How much does a good trigger matter to you?

If I could get my SP-01 trigger to be as nice as my CZ 82 I'd be in heaven. That 82 was the best $200 gun I've ever seen. DA pull is smooth and light, the single action is light and not stagey, has a bit of travel and hammer cam, but it's light and it's a dream to shoot. The 82 is so nice, my girl decided it should be hers.:D
 
A great trigger is part of getting the gun out of the way.
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Well put.

My last purchase for a rifle was a Jewell trigger for my working on longer range shooting.

My centerfire pistols that go to the range every time are all 1911s; with pretty sweet triggers. (I work out to a minimum of 100 yards with my pistols every time that I go out.)

I don't own any DA/SA pistols; inconsistent triggers.

Yes, given the amount of time, effort, and money that I have spent on getting to be a more accurate shooter, good triggers are very important to me.
 
It matters to a point

But then it's diminishing returns for me. A glock trigger, mushy but consistent, is about the limit for me in that any worse and it affects my accuracy. An extra long pull like a LCP or long and heavy like a Micro Desert Eagle definitely will have me pushing them wide. But the difference between the Glock and a good 1911 is not noticeable.
 
the single action is light and not stagey
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and this shows there's no universal definition of a good trigger. For me a good pistol trigger is one which has 2 very distinctive stages, much like a long range rifle, to irish52084 it's a trigger without stages. IMHO there are no good or bad triggers, only triggers you personally can or can not shoot with.
 
I'd say a good trigger isn't as important as a decent trigger. A decent trigger (Glocks, M&P, XDs, ect...) can be accurate shooters with a little practice. Obvioulsy accuracy is easier with a 1911, but average triggers aren't a deterent to me. That said, bad triggers (read: LCPs and Sigmas) are a serious issue. To me, they change how I would use a gun. I occasionally carry a LCP when I have not other choice but I would only engage a bad guy under 10ish yards if there were people around. I think, even with training, poor triggers will test any shooter under stress. They are a big factor when deciding to engage or not IMO.
 
good

What is "good" depends a lot on what the shooter is doing with the gun. If you are standing up, one arm extended with the gun pointed at a target 50 yards away as in Bullseye match slow fire, then a predictable trigger is very important.
If a shooter is emptying a magazine at a silhouette that is three yards away, crouched, with both hands on the gun then it is less important.
If a shooter is involved in something exotic like the Precision Pistol shooting in the Olympics (used to be called Free Pistol), then there is a whole other standard for what is good. Think about a set trigger that is so light that it can be fired by simply letting the trigger finger relax and curl against the trigger pad.

In any case, a"good" trigger allows for complete control.....the shooter knows exactly when the gun is going to fire. No surprises.
Pete
 
Having a good trigger means the world to me, but it's NOT a deal breaker.

I can still use and even enjoy a gun even if the trigger isn't quite to my standards. Especially for a carry or defense gun.

For me, a quality, predictable and at least a decent trigger is required if I hope to shoot to my "standards" when shooting slow-fire for small groups on paper, an activity I very much enjoy doing often.

But I don't need that on a carry gun or a home defense or car gun. In fact, I'd just as soon have a heavy trigger in those roles. I do not need "small group on paper" ability with those handguns.

I have left my EDC's trigger 100% stock, it's a Glock 29 and it's got (what Glock calls :rolleyes: a 5.5 lb trigger) I keep it that way because I know it's heavy and unlikely to make me worry that it'll get moved by any manner other than my trigger finger.
 
I want a good trigger, but I don't insist on a great trigger. If a trigger is so heavy or uneven that it affects accuracy, why keep the gun? But at the same time, not all pistols need a 1 pound trigger weight with a 1/16 inch travel, either.

A lot of the good/bad of a trigger is a matter of comparison: People who are used to shooting 1911s think a Glock trigger is lousy and heavy. People who are used to shooting cheap double-action revolvers think Glock triggers are wonderful and light.

Overall, it goes back to purpose of the gun. If a trigger is suitable for the gun's intended purpose, fine. If it affects the accuracy of the shooter during the intended use of the firearm, it is unsuitable and it needs to be either fixed or replaced.
 
irish52084 said:
I sometimes feel like I'm one of a very few people who don't really notice much of a difference, in my range accuracy, in a glock, "mush box", trigger and a tuned 1911 trigger. How many of you guys feel the same or at least don't freak out when your new pistol doesn't have a crisp, creep free, 3lb trigger?

I have another question for you guys as well. Why would I not seem to notice a difference in triggers? Do I just have good trigger control? I'm not any sort of special pistol shooter or even a competitor. I did come from high power rifle shooting with very crisp and light triggers, maybe that altered my view on a "good" trigger?
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irish: To me, it really starts to make a difference beyond 10 yards. If you want the smallest groups or to be able to hit anything at longer ranges, you need a good trigger.

The range I'm a member at has 7 and 25 yard lines, but nothing between. 7 yards is no challenge, but I guess does a good job of simulating self defense combat accuracy. I only shoot here if the gun has NO pretentions of being intended for use at longer ranges. Like a snubbie or pocket pistol, for instance.

But anything with at least a 3.5" barrel needs to be able to easily stay on an 8-1/2 x 11" sheet of paper at 25 yards. I have a HELL of a time doing this with a bad trigger or a short sight radius.

What ranges are you shooting at, that you don't notice a difference? Are you limited to 50 ft. at your indoor range or something?
 
I can't believe how many people said that a trigger to them doesn't make much of a difference and others say its because they shoot most guns well. But what is the bigger reason for these opinions?

Lack of experience with guns with bad triggers.

Ever take a bad trigger of say a taurus vs a S&W or Colt or whatever, and try to shoot just as tight of a group? Depending on the trigger differences, it can be immensely more difficult. Other times triggers feel good, but are difficult to predict, which can sometimes make things more difficult as well. The point is here is that its simple physicis; trying to hold a gun perfectly still while squeezing a stiff trigger is quite difficult compared to one that has a light quick break. The stiffer and or longer trigger translates to more movement of the gun before let off which often times results in poorer shots and groups. Of course some people can shoot a bad trigger better than others, but when a trigger is truly awful, its hard for anyone regardless of skill or experience.
 
I have lots of range options, including a private outdoor range that a landowner was very nice to let us put together. I get the chance to shoot my pistols up to 300 yards if I want to, but rarely do we attempt this. We did it one day just messing around, and it's about a 1 in 10 chance of hitting a steel silhouette. Generally I shoot at ranges from 5-25 yards with my pistols. Beyond 10-15 yards I expect center mass hits from myself in relative slow fire, but out to 10-15 yards, I expect to keep controlled pairs in the black 100% of the time. I don't always get my 100%, but I'm fairly new to this type of shooting and I'm trying to get myself to join IDPA, cuz it looks like fun.
 
Depends

I like the long DA pull on my P228 for carry purposes. However, the trigger on my Rem 700 is much nicer than my Savage 110 (without accutrigger) :(. When I shoot these two rifles back to back it takes a moment for me to adjust. On more than one occassion I have sent the Rem 700 bullet without meaning to after having shot the Savage. :)
 
I like my rifles to have light and very crisp/clean breaking triggers with little to no travel. I like them to be in the 3# range. I like it set up that way so that I can break an off hand shot at ranges out to 100 yards quickly. I hunt in an area that keeps most of my shots at less than 200 yards, but often less than 100 while an animal is moving in fairly thick cover. Being able to break a shot accurately at speed is important to avoid wounding animals.

The other area we generally hunt is pretty open with patches of timber. Shots here are generally longer and you can take shots as far as you are comfortable. Here again the very predictable trigger helps.

In a pistol my main purposes are plinking and defense, so I focus on ranges of less than 25 yards. Given that I need to be able to shoot quickly and center of mass at these ranges I don't have to have a great trigger. A poor trigger always sucks, but I don't go out of my way to make a striker type of trigger like a tuned 1911.
 
I can shoot any trigger ok as long as it's consistant and provided there is no timer involved. I had a AMT DAO backup 45 that would peg a 20# trigger guage but it was fairly smooth and always very heavy and I had no problems keeping it on a pie plate out to 15 yards even with the trough sight system.
now if I'm trying to shoot real good or shoot good fast I want a nice crisp SA or nice smooth DA.
so I guess to answer your question it depends on what I want the gun for.
 
"...I'm one of a very few people who don't really notice much of a difference, in my range accuracy, in a glock, "mush box", trigger and a tuned 1911 trigger."

Yo Irish,

The Glock 'mush box' box trigger has been the best polymer gun trigger out there, only recently superseded by the Walther PPS trigger, which came as a surprise.

A good trigger makes a huge difference in accuracy (for me). If you want a bad trigger, try the DA trigger on the DA/SA Beretta 92 (unlike the sublime DA trigger on the DA/SA Sig P239 Tac) the Beretta was such a dissapointment that I sold it...yes I know I could have simply pulled the hammer back for first shot and shot SA all the way.

For me a good trigger is one that allows me to shoot a three quarter of one inch or better group. Have never met a 1911 trigger that I didn't like. Sig, Walther, S&W, (even Makarov) also make some good SA triggers.

And in a carry gun, trigger excellence is key, especially in point shooting when no are sights used.

A good trigger is when you mentally tell the gun to fire and it does, like pointing your finger and saying 'boom.'

I avoid the new crop of l-o-n-g pull DA triggers ie Kel-Tec, Ruger minis, Rohrbaugh, Kahr, etc. Likewise revolvers in DAO. I can shoot them accurately but it is s-l-o-w. And if you can shoot these with rapidfire accuracy then you are clearly a better man than me.
 
I am at a level of shooting performance, that it matters a lot. If you reach a certain level, and now a bad trigger is holding you back, then the decision must be made to either get the trigger improved ($80-$200, depending on the gunsmith, plus shipping if necessary), or get a gun with a better trigger. I have avoided guns with mediocre triggers, and I have spent the bucks to get a favorite gun worked on. I also am quite hardened and have strong trigger control, developed from 40 plus years of pistol shooting, so I CAN often make a gun with a poor trigger shoot well....I just don't enjoy it. I have many stock guns with acceptable to fine trigger pulls, and I enjoy them as-is. I have a few guns that have great trigger pulls, and I am sure that I do better with them because of it.
 
Seaman, I have to disagree with you on the glock triggers being the best of the polymer guns. I'm assuming you meant of the striker type triggers, not just polymer guns. I like the M&M and the XD/XDM triggers better than the glock's. I've never had any issues with any of them, but if I had to pick one of them I'd say the XDM's, on average have the best triggers. That said, triggers are so subjective that what I consider good you or anyone else might consider bad.

While trigger control is important, I'd say grip is actually more important. If your grip is good, the gun should point at what you're looking at without much fuss. At most ranges where point shooting would be used, your grip beats trigger control. If your grip is good and your trigger control marginal, your grip helps to keep the gun on target. If your grip is weak and poor, it only worsens your trigger control and accuracy.
 
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I should also state that I gauge my training and performance off of self defense considerations and not match shooting. If I were to become a bullseye or other pistol competitor, then trigger refinement would b paramount. Have to get the gear out of the way as some others have said.
 
Guess trigger pull falls into the category of personal taste.

On a defensive pistol it is critical. That's why I have been using a 1911 for almost 30 years for concealed carry.

I attended the Gunsite on several occasions, once using my Glock 20 and my law enforcement gear; and the another time with a Colt Delta Elite. Both of these pistols are 10mm auto. I used the same ammunition; 155gr FMJ @ 1350 FPS. I shot between 1200 and 1400 rounds in five and one half days for each course.

I did much better with the Colt Delta Elite. I was awarded an Expert certificate when I use the Colt Delta Elite in the 499 course. I was able to shoot more accurately and faster with the Colt. It was primarily the trigger.
 
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