Stock Trigger Pull

KMAX

New member
Just read a post about people whining about trigger pull. I understand why some get trigger jobs and some don't like dao long trigger pull. If you want a really nice trigger pull that cool. Do any of you leave your trigger pull stock on purpose other than costs? Perhaps to be familiar with the wide range of triggers that one might encounter? Watching "Top Shot", which I enjoy the competitions, I see guys who are World Champion shooters in one class, but don't seem to have a clue in any other. Not saying I am any better, just an example. It seems to me that there might be something gained with a wider range of experience. I have seen this at the range more often than anywhere else. My buddy couldn't shoot a da handgun to save his life. Anyone prefer stock trigger pull?
 
Only 'trigger job' on anything I own, is the 'po-boy' dropping of one leg of the spring on my Ruger Blackhawk/SBHs...

ADDING:

BTW...One of the worst triggers I have ever seen is on a Mossberg 640KB .22 Mag...

I mean it really, really stinks...But I can shoot it fairly accurately nonetheless...
 
trigger jobs can work against you

Well here are my 2 cents on this.

First I'm against trigger jobs on firearms...for the following reasons:

You never know if you are giving your gun to a good gunsmith.
You are making a modification to the fire control on your firearms...
Now, in the aftermath of a defensive incident...the prosecutions can use that against you...also, if you drop the trigger pull to a very light one, your going to make it really easy to discharge...that is what the prosecution is going to focus on.


The only trigger job I would do is to remove spurs or bumps if any..and that is sending the firearm back to the manufacturer.

also, you need to get used to different triggers..it is better in the long run.

DAO trigger take longer to get used to by the shooter, they also take a greater degree of concentration to aim and shoot...You need to stage your trigger and then start to aim..that is why it is so hard to master.

but when you do, You will be driving nails with a DAO.
 
Currently I have a "D" spring on a Beretta 92 to reduce the SA trigger pull to under 5 lbs. Of the remainder, I've thought about switching the springs on Browning Buckmarks ('haggis flip') but the triggers are pretty good to begin with. I may get the usual APEX trigger job on my new M&P, but want to put a thousand rounds through it before I make that decision, and thats only because I would be competing with it in local golf hack style IDPA matches.
 
There is no singular answer.

The trigger on my Glock runs 4lb 12oz, lighter than most from what I read, but that's the way it came. I have (after measuring) polished the trigger contact surfaces, which made the trigger feel much nicer but did not reduce weight one ounce. I'm fine with that weight.

My 11-87 had a stock trigger pull approaching 9lb. Totally unacceptable. I sent it to someone who was recommended by someone I trusted. Sent two trigger, one from a Browning Gold. The work done was substandard. Rather crappy. I could have done better myself. Still, after repairing the work, both triggers are a crisp 3 1/2lbs. Just about ideal for hunting deer, IMO.

My Ruger M77 MkII in 204 had a stock trigger around 5 1/2lb. Totally unacceptable for a varmint gun. I installed a Jard 1lb trigger and polished the contact surfaces. The trigger now breaks clean, with no discernible creep, at 13 ounces. It's fantastic. It would also be ridiculous and completely unacceptable on any other gun I own.

It has to be right for the job.
 
If you buy drop-in parts made by a reputable manufacturer, I don't see a problem. I don't really see a problem with smoothing sear surfaces as long as you know what you're doing and how to properly perform a safety test. A 1lb pull on a carry or hunting gun is just as inappropriate as an 8lb pull on a target gun. I also agree that some triggers do come from the factory with very nice feel, pull and travel.

IANAL, and I'm aware of the assumption that anything different about the gun (or not different) could be used to demonize you, but there has to be a balance between having an accurate firearm and worrying too much. Holowpoints are being bashed in the press once again, and yet almost anyone on this forum could explain pretty clearly why they are safer for innocent bystanders than ball ammo. For that matter, a trigger with better feel and a medium pull weight will give you better control, not worse, and is therefor, in my mind, safer.
 
One of the problems is 'lawyer triggers' !!
Proper trigger jobs can greatly improve things . My own guns ? Properly done by ME .M29 SA 2.25 , DA 9 very smooth. That from a heavier and rougher trigger.
Benelli M1 90 , rough 8.5 lb to smooth 5 lb.
Remington 700 , 7 lb Lawyer to 3.5 smooth . Etc , etc !!
 
Flopsweat makes an excellent point about triggers being appropriate to their intended use. Mine are stock, but the trigger is part of the criteria I have for buying a pistol. Simply put, I don't think I should have to spend more money to make a handgun usable after plunking down a few hundred for its purchase. I just don't buy pistols with triggers that I don't like or that are inappropriate for my intended use of the handgun.
 
It seems to me that there might be something gained with a wider range of experience.
I think you touched on an important point here. Seems these days, many people cant shoot anything if it hasnt been "tuned". Problem is, moving in that direction tends to limit the shooter in the long run. If you cant pick up pretty much anything, and reasonably put it to work, its not the guns fault.

I have a buddy who makes a ton of money, and buys a lot of expensive guns, and has a lot of work done on them, more often than not, even before he shoots them. Hes all caught up in the "goodies", and is majorly lacking in the basics. He thinks he can buy what he needs to make up for what he lacks.

Im on the other side of things, I rarely do anything to a gun other than paint it (my one real accessory addiction :) ). My only real complaint with factory guns these days are recoil pads and long stocks. Anything with a LOP over 13" just plain sucks for a "working" gun, and recoil pads do more to interfere with shouldering and shooting a rifle or shotgun, than they do help things. To make matters worse, they seem to always add them to already to long stocks, just multiplying the aggravation.

Triggers, unless something is wrong, Ive never had any troubles with the triggers that come with most guns these days. I had a number of HK 90 seies guns, and had no troubles with their factory triggers (something I attribute to being a long time DAO pistol shooter), triggers that many Americans seem to think are unshootable. My one buddy swore he couldnt shoot his 91 with it, and had it tuned by Williams to a very nice trigger. Problem was, after than, it wasnt safe to carry it loaded, something in my eyes, is a major problem with a lot of these trigger jobs. Then again, how many of the guns having things done, are used anywhere but off a bench or the hood of the truck?

Its always been my feeling, that if you can shoot anything, you can shoot everything. Having the strength, muscle tone, and skills to do so, takes a lot of constant practice, practice that perpetuates everything. A lot of the trigger phobia can be negated by shooting DA handguns with "firm" triggers, DAO. Once you learn to shoot the gun and forget worrying on the trigger, things will fall into place, and the phobia will usually go away.
 
In fairness, the post that the OP was referring to accused anyone who's not shooting a 9lb trigger of being a whining 'little girl'. And of course that individual can out shoot us all, but only to 10 yards, cause that's all that counts.

I think that there's a difference between being a trigger snob, and someone who simply cares about the quality of their gun's trigger.

Despite what you might assume from gun forums, I expect that most people are shooting stock triggers. 80% of mine are stock. I've done some work on my match pistols and a couple of revolvers, but even those are running triggers in the 4-5lb range, with one at 3lbs. I don't actually like very light triggers. I find them distracting.
 
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With in reason how a trigger works is more important than how heavy the pull is.
A smooth pull with a clean break is what you want.

What a reasonable amount of weight is subjective. I wouldn't want a double action revolver to have more than about 12#. Truth be told I'd like one to be about 3#. But from my limited experience reducing trigger pull below about 7# causes light strikes and FTF.

Because I'm not involved in competition I'm pretty much willing to live with whatever trigger pull came with the gun in hopes that shooting it a lot will clear things up.
Given more funds and more initiative I wouldn't hesitate to get my guns tuned.
 
"Anyone prefer stock trigger pull? "

Me. But I don't buy guns with crappy triggers. I don't care what brand and model it is I'm looking at, there's one good trigger out there that slipped through and I'll keep looking until I find it. I shot enough cheap used guns with bad triggers in the '50s and '60s that I've had my fill.

And yes, I surely can shoot a gun with a bad, rough, heavy trigger. I can wear cheap shoes too, but I don't. :)

John
 
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