.25 cent Trigger Job

[TX58]

It may be a sticky someplace else, but I can't find it, so I will tell you about the "trigger job" I do on ALL my pistols. I get some Flitz (or any other metal polishing compound should do the trick), then I field strip the weapon and polish the trigger bar, contact points such as (but not limited to) the trigger safety, any humps, bumps or lumps used on the trigger bar and any other area I can see including the inner slide rail and the metal contact points the slide rides on (usually four on a Sigma/SD/Glock). I can tell you that alone will improve the trigger pull, usually removes grittyness (is that a word?) and reduces the pull by at least a 1/2 pound. I know, I know all the "old timers" will say I already knew about that, but it's nice to let other people in on it from time to time. The benifit to this method is that polishing parts should not void the warantee.

[mtngunr]

how are you getting abrasive residue out of gun with only field stripping?....keep in mind that any abrasives on the plastic will imbed and keep working....

[CALREB]

No offense, but doing anything to the frame rails on a glock or similar ,has absolutely nothing to do with the trigger pull.May make the slide run smoother but wont affect the trigger. Polishing the contact points on the trigger bar or disconnector will probably smooth things out .And you should know that the parts have a coating on them ,at least glock, and if you polish them,you will have a hard time getting glock to replace them,but they are cheap. Good luck. RB

[TX58]

I get the Flitz out using a Qtip, and I've been using it for about 22 years on my Glocks and have never had it abrade anything. I think it's not abrasive enough to do any damage to the frame, although I don't apply it directly to the plastic parts. As to a coating on Glock parts, Calreb are you talking about the copper color anti-seizure coating? I let that wear out by itself and don't try to remove it. If your talking about the Tenifer finish, I can tell you from being a Glock certified armoror that coating goes down into the metel itself and no flitz type polish can or will ever remove that coating. Even if you managed to polish off the black oxide outer coating, the tenifer finish would still be inbeded into the metal. And, unless there has been a change in parts/coating since I last certified (09/08/10) the other metal parts like the trigger bar, connecter, firing pin safety, etc. do not have a tenifer finish, and polishing them will not remove any metal or any coating. You are correct about the slide channel, polishing it doesn't make the trigger any smoother, but it does keep the galling down, you know the scratch marks you get on the four metal contact points the slide rides on? After polishing those points and the slide rail channel before breakng in my Glocks, I never get those. Galling can lead to the slide going slower, which on rare occasions can lead to a jam. Again, I don't get those due to the polishing of the slide rail channel and the four frame contact points.

[mtngunr]

the frames are nothing but nylon with glass added, so abrasives will embed if trapped in areas, although not much harm on stamped trigger bars, areas where things pivot could be a different matter...I'm quite sure you are being truthful about being completely satisfied and no apparent harm happening, but normally it's best to remove parts to polish them so polishing compound doesn't hide places and then migrate, accelerating wear, which i am sure you already know....really only saying all this for the newbies' benefit, as if i don't, and didn't wrangle a statement from you about removing stuff with a q-tip or something, sure enough somebody would go overboard on application and/or do a totally inadequate cleanup and regret the "smithing" later as abrasive sludge did its work...i'm quite interested in hearing how your smoothing did so much without needing to do much else, and thanks for the post

[CALREB]

I wasnt refering to the grease or tenifer or black matt coating, the safety plunger and other parts have a mat gray coating on them,in older glocks it was black,then it was nickel plating and would routinely peel off,now it stays on a little better but does wear off after some use or polishing.
I dont know the metalurgy involved,Glock doesnt talk about it in its armorer schools either,but It appears to be a teflon coating over nickel , or teflon over tenifer. Anyway Im not saying polishing it hurts anything ,Im just saying glock as a normal routine wont replace the internals ,if they can tell they have been polished, or messed with,heck they wouldnt replace the nickel ones that peeled by normal use for some departments. I just wanted folks to know that, most gun companies are the same ,in alot of instances.But small parts are cheap,I polish up parts also.RB

[Walthernut]

Originally Posted by TX58

It may be a sticky someplace else, but I can't find it, so I will tell you about the "trigger job" I do on ALL my pistols. I get some Flitz (or any other metal polishing compound should do the trick), then I field strip the weapon and polish the trigger bar, contact points such as (but not limited to) the trigger safety, any humps, bumps or lumps used on the trigger bar and any other area I can see including the inner slide rail and the metal contact points the slide rides on (usually four on a Sigma/SD/Glock). I can tell you that alone will improve the trigger pull, usually removes grittyness (is that a word?) and reduces the pull by at least a 1/2 pound. I know, I know all the "old timers" will say I already knew about that, but it's nice to let other people in on it from time to time. The benifit to this method is that polishing parts should not void the warantee.

If it works for you GREAT, but did you have to mention Glock?