Tuning Taipan Veteran trigger issue

[Buckshutr]

I have been shooting a new to me TV long. 

About every 5 or 6 shots it won't cock unless I pull the trigger again. When I do I hear it click inside then it will cock. It acts like the sear has reset itself behind the hammer so I can't cock the gun. The question I have is would more sear spring pressure keep the sear from coming back up and recocking?? Is hammer spring bounce at work here somehow?

Thanks, Scott

 

[Beanland]

I bet your over travel screw needs some adjustment. Mine did that and I had to give it a little more over travel. 

 

[elh0102]

Scott, if you are on the very light end of adjustment, you could try a bit more spring tension. Or, as Beanland mentioned, the second stage travel screw might need to be backed out a little.

 

[Buckshutr]

Thanks guys. I did adjust the over travel screw. I bet I over adjusted. Appreciate the help!!

 

[Steyr]

If you find this problem happens again and again without any pattern and you have adjusted all the trigger screws then its worth opening up your taipan - for gun to cock, component A must slip into the recess upwards but you may find that component A is unable to do so as this recess has gotten loose and slid forward a little and is preventing component A from sliding upwards into it. If so this recess needs tightening as this is the bit that the hammer smacks into again and again and will need tightening up perhaps with a bit of loctite.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J8ipEHUsDNw

 

[Buckshutr]

Thanks for the tip. I'll check that out as well.

 

[Buckshutr]

Turned out to be the over travel screw. Gave it just a bit more travel and no more problem. 

Thanks again, Scott

 

[Steyr]

Turned out to be the over travel screw. Gave it just a bit more travel and no more problem. 

Thanks again, Scott

glad you got it sorted. these taipans imho really are awesome. i can't part with my mutant - its laser accurate and built like a tank with swiss watch trigger mechanism. I sold my steyr hunting 5 (& its my username  ), not my mutant, to fund a leshiy 2 - thats how good a taipan is (wish I could change my username though )

 

[anaranjo25]

Guys,

What's really happening is that the hammer is "slipping" past the catch on the sear arm before the sear tip slips off the ledge. It is actually a design flaw. The sear arm hammer catch is not tall enough to retain the hammer BEFORE the sear slips off the ledge. When you dial in the trigger to mitigate all creep/play and excess travel, the limiting factor then becomes the aforementioned issue. The band-aid is giving the trigger a full pull to the rear (even if you are on the tighter side with overtravel) OR letting the harmonics of the sear stop lever (the part between the sear arm and sear ledge) "bounce" the sear arm down with more than needed overtravel.

Case in point, fire the gun with the trigger tuned perfectly (no overtravel, miminal sear contact but enough to prevent slip when hit)...give the trigger a gentle pull. The hammer will fall before the sear slips!

 

[elh0102]

Several adjustment issues can cause a problem with cocking. My Veteran recently displayed a similar issue, and after a shot, I would have to slightly press the trigger forward in order to cock the rifle. When that slight pressure was applied, a slightly click could be heard. Looking at the trigger movement with the cover removed, that click was the upper sear falling in place. Turning in both the sear tensioner and linkage tensioner a half turn each solved the problem. Those are the two in the rear that are "factory adjusted", and the manual warns not to move them. But everything is a balancing act, and I figure those adjustment screws are there for a reason.

 

[anaranjo25]

The rear linkage tension adjustment does not impact trigger movement just tension added to the reset when the cocking lever is pulled. The sear tension adjuster add/removes what is essentially friction on the sear. You want just enough load to induce a positive drop of the sear arm. Increasing this doesn't resolve the underlying issue with this design.

Two things are happening that can lead to one of two issues related to cocking (reset)

1: The sear face begins to fall down during the trigger pull, against the sear ledge. This is generally frowned upon. The result is that the entire sear arm moves down just enough to allow the hammer to slip past the hammer catch (part of the sear arm) BEFORE the sear drops.

2: Not enough material (.010 - .025) exists on the sear catch. Because the sear face trends downwards, allowing the sear arm to move downwards, there needs to be more material to prevent the hammer from slipping past the hammer catch. This isn't actually the best solution though.

This issue can be mitigated three ways---

1: new sear face geometry - let the sear begin an upward trend or neutral trend against the sear ledge...thus, moving the sear arm upwards tiny tiny amounts, or not at all. Upward trending movement is safer.

2: Keep the questionable geometry and add height to the hammer catch on the sear arm.

3: Dial weight OUT of the trigger. Yes, dial the second stage tension out, allowing for enough preload for positive sear lever (ledge) movement and equally, light sear arm tension. The important part of this comes next. You need to have the first stage spring tension on the lighter side, just enough to prevent the trigger from slopping around side to side. This engages the finger to snap through the entire trigger pull.

All said and done, your pull will end up at around 8-9 ounces. These triggers cannot actually go up that much higher. The feel changes but not really the weight.

When adjusted for maximum "Crispness", more tension on the sear is required. Pull weight averages out to about 10 oz. You may have to contend with premature hammer slip though if you pull your finger back, building up to that 10 oz and letting go before you have actually pulled the trigger ALL THE WAY BACK.

 

[elh0102]

Alex, I think additional linkage tension is exactly what corrected my re-cocking issue, since it apparently needed more reset tension. The additional tension on the top sear may have contributed nothing to the solution, I just arbitrarily moved them both a half-turn. Anyway, whether either one, or both fixed it, or whether it was the phase of the moon, it has been perfect since. I have found (I think consistent with your comments), this is a great trigger with good adjustment available between around 5 and 8 ounces in my rifle. I believe you could extend that range with some work, and maybe different springs. I'm no expert, but given the geometry of the three levers in this trigger, that's my guess.