TriggerTech Diamond ‘Slam Fire’ Issues

[Apachedriver64]

Alright all, this is my first post and I have no clue if I’m even posting in the right area but I wanted to share my experience to see if anyone had any advice or had a similar situation so please bear with me.

I bought a Diamond for my Christensen Arms Mesa Long Range in .300 WM as a replacement to Factory TriggerTech Field. I shot my buddies Diamond on his custom build and fell in love. Long story short, I get the trigger installed and begin the safety/function checks and immediately notice that the firing pin releases when the bolt is ran hard into the chamber (sear doesn’t catch as the firing pin is released when I turn the bolt down). I brought the trigger pull weight all the way up and still would have slam fires (albeit not as many but still 5/10 times vs 8/10 and sometimes even 10/10 when set at 1 lb).

I immediately emailed TriggerTech and Ed over at TriggerTech immediately sent me a new Diamond with a hat too! Get the new trigger sent direct from TriggerTech installed and the same thing happened!

Ed at TriggerTech made it clear that there is no reason it should not work on my Christensens as they are one of their biggest suppliers and all use some form of a TriggerTech. I took a good hard long look at both the OEM Christensen TriggerTech Field and the Diamond and externally they appear identical. Seems odd that I would get 2 lemons of one of the highest rated triggers on the planet? Plus the Field still functions flawlessly.

Has anybody here had a similar experience? any solutions? I emailed Jade over at Christensen Arms to see if they have heard that Diamonds weren’t jiving for some reason. Very frustrating to say the least.

Thanks for any advice!
~Dan

 

[BigJimFish]

With two having issues, I doubt it is a trigger problem. I'm betting something is out of spec in the action. Maybe the cocking piece is a little out of spec and has some play somewhere. Since your lower cost TriggerTech is working I would call them up and ask if perhaps that model has greater engagement between the topsear and the rifles cocking piece. More engagement could be making up for an out of spec action. The triggertech guys are pretty knowledgeable about rifle / trigger fit issues.

 

[spife7980]

Every trigger tech Ive seen will skip over the sear if you run it as fast as possible. Run it like a normal person rather than a 16 year old who hasnt jacked off in a month and youll be just fine. I have to make it skip, its never done it other than when Im "testing" specifically trying to aggravate the problem. And since its not catching the sear its not a slam fire.

 

[Apachedriver64]

Appreciate the feedback, I do agree that it’s probably the cocking piece being out of spec or something else on the Bolt itself, hopefully CA is as customer friendly as TriggerTech

 

[Apachedriver64]

Every trigger tech Ive seen will skip over the sear if you run it as fast as possible. Run it like a normal person rather than a 16 year old who hasnt jacked off in a month and youll be just fine. I have to make it skip, its never done it other than when Im "testing" specifically trying to aggravate the problem. And since its not catching the sear its not a slam fire.

I appreciate the advice, I do run my bolts hard and fast and they all remain cocked with no slipping on my other TriggerTechs but this particular CA Mesa doesn’t want to play nice. I would not hunt or load a weapon that releases the firing pin when I don’t want it to.

 

[Edds]

Why don't you measure how much engagement you have between the cocking piece and the upper sear?

 

[Apachedriver64]

Why don't you measure how much engagement you have between the cocking piece and the upper sear?

how do I go about measuring that? Appreciate the feedback!

 

[NiteQwill]

how do I go about measuring that? Appreciate the feedback!

Do you have calipers?

 

[Edds]

Measure the distance from the center of the trigger pin to the bottom of the cocking piece and from the center of the trigger pin to the top of the sear.

 

[Apachedriver64]

Update:
CA is sending me a new Firing Pin Assembly, spoke with one of their gunsmiths and he said it’s definitely the cocking piece on my bolt as the TriggerTechs should work great with their actions. I’ll post again once I get that swapped and test the Diamond again! In the meantime I’ll measure my engagement.

 

[Apachedriver64]

Alright Gents,

Just got the new firing pin assembly today and after work I immediately installed it....... and it still hard closes. So I will be emailing CA again to see what they say. I'm deploying in early July so I'm trying not to send my rifle into CA because I will for sure not have it back before I leave. I really wanted to get some trigger time before I left.

Any ways, With replacing the entire firing pin mechanism and it still hard closing I reckon it would have to be something in the bolt/receiver being out of tolerance or just too sloppy. You guys have been awesome, any other thoughts are greatly appreciated! I will continue to update as I get more info back from Christensen.

 

[cmush]

Is the trigger shoe clearing the bottom metal? I had a similar issue with a different trigger where about 75% of the time it wouldn't cock. Finally noticed that the shoe was hanging up just a fraction where it came into the trigger guard. It wouldn't always reset all the way forward so the sear never engaged.

 

[Apachedriver64]

Is the trigger shoe clearing the bottom metal? I had a similar issue with a different trigger where about 75% of the time it wouldn't cock. Finally noticed that the shoe was hanging up just a fraction where it came into the trigger guard. It wouldn't always reset all the way forward so the sear never engaged.

My sear engages as long as I don’t slam the bolt forward and maintain forward pressure on the downturn cock (like if I were trying to do cyclic fire and pop off a rapid follow up).

 

[Apachedriver64]

Dude, that's crazy town. I have 5 trigger Tech's and I can't make a single one slam-fire by slamming the bolt forward

Dude, I know! It’s gotta be something with the receiver tolerance and bolt tolerance not jiving with too much slop for the lower sear on the Diamonds because it works with my TriggerTech Field with no issues!

 

[goosed]

I was referring to @spife7980 when he was saying it happens on every TT he's seen. But I'm sure there's a one-off here and there that isn't compatible with TT's. It's surely due to a lack of engagement with the sear by your cocking piece.

Certainly not a one off situation. It's been discussed several times on here before regarding TT's and slam fires.

It seems they are simply more sensitive than others in regards to sear engagement necessary to prevent slam fires.

 

[chevy_man]

Certainly not a one off situation. It's been discussed several times on here before regarding TT's and slam fires.

It seems they are simply more sensitive than others in regards to sear engagement necessary to prevent slam fires.

This has been my experience. I won't dick with them anymore, but I don't dare admit here how little I think of them.

B&A has interchangable sears for this very reason. Many others have sear adjustment. I'd like to know what is behind the "warranty void if removed" sticker. Just not enough to spend $250 to find out.

I honestly think the Timney CE feels better and I've had 100% fit results with them. I have seen a few guys complain about them, so it's all relative.

 

[Holliday]

.......... Run it like a normal person rather than a 16 year old who hasnt jacked off in a month and youll be just fine.

 

[Apachedriver64]

Long post incoming - I really do appreciate everyone’s feedback and the discussions this has started. In response to goose, I’ve seen the other threads on here as well but usually they are referring to a factory rem 700 not a clone.

I’m sending my rifle back into CA after I had a conversation with one of their smiths yesterday, Dave. He let me know that their MPR uses a Diamond and has the same receiver and bolt that my Mesa LR has. To me, this rules out what everyone has been saying about Diamonds being sensitive with certain receivers as they are put on a production rifle with the same specs as mine just a different chassis.

I will say that I’ve read multiple threads dogging CA and their rifles but I have had nothing but great experiences with them. Bone stock I was averaging .5 MOA groups with my Mesa and hand loads. Their customer service has been top notch and they literally sent me every possible part that could remedy the issue prior to me sending it in.

I put my Mesa in an XLR Carbon Chassis, added the Diamond and a APA lil b’ break which made me think CA would give me some grief and I would have to swap everything back to OEM before I sent it to them. On the contrary, Dave said he encourages their customers to make their rifles more comfortable and accurate in whatever way possible and to keep it in my current chassis to ensure they can get it to run safely with my current setup even though it wasn’t how it left their factory.

Again, you guys have been awesome. I’ve never posted on here but I will now bring up any issues I have to you guys!

 

[morganlamprecht]

Certainly not a one off situation. It's been discussed several times on here before regarding TT's and slam fires.

It seems they are simply more sensitive than others in regards to sear engagement necessary to prevent slam fires.

ive had 2 Diamonds in the 2 different actions and while out of the stock only holding the barreled action in our hands...both of the triggers, even with the weight turned up...if you slammed the bolt, the pin would follow...me and a buddy probably made it repeat 90% of the time

put the barreled action into a stock or barrel vise, and we could never get either one to follow...in my case it seemed to be a combo of how the action was held/moved while in hand? not sure, but a bix, geissele, or timney all worked fine no matter how the action was held

 

[Cascade Hemi]

The cocking piece needs to be fit to the trigger. Too much engagement causes the sear to release the cocking piece. The TT Diamond shouldn't release the firing pin no matter how hard you run the bolt. It's not the fault of the action or the trigger, just converging specifications that don't work together without fitment.

 

[Chickentoast]

Mine will skip with a hard and fast close on an empty chamber, with the trigger weight just above minimum. It hasn't ever happened on a live round, but I don't cycle hard or fast when shooting.

edit caveat: The empty chamber skip goes away if I turn the weight up a few clicks to around 6 oz., but I have no issue with it as is - I'm only target shooting for enjoyment. If I were shooting animals, I would turn it up until no skip.

 

[goosed]

ive had 2 Diamonds in the 2 different actions and while out of the stock only holding the barreled action in our hands...both of the triggers, even with the weight turned up...if you slammed the bolt, the pin would follow...me and a buddy probably made it repeat 90% of the time

put the barreled action into a stock or barrel vise, and we could never get either one to follow...in my case it seemed to be a combo of how the action was held/moved while in hand? not sure, but a bix, geissele, or timney all worked fine no matter how the action was held

That's crazy... Guess I've never fully tested any trigger on a barreled action outside of a stock, but who would have thought being in or out of a stock would make a difference on a trigger.

 

[Apachedriver64]

It’s interesting you mention that, I actually originally tested my trigger only on the barreled action in my barrel vice and it would still slam fire.

I found it interesting too that PRB did a blog and by a land slide TriggerTechs (I would assume Diamonds in PRS) were used more in PRS than any other trigger... this is why I am sending my rifle back, because I spent the money on the best and it should work in my action.

Best Trigger – What The Pros Use

I’ve heard a couple of the most respected shooters in the world recommend the first step to make a r...

precisionrifleblog.com

 

[Stoweit]

I've tried everything to make my diamond slam fire with ARC action but it works flawlessly. I've even slammed but stock on concrete floor, and still doesn't fire. Tons of dry fire, and never once has it slam fired. I think something is going on with the bolt, sear. Diamond works great for me.

 

[st1650]

I have the same problem with a OEM R700 action. One of the reason why I’m slowly moving away from the Diamond (except for my RimX action) and going with the Bix which have adjustable sears.

 

[BCX]

I have owned 5 TT Diamonds w no issues. Ran them in a Defiance action (sold the BA recently), 3 Surgeon actions and one going in a Lone Peak Fusion.

 

[rustyinbend]

Dude, that's crazy town. I have 5 trigger Tech's and I can't make a single one slam-fire by slamming the bolt forward

Same here ... I've got TT Diamonds in 6 rifles, both AR's and BA's, and I've never seen this ... and I have every trigger set to 1.5 lbs of very light pull. Definitely something "out of spec" here.

 

[LawnMM]

A Bix would have been an easier fix

 

[rustyinbend]

A Bix would have been an easier fix

I give ... what the heck is a "Bix"?

 

[LawnMM]

Another brand of trigger with a built in solution for exactly this problem.

Google Bix n Andy Trigger

 

[rustyinbend]

Wow ... pricey solution. Thanks.

 

[rustyinbend]

Must be "Coriolis". I recommend changing your latitude.

 

[ThePretzel]

I've had a TT Diamond in a Christensen TFM, a Nucleus, an Impact, and now a Mausingfield. It's been possible to slam-fire with any of those actions at a light enough trigger weight, but the heaviest trigger pull any action ever required was about 12-14oz on the Impact before I couldn't get it to slam-fire no matter what I did. That makes sense because the Impact is designed to have some cock on close, but in the Christensen and ARC actions my Diamond was able to get down to between 4-6oz without being capable of slam-firing (much lower than I need, but I was curious).

 

[Apachedriver64]

I've had a TT Diamond in a Christensen TFM, a Nucleus, an Impact, and now a Mausingfield. It's been possible to slam-fire with any of those actions at a light enough trigger weight, but the heaviest trigger pull any action ever required was about 12-14oz on the Impact before I couldn't get it to slam-fire no matter what I did. That makes sense because the Impact is designed to have some cock on close, but in the Christensen and ARC actions my Diamond was able to get down to between 4-6oz without being capable of slam-firing (much lower than I need, but I was curious).

Appreciate the feedback, I think it can be helpful for a lot of different shooters who are considering some of the potential risks when buying certain triggers and your data is spot on! That's interesting as well and really plays into the hypothesis that something in my CA is out of whack. CA just got my rifle on Friday so hopefully it is only there for a week or 2 and they can resolve the issues.

Also, something I just thought about. My CA's M16 style extractor would literally eject brace at the 1 o' clock position. Dinged up my brass and my scope. Did the 45 degree cut on the extractor (kinda got carried away but it actually did help) and I wonder if all this points at a timing issue or possibly just a slop issue regarding the tolerances of both the bolt and receiver. Just another Theory, maybe I'll just get a whole new rifle back from CA, who knows?!?