Mushy feeling trigger

[Ol' Fart]

I have an older 870 Express that I have modified somewhat. I really like the gun and it performs flawlessly. I have recently noticed the trigger feels "mushy." Is there a way to make the trigger more crisp with a cleaner break?

[Synchronizor]

An 870's trigger is not exactly match-grade, but then it really doesn't have to be for most shotgunning applications. What it is is positive, simple, and very safe (thanks to its elegant balanced sear concept and a sear spring that contributes to the sear-hammer lockup). If you were into something like slug hunting that called for real precision, you could lighten the pull by swapping in a 3-pound sear spring. This is very cheap, sear springs are just a few dollars, and you can swap sear springs in an 870 without any tools once you've gotten your trigger plate assembly out of the gun. A lighter sear spring should also reduce creep, by decreasing the friction between the sear and the hammer.

However, changing the sear spring won't alter the geometry of the trigger pull. The amount of travel needed for take-up, hammer release, and resetting will remain the same. If that's what you're referring to with the term "mushy", there isn't much you can do on your own. A gunsmith may be able to perform a trigger job that will shorten/sharpen the trigger pull, but that's certainly not something you should be trying yourself unless you have a lot of training and experience under your belt (in which case you probably wouldn't be asking questions about this here).

[Ol' Fart]

Thanks for the response...