FWB 124 safety disengages when trigger is pulled. What's the fix?

[218bee]

Have two early, 4-digit FWB 124's that I shoot all the time. Just noticed that, on both guns, if I cock them, Load & close the barrel, leave the safety on and pull the trigger, both guns will walk the safety in a bit, then fire. Kinda small potatoes, (till I go to sell one) but is this a quirk for these? Kinda weird that both rifles do it. One has the aluminum trigger, and the other is plastic. No matter how I adjust the trigger screw on each gun, It doesn't change, and both rifles discharge with the safety on. Had both apart recently for installation of a Maccari "softer" kit on one, and a standard polish/lube tune on the other. Safety & spring was put back correctly on both, using the zip-tie trick. Could it be something I did? (Didn't touch either trigger assembly when work was done).. If anyone has had this issue and has a fix, It'd be much appreciated.

 

[Motorhead]

Sounds like the pistons NOT getting pushed fully rearward ( Actually a Latch rod issue ) that the end of rod articulates the trigger lock up & safety mechanics at the end of cocking stroke.



Worn parts / cocking linkage etc .. perhaps ? really no ideal beyond that

 

[218bee]

Thanks MH... I appreciate the reply. Actually just checked and you dont have to cock the rifles. In de-cocked state , just pull back and activate the safety like it normally goes. Trigger is then hard to pull, as safety is in the proper position , but with every additional pull on the trigger, the safety walks forward, and the gun can discharge. It's like the trigger is helping the safety to disengage. Not a clean disconnect like a Rekord...Happens to both guns, irregardless of plastic or aluminum trigger. Just curious if I can fix this problem with just the trigger parts & without gutting the guns, as they both shoot hard and are lasers.. I will look into what Motörhead suggested,,,Any additional help here would be great.

 

[Motorhead]

If you manually tugg back on safety and squeezing trigger pulls trigger slides safety forward ??? Trigger adjustment perhaps way past normal setting limits ?

There IS a e-clip on the adjuster screw mid trigger blade than limits in/out of said screw, is it still intact ?

 

[218bee]

Thanks MH. Yes, thats exactly what happens. You might be onto something with both scenarios. Will check & report back. Much appreciated. Googled this and nothing comes up.

 

[KWK]

Yeah, trigger adjustment, that's what I was thinking. If you don't have a nice crisp 2 stage trigger adjust it until you do. It's there! Then see if that safety acts right. People seem to have a hard time getting 124 triggers adjusted right. 124's should have a very good crisp 2 stage release with no creep.

 

[218bee]

Broke out the spring compressor and will pop out the trigger pack today at some point, and make sure everything's Kosher.. I tried adjusting the trigger screw in half turn increments all the way in & all the way out. Safety still pops in when trigger is pulled, regardless of trigger adjustment.. Think its something maybe I did when I last reassembled it, or maybe one of the little springs broke? but theres not much to mess up there. Will report back later. Thanks all.

 

[Potpie]

My early sport is a 3 digit serial number and was doing the same thing. So I ordered the ARH kit and new safety spring rebuilt it gun shoots great but the gun will fire with safety on.Now safety does not come on at all when I cock it. I can live with it like it is because I just love this gun. But should fix safety so others can shoot it safely. What is the fix ?

 

[KWK]

Yeah, trigger adjustment, that's what I was thinking. If you don't have a nice crisp 2 stage trigger adjust it until you do. It's there! Then see if that safety acts right. People seem to have a hard time getting 124 triggers adjusted right. 124's should have a very good crisp 2 stage release with no creep.

 

[218bee]

Well....tore into it and found what was wrong. Two things actually. First, the vertical sear/safety spring was cocked at an angle. The spring was fine, but the hole where it sits was occluded by the top sheet metal by about 1/16", preventing rearward movement. I dremmeled the recess so the spring now rides unimcumbered. This is a factory foul-up and while it helped, the rifle still fires on "safe". Here's a few pics to illustrate what I mean.

BEFORE

AFTER

Now, the spring stays vertical and rides free. This enabled the sheet metal safety to slide back more, but still not enough.

Now to what I think is the real issue. A worn plastic trigger. I'm sure its supposed to have a minor bevel on top so it can slide over the safety, but I feel the bevel has grown too big from use, and the safety now won't go back far enough to properly block out the trigger top.

The fix for this particular rifle is either extend the safety somehow by 1/16" so the safety can properly slide over the flat part thats still there on the trigger top, or get a new trigger blade that hasn't got the large bevel. In fact, when I push the safety lever back 1/16" further than where it usually registers when cocking, the rifle's safety works perfectly. I'm thinking I should build up that 1/16" somehow..

 

[KWK]

Get a new trigger from T R Robb

 

[218bee]

Thanks KWK. All TR Robb has on his website is a roughed out, partially made version. (With no E-clip slot) In the time it would take me to finish that, and hope that it comes out right, I'll just TIG another 1/16" on my safety and call it good. Thanks though..I will keep the link to his site. Never heard of him before and he has some cool stuff.

 

[GoldenStateAIRGUNer]

This from the Beeman Shop Manual regarding the trigger.

Note the highlighted statement regarding the trigger.

 

[218bee]

Bingo! Bet that’s what happened to mine. Especially the trigger being the plastic variety. Anyway , I added a 1/16” onto the safety and alls well. Thanks very much for all the input on this one. 

 

[GoldenStateAIRGUNer]

The safety on mine doesn't engage when cocked. Doesn't bother me that much as many old break barrel airguns didn't e en have a safety.

 

[Feinwerk]

@218bee,
Sounds like you already fixed this problem a different way, I enjoyed the troubleshooting story and photos. I have an original 124s that I bought from Robert Grant's original Air Rifle HQ for myself back in the '70s.

I don't recall having this problem, but I did get an aluminum trigger from ARH (Jim Maccari) somewhere around 2012 and haven't had any trouble with the safety. It is a little tricky to reassemble.

I used to have to put blue/releasable threadlocker on the trigger adjustment screw socket in the old plastic trigger. Can't remember if I had to do that with the aluminum one.

I was going to suggest roughing up the top of the trigger with sandpaper and rebuilding that corner with some JB weld metal filled epoxy.