Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Gunsmithing Trigger Timing

Every now and then I hear about timing a trigger... Can someone explain how this works on a 700 or 700 clone type action... How do you accomplish this... I see Jim Borden talks about this on the guns he builds... Here is a quote from his site, "The Jewell trigger is timed in the action to result in correct firing pin fall and extraction and closing cam operation."

Thanks Z

yes trigger and bolt Timing I ask here too but no one here had a clue (suprised me .. not) it seemed just look it up I learned a lot. Very interesting.

has more to do with your firing pin position in bolt in relation to bolt lugs

So where did you look the information up at...if I understand you correctly...

just an internet search like rem 700 bolt timing

A trigger has one function, to hold the cocking piece/firing pin until it is released to fire. Bolt lugs themselves have little to nothing to do with trigger timing, that is bolt timing. Trigger timing, as Borden times before sending one of his BR actions, ensures there is no cock on closing, and also there is no loss of pin fall distance in closing the bolt. The "hand off" should not influence the firing pin position, when the bolt rotates into battery, the pin should stay in the same position, no additional cock, note loss of travel.

The amount of pin fall travel is made into the components, cocking piece, trigger sear, etc.

Thanks Wayne, that helps explain it...However, now wondering mechanically, what changes are made to alter the timing...I understand the various hangers on actions such as a BAT with differing locations, but what about a 700...is it a matter of "fitting" the cocking piece or what....thanks

On a 700 and the like, you can only change or grind the cocking piece. If you have cock on closing, then the cocking ramp can be shortened. I thought PTG was going to make cocking pieces of varying lengths? A different trigger can make things better, or worse as well.

Incorrect bolt timing will make for inconsistant trigger pull is what I was refering to.

Incorrect bolt timing will make for inconsistant trigger pull is what I was refering to.

I'm not going to get into an argument, but a bolt would have to be seriously off to effect trigger pull. And even then I would look at the shroud and cocking piece, not the bolt timing.

Mostly "trigger timing" is one of those BS terms everyone seems to like so much these days but the concept has some validity.
When the bolt is pushed foward on any cock-on-opening action, the first contact should be the extraction camming surface at the bolt handle base contacting the extraction camming surface on the receiver. It should NOT be the cocking piece contacting the sear. As the bolt is turned down, the cocking piece is lowered on to the sear. The distance the cocking piece has to travel to contact the sear should not be more than about .010". If things are right, it should be possible to cock the rifle by simple raing and lowering the handle. This is usually not the case on most new Remington 700s. The cure is to relocate the bolt handle. The handle is either moved forward or, in some cases, moved counterclockwise on the bolt body and re-attached.
If the sear is the first thing to contact, it will be impossible to set the trigger as finely as is otherwise possible.
If one hones, stones, or grinds the contact surface of the sear, striker travel is reduced. Usually, travel is more than sufficient anyway so this does no harm but it does occur. GD

if the slot in the bolt body is out of sink with the bolt handle it will cause "drag" on the cocking piece and there for effect trigger pull

Bolt timing, not trigger timing.

Wayne Shaw; What she said was what difference ho they died.
Don't alter the meaning.

What? Don't alter the FACT she and Obammy are directly responsible for those 4 being murdered?

Always some out there Wayne.