hair-trigger?

[spleenandideal]

Hello~

Where did the term "hair trigger" originate? What does this mean? It seems to pop up a lot on television shows and movies. Military term? Concocted by the media to hype the suicidal/homocidal ramblings of gun-toting madmen? Hmmm....

 

[DC]

I heard that originally some Old West gunfighters would modify the trigger sears so the gun would fire with little pressure. I assume that the concept then transferred over to a descriptive term of extremely touchy and short-tempered people. Analogous to having a "short fuse", i.e very easy to get angry or pissed off

Not to be confused with going "ballistic" or "postal"

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"Quis custodiet ipsos custodes"



[This message has been edited by DC (edited February 27, 1999).]

 

[Jim V]

I think the term goes back further than the "Wild West". Some of the early flintlock rifles had set triggers that would release if a hair fell on them. An exageration of course but I have fired more than one original F/L rifle that the set trigger released at about 4 oz. pull. You HAD to be ready to fire because if you just tapped the trigger before you were on target the shot was off.

We need spell check.

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Ne Conjuge Nobiscum



[This message has been edited by Jim V (edited March 03, 1999).]

 

[Harley Nolden]

I have heard another story, but it will make it interesting.

In the old west, many cowboys would tie the trigger back on the single actions and "Fan" the hammer, causing the gun to fire without pulling the trigger.

Although wire, string and many other "tie backs" were used, the intitial trigger "tie back" was done with the hair from a horses tail. Makes sense to me.

HJN

 

[KNIGHT]

A little to the left but, my father saw a XP-100 in a gun store and asked the owner to see it and the owner said "That one has been customized for varmits." My father says "Huh?", the guy says rack it and just barely put your finger on the trigger. Dad does so,and the guy says "Now think FIRE, and the gun will shoot." My father holds the gun up aims and the gun goes click! He said it was as if the gun could read his mind. Hows that for a hair trigger!