal if...the sear bolt is tight and the trigger pin tight and spring lock tight and it won't slam fire.
I have seen less engagement on almost every SxS trigger sear I've ever looked at. hell pretty much every sear in a SLE gun has less engagement then that...

As long as it cannot be made to slam fire, I would not have any problem with that trigger. Like lovemy99 has pointed out, a lot of other guns have less sear engagement.

The beauty of the 99 mechanism is that it cocks-on-closing. For the blind hunter it is no big deal to not fully chamber a round while sitting and to squeeze the lever and lock the bolt into battery only when a target is acquired. Otherwise, an empty chamber is an MO that aught to soothe concern.

Hmmm... I guess those guys are responsible for all of the "sound" shots one hears tell about!
(I knew what you meant. Just being a smart ass!)

Thanks to everyone for your input so far---

CTW-a picture is worth a thousand words--really helpful!

406--before I got your post, I tried a different trigger--the rifle fired way before the lever was closed-

Grogel-sear did not move with safety on

RandyS-hammer(striker) does not drag on the lever,it moves back and forth, but not as much as my other 99's

Bert--I like this light,crisp pull--but like you I want more horizontal engagement

lovemy99-thanks

I am enjoying this thread as I asked for information and that's what you are giving me-I hope this thread continues because I think more than just me are learning something here.The base of knowledge you have as a group is nice to draw on. No one of us can know everything there is to know about a Savage.When I was gunsmithing, very few Savages came in for more than bluing and drillng and tapping.They weren't very collectible back then so there wasn't a great demand to repair them.Did restock quite a few--they were used hard! When something really pristine came in I would refuse to D&T on it or reblue.

with the stock off... on the left side of the rear of the bolt is it stamped with the serial number of the gun? I would be more suspect of a bolt or firing pin change than the trigger... triggers would never break or malfunction...its a solid piece, the bolt on the other hand and its internal peices is another matter... while it seems unlikely with a gun in this condition, it seems generally more probably.

First, not all bolts are stamped with serials, at least I don't think they are...some are for sure though...

second, I think its likely factory... you see any reason the factory would not release that gun in 1914 or whatever year it was?? ... these were not the sue happy days and it would have been costly to hand fit another set-up.

Replacement sears can be had if that's what looks to be on the short side.

Now we know who's to blame...just kidding. Interesting question and responses.

LRF did you ever work for the Media??

Drew
I,m thinking the earlier rifles were made with the trigger pull in mind, that was phased out at some point? I to think the trigger in question is probably factory.

My bolts here are stamped with the last three, not certain but I think I have seen a couple that were stamped with the full number.
Or maybe the take down metal with full #?

I've seen bolts with the full number...

Since ctw and Drew have drawn my attention back to the 1899, I have taken the gun back apart. The last 3 digits of the serial # are stamped on the rear of the bolt.My interest perked, I took a bolt out of a 99 and measured the width of the hammer(striker). On the 99 it was .340" and on the 1899 it was .285" leaving a difference of .055". This explains how I can easily get more horizontal engagement. Thanks again to everyone!

Gives me something to do on a nice HOT summer day! Someone said the other day that living in the Hill Country of Texas must be about like Heaven. Wonder if they got their directions mixed up???? Yesterday I could have sworn I saw a man with a pitchfork over his shoulder and a bifurcated tail walking down the road!!

John