Trigger Shoe for a QB77

Mentioned in a previous post about finding a #21 Ace trigger shoe. The plan was to install it on the HW 35E but some trial fitting wasn't looking very promising.

Here's a HW 97K with a shoe installed on the Rekord trigger. The HW 35 uses the same trigger unit.

The #21 Ace is on the left. The shoe removed from the 97K on the right. It's not an Ace (I don't think) though it does have #12 stamped into the back.

Aside from the Ace shoe being longer, the curve was a bit too far off. Need to find a different gun. The recently acquired Sportsman QB 77 looked like a potential candidate.

Shoeless and fancy free.

The shoe was way too long at the top.

A couple passes with an end mill took care of the height problem.

Quick test fit. Had to mill off the upper set screw threading in the process. The shoe is fitted with #4-40 size set screws. I need to add another.

Used a small machinist vise to hold the shoe and eyeballed a likely spot.

One of the Taig accessories is this 3/8" drill chuck adapter.

It installs directly to the headstock,

and lets you fit a Jacob's chuck.

Clamped the tiny machinist's vise right into the milling vise attachment. A vise holding a vise.

Dialed in the location and advanced the cross slide. Used a #43 drill bit,

Followed up by a #4-40 plug tap. No lathe power for the tapping. Removed the drive belt and turned the drive pulley by hand.

Everything stayed nicely aligned.

Finished the cut off end to 400 grit and touched up the bluing with Formula 44/40.

Done. Now, about the sights....Next time.

Trigger Shoe Update

A quick project. When I made the first trigger shoe, a few days ago, I used half of a ring of aluminum. This is the other half of that ring. Not much difference at all. Just left it "in the white". Sanded it a bit more than the first shoe with the Dremel tool and a small sanding drum, then took it to 500 grit with successively finer grades of emery cloth. A bit of Mother's Mag and Aluminum Polish, and it shined up like a mirror.

Installed on an extra 22XX/13XX grip frame to test for fit and trigger travel.

I liked the polished finish so much I couldn't bring myself to blacken it.

Installed it on the 2250 CAR project from last year.





As of right now, all my airguns are functional so it looks like the next project is gonna be grips for that Crosman 150. Dang. I hate making grips. I need some busted airguns.

Trigger Shoe for a Crosman 13XX/22XX or...

Crosman hasn't been selling their trigger shoes lately. They've halted after-market sales on many of the parts used on Custom Shop 2300's. Too bad, as a trigger shoe widens the trigger blade and typically makes the trigger feel slightly lighter. Mostly though it's an ergonomic improvement. Try one and it's hard to not like.

Anyway, I bought a Crosman 150 at a gun show a month ago and figured I'd make a few changes to make it better suit my needs and preferences. Obviously, due to the title of the post, the narrow trigger had to go. And since I couldn't buy one, I had to make one.

Started with a piece of 1" diameter scrap knurled aluminum.

Faced it off and turned down about 0.5" of length just enough to remove the knurl.

Cut a groove 0.1255" wide--a hair wider than a Crosman 13XX/22XX trigger blade.

Test fit the trigger blade in the groove. Took the groove to a depth of 0.091".

Drilled the center out with progressively larger bits...

...then switched to a small boring bar.

Left about 0.100" of wall thickness at the bottom of the groove.

Radiused the inside edge.

Cut off with a hacksaw. The ring was about 0.5" OAL. Not shown--faced down to 0.430".

Back to the vise and the ring was cut in half.

Two trigger shoes for the price of one. Offset (intentionally) the slot to leave more metal on what will be the right side of the shoe.

Another test fit. Note: Crosman triggers are squashed at the very bottom of the blade to make them slightly wider. It's much easier to make the trigger shoe fit if you remove the extra width with a file or a grinder first. If I hadn't, I'd have had to make the slot in the shoe even wider to accommodate--and the shoe would have canted slightly when tightened down.

Did most of the shaping with a small sanding drum in the Dremel tool. Mostly thinning and contouring--especially the edges. Finished it with 400 grit emery cloth on a wooden dowel.

The lack of material meant there wasn't much metal on the side to fit set screws of any substantial size. Spotted and drilled 2 holes with #50 (0.070") drill bit.

Tapped #2-56.

I didn't have any setscrews in that size, and didn't recall seeing any that small at the local hardware stores. Cut the head off a #2-56 phillips head screw, then used an Excel jeweler's saw. I slotted the end for a small flat blade screwdriver. Made two.
They're really tiny. The trigger shoe is a snug fit to begin with so the setscrews just provide enough purchase to keep it in place.

Blackened the shoe with Birchwood Casey aluminum blackening compound. I'm dubious that it will hold up in use and will probably give the shoe a quick spray with an epoxy paint.

Trimmed the setscrews to sit just below flush.

Looks on the money. Truth be told, for the time invested, I think the adjustable trigger I made a few months ago was more bang for the buck--though it was more work. Then again, I do have enough material left to make a second trigger shoe...
Anyway, what's it for again?

Here's the trigger installed on the Crosman 150. The previous owner had made these target grips from pine.

This is the same new 22XX/13XX brass trigger in the earlier pics. The original 150 trigger is blued steel and I didn't feel like grinding it down and re-bluing. The triggers are exactly the same except the material.

I'll make some new grips soon. The question is whether to make the grips fit the original grip frame or retrofit a modern 22XX/13XX frame so the grips work with the other guns in the collection. Oh, and the trigger feels great. Huge improvement in feedback.