Had a Garand restored and now have a trigger question ....

When dry fired, the trigger pull is nice and light, ~3.5 lbs (had it lightened up).  When loaded, it’s so heavy I can’t truly estimate the pull weight.  The dry fire weight is similar to a previous restoration, that’s how I’m making the comparison.  I’ve only had it apart once to oil the new stock.

Thoughts?  Did I reassembly something wrong?  Still fires, just mega heavy trigger pull.  Figured I’d ask here before sending it back to have the guy who restored it look at it.

(Obligatory pics. Attached File
rug’s old, I know)

I'd say please confirm again the different trigger pull weights.  As far as I can see, the trigger assembly is completely independent of the rest of the rifle's workings.

I recall reading on the CMP forums about trigger issues, two posts expressed similar problems, both times it was a bent trigger pin.

Take that for what it's worth.

Appreciate the insight.  Will check in the morning (working swings).  One of the guys at work also suggested it might not be 100% locked forward, thereby created pressure on the entire system.

Update tomorrow.

Surprised someone would bring it below 4.5lbs.

The only part of the trigger group that should interact would be the clip eject spring.  Maybe that's busted or not mounted right?

Bent pin or bedding/too much wood up under the rear of the trigger that needs clearance to raise up.  I would think both of those issues would happen with it unloaded tho.

You are correct.  It's not 3.5, it's right around 5lbs.  Sorry about that.  I had one of my other guns on my brain when i wrote 3.5.  

I did a complete disassembly of everything so it's entirely possible I screwed something up in the reassembly of this one (had them apart numerous times, but I'm by no means an expert).  I will dissemble again in the morning (hopefully have time) and reassemble per the manual.

Thank you for referencing the clip eject spring.  It's been over a month, but I do remember spending more time on that piece than I normally would have.  Don't remember why.

Clip ejection spring has nothing to do with trigger pull. it ejects empty enbloc and detent pressure for safety position.

Like said the rifle being loaded or not is irrelevant to trigger pull weight. Check with scale. The difference may just be psychological.

If trigger pull weight is really inconsistent the usual suspect is the trigger pin being either bent or broken.

Shouldn't.  But the trigger sits up against it.  My point was that the only thing that changes in the trigger group when you load an M1 is that the clip eject spring gets loaded.  The only other mechanical interfaces are housing-to-wood and locking lugs-to-receiver legs.

Update

BLUF:  Corrosion.

Well, this is a horrible admission and I was just going to let this thread die a cowardly death, but an explanation is owed... sorry for the length.

I talked to a guy at work who was an M14/M1A armorer.  He said that without seeing it, he could speculate on two most probable problems:

1.  Bent trigger pin, but said this seemed unlikely because it was shooting fine earlier.
2.  Bolt wasn't fully locked forward.

So I went home, put a spent round in the chamber and released the bolt.  Looked good, trigger was heavy, but not as heavy as before.  Repeated it a couple times, same heavy.  Dry fire, no problem.  Measured the amount of lug showing (with a micrometer) with a spent round in the chamber against the lug seating in my other Garand.  Tiny difference, not good.

Then I looked in the chamber with a bore light and realized I was an idiot.  The shoulder of the chamber was grey and green.  I had failed to thoroughly clean after coming back last time and I'd inadvertently used some 1942 ammo. Corrosion.

I have about 10K rounds of M1 food from 1941 to 1972 (inherited).  I have all the corrosive primer stuff set aside in several marked cans.  The last time I came back from my stash in Washington State, I brought back a small can (have to keep it under 40lbs on Alaska Air) with a mixed lot of three bandoliers.  I didn't even check the head stamps.  Went to the range, fired ~32 just to show a friend I could still hit decently at 100yds, brought it back, quick wipe down and a brush through the barrel and put it away to be brought out a couple months later and encounter my f'up.  I checked the brass for that day, sure enough, 1942s and a couple '43s.

So I cleaned it thoroughly, worked carefully on the shoulder inside, told my wife I was going in the basement to check the trigger pull with a blank, assumed she could extrapolate that that would mean a big boom was coming, and endured her unhappiness for the next thirty minutes or so.  

And the trigger pulled through nice and smooth with a crisp break.  Going to the range on Monday just to be sure.  I get the Big Idiot Award for not checking the head stamps, not cleaning it thoroughly, and not ensuring it was fully locked before firing.  Lucky it seated as far as it did; bolt in the face would suck.  Took it apart and did the soap and water wash down.  All clean now.

Sorry to have wasted your time on this, thank you for all the replies and advice.  I'm sad that I had to remind myself the hard way to always check the *^$*!ing head stamp dates.

The trigger may feel light again, but I don't think you nailed the problem. The trigger has no way of knowing where the bolt is.

+1

The safety in a partially locked bolt is the safety bridge,..the firing pin tail should hit that bridge if the bolt isn’t closed and that slot aligned.  I am not seeing that as a source for heavying up the trigger pull.

Variations in trigger pull, to me, still come back to a bent trigger pin, or remotely detritus bouncing around in the trigger assembly in the trigger sear bits.  

After that I guess I would look at the hammer hooks to see if the surface is rough and the sear is catching in a different spot.   I shouldn’t think that likely with the whole garand hand off system.  Things shouldn’t be moving around in the relation with the capture hooks and the hand off.