Brass triggerguard repair.

charlie15

Have a 1871 mauser, single shot, infantry rifle. The brass triggerguard is bent in a couple places, can't locate another. To bend back into place do i have heat it like metal?

captkirk3@dslextreme.com

Yes...Being as its a Non Ferrous Metal It has to be annealed to soften the Metal...Otherwise its gonna be brittle and break..Best...

Captain Kirk, Tech Staff

squeakyc

If it's not bent too badly of hardly noticable, I would leave it alone especially if you plan to hang onto it for a while. Maybe one will pop up somewhere and you can replace it. Replacement is the easiest and safest, but you can try the method I came up with through trial and error. Here goes..................
I have taken bends out of brass trigger guards on some of my Snider Enfields over the years but you must be aware there is a possibility it may break depending on how fatigued the brass is you are working. Also forget it if it has a sharp bend in it. I would not recommend heating it, as brass is fairly soft and pliable. When I take the bends out I put the guard over different sizes of hardwood doweling until I find one similar to the profile I wish achieve. I then take another piece of hardwood that has been notched out to fit over the width of the trigger guard.
Now I put the guard over the doweling, place the notched piece on top of the guard and gently but firmly hit it with a hammer moving along the length of it until I get the desired shape. This may have to be done several times to get it right. The tough thing is holding it while you are working the metal. Try some different setups until you are comfortable with one, or have a friend help you until you are sure of the best way to hold things. It sounds worse than it is when put to words. Good luck if you give it a try.........squeakyc