ttt

 

Here's my recent personal experience:

I bought my wife a BL22 Grade II for Christmas. It's beautiful, but it had a horrible trigger; gritty with an unacceptably high trigger pull. I talked to a few gunsmiths about doing a "trigger" job and got estimates of around $50 to $80. One said he wasn't sure he could help, but for $80 he would have a look. That's not exactly what I wanted to hear.

One said he could make it feel smoother but couldn't lighten the trigger pull.

Another said he could definitely lighten the trigger pull but he would not reveal by what means. One man said he would never even attempt to fix a BL22 because it's too complicated and time consuming, especially the reassembly.

I was hoping to find someone had experience with this particular model and who could tell me exactly what he intended to do in order to improve the trigger; no such luck.

After some research I learned that just taking a BL22 apart and putting it back together was a chore in itself. Surely charging $50 or $80 for a "trigger job" wouldn't leave much time to fuss over the action and I feared that these gunsmiths would simply remove the sear, quickly grind off half the amount of engagement, and reassemble the rifle. I definitely didn't want this, so I decided to do the job myself.

I'm not a trained gunsmith, but I'm not stupid either and I was confident that this trigger could be improved without making the gun dangerous or unreliable. Compared with the beautiful and finely finished exterior, the action itself was surprisingly rough. This, in a way, was good news because I could see that careful polishing alone would significantly improve the trigger pull. Sure enough, putting a high polish on the sliding parts resulted in the pull being reduced from 8 pounds down to 5 pounds 5 ounces.

Truth be told, it took a lot of careful hand polishing and it was quite time consuming, but I enjoyed the work. I would also agree that the first time putting the rifle back together took a bit of fiddling and more than a little bit of time.

I took exquisite care NOT to alter the sear/trigger engagement geometry but I did take note of several of the internal springs and ordered some lighter replacements on the Internet.

After the springs arrived, I took the gun apart again and replaced the trigger spring, the sear link spring, and the sear spring with similar but lighter rate springs. I did NOT change the main spring.

This time the pull went from 5#-5oz down to 3 pounds 2 ounces which I think is just about perfect since this gun is not a precision bench rest rifle. Plus, the reassembly procedure went much more quickly the second time around.

Not only is the trigger significantly lighter but it now has a very clean break. In fact it's so clean and smooth that you might (incorrectly) say it doesn't have any creep at all. I'm happy and so is my wife.

Even if I had polished the trigger components and replaced the springs at the same time, it still would have taken most of a day for this job even though I'm pretty good with my hands. I'm sure a real gunsmith could have done it more quickly, but I don't see how any professional could do the same work and only charge $50 or $80 without taking some shortcuts.

I'm pleased that the rifle retains the standard sear/trigger geometry (for safety) along with the standard main spring (for reliability), yet it now has a reasonably light and very crisp trigger pull.

 

Did you take any pictures while you were doing it?

 

I have always wanted one of these rifles. Glad you were able to improve the trigger. Yes, pictures, and more details on springs, and areas polished would be helpful for those of us considering one of these.

 

I had a smith re-do my 1978 BL-22 Grade II, several years ago. It went from about 7 or 8 pounds with creep, to about 3.5 pounds with just a tinge of creep. I believe I paid about $68.

I'm very happy with the results.....not benchrest grade, but way better.

 

Sounds like you did a good job. I've cleaned a few up and 3 - 4 lbs in my opinion is going to be about it. You have to be very careful with changing the geometry on the sear link which moves with handle. I wouldn't touch one for eighty bucks they are at best an all day job. If browning would just throw those parts in a tumbler for awhile prior to assembly it would be a great improvement. I think there center fire BLR has a similar setup which has kept me from seriously looking at them. But I could stand corrected on that.

 

There's a considerable discussion of the BL-22 trigger weight issue here ...

http://www.rimfirecentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=488688

IMHO, a huge improvement can be made simply by pulling the trigger, a lot. Whenever someone hands me a little-used BL-22 and complains about the trigger pull, I simply listen to them talk, pull the trigger (lowering the hammer slowly) about 100 times and hand it back to them. They're simply amazed by the improvement.

The next step is to lightly grease the "triangle" on the cocking lever ...

I have no doubt that a proper stoning/cleaning of the engagement surfaces will make an even greater improvement, but I'd start with the 100 trigger pulls.

Enjoy!
Dave

 

Dave, thanks for the simple, yet common sense approach, possible solution to this issue. I own a Silver Grade II Bl-22 and did as you suggested and it did improve things. I like to look around on numerous parts of this (primary) and other forums and I frequently read posts from owners who do not like the feel of a brand new trigger on a brand new gun. They want to run out and immediately get that quick fix to make it better..without giving the gun a chance to"gradually" break-in. Again, I appreciate your suggestion. Craig

 

BL-22 trigger

My experience is that Dave is correct and use improves the pull as the surfaces wear and smooth into each other. My 1981 BL-22 grade II has a much more well used trigger compared to my new BL-22 grade II and was probably a pound or so lighter than my 2013 model. After my local gunsmith work it, the weight was down to about 3 pounds or slightly less and is really crisp; very much what I wanted for this type of rifle and its use. Any less would be too little. Unfortunately, I did not measure nor did the gunsmith measure the before condition. I am guessing about 6 pounds or slightly more. Anyway I am quite pleased with it now. So much so, I sent the newer one in for the same work as it was even heavier than the 81. I did measure it before going in at about 8 to 8.5 pounds. It is due back this week, so we will be able to have a before and after comparison of what the work will do for the trigger. The gunsmith says each is different and that the complexity of the design with the links from the handle to the sear make the results not as consistent as a 1911 trigger assembly, for example, or a ruger 10-22. Since I know the pull weight this last one went in at, I will be able to report the improvement directly instead of the usual guessing, which is just guessing. I have found an accurate performing quality trigger to be far more than just pull weight, though that is one of the parameters. I think a clean crisp break is more important for an accurate trigger than a light pull weight, IMHO. I will report what the results of the before and after show later this week.

 

Mozella - seems to me that the time & care you took to do YOUR job RIGHT yourself sorta qualifies YOU as an authority on reworking the trigger on those guns(NO KIDDING). It may be that in the future you will find people approaching YOU to get help with THEIR trigger, and THAT is as it should be..

 

I'll take that as a genuine complement; however, I'm afraid you're perhaps a bit off the mark. Here's why.

I happen to be an old man who is (or was) interested in a wide variety of undertakings during my lifetime, some of which were my vocation but most were various avocations. I know a lot and have a good deal of experience in the field of being a combat fighter pilot and later on an international airline Captain. I also know a lot about boat design/building, quite a bit about aircraft design/building, something about automobile fabrication/racing, quite a bit about cooking, and only a tiny bit about firearms.

Along the way, I've made my share of mistakes, but I've also learned something about a lot of different stuff both through research and hands-on experience. I've also learned that not everyone who calls themselves an expert will produce expert results. That's why I decided to do the BL22 trigger job myself. This may or may not be the path to success for other BL22 owners.

Although I've recently been trying to learn more about firearms and marksmanship, a good deal of my firearms knowledge is "book learning" backed up with very little genuine experience. The work I did on my wife's BL22 trigger is my first real trigger job and was successful only because I drew on my extensive background to keep me out of trouble. Those without any background at all in mechanical things may not be as successful. In other words, if you can't change a faucet washer, don't disassemble your trigger.

I know that the exact profile of the sear is very important for safety, but I'm not experienced enough to tell a safe one from a dangerous one. The same goes for how the sear engages the hammer. I know it's important, but I am not qualified to tell anyone what is safe and what is not. In fact, the same goes for all aspects of how a trigger works and, truth be told, I know very little about triggers. That's the primary reason I was very careful not to change the shape of any of the trigger components.

Of course, the problem with a hobby involving potentially deadly devices, is that an unqualified individual (like me) could give out some advice which is not quite correct and someone else could end up with an unsafe gun. And unsafe guns are NOT a good thing for obvious reasons.

Or, since anyone can log on to the internet, the audience for a step-by-step tutorial can range from responsible, reliable people to complete nit-wits. Without more experience, I'm concerned that the nit-wits of the world might read a detailed and technically correct tutorial on how to modify a BL22 trigger and take it one step beyond. In doing so, the nit-wit might very well make a safe gun into a dangerous one. I simply don't know enough about the craft to offer hand-holding.

The intent of my earlier post was to make it known that it's possible to significantly improve the BL22 trigger without changing the mainspring (for reliability) or changing the sear profile or the way it engages the hammer (for safety). I also wanted to point out that the job is time consuming and a little fiddly which is why an owner should ask serious questions before hiring a gunsmith who claims he can do a complete trigger job for fifty bucks.

Those who are qualified to duplicate my efforts know who they are and they need no further advice. They can keep themselves out of trouble. Unfortunately, my lack of experience makes me feel uncomfortable posting a detailed tutorial aimed at the great unwashed, some of whom are bound to screw things up.

But, for those who know what they're doing and who are wondering how to polish the back side of the sear hook and back side of the trigger hooks, I'll offer this little tidbit. You'll need to fabricate a very thin tool. I have absolutely no clue what a real gunsmith would use, but I made mine by folding a piece of 2000 grit paper around the sharp edge of a snap-off blade. Warning: If you try using this tool and if you put a huge gash in your thumb which requires a trip to the hospital for stiching-up, don't come whining to me.

[/URL]IMG_0025-Edit-2 by Mozella55, on Flickr[/IMG]

 

I have a new unfired Grade II and I'll certainly be following Dave's advice - thanks Dave!

Jim

 

I am bringing this useful thread to the top of the list because there seems to be some interest in the BL-22 trigger at this point in time. Plus, my new BL-22 should be arriving soon and I will want to re-read this thread when I consider the performance of my new rifles trigger.

 

Plus, my new BL-22 should be arriving soon and I will want to re-read this thread when I consider the performance of my new rifles trigger.

Congrats! If at all possible, please take a trigger pull measurement before doing any actual firing, and then take additional measurements every 50 pulls or so.

If my theory is correct, you'll see a clear drop in the pull weight after 100 or so pulls.

If my theory is wrong, well, you won't. Either way, we'll learn something.

Thanks!
Dave

 

I will. It will give me a chance to use my new trigger pull scale.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

 

Gents, I'm glad you resurrected this thread! I'll be waiting with great interest to learn of your results.

I got my long-stored, barely used BL-22 2 years ago and as much fun as it is, the trigger and those marginal iron sights detract from the merits of the gun. I completely missed Captain Mozella's fine posts, and I think when I get past some other gun projects, I can see myself delving into the trigger as he did.

 

I picked up my BL-22 this afternoon, it is the octagon model, quite pretty.

The trigger is crisp, no creep at all, but about 6#. Repetitive trigger pulls did not seem to lighten it.

First 50 pulls, 6.1# ave
2nd 50 pulls, 6.1# ave
3rd 50 pulls, 6.1# ave

Undoubtedly, many hundreds of pulls will be needed to see any change.

I took it apart, not to bad to do, nor was reassembling it. But I did watch the YouTube video prior to disassembly.

These next few weeks I am going to put a lot of rounds through it, then remeasure the trigger pull.

Even if it falls to 5#, that is too much. So, I am going to order reduced power springs, and perhaps polish a little bit and see where that leads. I am lucky it is creep free at this point I think.

Where do you guys get your reduced power springs?

 

The trigger is crisp, no creep at all, but about 6#. Repetitive trigger pulls did not seem to lighten it.

Thanks! It hurts my theory, but that's why you test theories :bthumb:

 

Glad your trigger is "OK" at this point with little creep. I give you credit in your success in disassembly, I have yet to do that, still a little hesitant, although I have watch the YouTube video and have Brownings full disassembly instructions at hand. Its seems straight forward enough. Guess I have listened to all the naysayers warnings and parts flying narrative too much.

I recently bought a BL Maple version and mounted a skinner black gold peep site and brass front blade to it. They go together nicely. The trigger is acceptable at this point with no creep but definately not as good as my 1970 version.


I too would be very interested in where,what springs were used. Would make a good gun great. Not too mention a fun project, beings its winter and cold as heck out, way below zero in Mn. at the present.


I'll be following this thread with great interest.

 

I ordered the reduced power spring package from SBGW. Pricey, hope it is worth it.

Some people have trimmed OEM coils with success, or so I have read. That might be a viable alternative.

http://sbgwllc.myshopify.com/products/browning-miroku-bl22-tuning-kit

 

I'm not so sure about that. Here's why.

Since my gun has zero creep and grittiness, my "guess" is that the assemblers did some amount of fitting prior to assembly. The Browning website says, after all, "built to have a crisp 5# let off", or something to that effect.

That leads me to believe that my heavy (6#) trigger is mostly (not all) due to the heavy mainspring and sear springs that are installed by default.

My hope (and that is all it is at this point!), is that the reduced power spring package will lower the pull weight significantly.

We will see!

I haven't had a new gun for along time as my general modus operandi is to locate nice used specimens to add to my collection. My new BL-22 action is stiff, even after disassembly to remove the factory gunk. Usage should alleviate that I hope!:AR15firin

I was a little surprised (and disappointed) to see that the trigger assembly housing is cast aluminum. I guess I was hoping for an all steel Browning (like the good old days!), especially since the lower part of the bolt rides along the aluminum frame. Seems like that would be an area of wear. I suppose my concern is unwarranted since these models have a reputation of durability.

 

I too, will be following the progress of this thread and your viable experience with the spring kit.
I picked up an early model a few months ago that has an atrocious trigger. I do not have a gauge, only an educated finger, I am guessing that the pull is above 7#. No creep, but oh so heavy. She shoots nice and has many rounds down the tube so I do not think that time has smoothed out the trigger any.
Good luck with your trigger.

 

I'd like to point out that a thread exists for installing a trigger tune-up kit in these neat rifles.
The photos are on PB and looks like I may need to find a new host for them if there is any interest...

https://www.rimfirecentral.com/threads/browning-miroku-bl22-tuning-kit.826922/#post-7819386