An impressive miller trigger installation

[Brian Dudley]

This trigger is in a 20g. Trojan that is something else in itself. At one time a very good gunsmith (I suspect Lefever Arms) built a heck of a custom for whoever owned it. The gun was converted to Ejectors with a BTFE and deeply latch (fox latch). Restocked in straight grip with checkered butt. Long trigger guard from a G grade was installed and serial numbered. And a Miller Single Trigger was installed. An awful lot of custom work for a Trojan.

Anyway, The rocker selector on the trigger suggested to me that it was a miller from the start, but the way it was shaped was different that I had seen before. My only issue with the selectors shape is that it does not allow for the guards removal without taking the selector out.
When I opened the gun up, I found that it was a Miller. But it was one of the best Miller installations that I had seen. It is no new news that the original miller trigger installations were crude at best. This one is the exact opposite.

The rear section of the trigger assembly is a very sturdy piece of steel that wraps fully around the mechanism. These are usually a bend up piece of flat steel. This one is brazed right to the trigger plate instead of the typical type of installation where it is staked in place.

Here are photos of it.

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[Frank Childrey]

I'd sure like to see the rest of that gun . . .

[edgarspencer]

My only issue with the selectors shape is that it does not allow for the guards removal without taking the selector out.


I assume you can at least rotate the guard 90 degrees to get the trigger plate screws out, right?

[Dean Romig]

Thanks for sharing this one Brian. What a highly professionally done installation... on a Trojan no less!





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[Brian Dudley]

I assume you can at least rotate the guard 90 degrees to get the trigger plate screws out, right?



Yes. But no farther than that.

[Dean Romig]

I've never seen that style of Miller switch before. Is it a rocker styly like the other Miller switch in that position?





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[Brian Dudley]

Yes. A rocker.

[Mike Poindexter]

Like any other trade, there are true artists out there that may or may not have cult followings, but little or no attention on the national scale. Their work is their legacy, but often goes unnamed. It is always a treasure to be seen and appreciated, though. Thanks for sharing.

[Bill Murphy]

Brian, are they Parker ejectors or some other type? More pictures, please.

[Brian Dudley]

It was Parker ejectors that were fitted to the gun. Some of the parts in the ejector forend like the mainsprings were homemade (very well).
I scratch my head as to why a AH Fox forend latch was used and not a Parker one. But, oh well.

Like I said previously, I suspected that Lefever may have been the ones who did the gun. Since they were one of the few that would have been setup to install factory type Parker ejectors. And also do that type of quality work. But it is just a guess.

[Kevin McCormack]

Watching them install the non-selective trigger on my BHE pigeon gun was like watching a blacksmith working at a portable coal-fired forge at one on those local craft shows where the smith heats up, bends, winds, and curls small fronds of metal to make a decorative vine-motif set of fireplace tools. Art definitely following form then function.

[Bill Murphy]

My trip to the Miller shop with Kevin to pick up his BHE was one of the highlights of my Parker life. Howard and his brother were both on hand to entertain us, but were to be gone in a very short time. I am the curious type and always snoop a bit when at the gunsmith's. My big find at the Miller shop was a .410 Purdey, mostly disassembled, being prepared for the installation of a Miller trigger. I had never even seen a .410 Purdey, much less one that was about to be cannibalized by the Miller brothers. At the time, I had owned several Miller triggers, but was astounded when I saw how they were installed in a gun. All my Miller guns are working well, so I shouldn't be too critical of the workmanship. Howard showed us around and gave us the full story of the Krieghoff 32 project, including showing us a drawer full of Remington and Krieghoff trigger parts left over from the project, including a gold plated K32 trigger that I somehow forgot to beg for. I asked about a framed photograph on the wall. He said that the picture was a gift given to the Millers at the end of the Krieghoff project. He asked me if I knew Dieter Krieghoff. I told him I did know Dieter, shot a sporting clays tournament on a squad with Dieter and his wife and had been to his shop many times. He told me that the photo was of "Dieter's daddy", Heinrich Krieghoff, and Hermann Goering, taken during the Nazi era when Krieghoff was a major armorer of the Third Reich. I wish I knew where that picture is today.

[Mike Koneski]

Sorry, but I do not have the letter on that Trojan. I thought I had Chuck send me one but it was in one of the order books that is not in the Parker records. My bad. I did post photos of the single triggers on that gun and the VHE when a SST Parker thread came up last. The selector on the VHE is a lever that you push side to side, not a rocker. The selector on the Trojan is the rocker.

Top photo VHE. Bottom photo Trojan.

[Dean Romig]

Do you remember the make of the trigger Mike?

I’m not familiar with Parker Bros. Installing a trigger like you describe…





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[Mike Koneski]

Do you remember the make of the trigger Mike?

I’m not familiar with Parker Bros. Installing a trigger like you describe…





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See my edited post. I have photos added to it.