Airgun Articles

Adjusting the Daystate Trigger 

Adjusting the Trigger on the Daystate Huntsman can be easy; but, it is also loaded with potential problems. First let me say, that messing around with any trigger on any gun can make the gun unsafe. I take no responsibility or liability for how the following information or how it is used. It is up to the gun owner to decide whether or not their gun is safe, and as to whether he or she feels able to perform these adjustments, and/or modifications.

Now, that I have the legal stuff out of the way; lets get right to the trigger in question. The trigger on the Daystate Huntsman, and the Beeman Mako, AKA as the Daystate LR 90, and the Daystate Harrier are for all intent and purposes the same. We must, of course, understand how the trigger works before we can adjust it. Please note that these guns come set at different power levels. One would think that power level of the gun would have little to do with the guns trigger, but in this case it has a direct affect on the trigger. The higher power guns have heaver and stronger striker springs. The stronger the spring, the more pressure there is on the sear, and the more pressure there is on the sear the harder it is to get a light trigger pull. The reason that I mention this, is in the case of the LR 90, I had, I found a buggered up sear, and Daystate had only increased the striker spring pressure in order to give the gun its American power level. Also, some guys will put a washer or two behind the striker to increase the power level of their gun, and while all this is fine; just be aware that it can and does have an effect on the triggers performance. Simply put, the more pressure that there is on the sear, the harder it becomes to adjust the sear to a nice clean match quality let off. We can see how the striker pressure effects the sear engagement in the drawing below.

The trigger consists of 3 levers.

The First is, the trigger sear, this lever holds the striker/hammer place when the gun is cocked. The part that engages the hammer or striker is always being pushed up by the trigger sear spring, which is pushing down on the opposite end of the Trigger sear. When the trigger lever is lifted in the back it disengages the trigger sear, and the light sear spring is quickly over powered by the striker spring and the front of the trigger sear is pushed down out of the way allowing the striker to hit the firing valve.


The second is, the trigger lever, this engages the trigger sear. It also has a spring that pushes down on its opposite end, pushing the front of trigger lever up causing it to engage the trigger sear, or our first lever. This is where our first adjustment screw is located. This screw, actually adjusts the sears’ amount of engagement. I will talk about more about this adjustment later on.

The third, and the one we will be adjusting, and tinkering with the most is the trigger, itself. This is where you put your finger to fire the gun,and this lever has 3 adjustment screws. These are the adjustment screws that we are most concerned with. However, there are some differences even with just the Huntsman models. Some have holes in the trigger sear, and trigger lever. While other have short screws. These differences don’t mean much; as it is only, the way they hold their springs. I do suggest that you read this entire article before making any adjustments to your trigger; because as you will see there is more than one way to change the position, or angle of this trigger. If you have one of the nonadjustable triggers, or if your trigger does not look like those shown, below, then I would suggest that you contact Daystate, or one of there dealers for information on your trigger.

Our trigger, or the thing that we pull to make the gun go bang, is just another lever, and in this case, all our trigger does its push on the "trigger Lever" and that disengages our "trigger sear" that in turn disengages our striker allowing it to go flying forward, and strike the valve.If you were real careful you could actually remove the trigger, and still cock and fire the gun. I don't recommend trying to do this, of course; but, the point that I am trying to make is that the trigger is nothing more than what you pull in order to fire this gun. All of the adjustment screws on the Huntsman trigger have two screws. The first screw is a set, or locking screw. All this screw does is keep the adjustment screws from moving once they are adjusted. The only problem with this method is that the locking screw will push the adjustment screw in a bit further, when it is tightened. This is a bit of a pain; because, it tends to re-adjust the adjustment screw after you have set it where you want it. You just have to play with it until you get it where you want it. Trial and error is the only way. The plus side is, of course,that you are sure that nothing is going to move after it is locked down.

With that said, lets look at the adjustment screws on the trigger. From back to front, the first adjustment screw is the trigger "travel screw," or over travel screw. All it does is stop the trigger from going too far back. Without the screw, when you pull the trigger it would just keep going and going, like the energizer bunny. Actually, it would stop; because, the trigger would run into the back of the trigger guard, and/or the back of the trigger would hit the trigger block. Our second adjustment screw is the one that actually pushes on the trigger lever, and fires our gun. The third adjustment screw is the trigger angle adjustment, and this screw is located directly in front of our trigger blade.

Hopefully, you have your Daystate parts diagram; including the enlarged trigger diagram. If not don't worry, that is why I am going into such detail, and adding pictures, and drawings. The Beeman Mako I owned did not come with a parts diagram, and certainly nothing on how to adjust the trigger. You can also down load a parts diagram directly form Daystate’s web page.

Anyway, we have to remove the set screws before we can turn the adjustment screws, you will need a 1/16 SAE Allen wrench to remove the set screws and to adjust the trigger. Say for example, that you want to do something simple like move the trigger back a bit. Of course, you really can't; but, if you shift the angle a bit the trigger does move further back. This is where those a-for-mentioned potential problems show up; because when you move the trigger back, or angle it backwards, you increase the first stage trigger spring pressure. But, that's not all, by moving you trigger rearward your safety may not engage the trigger, anymore; as in the drawing below. In other words, the safety will not go into the safe position; because, it is hitting the trigger.

Like to remove that long first stage, or maybe you just want to shorten it. If you look closely at the trigger you can see that you can remove the first stage simply by turning the "trigger angle screw" in. This changes the angle of the trigger; but, it also compresses the first stage trigger spring in turn this increases felt trigger pull. The trigger pull has not really increased; but, there is no build up, and now you must apply the full pressure to the trigger all at once, in order to make the gun go bang.

So, if you want to remove the first stage without increasing the felt trigger pull; you can simply turn the sear second adjustment screw, or the screw that actually pushes on the trigger lever. Now, we find that our felt trigger pull, and actual trigger pull, is less than before; but, the actual angle or position that the trigger is in, when the gun fires, is where our first stage trigger pull used to be....

Hopefully, by now you are beginning to understand that if you adjust one of these screws; you need to adjust the other two screws on the trigger, too. However, before I go any farther; let me tell you what I did. The first stage of my Huntsman's trigger was not to bad; but, the one on the Mako felt like a cheap revolver, and was darn near as long. Do your self a big favor, and pull back the tape and push the trigger "dowel," pin out, and remove the "trigger spring." Note the location of the spring. Is it on the trigger travel/stop screw, or is it on the screw that actually pushes on the trigger lever? My diagram shows the spring on the trigger the lever engagement screw; but, the spring was on the trigger stop, or over travel screw when I removed it. Both the Mako and the Huntsman had the "trigger springs" on the stop or travel screw.

I removed the trigger spring and put it into a plastic bag, and that is where it today. I then took a spring out of a ball point pen, and replaced it with that, installing it on the trigger stop/travel screw. I had to cut the pen spring; but, they are easy to replace. Always find another spring before cutting a factory spring; because, once you cut it, you can't glue it back together!

The reason that we can get away with such a light spring on the trigger, is simple; all this spring does is keep the trigger off the sear lever. In fact, if you don't want to have a first stage on your trigger; just leave it off. Personally, I like having that first stage, for safety, and it gives me some pressure build up on my trigger finger.

Part II Work on the trigger!

The "trigger sear" and the trigger lever" are very hard steel. In fact they are near as hard as glass. The sears on all guns are made this way, otherwise they would wear out, and become unsafe in a very short time. Never heat any parts that are part of the trigger! Not the "sear lever," the "trigger sear," or even the hammer/striker, because, it is actually part of the trigger. The edge of the hammer/striker that makes contact with the "trigger sear" needs to be very hard or it will wear out, and cause the hammer/striker to slip forward firing the gun.These parts will not bend, they will BREAK. They must be this hard in order for the trigger to function safely.

It is much easier to install, or adjust "trigger sear" and the "trigger lever" if the hammer/striker is out of the gun; or at least if the hammer/striker spring is removed from the gun. Doing this allows you to work the trigger without having the gun cocked, and/or having to worry about it going off!

You remove the striker spring by removing the two rear most Allen screws from the top of the breach block. Then while you restrain the " rear striker spring retainer" remove the two tiny Allen screws that are on each side of the main cylinder. These screws are less than an inch from the safety. Remember to hold the brass part that fits into the back of the gun. This is the "rear striker spring retainer." Check your manual and be sure you know exactly what I am saying, or you could find yourself chasing parts all over the room.

In the case of the LR 90, you DO NOT need to remove the breach block, and/or the front barrel band. In fact, on either gun you need not remove the hammer at all. You just need to remove the tension on it. Once the hammer spring is removed you can just slide it forward or backward as needed. In the case of the Huntsman, or Harrier you should go ahead and slide it out the back. When you try to slide the striker out the back it will hang up on the "trigger sear." You will need to pull down on the sear in order to slide the striker out the back of the gun.

However, with the Mako, or LR 90, the hammer will not come out unless you remove the breach block, and then remove the Allen screw that keeps it from sliding out the back of the action. Again, consult your parts diagram for details.

Now, all you need do is push the dowels or pins out that hold the "trigger lever" and "trigger sear" through and both parts will fall out. First do the "trigger lever" and be sure to catch the spring. The spring should stick inside a hole in the "trigger lever," or on the short screw.Now, it may fall out, but don’t worry Just put the two parts together on the bench, or in a separate parts box, as we don’t want to switch or get the different springs confused. Then push the "trigger sear" dowel/pin out and lay the trigger parts out on the table/bench in the order that you have removed them. To reinstall the "trigger sear," you will need to slide the striker back into the fire position. This is just so much easier with the hammer/striker out of the gun., or at least without the spring tension on it.

All you want to do is check the condition of the "trigger sear" and the "trigger lever." Use a magnifying glass and look closely at the area where the sear area, on both parts. If there is any gouges, burrs or other imperfections you may want to polish these parts.

If you have never stoned or polished a trigger before, I recommend that you find a good gunsmith to do this work for you. This sounds like a simple thing, but, it is anything but simple. The sear area has two flat areas on the sear, and four on the "trigger lever." These must be stoned smooth. This is done by using a very fine, and small stone. The stone is passed over the area at the exact same angle that is on the part to be polished. If the angle is not correct the trigger may become unsafe, or it might not engage at all. The areas to be stoned, or polished can be seen in the drawing below. The arrow points to where the sear releases, and this is where you will find the contact points that can be polished. NEVER USE A FILE! NEVER TAKE A FILE TO ANY TRIGGER!

I use a ceramic stone that I bought from Brownell’s several years back. These stones are designed just for the purpose of polishing trigger sears. The a-for-mentioned LR 90 that I owned, had so much hammer/striker pressure on the gun’s sear that it had become pretty buggered up. I had no choice but to polish the a-for-mentioned parts. This is the only reason that I have gone into detail about such. Again I do not recommend that you should polish or stone the sear of your trigger. This is best left to experts! I have been working on triggers for years, so if you insist on doing this yourself, be very careful; because it can be all too easy to ruin a good trigger. Again, I strongly recommend that you find a good gunsmith and have them do it, if necessary. The way you can tell, is if the trigger feels gritty, jerky like it has sand in it. Other than that I would leave it alone. If you insist on polishing your own trigger be sure to really, really look closely through a magnifying glass, at the area where the sear and sear lever make contact. I use a jewelers magnifying glass. Because, you must be sure that you run your stone over the parts at the correct angle.

WARNING!!! ROUNDING OFF THE EDGES OF ANY PART OF THE SEAR OR SEAR LEVER, MAY CAUSE THE TRIGGER NOT TO ENGAGE!!!! These part will then have to be replaced, and they are not cheap. I strongly recommend that you try the moly, and then try adjusting the sear engagement, before trying to polish, or stone the sear or sear lever.

Once you are happy with the looks of your parts, you must reinstall them in the opposite order that you took them out. I recommend that you put moly paste on the pins, or "dowels " also put a tiny bit inside the moving parts of the "trigger sear," and "trigger lever." I also put some moly paste on the surface contact area on both the sear and the lever. At this point some are questioning my sanity, as anyone will tell you never to put any kind of lube on a trigger surface. Well rules are made to be broken; but, again bear in mind that this can make the gun unsafe. I take no responsibility for how you use this information, and that includes how you do or don’t apply moly paste to your trigger.

At this point you may wonder why use Moly; well the reason is simple. These triggers can wear,and get pits and such in them. This makes the trigger feel gritty, and it also makes it darn near impossible to adjust it down to a light setting or a light pull. After all, if you wanted a heavy trigger pull you would not have bothered to get a gun with an adjustable trigger, in the first place. Part of the problem with this triggers design, or should I say the gun’s design, is it requires a lot of spring tension on the hammer in order to get the power level that we want the gun to shoot at. Most of you who have 12 foot pound guns, won’t have much problem with your triggers adjustment; but, those with guns with 20 foot pound plus power may run into this problem. The more spring pressure that is on the hammer/striker the more pressure that is on the "trigger sear" and "sear lever."

Most times it is just better to lengthen the striker travel than to increase the spring pressure on same. With my gun, when I want to bump up the power I actually changed out the firing valve spring, for a lighter one, and I ported the valves on the gun. This gave me more power, without increasing the pressure on my sear.

On the subject of changing springs, I should mention that on some of these guns the "sear lever" springs are a bit too much, and in these cases I will change out this spring, for a lighter one. This can actually be a necessity in some cases. Again don’t cut down the factory spring; because if you ever sell the gun, you will want to put it back in factory condition. And again, if you cut the factory spring too short, it may become useless, and then you will have to find a replacement, anyway.

The easiest way to know if you want to replace this spring is to, put the "sear lever" and spring back into the trigger. Then put your trigger back into place and pull it, without the "sear" or the striker being engaged. If pulling the trigger feels stiffer then you want then replace it. Remember you will actually be compressing both the "sear lever" spring, and the first stage trigger spring.

 This photo shows the slightly modified trigger on
the left. The standard factory trigger is in the middle, and a straight version on the
right.

If you change your trigger angle, you should remove the safety before putting the gun back together, again because it might not work. In this case you can leave it off, or you can modify it. In cases where you have pushed the trigger angle backward you can file the safety until it will engage the back of the trigger, again. However if you push the angle forward, you best leave the safety off, as a safety that does not work, is far worse than not having one at all.

However, before you change your trigger angle, I should tell you that there is more than one way to do this. Since the trigger itself has no sear on it, we can modify the trigger, without even changing its adjustments. The trigger is made of hard brass, and while I like the trigger as it comes, it does seem to have too much of a bend in it, at least for my trigger finger. I found that by removing the trigger and clamping it into a vise, blade up, that I could bend the trigger, with the help of a propane torch. The trigger blade has to be pretty hot in order to do this, and again this is best done by a good gunsmith; as the trigger blade can be broken if it is not hot enough, and if it get too hot, it can melt. So, if you insist, do this at your own risk.

Please look closely at the photo below. Notice that the area where the adjustment screws are, is actually clamped inside the vise. this keeps them from getting too hot and losing there hardness. You may want to remove these screws, depending on how far you wish to bend or straighten the trigger blade. If you straighten the trigger blade it will get longer and not fit into the trigger guard. In this case you will have to cut it down a bit. All you need is a hack saw and a file to smooth off the edges. However, if you put more of a bend in the trigger you may end up with a trigger that is too short.

I like to coat the hammer/striker with Dry Slide. After which I re-install the trigger sear, and its spring. Then I put the "sear lever" back in place. then the trigger, and then I adjust its angle. Once this is done we can put our striker spring back inside the gun, and while holding the rear "striker spring retainer" Be sure the gun is in the fired position, or it will be near impossible to push the striker spring retainer" into place. Re-install the two tiny Allen screws that art on each side of the main cylinder. Then re-install the two Allen screws in the back of the breach block. Now, we can adjust our trigger angle, and our first stage travel. I recommend that you leave some first stage travel in the trigger, just for safety. Be very careful when adjusting the over travel screw. The sear lever must allow the sear to clear, and in order for it to do so; the trigger must push the sear lever almost all the way up, making contact with the bottom of the trigger housing. In a sense the over travel screw is not necessary; but, in some cases the sear lever may have a bit more travel than it needs. It is best to have more travel than needed. You can take over travel out, later if you want; but, only after you adjust the sear engagement.

Now, we will need to adjust our sear engagement, and this takes patience; sometimes a whole lot of patience. As I said earlier, after we adjust our sear engagement, our locking screw will tend to turn our adjustment screw in a bit more. The trick to adjusting the sear engagement, is to turn it in, (clockwise), until it will not catch, or until the gun will not cock.

In other words when you pull the bolt back the gun, simply won’t cock. Once you have it this way, turn the screw outward, (counter clockwise) 1/4 of a turn, and run the locking screw back in. Repeat, this process until the gun will cock. If the trigger is still too light, repeat but only turn the adjustment screw in 1/8 of a turn, until you get the trigger where you want it. This sounds simple, and it is. However, it can take several tries to get it adjusted to your satisfaction. In fact, it is very easy to turn the screw out too much, which makes our trigger pull to heavy. If this happens you must start the sear adjustment process all over again. It is only at this point, that you can know if you need or want to have you trigger polished, or stoned.

However, before you do, I still have one more trick up my sleeve. You can try shimming the trigger housing. I have seen this done, by at least one airgunsmith. What it does is change the angle where the "trigger sear," and the "sear lever" make contact. Be warned that can reduce contact between the "trigger sear" and the striker/hammer, and this can also result it a very unsafe gun. This is better left to experts, however, I thought that I should mention it. All one does is remove the trigger housing, and cut a thin shim that will fit between the trigger housing and the main tube. Trim and drill, for the sear and screw holes, and re-install the trigger housing. Again I will warn you that this can backfire too, as it may make the trigger even stiffer, and/or keep the sear from holding the striker in the cocked position.