Welcome to the G/K43 Forums’ June 2008 newsletter. As summer comes upon us, many of us in North America find ourselves escaping from our winter caves and heading out to the great outdoors. That's right, it is finally time to drag our G/K’s or 98’s out in earnest and get in some serious “trigger time.” With that in mind comes the second installment of the Forum newsletter.

The focus of this month’s article will be on function-testing the fire control group (also called the trigger group) of the G/K43 rifle and borrows heavily from a similar article published at GunsoftheReich.com. The fire control group (FCG) on the G/K43 is a finicky design at best, and often can be found at the root of such issues as slam-firing, failure-to-fire, and failure-to-cock.

To begin, remove the action from the stock and remove the bolt group from the receiver. Then, insure that all fire control components are installed correctly (see the FCG assembly guide at GunsoftheReich.com for details). Pay close attention to the orientation and location of the various springs. It is not uncommon to find the “legs” of the hammer spring misplaced or the sear bar spring inverted. Next make sure that the trigger, sear bar, and hammer have one washer/spacer on each side of each component.

Once you have verified that all parts are installed correctly, it is time to functionally test the FCG for proper operation. If the rifle is cocked, turn the safety to the “fire” position and decock it by holding a thumb over the hammer while pulling the trigger. This will release the hammer. Gently let it rest in the forward, decocked position.

With the trigger at rest (i.e. not pulled), press the hammer approximately half way back. It should lock in the half-cocked position. FIGURE 1 On most – but not all – G/K’s there are two engaging surfaces (sears) on the hammer itself: the primary sear under the “head” of the hammer, and a smaller secondary sear near the hammer’s pivot point. Both sears engage points on the sear bar itself. If the hammer does not lock securely on this secondary sear, then either the hammer or sear bar is either excessively worn or something in the FCG is not assembled correctly. As mentioned, not all G/K hammers have this secondary sear, so the procedure outlined in this paragraph is not absolutely critical. However, if the sear is present, it often prevents the hammer from following the bolt in the case of a faulty disconnector (see below).

The next step is to ensure that your hammer catches the primary sear on the sear bar. With the trigger at rest, press the hammer down until it engages the primary sear on the sear bar. Through the lightening holes on either side of the receiver, you should be able to visually confirm that the hammer has engaged the primary sear. FIGURE 2 If the hammer fails to catch the primary sear, do not fire the weapon until it has been inspected by a competent gunsmith. A hammer that fails to catch the primary sear is a slam-fire waiting to happen.

Now hold your thumb over the hammer and decock the hammer as described before.

We will now ensure that the disconnector is working correctly. With the rifle decocked, pull the trigger as far back as it will go. Hold the trigger in that position as you press the hammer back again. FIGURE 3 This time, the hammer will bypass both the primary and secondary sears and catch on the disconnector (the small, helmet-shaped piece attached to the sear bar). FIGURE 4 Once you have confirmed that the hammer has solidly engaged the disconnector, slowly release the trigger. You should hear an audible “click” as the hammer slides from the disconnector to the primary sear. FIGURE 5 A hammer that does not engage the disconnector will ultimately reach the same results as a hammer that does not engage the primary sear: the dreaded slam fire. So, if your rifle fails the disconnector check, have it inspected by a competent gunsmith before you take it to the range.

That concludes this month’s forum newsletter. Thank you for reading! Feel free to contact me via forum PM’s or via email at sales@southernmichiganarms.com if you would like to discuss this article.