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Jesse's Hunting > Gun Room Articles > The Gun Room > Smoothing Out The Rough Road with Huber Triggers
Smoothing Out The Rough Road with Huber Triggers
Andy Moe - JHO ProStaff
- Hardin, MT
October 25, 2005
Those of us who shoot vintage military rifles know two things for certain. First; our pet fusils can be exceptionally accurate, considering the circumstances of their production. Second; achieving that accuracy is usually hindered by a trigger pull that is often less than shooter friendly.
How many shooters have had a pet Lee Enfield, Mosin-Nagant, or Mauser that delivered accuracy teetering on the verge of greatness, but which could never be realized due to a trigger pull that could best be described as feeling like “five miles of bad road”? Many, I can assure you, as I have been part of this wretched crowd for nearly 30 years. In the case of the Lee Enfield or Mosin-Nagant shooter there was little to be done: The trigger you got was what you had unless you were a skilled amateur gunsmith or had a ‘smith willing to take on the chore. If you’ve been saddled with one of these poor triggers your day just got little brighter thanks to Huber Concepts Triggers and their creator, John Huber.
John started his company, Huber Concepts LLC, up in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin with the idea of making a better drop-in trigger for military rifles. His patent-pending Huber Anti Friction Ball Trigger can take a raspy five pound military trigger and convert it to a glassy smooth 27 ounces –usually with little or no modification to the rifle whatsoever.
The trigger utilizes a hardened ball bearing as the contact point to the sear. This reduces the contact area and reduced the amount of friction between these parts. The reduction in surface area contact lightens the trigger to fraction of the original trigger. When I first handled the samples at the Huber Concept booth at the 2005 SHOT Show I was so impressed by what I saw and felt that I immediately asked for some test samples to review. I was not disappointed.
Acknowledging my zeal for military surplus shooting and my varying tastes, Kris Disbrow, the business manager of Huber Concepts, sent me a wide assortment of triggers. All were well machined and came with easy-to-follow instructions. I was panting to get one of these triggers into my Springfield 1903-A3 Match Rifle but decided to concentrate on the two problem children I mentioned earlier: the Mosin-Nagant and the Lee Enfield.
If you own the typical Mosin-Nagant, you’ve probably been dealing with a trigger that breaks at about seven pounds. My test rifle for the Huber Trigger is a Hungarian Model 91/30 that is in mint condition and an excellent shooter when I can wrestle the sear into actually breaking on target! With a Huber Concepts trigger installed I hoped to have a trigger that would allow me squeeze all available accuracy out of this mid-50’s Eastern Bloc rifle. The caliber is the standard 7.62x54R common to the Mosin models throughout their long military history. It is a good cartridge for both hunting and informal target shooting.
The Enfield I chose for this test is an odd duck. I call it the “faux” Jungle Carbine. This is a rifle that was made up to look like a No. V Jungle carbine back in the 60’s. In their day these rifles sold for about $50. The rifle is chambered, of course, for the time honored .303 British cartridge. This cartridge is famous for its century-long career in battle and on the hunt.
This particular rifle is in new condition and is very accurate but for an incredibly bad trigger. Even for a Lee Enfield it’s bad, breaking at nearly nine pounds! This has been a real hindrance to what is otherwise a dandy little “carry” rifle for rough country. With a decent trigger installed there was no telling how high up the “grab and go” list this rugged little carbine could climb. As it came, it was stuck somewhere on the lower end of that list. Let’s face it. There’s no sense in carrying a rifle that won’t allow accurate shot placement. And hitting the target is what John Huber’s trigger system is all about!
Installation of the Huber triggers is simple and straight-forward. For the most part, the only special tools needed will be the small allen wrench John supplies for final adjustment of the installed unit. Complete instructions for installation and adjustment come with each trigger. I found the instructions clear and concise. I have to warn Lee Enfield shooters that in my Jungle carbine a small bit of wood had to be removed behind the trigger mortise to allow fitting of the trigger. It amounts to about a cubic quarter inch, and it’s tucked up and in-between the trigger guard mounting. A small wood chisel made short work of it. The Nagant trigger was an easy drop-in exchange.
At the range I realized an immediate improvement in accuracy, whether from the bags or off hand. Both rifles were loaded with my favorite Lyman 314-299 bullet over 20 grains of Accurate Arms 5744. This load has proven itself accurate in almost all of my “30+ caliber” rifles. My old notes showed an average of just over an inch with this Jungle Carbine at 50 yards from a rest. With the Huber trigger installed I managed to pare that down to just under an inch, about 7/8” to be exact, with my best group marking the paper at 5/8 inch. The Hungarian Nagant has always been a shooter. At 50 yards my groups would run between 5/8” and one inch. The Huber trigger improved on the high end of the average enabling me to keep all of my shots inside that one inch mark.
It was off hand shooting that told the tale, though. Suddenly I wasn’t breaking a sweat squeezing the trigger! If you want to know the difference between five miles of gravel road and 27 ounces of glass, you need a Huber Concepts unit in your favorite milsurp. I simply held my sights where I wanted them and squeezed through. What a difference! I was keeping them all in the black with that 91/30, and I did likewise with the Faux Carbine!
Improved accuracy...
in the author's Enfield "Jungle Carbine" as a result of the installation of the Huber Concepts trigger. A rough trigger can cause the best shooter to perform below par. |
The carbine showed the most improvement of all. With the issue trigger installed it was totally unmanageable. An option with the Huber Trigger is to install the unit so as to give a two-stage pull. I chose this option with the #4 carbine and was rewarded with a three-pound, nine-ounce trigger. This isn’t a match grade trigger but if you remember, the original pull was in the nine pound range. This trigger is now about 1/3 of the original pull weight and very controllable. I find that for field work with iron sights it is just fine. This Enfield has just had its status elevated to being my brush gun. That’s saying a lot.
Huber Concepts triggers are available for most of the common military rifles, among them are Model 1891-1989 Mausers, the Brno VZ Mausers and the hot Yugoslavian Model 48 Mauser. All Mosin-Nagant variants are represented. The SMLE/ Lee Enfields. The Types 38 and 99 Japanese Arisakas. 1903 Springfields, and the US Model 1917 Enfield and British Pattern 14 Enfield. John also hints that a trigger for the venerable Krag Jorgensen 30-40 is in production. I think I may need one of those! All of these triggers are manufactured with the most modern machining methods and come in three different finishes, in three different styles. All triggers are adjustable for creep and over travel. No modification to striker or safety is required with a Huber Concept Trigger.
Military surplus rifles are some of the best constructed rifles you can own and shoot. Despite their sometimes Spartan appearance, most were inspected many times during manufacture and are made to be accurate under hard conditions. It’s these qualities that endear these rifles to their owners, whether collector or shooter. Many of these rifles make it afield every deer season to put meat on the table and generate a fresh round of stories to tell around deer camp.
If you are one of many who enjoy taking to field with a piece of history then you’ll find your confidence boosted and your shooting improved by the addition of a Huber Concepts trigger.
See the Huber Concepts Website at: http://www.huberconcepts.com/
EDITOR'S NOTE: Safety precautions must be adhered to when handling, modifying, and shooting any firearms. Always follow manufacturer's instructions and recommended practices. To do otherwise may cause injury to shooters and/or bystanders. Always wear proper shooting eyewear. All data and events contained in this article have been chronicled for entertainment purposes and are in no way to be understood to be a guide for any readers to use in their own endeavors. The author and JHO will not be held responsible for injury or damage that occurs as a result of trying to replicate any of the activities outlined in this article.
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