Single Shot Hammer Spring Modification

[JEBar]

looking forward to your report .... I sure wish they would get the rifle/pistol range over on the other side of Missouri at Jay Henges back into operation

[ESquared]

Just closing the loop and now there's even more to the story.

I've had the 223 out to the range a couple of times since making this spring mod, and on both outings, I experienced light primer strikes/misfires. I circled back with Al, TractorTad and others who have made this mod on other SShots, and none reported this issue.

With Al's help, a new spring weight was found on Grainger's website, so I installed that one today.

It's Part # 54MY44 and has a spring rate of 38 lb/in (vs. about 51 lbs for the stock Henry).

I'll be trying this out at the KC gathering next week and will report back. If it works and anyone is interested, I'll have several extras, as Grainger sells them in packs of 10, so just send me a PM and I'll set one aside for you and ship it off to you if everything turns out okay.

More to come!

[BigAl52]

Im gonna be curious to see if that 38lb spring solves your issue.

[Yornoc3]

For sure! Inquiring minds want to know. I've posted previously that my two early model ss rifles came with good triggers; I'd love to know if they used a lighter trigger spring to start, and had to ratchet up its strength to meet the SAAMI drop specs. Obviously, no one at Henry would ever say anything about that. There was a world of difference in trigger pull weight between my low 3 digit serial no. 45-70 and my recent 30-30 that I can't explain any other way, but then, I'm simply speculating .

[ESquared]

For sure! Inquiring minds want to know. I've posted previously that my two early model ss rifles came with good triggers; I'd love to know if they used a lighter trigger spring to start, and had to ratchet up its strength to meet the SAAMI drop specs. Obviously, no one at Henry would ever say anything about that. There was a world of difference in trigger pull weight between my low 3 digit serial no. 45-70 and my recent 30-30 that I can't explain any other way, but then, I'm simply speculating .

You've hit on probably one of the most widely discussed topics in the firearms customer world. These folks do running changes all the time, it seems, for any number of reasons, and it sometimes becomes luck of the draw where the gun you just bought fits in the spectrum of the model's evolution, depending on when it was made.

Just FYI, too, I swapped out the trigger in the 357 SS Brass(lite), and it's a different ballgame than the steel version. The straight stock set-up makes for a longer reach to access the 3/16' hex bolt that holds the buttstock and receiver together, and the "channel" that's cut in the stock is a bit slimmer, so it was off to Harbor Freight for a "long reach" hex key. Had to buy a whole set, but, in the Harbor Freight business model, it was still under $8, and I got 24 FREE "AA" batteries.

The outcome is a markedly different feel to hammer pull, and a much lighter trigger pull. Will see this coming week if I get light primer strikes or not. Will report back!

[BigAl52]

Did you put the 38lb in the 357 then also or use the 31?

[roddy]

For sure! Inquiring minds want to know. I've posted previously that my two early model ss rifles came with good triggers; I'd love to know if they used a lighter trigger spring to start, and had to ratchet up its strength to meet the SAAMI drop specs. Obviously, no one at Henry would ever say anything about that. There was a world of difference in trigger pull weight between my low 3 digit serial no. 45-70 and my recent 30-30 that I can't explain any other way, but then, I'm simply speculating .

Interesting. The .45-70 I picked up is a fairly low production number (in the 100s) as well. Now I really need to find some cartridges (or a snapcap), and see if mine is similar. My inspection tag is dated Nov 30 2017, for reference.

[ESquared]

Did you put the 38lb in the 357 then also or use the 31?

Used the 38#er. Still very nice.

[JEBar]

The outcome is a markedly different feel to hammer pull, and a much lighter trigger pull. Will see this coming week if I get light primer strikes or not. Will report back!

looking forward to being able to see it in person ..

[Yornoc3]

roddy,

My 45-70 is right around 3.5 to 4 lbs trigger pull weight, and I don't find the hammer cocking resistance to be excessive, either. On the other hand, the new model .308 of my son-in law and my 30-30 both could be lifted by the trigger when cocked (with a snap cap in the chamber) without ""firing. That 'd be around 7lbs, I'd say more. Replacing the mainspring, leaving the smaller one in place, cured 'em both; they're now under 4lbs in trigger pull weight.

[ESquared]

roddy,

My 45-70 is right around 3.5 to 4 lbs trigger pull weight, and I don't find the hammer cocking resistance to be excessive, either. On the other hand, the new model .308 of my son-in law and my 30-30 both could be lifted by the trigger when cocked (with a snap cap in the chamber) without ""firing. That 'd be around 7lbs, I'd say more. Replacing the mainspring, leaving the smaller one in place, cured 'em both; they're now under 4lbs in trigger pull weight.

I'll offer again: I've got a half-dozen of these 38# mainsprings I'm willing to share. Just send me a PM and I'll ship you one to try out.

[Yornoc3]

That, too, is good to know. Thanks! I'll be watching for any "fail to fires", particularly on the .308, when we get around to shooting those two rifles with the replaced lighter springs (Labor day weekend?). I have wondered if some ammunition may have harder primers these days, particularly loads that often are used in semi-auto actions, like .223 and .308. Or maybe just in general for liability reasons, like the use of the stronger springs in the rifles in the first place.

[roddy]

roddy,

My 45-70 is right around 3.5 to 4 lbs trigger pull weight, and I don't find the hammer cocking resistance to be excessive, either. On the other hand, the new model .308 of my son-in law and my 30-30 both could be lifted by the trigger when cocked (with a snap cap in the chamber) without ""firing. That 'd be around 7lbs, I'd say more. Replacing the mainspring, leaving the smaller one in place, cured 'em both; they're now under 4lbs in trigger pull weight.

I'll offer again: I've got a half-dozen of these 38# mainsprings I'm willing to share. Just send me a PM and I'll ship you one to try out.

I would take you up on that, but shipping stuff across the border can be pretty dicey...with my luck, I'd end up with a $50 'brokerage' fee, lol.

[Yornoc3]

We finally got around to sighting in the .308 of my S-i-L and my 30-30 over Labor Day weekend. The .308 dialed in nicely, however, it did have one fail to fire, albeit there seemed to be a solid primer strike, so go figure. The 30-30 fired just fine, but the gun show scope (older 2.5X Burris) seemed to not be adjusting properly, so I quit while I was still ahead. I'll check out the scope, if I decide I can't trust it, I'll replace it with a 2.5X Leupold ultralight (like I probably should 'a done in the first place ).

[BigAl52]

Just a thought Yornoc3 I have had issues with one of the Burris scopes before and took it to them. They fixed it with no questions at all. Im lucky though no shipping for me there right near where I work everyday.

[Yornoc3]

BigAl52,

I thought that I'd send it back to Burris if I find that it's not tracking correctly, thanks for the reassurance that they'll still take care of it. It's in real nice shape, so maybe it'll free up with some exercise. I know that the springs that maintain tension on the erector tube can weaken and/or stick on older scopes, so first I'll give it a workout on a rimfire rifle and see what happens.

[zara_puppy]

Got the spring in my .243 single shot swapped out today - thanks to Esquared who was nice enough to send me a 38# spring. Super simple as all have noted. I didn't get out to shoot it as yet, but I will. Using a snap cap I can tell it dropped the trigger weight and the hammer cock a couple of pounds. I didn't do anything else - and I probably won't. I've only got 12-15 shots through it - so it should smooth out some with some range work. It wasn't gritty or anything - actually it's quite clean, but with more rounds through it it'll probably drop another pound with use - which will make it a perfect hunting trigger.
I've got some Hornady rounds I'll use to test the rifle with - Hornady (as I've read) tends to have harder primers. So if it passes the Hornady test, we'll be good to go.

Many thanks again, and I'll let everyone know how it goes.

[JEBar]

I've got some Hornady rounds I'll use to test the rifle with - Hornady (as I've read) tends to have harder primers. So if it passes the Hornady test, we'll be good to go.

good to know .... I wasn't aware of that ....

[BigAl52]

Yes do lt us know. I dont think Evan has put many rounds through his since he went to a 38 lb spring. I have a bag of the lighter springs which worked fine in my 357 but I never did use any of the 38lb springs.

[winchester37]

I second the question. Does anyone want to share the Grainger part number for this spring?