Trigger hanger adjustment vs. sear engagement: Which one first?

Little_Fish

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Mar 1, 2022
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I got an MPA PMR a few months ago built on an ARC CdG action. This is my first action with a trigger hanger, and the Bix n Andy trigger is my first trigger with a sear engagement adjustment. As I'm thinking about things that don't need to be messed with, I am learning about the adjustment on the trigger. I understand that if I adjust the pull weight on the trigger I need to readjust the sear engagement. However, would I also then need to adjust the trigger hanger? What is the order of adjusting those things and are they related or do they do totally unrelated functions?
 
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I don't know if there is a preferred procedure but I can offer the following.

There are two Sear in a trigger assembly. The internal sear and the upper sear. If you adjust the trigger pull weight to its lowest setting you may need to adjust the inner sear engagement. The upper Sear contacts the Cocking Piece which is part of the bolt. Bix'n Andy have a description of how to measure what you have.

As for the trigger hanger, some bolt-action companies offer different trigger hangers which allow the user to slightly adjust the hand off of the cocking piece to the trigger upper Sear.

If I were you I would just put it all together and use it. If, after using it a while, you think there is a problem, then you can try these different things.
 
Bix makes a low, medium, and tall upper sear. Swapping the sear on the bix depends on the trigger pin to cocking piece measurement of your action, and the CDG should be right in the center of the acceptable engagement range on the chart with the medium height sear the trigger comes with. This always needs to be checked first because the wrong top sear can result in a draggy trigger and light strikes if there's too much engagement or an unsafe trigger that can drop the striker if there's too little engagement.

Adjusting the trigger hanger in the CDG moves the trigger forwards and backwards to time the handoff of the cocking piece from the cocking ramp on the bolt to the sear on the trigger while closing the bolt. For smoothest bolt operation you want to adjust the hanger so there's zero overcocking or decocking on close. You can do this by measuring the cocking piece to bolt shroud distance with the bolt in the open position vs the bolt in the cocked and closed condition, or just go by feel when closing the bolt.

After those 2 are set properly then you can mess with trigger pull weight, and if you make a drastic adjustment to the pull weight compared to the out of the box setting you should readjust the trigger sear engagement screw per the bix instructions. It's easy to do.
 
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Bix makes a low, medium, and tall upper sear. Swapping the sear on the bix depends on the trigger pin to cocking piece measurement of your action, and the CDG should be right in the center of the acceptable engagement range on the chart with the medium height sear the trigger comes with. This always needs to be checked first because the wrong top sear can result in a draggy trigger and light strikes if there's too much engagement or an unsafe trigger that can drop the striker if there's too little engagement.

Adjusting the trigger hanger in the CDG moves the trigger forwards and backwards to time the handoff of the cocking piece from the cocking ramp on the bolt to the sear on the trigger while closing the bolt. For smoothest bolt operation you want to adjust the hanger so there's zero overcocking or decocking on close. You can do this by measuring the cocking piece to bolt shroud distance with the bolt in the open position vs the bolt in the cocked and closed condition, or just go by feel when closing the bolt.

After those 2 are set properly then you can mess with trigger pull weight, and if you make a drastic adjustment to the pull weight compared to the out of the box setting you should readjust the trigger sear engagement screw per the bix instructions. It's easy to do.
I have confidence that MPA has the right sear installed on the trigger. Thank you for your explanation. The videos I've watched said all that too, but your explanation has helped me know what is happening on the fundamental level which is where I'm still learning. From what you've said it sounds like one adjustment doesn't impact the other which is what I wanted to know, so thank you for that!
Not being rude, but did you read the manual/link? When I set my Pro X up last year it was pretty clear reading it how to set the sear engagement.
I did actually. I bought a complete gun from MPA and they did not give me any of the literature from the parts so I had to source the manual myself. From reading it I see exactly how to set the sear engagement. My question is not how to do it, but rather if I do adjust the sear engagement do I then need to also fiddle with the trigger hanger adjustment? I wasn't sure if adjusting one would require the other to be readjusted. From answers provided by others it sounds like the answer is no.
 
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Allways best to refer to the action manufacturer first.
I have two Kelbly actions with two different hangers running the same trigger ( TT special flat shoe ) one has notably more cock on close but both are slick as snot or I would switch it out.
 
I did actually. I bought a complete gun from MPA and they did not give me any of the literature from the parts so I had to source the manual myself. From reading it I see exactly how to set the sear engagement. My question is not how to do it, but rather if I do adjust the sear engagement do I then need to also fiddle with the trigger hanger adjustment? I wasn't sure if adjusting one would require the other to be readjusted. From answers provided by others it sounds like the answer is no.
Ah, I forgot that the CDG has the adjustable hanger. Unless the gun is having unintentional releases when you slam test it after changing the sear engagement screw on the trigger, I can't imagine there is anything to worry about.
 
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You want the med top sear on the bix with a cdg. Honestly, the adjustable trigger hanger on the cdg has nothing to do with top sear height. In other words, the correct top sear height will determine how much overlap, or how little, you have between the cocking piece and the top sear shelf. Too much overlap and you can have cocking piece/fp drag, and too little can cause slam fires or unreliable cocking. The adjustable hanger on a cdg just moves fwd and back. It controls how much or how little cock on close, or decock on close. Top sear is up/down, trigger hanger is forward/backwards.
 
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Ah, I forgot that the CDG has the adjustable hanger. Unless the gun is having unintentional releases when you slam test it after changing the sear engagement screw on the trigger, I can't imagine there is anything to worry about.
Thanks, thats exactly what I had hoped for. All of this is a result of me having to be curious. I don't seem to be happy unless I'm fiddling with something and learning as I go. I have no plans of messing with the hanger and it sounds like any small changes I make to trigger pull weight won't require me to either which is all I wanted to know. Thank you!