3D printing pistol trigger blades

JiriK · Post by **JiriK** » Sat Nov 17, 2012 9:10 am

I was not quite happy with the shape of my LP10E trigger blade.
Was thinking about filing the original one or machining new one.
Then a friend told he had bought 3D printer.. :)

Steps: Make 3D model of the part -> Email him the model -> Print -> Finishing -> install.

LP10 trigger came out quite good. I was thinking about ordering a Stainless steel print from Shapeways.com but this plastic proto print may do just fine.
I´ll shoot a bit with it and see if more changes are needed.

While at it, I made a new trigger for my Benelli MP90S too. Made it wider and less curved, added grooves. Shape is not quite right for my finger and plastic is too soft for the 1kg trigger of 25m pistol. Will have to redo.

Will I get more points doing this.. Probably not.

antispar · Post by **antispar** » Mon Nov 19, 2012 4:56 am

Looks great! How do you fasten the blade for the shaft? Using the same Allen screw? How do you actually perceive feel of the raised inner ribs at the blade, and do they help to position the trigger finger more consistently in the same spot.

RobStubbs · Post by **RobStubbs** » Mon Nov 19, 2012 7:56 am

That might be interesting when it comes to checking the trigger weight at a match...

Rob.

JiriK · Post by **JiriK** » Mon Nov 19, 2012 11:34 am

Yes, I mount it using the same small screw that Steyr used to mount the stock trigger. Haven´t shot with the pistol yet, but thread tapped to that plastic doesn´t seem to be a problem.

As for the grooves.. the one rib in the middle is 0.2mm higher than others and ribbed front surface is curved in two directions. Don´t know if it´s any good but I´ll see starting tomorrow how it works. If not good, file/sand this one or make another one.

The stock trigger has a groove for measuring trigger weight.. That is easy to add to any 3D printing.

JiriK · Post by **JiriK** » Fri Dec 28, 2012 7:13 am

I made some changes to the shape of my trigger models and sent them to Shapeways. Since plastic was too soft for 1kg trigger of standard pistol and center fire pistol, I ordered parts to be made out of "Stainless" material.
Bit more expensive but.. Not bad. Even added the groove for trigger pull inspection weight.

Gwhite · Post by **Gwhite** » Sat Dec 29, 2012 6:58 pm

They look very nice! Is the process fine/accurate enough that you programmed in the set screw threads, or did you tap those afterward?

Could you give us a rough cost for the metal ones?

JiriK · Post by **JiriK** » Sat Dec 29, 2012 9:11 pm

That stainless process is not accurate enough to print M3 size thread.
I left both holes 0.2mm under sized and drilled them + tapped.
It may be possible to modify the model a bit so drilling is not required.

Shapeways says stainless Steyr trigger cost is $25,53 and stainless Benelli trigger is $22,02
Not sure what their base currency is so those prices may vary a bit.

Steyr 500g trigger pull and the mounting method of the trigger blade allow use of cheaper materials. My friend made prototypes out of some black plastic. Worked just fine.
My Benellis are adjusted to over 1kg trigger pull so stronger material is recommended. Stainless works. Don´t know about other materials Shapeways offers.

Benelli: http://www.shapeways.com/model/785053
Steyr: http://www.shapeways.com/model/785055

rmca · Post by **rmca** » Sat Dec 29, 2012 10:44 pm

Just ordered one for my Steyr.

From their site:
"Headquartered in New York with offices in Eindhoven and Seattle, Shapeways is a spin-out of the lifestyle incubator of Royal Philips Electronics."

"How long does it take before I get my product? - ( See also: general, ordering, shipping )
We try to get the product to you within 10 working days for plastics and sandstone. 14 working days for the metal products and 21 working days for the glass products. We count from the moment we receive your payment. This means within 10, 14 or 21 working days if you pay directly by credit card or Paypal. If you pay with an E-check on Paypal it takes 3-5 working days for your check to get cleared. You need to add these to the standard working days for the material that you order."

That means 14 working days from 02-Jan-2013. Should be 21 January...

Thanks a lot JiriK!

Happy New Year everyone!

Leon · Post by **Leon** » Sun Dec 30, 2012 9:00 pm

I ordered one for my Benelli as well !

Brian James · Post by **Brian James** » Mon Dec 31, 2012 8:26 am

Leon wrote:I ordered one for me Benelli as well !

+1

Leon · Post by **Leon** » Mon Dec 31, 2012 5:24 pm

"That stainless process is not accurate enough to print M3 size thread.
I left both holes 0.2mm under sized and drilled them + tapped. "

I presume they come drilled and tapped already?

JiriK · Post by **JiriK** » Mon Dec 31, 2012 6:15 pm

The Steyr trigger has the holes ready but they require drilling to correct size and tapping.
I just wrote to shapeways to see if the parts can be changed so the holes are correct size and tapped already. Don´t know if it is possible but we´ll see.

Benelli trigger is ready. The ones I received didn´t need any work.

Happy new year!

shooter560 · Post by **shooter560** » Mon Dec 31, 2012 6:20 pm

I like the idea of the Steyr one, only think putting me off ordering is I prefer a narrower blade, looking at the pics I'd say one groove/ridge less each side and it'd be perfect. Is this possible or would I have to order and then cut down myself (not ideal if I went with the matt gold)?

JiriK · Post by **JiriK** » Tue Jan 01, 2013 1:06 pm

That version seen in the photos is 10mm wide.
I made a 7mm wide version of the Steyr trigger too: http://www.shapeways.com/model/850993

shooter560 · Post by **shooter560** » Tue Jan 01, 2013 3:51 pm

JiriK wrote:That version seen in the photos is 10mm wide.
I made a 7mm wide version of the Steyr trigger too: http://www.shapeways.com/model/850993

You are a star, 7mm is within 0.5mm of what I use so I've just placed an order for 3 matte gold blades :) many thanks for doing that

JiriK · Post by **JiriK** » Mon Jan 14, 2013 2:23 pm

This is not a trigger blade, but still a 3D printed part for a pistol.

We started talking about how much different pistols weight.
So I measured mine.
I had a Morini CM162e before I bought this Steyr. It was the first model with fixed tank and I had made additional weights for it years ago. Total weight was ~1180g.
MC55-1 -> 1150g
Benelli MP90S world cup (empty magazine) -> 1150g
Steyr FP -> 1290g
Steyr LP10e with those four weights that came with it -> 980g.
(Scale I used was not the most accurate, but gives some idea..)

hmm. What if I add weight to Steyr so the pistols I mostly shoot (Benelli, MC55 and Steyr) weight the same. So. Some measuring, modeling and emailing.

"Lead tank" is divided in five sections that can be filled with lead. I don´t yet know how much it can weight but we´ll see.

edit: total weight with 2,5..3mm shots, sections full -> 125g.

Now does this give me more points.. propably not. But I like to build things.