My pa-in-law had me order him a Lyman digital trigger pull gauge. He just got his first 1911 and can't believe his Springfield mil-spec has the same weight trigger as my Colt Commander.
(Side note: The Commander was a birthday gift from him and my wife. When he tried it out, he put three touching in the X-ring from the bench.)
So, being the curious lad that he is, he spent the cash (at my dealer price, natch) to get an answer.
So, a good chunk of Saturday was spend in my shop pulling the triggers on a bunch of my guns and a bunch of his.
What did I learn?
1) The Springfield XD45 has a 7lb trigger.
Never would've guessed it. I thought the single-action XD was so much better than my 5.5 (as tested) GLOCK trigger. Despite the heavier than expected weight, I still prefer the XD trigger.
2) My AR has a 7lb trigger, too.
Again, heavier than it feels, but about I expected. On the upside, I mentally file this under cross-training. Learn to properly press one 7-pounder, and apply it to all.
3) Pa was right, the mil-spec trigger bites.
The literature says Springers 1911 is a 4-5lb trigger. The gauge says 8lbs. Luckily, it's a 1911 so it can be cleaned up. In fact, me thinks me knows what pop is getting for father's day. But my Colt has a mid-7lb pull. No real difference. the big difference is take up, break, and grit. My used Commander has it in spades over the NIB mil-spec.
4) My lil' Ruger Bearcat has a frighteningly light trigger.
This single-action .22 has always been spooky light. It's so light, I warn people it's too light and they still fire before expected (luckily, Rule No. 3 is always in effect). How light? Try 1lb 11Oz. It was that way when I acquired it, I didn't do it.
5) Hammer bite not involving the 1911
When you accidentally drop the Ruger Bearcat hammer on the ball of your thumb, it draws blood. A lot of it. And it hurts. A lot of it.
We also learned that almost all of the DA Smith revolvers are about 12lbs on DA. No shock there. The SA pull drops to about 3lbs. Also no shocker.
Then we checked pa's S&W model 19. It's had work. 9lb DA, 2lb SA trigger.
Did we learn anything of note? Not really.
Was it still fun spending an afternoon talking and toying with our guns (and following with a few hours of reloading .45 auto)?
You betcha.
Monday, April 14, 2008
Trigger pull - is too much info a good thing?
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3 comments:
The closer to a crisp, clean, and almost imperceptibly SHORT 4 pounds, the better. Just my preference, mind you, but less I regard as dangerous, and more as deleterious to accuracy.
I learned to shoot with rifles that had such triggers as a kid, and the preference has stuck. I still don't shoot a double action revolver well, unless I pull the trigger part of the way, pause to realign the sight picture, then pull through........ I love the 1911s that I have.....
I borrowed a RCBS trigger guage from a friend and checked out the arsenal. The first thing I found interesting, was that most triggers are really 2-stage, even if they were supposed to be a single stage trigger. The 1911, Ruger #1, FN SPR did have single stage triggers, though.
The other thing I found, that was probably the most interesting, was that for 2-stage triggers, the total weight of the 1st and 2nd stage wasn't that important with respect to a good trigger pull. Instead, it was the difference in weight that made the difference. In other words, a trigger with a 7lb 1st stage and 8lb 2nd stage (1 lb difference) was more conducive to accurate shooting than a trigger with a 1lb 1st stage and 4lb 2nd stage.
The worst trigger pull out the bunch was a PTR 91 that had been cleaned up by Bill Springfield. The first stage was 1.5 and the 2nd stage was 8.5 lbs. Very little creep though. I shudder to think what it was before Bill worked on it.
trigger pull isn't something i worry about, i adjust and smooth it til i am happy, have no idea how much or how little and never have cared. sometimes people worry too much about the pull and then forget about hitting the target. adjust until your happy and leave it.
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