Timney Manufacturing has built its enviable reputation by offering high-quality, affordable and adjustable drop in triggers for many bolt-action rifles. Recently, Timney expanded its line to include drop-in triggers for the AR-10, AR-15 and even the Ruger 10/22. For 2010, Timney has taken a turn down a different road and is now offering a fix for the trigger on the most popular shotgun of all time, the Remington 870.
When most folks think of a trigger, they think of the thing they pull with their finger. Unlike most of the drop-in triggers Timney manufacturers, the drop-in unit for the 870 shotgun is not a trigger at all. It is a replacement sear and spring set. This precision-engineered sear eliminates the take-up, heavy pull and squishy feel commonly associated with 870 triggers.
The 870 shotgun has many applications for hunters, sport shooters and as a defensive weapon. It can be an upland bird, duck or turkey shotgun, it can be a slug gun for deer and with interchangeable choke tubes it can be all the above. Similarly, the 870 platform is just as versatile for law enforcement, those interested in home defense and three-gun competitors. Whether you employ your 870 for one or all these tasks, and no matter how your 870 is configured, Timney's new drop-in unit will fit and eliminate the weak link of an otherwise exceptional firearm.
Timney ships the new sear with three different springs; one red, one white and one blue. You select the spring that provides the pull weight—two, three or four pounds/light, medium and heavy—you desire. The sear also has an adjustment on it that allows you to further tune the pull weight up an additional .5 to .75 pounds. So, you could choose the red (two pound/light) spring and by adjusting the sear, set pull weight to 2.5 pounds.
The Timney unit is easy to install and the only tools you will need are two punches; one to remove the trigger assembly from the shotgun and another to remove the pin that holds the factory sear in place. Depending on how tight these pins are, a small brass hammer might be needed too. Just remove the old sear and insert the new sear with the spring you choose. The entire process should not take longer than 10 minutes.
In early December I participated in a hunt/product demo of this drop-in unit. In attendance were various shotgun experts and several law enforcement officers. After installing these triggers in their 870s and two days of shooting and hunting, all in attendance were satisfied they had the best 870 trigger available.
I became involved in this project early on. Admittedly, I'm not much of a shotgun guy and didn't have anything to do with the design. But, I did suggest the drop-in unit be called the "870 Trigger Fix." I'm not sure if that name will stick, but that is essentially what the new sear and spring kit does; FIX the 870 trigger. Suggested retail is $89.95, about the price of a good choke tube or a full tank of gas and two boxes of Twinkies.
Some 870 triggers are not too bad, others are horrid. Depending on how well you like crisp triggers and on how you employ your 870, this new trigger fix from Timney might be something you should consider. Regardless, this is one fix you can get that is not illegal and it won't leave you with a wicked hangover.
