personal preferance on trigger squeeze

[futureranger]

this question is more directed to the precision shooters out there, but i was wondering how you squeeze your trigger in different situations. i have heard many people tell me its like clicking a pen, others say its a gentle squeeze until the rifle fires and it should surprise me.... when i shoot off a bench or with a vise i use the latter method but when i am shooting off hand or unsupported i tend to find the "click" works the best. what are your guys thoughts and preferences?

 

[P.B.Walsh]

Prefer the "suprise", but I've never heard of the pen click.

 

[lipadj46]

When I shoot offhand and I am trying to squeeze the trigger anticipating when the front sight will be over the bulls-eye I use a more deliberate trigger pull. When I shoot prone and the front sight is stable I use the gradual squeeze method.

 

[jcwit]

this question is more directed to the precision shooters

Off the bench as lite as possible, lighter than 2 oz. if possible.

Have a rifle with set triggers and when you just feel the trigger it BOOM time. I usually use a sideway touch for it.

 

[Hungry Seagull]

First finger pad on trigger when it's time to fire the weapon. If I just use that one joint to pull steady, the boom comes as a surprise and the round goes very close to where it's aimed.

Most of the time I tend to either wrap too much finger or put too much strength into the gun's grip, particulary when anchoring for rapid fire or big loads in shotgunning.

And for some stupid reason despite my best efforts the Angels share of one bullet every 10 vanish never to make a hole anywhere on paper. Oh well.

 

[Hostile Amish]

2-3 lbs.

 

[TeamRush]

My personal preference has evolved from 4 decades of 'Target' shooting (and plenty of hunting).

I WILL NOT use a 'Hair Trigger' on anything.
I went that route when I was younger on advice from the 'Professionals'.
Spent a fortune in trigger jobs that ruined parts and made my firearms unsafe to load!

I prefer 3 or 4 pounds on most triggers, including everything but 'Carry Hunting' rifles.
3 or 4 pounds is enough for safety (Bare minimum though!) and it's not a hindrance at all when you are target shooting or varmint shooting.

When you are carrying a rifle, like a on a walking hunt, I prefer 5 or 6 pounds for the added 'Safety' factor.
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I don't care for 'Trigger Take-up' or 'Creep'.
I want the trigger to BREAK like a glass rod when I reach 'TRIGGER' pressure.

I DON'T WANT TAKE UP, I DON'T WANT THE TRIGGER TO 'CREEP'...

I want the trigger to break like a glass rod when I reach the 3 or 4 pounds required to discharge the rifle.
If the sears aren't SQUARE with each other, they will grind on each other before discharging, and I HATE that!
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I do not use over-travel limiters, and removing over travel limiters actually, physically, noticeably increased my shooting scores in one day!

I was listening to the 'Professionals' again,
And I had my triggers set up with over travel limiters that barely allowed the trigger to break, just like all the experts and gun writers of the day recommended...

What I found out was,
When you pull the trigger, the trigger breaks, then you hit the limiter,
And the closer the limiter is to the break, the sooner you hit it...

Well, I believe I was hitting the limiter and moving the rifle before the round discharged (or moving while the rifle was discharging)...

By letting the trigger travel after the trigger breaks,
the finger/trigger is still swinging free and not effecting the rifle before/while it's discharging.

My group averages went up that day on that rifle,
So I took the EXPENSIVE limiter off another rifle, and tried it the next day...
Group averages went up on that one also,
So I tried another... Same results.
Subtle changes, but changes for the better none the less!

So now I back the over travel limiter completely off or remove it entirely and I've seen no ill effects in my shooting on the range, in competition or hunting from it!
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Now, Over travel limiters have their place in semi-automatic Handgun rapid fire matches,
But on center fire rifles, revolvers or semi automatic slow fire I don't have one bit of use for them...

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I DO have a VERY LIGHT trigger on my bench rifles.
Super sensitive rifles usually require a very light trigger, but those rifles will NEVER get more than one round at a time,
and they will NEVER be loaded unless they are pointed down range and ready to fire...

I can't find a reason for a 'Hair Trigger' on anything else, not even handguns in competition, but I'm not (and never was) a big handgun guy...
Didn't even have a permit until the three gun matches came along, and I don't usually carry in my daily life...

Someone with more handgun experience than me will have t make the case for super light triggers on handguns.

 

[JohnBT]

"will have t make the case for super light triggers on handguns."

They're fun to shoot.

My '72 Single-Six came with a crisp factory trigger pull of 2 pounds and just a fraction of an ounce. I have a Kimber Gold Match with a good 3.5 pound trigger pull and the Colt WWI Repro I bought has a better one.

One scary one is my dad's S&W Model 649. It's perfect in every way, except that the SA pull turned out to be 2.25 pounds. It's so crisp that it feels like 1# I've often wished I could move it to another gun for target shooting.

You know, I've bought a lot of guns with exceptional trigger pulls and was given more by my father including his favorite Python and Model 17. I suppose it's also the result of shooting a boatload of inexpensive guns 40 to 50 years ago that had nasty triggers (my uncle used to trade a lot of guns.) How nasty? My '63 Mountie has a 6# pull and I like it.

I have a Cooper set at 2.5# and a 541-S set about the same. I put a Jewell on my Finnfire and it's currently at 1.49 ounces.

It all just depends on the gun and what you want to use it for.

John

 

[testosterone]

Futureranger,

You are still describing a surprise break in either case.

First is an open end surprise break and the first type of trigger pull everyone should have learned when they were taught to pull a trigger, that is a trigger pull in which once you begin the squeeze the gun will discharge sometime in the future, and the discharge is a suprise.

Second, the "click", is called a compressed surprise break. Fundamentally, you still should not anticipate the gun firing...you should still be surprised, but in your brain you know the gun is going off quickly.

Generally speaking, a compressed surprise break is associated with speed/combat shooting, and bullseye/target or any time you are not shooting under time constraint you would be doing a open end pull.

In both cases it is a surprise though.

-T

 

[taliv]

I WILL NOT use a 'Hair Trigger' on anything.
I went that route when I was younger on advice from the 'Professionals'.
Spent a fortune in trigger jobs that ruined parts and made my firearms unsafe to load!

I prefer 3 or 4 pounds on most triggers, including everything but 'Carry Hunting' rifles.
3 or 4 pounds is enough for safety (Bare minimum though!) and it's not a hindrance at all when you are target shooting or varmint shooting.

i agree with this 110%

fortunately, it didn't take me 40 years and several ruined triggers to reach this conclusion

 

[possum]

no matter what gun i am shooting in what situation, i let the trigger reset and take up any slack that is left fast and then i give a smooth evern press to the rear, track the sights back on target after each shot. i am no great precision shooter and i have only shot past 300m a few times, but using that technique i have scuessfully hit 600 and 700m, head shots, and 800m body shots on iron maidens. with an issued m24 and m118lr ammo.

i think the reason that i shot that rifle pretty well was the fact that i am a little better than average/ accurate pistol shooter, and if you are really accurate with a handgun, then there should really be no issues with a rifle.