The effect of use on trigger performance

L

L. Boscoe

New member
As a serious collector/bullseye shooter, mostly of 45acp, I have about six or seven 45's, not counting 1911's. Some have been to the gunsmith and have
really great triggers, SA I have no idea about the DA as I never shoot DA.
I recently added 3 SAR K2-45's in various trim to the collection. One had to go back to the factory for some firing pin issues, and one, the latest, is showing a
steady improvement in trigger function the more I shoot it. It is getting close
to a CZ97E for trigger pull, i.e. short draw to the wall, and a definite crisp break
at the wall.
So the question: does more use, i.e. shooting or dry firing, improve the trigger
function, and if so, how?
I have a Sig 220 Match Elite that I sent back because of trigger issues, and when Sig had done a "trigger job" on it, it was better, but not as good as the
SAR I mention above. Will it improve with use??
 
does more use, i.e. shooting or dry firing, improve the trigger
function, and if so, how?
Click to expand...

A lot of use from live or dry firing essentially polishes the surfaces of the moving parts in the trigger. Done enough it does help. Of course, you could save time by taking the trigger apart and polishing it, or have it done by a gunsmith.

How much it helps depends. In my experience the difference is minimal and takes a while. It probably has more to do with you getting accustomed to the trigger than any actual improvement. Having the trigger either replaced or having a skilled smith work on it is the biggest help. Often just replacing springs makes a noticeable difference.
 
Getting a trigger as good as it can get, through fitting and polishing means it won't get any better, but might lighten up, or become a little mushier as the springs age. But that is usually a LOT of cycles to even be able to tell. In a really good single action trigger, the firing pin spring (or hammer spring if hammer fired) will wear out before the action springs, so one might never even feel a difference if, when the fp spring is replaced, the action springs are as well.

If the surfaces are not perfectly polished, sure, it can, and most do, get smoother over time.
 
Just my opinion but if your trigger job is done by a bullseye pistolsmith, when you get your finger on it, it’s perfect. It will slowly wear out over time.
if your trigger job is done at the factory… we’ll, it’s better than stock but still not ready for Camp Perry.

I had a 1911 built by a master pistolsmith, Larry Leutenegger. He did several of my triggers. While I sold the .45, the .22 target pistol he made for me is going to my daughter or they can bury me with it.

I have a Bowen Ruger Blackhawk. stunningly crisp trigger. For knock-around use, I can now do a Blackhawk trigger that is much better than out of the box, and “almost as good” as the Bowen. By that, I mean anyone can feel the difference and would rather have the Bowen, if a good chunk of money was not an issue. My trigger jobs smooth out over time, still will never reach the masters level. Probably as good as the custom shop.
 
I don't think it was all in my head, but I was always of the idea that dry firing my duty P229 and personal P229 and P220 didn't provide near as much trigger break-in as actual shooting. That doesn't make sense to me as it seems one ought to be just as good as the other. They all did improve nicely over time, and say, 500 rounds.
 
A Sig-Sauer employee said that 2000 shots or dry fires would break in my P220.
So there I was shooting and snapping, but after 2000 reps could tell no difference. Sent it to Teddy Jacobson and he made a real improvement. Not for free, though.

I have read of real improvement in some of the current crop of plastic and striker guns as the round count mounts up.
 
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