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Installing a trigger yourself

27K views 37 replies 28 participants last post by  LW McVay 
#1 ·
Alright, I purchased a King's Gun Works trigger, and installed it on my own. I had no problem doing it what so ever... I put 300 rounds through it right afterwards without a hitch.

My question is this... Why would somebody pay a gunsmith $60-90 to install a trigger that they could easily do themselves? What would of been the advantages if I took my P14 to a smith?
 
#3 ·
I paid the doctor $60 to check my prostate. What a ripoff!!

Next time I'll just do it myself.

With all the business the pros are going to lose to the hobbyists, we'll probably have to stop going to those greedy barbers and cut our own hair, too :biglaugh:
 
#5 ·
Sometimes parts installations do not go so easily. If you screw up a $30 part then $60 to have it installed wasn't so bad after all :biglaugh:

I don't know what the average cost to have a trigger fitted to a 1911 but $60-90 seems high to me, but that figure probably includes the cost of the trigger too. I had one of my 1911s at the smith for some other work and with the trigger I had put in (which was fitted quite well) it had trigger bounce after the trigger job he did so he offered to put a new one in for me. I had him put in a STI carbon fiber w/ titanium bow and he charged me $30 installed. Keep in mind that is a $27 trigger.

If someone sent me a 1911 to fit a new trigger to I would want $60 as well if that's all he wanted done. If I had the gun apart for other work or was working in that area I would charge less.

Try replacing the hammer and sear next and then see if you have the same sentiments about sending it to a 'smith. Please test all of the safety tests before loading with live ammo :rolleyes:

Does your trigger have an overtravel stop? If so was it adjusted properly so that it will not render your gun inoperative? Did the trigger have a takeup adjustment and was it adjusted properly so as not to leave you open to an accidental discharge? Is it properly fitted to the grip safety for engagement so it will fire when you want and not fire when you dont want? Are you sure that it is not dragging on the magazine and increasing trigger pull weight? Have you ensured that there is no trigger bounce which will make the hammer fall to half cock or worse, and accidental discharge?

These questions and many more are addressed by a 'smith when they do a trigger replacement. That charge is not so bad afterall. Heck, I am going to send a bill for $30 just for typing this all out :biglaugh:

Replacing a trigger is not that big of an operation but there is also a difference between installing a trigger and "fitting" a trigger. If you are happy then who are we to say, but I would ask myself how much I truly know about the design and operation of the gun before I compare myself to a smith.

Good luck,

Josh Denny
 
#6 ·
Big Daddy pretty much hit all the points. There is a 'relief bevel' that needs to be on the bottom rear of the trigger bow. I can drop in a trigger or fit it top and bottom, but those little engagement surfaces scare me. I don't have the expertise to know for certain that everything is OK.

Just because the pistol goes bang after the install and seems to work OK doesn't mean that the installation was done 'right'.
 
#7 ·
Ted Yost said:
I paid the doctor $60 to check my prostate. What a ripoff!!

Next time I'll just do it myself.

With all the business the pros are going to lose to the hobbyists, we'll probably have to stop going to those greedy barbers and cut our own hair, too :biglaugh:

If I knew how to check my own prostate and save $60, I probably would do that too (that is 1K+ .45 bullets or 5K primers or 5+ lbs. of Titegroup or etc...). If you plan on doing it yourself the next time, maybe you could post a step-by-step tutorial. :biglaugh: :biglaugh:
 
#8 ·
Ted Yost said:
I paid the doctor $60 to check my prostate. What a ripoff!!

Next time I'll just do it myself.

With all the business the pros are going to lose to the hobbyists, we'll probably have to stop going to those greedy barbers and cut our own hair, too :biglaugh:
:biglaugh:
 
#9 ·
Ted, you just have to look at that experience in a different light. I just recently experienced my first exam this year and it was done by a female physician. I said, "If I known you were going to do this, I would have requested a male Dr." She kinda of giggled and said, "Look on the bright side, I have a much smaller finger." That was the best $60 I spent... and they even gave me a T-shirt that said, "I survived the Incredible Journey." You get what you pay for in life most of the time.
Ted Yost said:
I paid the doctor $60 to check my prostate. What a ripoff!!

Next time I'll just do it myself.

With all the business the pros are going to lose to the hobbyists, we'll probably have to stop going to those greedy barbers and cut our own hair, too :biglaugh:
 
#36 ·
I had a female doctors for years. I especially liked the part just before she ask me to cough.<BAG>
 
#10 ·
Well....

Are you talking about fitting a trigger or a trigger job? If you can do it on your own, that's great but not all are do it yourself type of people. Sixty to ninety dollars to fit a trigger is kinda high. If you want a trigger job, I would leave that to the experienced professionals like Ted. It takes a lot of experience to ensure that all mating surfaces are done correctly and work properly. Fire controls should be left to the ones who know what to do and not to be experiment with. The safety issue would be too much for some to tinker with, hence, the need for a compitent smith. Good luck.

Best regards,
Joseph
 
#11 ·
FrtSyt3 Im glad it worked out for you, but you have balls posting this in the G&T forum. If you ever have gun problems, dont expect the these lowly, overprice, gun hacking, sum b*tches smiths to help you out :D

I perfer to have a professional work over my weapons, since I have more money than gunsmith ability ;)
 
#12 ·
Ted Yost said:
I paid the doctor $60 to check my prostate. What a ripoff!!

Next time I'll just do it myself.
If you are going to be using your trigger finger for that, you might throw off your aim... And, you may as well get a second opinion while you are at it. The middle finger is generally good for that! :scratch: Just don't be doing them both at the same time. :mummy:

H
 
#13 ·
1911snob said:
FrtSyt3 Im glad it worked out for you, but you have balls posting this in the G&T forum. If you ever have gun problems, dont expect the these lowly, overprice, gun hacking, sum b*tches smiths to help you out :D

FrtSyst3 can do all the triger jobs he wants and good for him wish I could do the same. Just don't hammer anothers profession while in the process.
 
#14 ·
I was by no means trying to knock smiths... I was more less wondering what more they would of done if I took it to one!

Now, it was just a straight trigger install, and not a fitting... The trigger was a straight drop in. When I want a true trigger job I will take it to a smith!
 
#15 ·
Depending on the job to be done, its comperable to taking your truck to the dealership for an oil change. There are some jobs best left to the pros. But if with some patience, a little skill and understanding, why not do a job yourself?

FrtSyt3, glad to hear it worked out. I'm all about doing work on my own. If it's out of my league of course I'll send it out, but if it's something I can do and learn about, heck ya, I'll put that on my resume.
 
#19 ·
banzaijohn said:
Ted, you just have to look at that experience in a different light. I just recently experienced my first exam this year and it was done by a female physician. I said, "If I known you were going to do this, I would have requested a male Dr." She kinda of giggled and said, "Look on the bright side, I have a much smaller finger." That was the best $60 I spent... and they even gave me a T-shirt that said, "I survived the Incredible Journey." You get what you pay for in life most of the time.
For the life of me, I never could understand why a guy would prefer another guy to do that for him...
 
#20 ·
Ted Yost said:
I paid the doctor $60 to check my prostate. What a ripoff!!

Next time I'll just do it myself.

With all the business the pros are going to lose to the hobbyists, we'll probably have to stop going to those greedy barbers and cut our own hair, too :biglaugh:
I do cut my own hair! How'd you know? :biglaugh:
 
#21 ·
kevins_garage said:
If I knew how to check my own prostate and save $60, I probably would do that too (that is 1K+ .45 bullets or 5K primers or 5+ lbs. of Titegroup or etc...). If you plan on doing it yourself the next time, maybe you could post a step-by-step tutorial. :biglaugh: :biglaugh:
A complete and total LACK of pictures would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks for your support

Mike
 
#22 ·
LW McVay said:
For the life of me, I never could understand why a guy would prefer another guy to do that for him...
I was hoping we could say, "look we'll just say we did the exam and then talk about the game." I thought they could do that through a simple blood test anyhow... I was in for a shocker. My partner at work said the prostate exam is nothing, wait until they want to do the colonoscopy..... now that's the incredible journey. It sucks getting old!
 
#24 ·
Just dropping in the part with out fitting it might make it work, but I'll bet it isn't a competition gun. I assume you function tested it. I assume too that it isn't doing any strange things like doubling after the replacement. What if it didn't function test right? Would you have known what to do?

Sometimes it's not the replacement, but knowing how to make it work when it doesn't work right that is the benefit of the professional.

Doesn't matter if it is plumbing, auto mechanics, air conditioning or gunsmithing you pay for experience, knowledge and skill. Doing your own work you will pay with dollars, time, and risk. Sometimes it will go right and sometimes it won't. When it won't and you finally give up and take it to the pro to fix it'll cost more than if you had him do the work the first place. Not cause he is getting revenge, it's cause there is more troubleshooting and work to do fixing the original problem and the "fix" the novice did.

That is a reason why you would take it to a smith.
 
#25 ·
prostrate

I too have tried to save the $60 for the prostrate fee....but alas,,,,my fist has been stuck up there for three days now and I cannot get it out!!!

Whats that you say!!!!!!...Finger....oh my...I was only suppose to use my finger???!!!!!

Damn......maybe there is a reason my 1911 goes on full auto every time I pull the trigger! :eek:
 
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