Savage Target Accutrigger

[Mike in Oregon]

I recently bought two Savage Model 12 PTA's from James @ NSS I am unable to adjust either one of them below 2 lbs. The are the orange blades and should be able to adjust down to 6 oz. I have had these triggers in the past and had no problems with adjustment. I called Savage and the lady I talked to was of no help. I then made contact with James and told him of this problem. He agreed with me and said they should adjust down without no problem and that this was a first he had heard of anybody having this problem.

Perhaps there was a problem on the assembly line one day, and they used the wrong springs? Or, have things changed and perhaps there's an added safety feature that needs to be removed or flipped? I have searched high and low, and I am unable to find any info on this trigger. It's like it doesn't exist anymore! Am I losing it?

Pics added to help with some of your questions.

 

[Fuj]

Do those PTA's have the logo on them with safety warning on the
installation of the Precision target trigger ?? If so, It my not be a
spring issue but having the wrong Accu trigger. The red blade will
denote having the target sear and spring. I would suspect you have
the Accu trigger that only adjusts down to 1.5 lbs, And someone
screwed up by installing the wrong blade. The red blade triggers
have their own target sear and spring. It's not just a spring problem,
it would also be a sear problem.

 

[Laurie]

I've owned several 12 PTAs and each is different. I've never had one that works anywhere near 6oz, and which equally important remains reliable for more than a few shots - 12 ounces was the best of the bunch I owned. These days, of the pair I still own, I reset one to 1lb, and the other to 1 1/4 lb and know they'll keep that setting for several hundred rounds and not let me down mid-match.

 

[PhilC]

Varmint/LE models had 1.5# triggers and silver safety blades (have 2 of them) like the hunter models. What's confusing is Mike says both actions have the orange/red safety blades which are only used with the target trigger/sear.

Savage claims the current target triggers are adjustable from "6oz to 2.5lbs" vs "6oz to 1.5lbs" as was stated for earlier versions.

I have 3 target triggers all set 8 - 9oz because they were too sensitive for my preference any lighter.

Call Savage customer service again, if you don't get someone who will help with the situation ask to speak to a supervisor.

 

[Mike in Oregon]

When I have the time, I will have a much closer look and see if they "have the logo on them with safety warning on the installation of the Precision target trigger". Other than that, I thought I had it made buying these PTA's. Nothing comes easy man.

 

[Fuj]

I own 3 PTA's an all are set to 12 ounces now. As I've stated numerous
times, I shoot them in guns ranging from 17 to 22 lbs. Triggers are more
then light enough that I don't worry about disturbing the gun in the bags.
I also have my own pinch technique to work the trigger. it works for me.

 

[pdog06]

Sucks to hear that Mike. They should definitely go lower than that.

Do your sears have the “dimple” on the side of the thumb lever? That dimple identifies it as a target sear. If it doesn’t then it has the wrong sear on it.
I do know that these are supposed to be custom fitted to each action to get the lower trigger pull. I would assume some filing/stoning on the sear?

When you buy a target sear from Gunshack there is a note posted stating that:

“This is a replacement sear for the 6 oz. Savage top bolt release TARGET ACTION. For safety reasons, professional installation required. To achieve pull weights near 6oz, a Target AccuTrigger is also required as well as professional trigger work. Just dropping both of these into a rifle without any additional surface polishing may result in an initial trigger break of 2+ lbs.”

Could be possible they did a batch of actions and did not do the custom fitting work?

Im curious to know what you find. You could call Savage and see what they say.

 

[Mike in Oregon]

Sucks to hear that Mike. They should definitely go lower than that.

Do your sears have the “dimple” on the side of the thumb lever? That dimple identifies it as a target sear. If it doesn’t then it has the wrong sear on it.
I do know that these are supposed to be custom fitted to each action to get the lower trigger pull. I would assume some filing/stoning on the sear?

When you buy a target sear from Gunshack there is a note posted stating that:

“This is a replacement sear for the 6 oz. Savage top bolt release TARGET ACTION. For safety reasons, professional installation required. To achieve pull weights near 6oz, a Target AccuTrigger is also required as well as professional trigger work. Just dropping both of these into a rifle without any additional surface polishing may result in an initial trigger break of 2+ lbs.”

Could be possible they did a batch of actions and did not do the custom fitting work?

Im curious to know what you find. You could call Savage and see what they say.

I did call, they were of no help. I'm going to call again on Monday. This time asking for a supervisor. I will check the sears though before making that call.

 

[pdog06]

Sorry Mike. I saw you said you called Jim but missed where you said you called Savage as well. My mistake.

 

[Mike in Oregon]

I have inserted pics on my original post. Does this tell any of you anything? Thanks guys!

 

[pdog06]

Definitely has the target sear. Looks to me that it has the correct rear spring(standard have a larger coil and are also silver).
I’ve read that adjustment instructions about 6 times and never knew about adjusting the trigger return spring to allow a lighter pull? Guess I will try it and see.

 

[Mike in Oregon]

Definitely has the target sear. Looks to me that it has the correct rear spring(standard have a larger coil and are also silver).
I’ve read that adjustment instructions about 6 times and never knew about adjusting the trigger return spring to allow a lighter pull? Guess I will try it and see.

I should be able to adjust then, right? Better yet, I'll let Fred deal with it!

 

[PhilC]

I should be able to adjust then, right? Better yet, I'll let Fred deal with it!

Yes, you should have gotten a mini 'screwdriver' type tool with each of the actions to adjust pull weight.

 

[Fuj]

Yes, you should have gotten a mini 'screwdriver' type tool with each of the actions to adjust pull weight.

Yeah them little yellow things that are easy to lose.....LOL

 

[pdog06]

I’ve used the tool obviously for the rear trigger spring. Turning it counter clockwise till I get desired pull weight, or as light as I can get it without tripping.
Those directions state to use it on the trigger return spring, which sits on top of the red blade. Turning it clockwise using the tool? I have never done that and didn’t realize it mattered. Gonna mess with mine tonight just to see but don’t know how you use the adjustment tool with that spring?

 

[Mike in Oregon]

Yes, you should have gotten a mini 'screwdriver' type tool with each of the actions to adjust pull weight.

I did. I can not get either action under 2 lbs.

 

[Rat Rifle]

I did. I can not get either action under 2 lbs.

That is quite odd, because the last Savage I bought was the bargain 12 FC I think it is, and its non target Trigger was 13 ounces out of the box.

 

[DLT]

That is quite odd, because the last Savage I bought was the bargain 12 FC I think it is, and its non target Trigger was 13 ounces out of the box.

I had the same. Mine was a model 12fv. It’s scary light out of the box. I actually increased the pull weight on mine

 

[charlie b]

I bought the parts from Gun Shack to change out on my 12BVSS. Pull was gritty and would not adjust down. I had to stone it to get it close to 1lb. Still needs some more work. Meanwhile I have kept my original varmint trigger and it is down under 1lb now. But, it has a LOT of rounds on it (stopped counting at 4000).

I wonder if Savage decided to not do the hand work on barreled actions vs complete factory rifles?

If you do work on the trigger don't forget some shims. Without them the pull is inconsistent.

 

[Mike in Oregon]

Today I went out and looked closer, still not finding anything that shouldn't allow me to be able to adjust these down below a pound.

When I talked to Fred discussing these two builds, he talked me into at least giving the Target Accutrigger another shot. I'm done worrying about it and when my barrels come in, I will get them sent off so he can work his magic that I've heard about for the past 25+ years! If for some reason I'm not happy with the accutrigger, I will go to option-B and do Jards.