Understanding the Savage Accu Trigger

In the past, I’ve written articles on the Savage Model 110 in June 2001 and adding a manual safety to the Glock in June 2004. In the latter article, I delved deeply into the Glock, citing instances of accidental discharge and the furor that surrounded them. I concluded the pistol will not discharge unless the trigger is fully pulled and went on to explain why. Take a really good look at a Glock trigger mechanism.

You can’t miss noticing what appears to be a second trigger projecting from the main body of the trigger. It’s not a second trigger; it’s the forward part of the trigger safety. The rearmost part wears a squared face that is blocked by the frame until the forward part is pushed flush with the trigger body by the shooter’s trigger finger. This pivots the blocked end upward, clearing the frame and permitting the trigger to be pulled farther. During this action, the trigger/trigger bar/sear-plate Figure 1.

Figure 2. assembly compresses the firing-pin spring, the trigger bar contacts the connector’s angled lip, and the pistol is cocked. By the time the trigger has been fully pulled to the rear, the bar has traveled far enough down the connector to drop the sear plate below the firing-pin tang, releasing the pin to detonate the primer.

Except for the apparent presence of a "second trigger" in the trigger body of the Savage rifle, the physical similarities between the Savage Accu Trigger and the Glock Safe Action trigger come to a screeching halt. There is no connector, trigger-bar/ sear-plate assembly in the Savage. The gizmo that looks like an extra trigger is the Accu Release, or searstop lever. The trigger it’s teamed with has a slot milled near its end. The slot is neither very deep nor very wide. The tail of the sear engages that slot.

When you start to pull the trigger, the lever pivots into the trigger body. At all other times—including a severe dropping or jarring of the rifle—the lever blocks the sear. See Figure 1. That drawing and the others appearing here were taken from a set of blueprints provided specifically for this article by Ron Coburn, owner and CEO of Savage, and will serve to further explain the function of the Accu Trigger.

However, by comparing the photo of the current system and the less recent blueprint drawing, you’ll see that changes have been made. For example, the body profile of the trigger housing has changed radically aft of the trigger; the sear now has an extension downward to contact the trigger; the sear-lever configuration has changed; and the safety lever and safety spring no longer exist, having been replaced by a three-position button safety which is not visible in the profile photo.

How It Works Today With the bolt cocked, the sear is perched on a step at the rear of the trigger and is in contact with the sear-stop lever ( Figure 2). When the sear stop is depressed with the trigger finger, the stop rotates under the sear, but the sear remains on the trigger step ( Figure 3). Continuing to squeeze the trigger rotates both it and the stop lever from under the sear and allows the hammer to fall ( Figure 4). All this can occur only after the redesigned trigger-blocking safety has been moved to its

To adjust trigger pull, the factory-supplied tool is inserted at the arrow to contact the trigger-return spring, then turned clockwise or counterclockwise to increase or lighten the pull. Other key elements are the sear-stop lever (A), trigger (B), and the sear (C). "fire" position. Here’s the big finish: Even if the gun is jarred or dropped with the safety disengaged, the stop lever still blocks the sear. Why? The trigger hasn’t been pulled.

Adjusting the Accu Trigger Every Savage rifle wearing an Accu Trigger arrives with a pull-adjustment tool. It’s very simple. A knurled knob is at one end. Rising from the knob is a rod with a milled cut in its end. To use it, the action is removed from the stock, and the slotted tool is inserted into the bottom of the trigger-return spring to engage the spring tail. For a heavier pull, up to 6 pounds, turn the tool clockwise. The heaviest you can go will be announced by a clicking noise made by the spring.

To lighten the pull to approximately 1.5 pounds, turn the tool counterclockwise. You reach minimum pull when the large coil of the trigger spring contacts the upper rear surface of the trigger. Don’t force things beyond this point. Savage Arms recommends that Figure 3. Figure 4. settings from 1.5 to 3 pounds should be restricted to controlled precision shooting only. They believe, as do I, that trigger pulls that light have no place in the woods or on the prairie.

Availability The Accu Trigger is not available as a replacement or upgrade for other Amanufacturer’s rifles. Further, it can’t be used to replace the factory trigger on earlier Savage rifles. Earlier Savage receivers won’t accept the new trigger as they stand, but must be milled to accept it, and no specifications for the machine work are being issued as of this writing.

Therefore, if a customer wants you to fit an Accu Trigger to his Savage rifle, he’ll have to buy or borrow one with an Accu Trigger that you can use as a guide. I would also recommend against disassembling the Accu Trigger. Individual replacement parts are on the not-for-sale list, though complete assemblies are available.

I’ll make a prediction: Once you’ve worked out the necessary machining requirements, you can become famous by being the only gunsmith in town who can mount an Accu Trigger on a Savage Arms rifle that was