Patriot Mobile

Contribute your cheap improvements to your guns in lieu of high dollar options.

The #1 community for Gun Owners in Texas

Member Benefits:

  • Fewer Ads!
  • Discuss all aspects of firearm ownership
  • Discuss anti-gun legislation
  • Buy, sell, and trade in the classified section
  • Chat with Local gun shops, ranges, trainers & other businesses
  • Discover free outdoor shooting areas
  • View up to date on firearm-related events
  • Share photos & video with other members
  • ...and so much more!
  • breakingcontact

    TGT Addict
    Rating - 100%
    13   0   0
    Oct 16, 2012
    18,298
    31
    Indianapolis
    I've tried to be better about not just buying a solution to every problem I find or make up. Stupid consumerism.

    I painted the sights on a pistol to mimick the actual nice Dawson Precision sights on my carry gun.

    With the model paint on my other gun its about 80% as good for about 0.01% the cost.

    What small tips do you have for improving your guns on the cheap?
    ARJ Defense ad
     

    Dawico

    Uncoiled
    Lifetime Member
    Rating - 100%
    14   0   0
    Oct 15, 2009
    38,008
    96
    Lampasas, Texas
    I have taken sand paper to a couple factory AR triggers with very good results. The sear angle on the trigger makes the trigger have to push the hammer back to be pulled. That makes for a heavy and gritty trigger pull. Changing the angle lowers the trigger pull and smooths it out considerably. I only work on the trigger, not the cut on the hammer.

    I can get a smooth 5.5# pull and keep it safe. I have fired many rounds through them will no trigger slip or doubling.
     

    Moonpie

    Omnipotent Potentate for hire.
    Lifetime Member
    Rating - 100%
    21   0   0
    Oct 4, 2013
    24,109
    96
    Gunz are icky.
    Clip a coil or two off of a coil spring instead of buying a "better" spring.

    Bronze/copper cleaning brush, oil, and an electric drill used to hone/polish chambers and inside semi-auto magazines.

    Strip of leather with holes punched in it to act as a "speed strip" loader for revolvers.
     

    Brains

    One of the idiots
    Rating - 100%
    3   0   0
    Apr 9, 2013
    6,904
    96
    Spring
    I tweak on most things in some way, eventually. Most extensive has been my 10/22, because well you're just supposed to - it's a 10/22! My 1911 needed a small clearance stoned into the recoil spring plug where it was smacking the barrel lugs. Holsters get little tweaks, because nobody can make them 100% perfect right off the bat. A little sanding here, a little heat and remolding there. One was a preference - I like to carry with the safety on, and the Kydex was molded with the safety off. So I changed that. But yeah, everything I have will probably eventually get touched in some way.
     

    rsayloriii

    TGT Addict
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    May 11, 2009
    3,314
    31
    H-Town, TX
    I have taken sand paper to a couple factory AR triggers with very good results. The sear angle on the trigger makes the trigger have to push the hammer back to be pulled. That makes for a heavy and gritty trigger pull. Changing the angle lowers the trigger pull and smooths it out considerably. I only work on the trigger, not the cut on the hammer.

    I can get a smooth 5.5# pull and keep it safe. I have fired many rounds through them will no trigger slip or doubling.

    Got any pics? I might be interested in doing this because I've noticed how the hammer is pushed back as well.

    Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk
     

    Dawico

    Uncoiled
    Lifetime Member
    Rating - 100%
    14   0   0
    Oct 15, 2009
    38,008
    96
    Lampasas, Texas
    Ask and ye shall receive.

    The key for me it to only work on the trigger sear and not the hammer sear. The hammer sear surface is in a position where I don't feel like I can work on it without rounding it off.

    If you remove your trigger, use the pins and reassemble the parts without the springs on the outside of your firearm. Then you can see how they mate and what happens when you pull the trigger. These parts are just standard AR fire control parts and cheap to replace if need be. If you push up on the hammer while pulling the trigger you can see that the hammer must move downward to be released. This is what makes the trigger pull so heavy.

    My goal is to eliminate that downward movement to ease the trigger pull. Some of the angle on the trigger sear needs to be removed. The best way I have found to do this is to place a piece of sand paper on a hard, flat surface and drag the sear face across it holding it upright almost square to the paper. You really only need to recut the top third of the face where the hammer sear engages it. It doesn't take much to recut it and you don't want to overdo it. Put the pieces back together on your "jig" to check the progress. I don't try to get it square, I just try to improve it a little. I would say make about ten to fifteen passes over 300 grit paper and then a few passes over 400 grit paper to smooth it up and remove any burrs from the corners.

    If you use the sandpaper with your hand it tends to round off the surface. This is not what you want to happen. You want to keep everything flat and square.

    My hammer still drops just a touch during trigger pull but very little compared to the factory cut.

    This particular trigger went from 7.5 - 9 pounds according to my Lyman trigger gauge. Now it is a smooth and consistent 5 3/4 pounds. It is also safe. You can take it down lighter but this pull works well for what I intend the rifle to do.

    This modular trigger unit makes it a little easier to see what is happening but the outside of your rifle works well also.



    usu6y4u2.jpg


    This is the surface that gets the work done to it and the best way I have found to keep it flat and square.

    ydepa8y5.jpg


    Just take it slow and test it often. The only way to know how it feels for sure is to put it all back together.

    Enjoy.
     

    Charlie

    TGT Addict
    Rating - 100%
    6   0   0
    Mar 19, 2008
    65,572
    96
    'Top of the hill, Kerr County!
    Thank you. I may give that a try but I need to do it (at least the dis-assembly and re-assembly) with someone present that has some experience with the trigger of the AR. I know some locals that have built ARs so I'll hit 'em up when I get ready to do it.
     

    Shotgun Jeremy

    Spelling Bee Champeon
    Lifetime Member
    Rating - 100%
    1   0   0
    Jul 8, 2012
    11,247
    96
    Central Texas
    Thanks for the pics and talk-through! From the start-thats been my biggest complaint about my WW15. I can't wait to give this a try.

    Sent from my SGH-S959G using Tapatalk 2
     

    Dawico

    Uncoiled
    Lifetime Member
    Rating - 100%
    14   0   0
    Oct 15, 2009
    38,008
    96
    Lampasas, Texas
    Today I sanded down my cheek rest on my Savage. It is hard plastic and has a textured finish. It is a little abrasive on the face so I smoothed it out.

    I also loosened up the springs on my bipod so it would rock better under recoil instead of jump. It still holds the legs up tight when folded though.
     

    Younggun

    Certified Jackass
    TGT Supporter
    Local Business Supporter
    Rating - 100%
    6   0   0
    Jul 31, 2011
    53,619
    96
    hill co.
    Supposed to be rainy tomorrow, looks like I got something to do now.


    I've done work to almost all of my triggers. Some got a lot of work, others got just a polish. Usually an extremely cheap and fairly easy thing to do as long as you're patient.

    Fixed the cheek rest on my savage (was a little too low) with a folded rag and some of that cloth tape they use in hospitals.
     

    franzas

    TGT Addict
    Rating - 100%
    2   0   0
    Mar 3, 2014
    3,922
    21
    Richmond, VA
    my slight nearsightedness has affected my ability to pick up the bead on my Marlin 336. A dab of Glow-On on the bead corrected the problem. Plus, it will illuminate in low-light scenarios. I used the original color (white during the day, green at night). This also worked well on my M&P 9; big difference when shooting at an indoor range.
     

    Shotgun Jeremy

    Spelling Bee Champeon
    Lifetime Member
    Rating - 100%
    1   0   0
    Jul 8, 2012
    11,247
    96
    Central Texas
    I'm gonna be ordering that Glow-On paint from Amazon here in a day or two. I'll be applying it to my M&P as well. What did you use? I was thinking of just using a tooth pick.
     

    Saltyag2010

    TGT Addict
    Rating - 100%
    6   0   0
    Feb 11, 2014
    5,851
    66
    Flour Bluff, America
    my slight nearsightedness has affected my ability to pick up the bead on my Marlin 336. A dab of Glow-On on the bead corrected the problem. Plus, it will illuminate in low-light scenarios. I used the original color (white during the day, green at night). This also worked well on my M&P 9; big difference when shooting at an indoor range.
    I did this to my paintball guns in high school. It worked great.
     
    Every Day Man
    Tyrant

    Support

    Forum statistics

    Threads
    116,120
    Messages
    2,953,358
    Members
    34,941
    Latest member
    Irowland1994
    Top Bottom