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Polish it up Buttercup!

19555 Views 62 Replies 7 Participants Last post by  Ratfink
I stripped the CM9 apart when a little trigger grit was aggravating my 'Type A' self. You know the type. It's ugly! The trigger bar was a mess. Well, it was sort of OK as a normal trigger bar, but you know what I'm driving at. I already had it apart at one time to clean things up when it was new (what, a week or two ago?) and even stoned things down here and there, but it wasn't enough for us anal types. This time I took the trigger bar to my old Corvette hot rod project shop, AKA garage, full of nasty powerful tools, and worked of that piece of stamped steel. Alot! Cause it needed alot! And "alot" isn't even a word! Moving on... The Dremel was my friend. I started with 220 grit, then 320 then 600 and finally got to the rouge. White. green, the the very fine red. Holy mother of God it was shiny and smooth! The secret was to polish any contact surface, of course, and the primary villain, the lower edge where the trigger bar spring slides while cycling the trigger. I just kept at it until it was smooth and super bright.

Three beers and unusual French cuss words later, the trigger, spacer spring, bar, doohicky, were back in place and I was ready to give her a whirl.

What a difference!

Talk about butter smooth! I can't detect the slightest tic or bump or anything other than a super slick pull on the trigger right through the break. Amazing. You know how you can usually pull the trigger back at a normal speed and it feels just fine, but at very slow creeping speeds you'll feel the bumps and grit and surges? Not now! Pulling the trigger back very very slowly and deliberately transmits zero feedback other than gliding along to the break. How impressive is that!

The circled area in the pic shows where the trigger bar spring rides while pulling the trigger. That's the area to focus your attention.

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I was wondering if the trigger bar was difficult to remove? I have polished the striker and internals to get smoother trigger pull and that is the only part left to polish. If there are instructions please do tell.
Very easy to remove. A bit tricky to get back in.

Remove side cover (Torx T5)

Remove trigger axis pin
  • Torsion spring is under pressure, but not much.
  • Note position/orientation of spring ends. Curved (slight hook) end rides inside the trigger.

Remove trigger spring, spring spacer, and trigger
  • Trigger bar is attached to trigger.
  • Note placement of trigger bar spring and how lower side fits inside frame slot.

Polish away on the trigger bar
  • I rounded the bottom in the area the spring slides.
  • Also polish contacting surfaces, except the sear.
  • Also the spring spacer face that touches the inside of trigger.

Reassemble
The tricky part is getting the trigger spring assembly back in place
  • Start the trigger pin.
  • Align trigger into place and tap the pin in just far enough to catch hand hold.
  • Attach trigger bar and tape in place around the back of gun.
  • I used small duck bill pliers with no serrations to hold the spring and spacer together to guide into position.
  • Use a flat blade screwdriver as a lever inside the trigger housing while holding the assembly, all with one hand. You need to be able to work the 'lever' as well, to align.
  • The other hand is used to tap the pin into place while working the 'lever' to align the assembly.
  • Cuss and repeat several times until the frame pin finally finds its way through.
  • Remove the tape and attach the trigger bar spring.

It's Miller Time!!
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If you don't try new things, at least once, you REMAIN ignorant.........
If you don't try new things, at least once, you REMAIN ignorant.........
I agree! :thumbsu:
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that's so true...well, until I intro'd the spider monkey into the wife's and I love making...it gotta lil weird in there. :startle:
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What...She liked the monkey and threw you out? Just wonderin.
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Monkey 'business.' Must be a career girl. Look at me talking like this and I don't even know you people. I'm bad!
Monkey 'business.' Must be a career girl. Look at me talking like this and I don't even know you people. I'm bad!
Bob just naturally brings out the bad in people...........
It's a wonderful knack isn't it? Just let you hair down and lay it back.
It's a nack alright
nick-knack paddy-whack...give that dog a bone! oh wait, that's kinda what got us here...:shame:
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nick-knack paddy-whack...give that dog a bone! oh wait, that's kinda what got us here...:shame:
Oh man..........
Thanks for the info. Will try this!
Hey looky here.......another free spirit. Red works great if you're up for it.
We do get carried away don't we, Sorry.

I would like to someday take mine apart polish everything but I must say I have no complaints with what I have. I can't imagine them being any smoother than they are now.
We do get carried away don't we, Sorry.

I would like to someday take mine apart polish everything but I must say I have no complaints with what I have. I can't imagine them being any smoother than they are now.
Yeah same here.........I'm sure there's an improvement...........but if it's smooth already and running fine as is.............would the improvement be worth the effort.......,toss up I think...
as I have recently discovered, you can OVER polish parts...whom ever owned my Thompson 1911 prior over polished the ramp and I'm having feed issues...the angel is all off. :sad:
ON TOPIC!
as I have recently discovered, you can OVER polish parts...whom ever owned my Thompson 1911 prior over polished the ramp and I'm having feed issues...the angel is all off. :sad:
ON TOPIC!
You thought about fitting a new barrel yourself.
I've read up on it, even watched some YouTube.
as I have recently discovered, you can OVER polish parts...whom ever owned my Thompson 1911 prior over polished the ramp and I'm having feed issues...the angel is all off. :sad:
many more times damage is done with a Dremel than anything good
You thought about fitting a new barrel yourself.
I've read up on it, even watched some YouTube.
I have but the cost...I already dumped about $250 into his $400 dollar pistol... How much does that run?
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