VQ Trigger/Sear Question

[greener]

A while back I posted a question about the VQ sears on three MK's not resetting. I thought it might be a lubricant problem but a good cleaning and readjusting the pre- and post-travel screws cleared the problem. Well, it's back in the MKII GC. No problems with the Hunter or the 22/45. I'm going to disassemble the pistol for a good look-see and cleaning but would welcome advice on what to look for or try.

Observations:
1. The sear will always reset if I hand cycle the bolt, so the only way to test is by firing.
2. I can feel the sear resetting, or not resetting. Seems to get progressively worse as I go from 10 rounds to empty mag. "Wiggling" the trigger will allow it to reset, sometimes.
3. Adjusting the pre-travel screw out will resolve the problem for short periods. (loctite the screw?)
4. A thorough cleaning, non-disassembly, seems to improve the problem for a short time.
5. Zero problems with the Hunter or 22/45.

I'm going to look for the obvious, like botched assembly. I've thought about replacing the VQ spring with the factory spring, replacing the VQ sear and spring with the original for testing or replacing the VQ trigger with the factory trigger.

I'd rather be shooting the GC than testing it and would appreciate any ideas that would get me there faster.

[bearandoldman]

A while back I posted a question about the VQ sears on three MK's not resetting. I thought it might be a lubricant problem but a good cleaning and readjusting the pre- and post-travel screws cleared the problem. Well, it's back in the MKII GC. No problems with the Hunter or the 22/45. I'm going to disassemble the pistol for a good look-see and cleaning but would welcome advice on what to look for or try.

Observations:
1. The sear will always reset if I hand cycle the bolt, so the only way to test is by firing.
2. I can feel the sear resetting, or not resetting. Seems to get progressively worse as I go from 10 rounds to empty mag. "Wiggling" the trigger will allow it to reset, sometimes.
3. Adjusting the pre-travel screw out will resolve the problem for short periods. (loctite the screw?)
4. A thorough cleaning, non-disassembly, seems to improve the problem for a short time.
5. Zero problems with the Hunter or 22/45.

I'm going to look for the obvious, like botched assembly. I've thought about replacing the VQ spring with the factory spring, replacing the VQ sear and spring with the original for testing or replacing the VQ trigger with the factory trigger.

I'd rather be shooting the GC than testing it and would appreciate any ideas that would get me there faster.

I think you just answered your own question Rob, yes the screw will move a little somtimes and it does not take much movement if you have them set as close as my guns. I have the stock screws drilled and tapped them for a pre travel screw and they gave me the same problem until I used a drop of blue loctite. Just a few thousandths of movement will make a difference

[Bullseye]

If your pretravel screw wasn't secured with locktite then it has likely migrated by recoil vibrations. Once I get the the triggers set I apply a little locktite to the screw threads, let ithe sealant wick into the screw hole and set. No matter how tight the screw seems at installation without locktite it will change postion over time.

Hope this helps.

R,
Bullseye

[melchloboo]

I had the same exact problem. Loctite on the screw solved it.

[greener]

Thanks. Will give the loctite a try.

[melchloboo]

use the blue non-permanent. you can make adjustments even after it dries and the screw will stay put. 1/4 turn of that screw makes all the difference if you are trying to eliminate as much pre-travel/play as possible.

also, i found the VQ trigger spring to be too sluggish in terms of speed of resetting the trigger/sear for my taste, and put the factory spring back in. i also had to do that to get the weight above 2#.

[greener]

Blue loctite on the screw seems to solve the problem. Thanks.

[Bullseye]

No matter how tight those screws appear to be when you install them, they need to be sealed with a threadlocker sealant. Eventually the set screws will work their way loose and change the settings. Since the adjustments are so sensitive, a little bit of change makes a difference.

R,
Bullseye

[greener]

I guess I was not sure what was happening because this one seemed to go in(tighten) rather than back out (loosen).

[Rev]

Tightening in that screw should actually increase the pre-travel and not interfere with the sear resetting. As the screw loosens or backs out, the pre-travel is decreased. It can decrease to the point that the sear won't reset. As mentioned previously, it doesn't take much.

Rev

[bearandoldman]

Tightening in that screw should actually increase the pre-travel and not interfere with the sear resetting. As the screw loosens or backs out, the pre-travel is decreased. It can decrease to the point that the sear won't reset. As mentioned previously, it doesn't take much.

Rev

Right youu are, Bullseye, at that location .003 or so can make the difference betweeen resetting the discinnector or not.

[greener]

Tightening in that screw should actually increase the pre-travel and not interfere with the sear resetting. As the screw loosens or backs out, the pre-travel is decreased. It can decrease to the point that the sear won't reset. As mentioned previously, it doesn't take much.

Rev

Right youu are, Bullseye, at that location .003 or so can make the difference betweeen resetting the discinnector or not.

The adjustment is very sensitive once you get most of the pretravel removed. I think I used poor terminology in my description. The pretravel is decreased by turning the adjustment screw clockwise, tightening for a right-hand thread bolt or screw. I was just a little surprised that the screw would go clockwise (in) instead of counterclockwise (out), but that seems to be the problem with that pistol.

[bearandoldman]

Tightening in that screw should actually increase the pre-travel and not interfere with the sear resetting. As the screw loosens or backs out, the pre-travel is decreased. It can decrease to the point that the sear won't reset. As mentioned previously, it doesn't take much.

Rev

Right youu are, Bullseye, at that location .003 or so can make the difference betweeen resetting the discinnector or not.

The adjustment is very sensitive once you get most of the pretravel removed. I think I used poor terminology in my description. The pretravel is decreased by turning the adjustment screw clockwise, tightening for a right-hand thread bolt or screw. I was just a little surprised that the screw would go clockwise (in) instead of counterclockwise (out), but that seems to be the problem with that pistol.

Vibration frequencies make objects do strange thing at times. I cnsa remember warching a loose bolt on a small engine back in my service tech days, as the rpm's changed the bolt would go from turniing in one direction to the other to being steady all depending on the engine rpm's.

[OpsMgr]

Seems I read somewhere that using the VQ replacement sear and trigger plunger springs in place of the factory springs could also cause some issues with the sear not resetting - Anyone else recall this?

[bearandoldman]

Seems I read somewhere that using the VQ replacement sear and trigger plunger springs in place of the factory springs could also cause some issues with the sear not resetting - Anyone else recall this?

Yes, if the spring for the trigger plunger is too wek it will lighten the trigger pull but may not always reset the disconnecter.