Trigger weight...what is a good number?

[discoduck]

Hey folks,
I have been looking for some good information on what a trigger weight should be for a rifle. Particularly a standard type rifle like a Winchester 270 or a Springfeild 30-06 (I shoot both). I have never had any issues with trigger pull and accuaracy, as I shoot both of them quite well but I feel that a trigger adjustment may help get my groups from a Toonie to a dime at 100 yards.
Anyway, my question is simply...what is an acceptable pull weight for these rifles...2 pounds? 3 pounds?

Any information would be helpful...Thanks all!

[Rman]

Most factory triggers can be safely adjusted to the 2.5 to 3 pound range.
I like 3 pound triggers for hunting rifles.

R.

[huntinstuff]

Most factory triggers can be safely adjusted to the 2.5 to 3 pound range.
I like 3 pound triggers for hunting rifles.

R.

X2

[discoduck]

25 years of hunting under my belt, and over 50 big game animals taken. I still have so much to learn! That is why sites like this are helpful. It gets a person talking to people who care and know and are willing to share life long expertise. Thanks for the advice Rman, I really appreciate the response. Have a great season!

[catnthehat]

For me, it's not so much the weight of a particular trigger, but the creep and over travel.
I like a nice crisp trigger, and if it's four instead of two that's fine.
I'd rather have one a bit heavier and very short travel than than a pound lighter and an foot long!!:thinking-006:
3 is great, but several of my rifles have set triggers on them in case i have time to take a good solid rest and set up a proper shot sequence.
Cat

[280Hunter]

X2

x3

[elkhunter11]

I have all of my hunting rifle triggers adjusted between 2 and 2-3/4 pounds.

[Mike_W]

x3

X4 and like cat said a crisp trigger without any creep is very desirable.

[BallCoeff.435]

I'd definitely side with the crisp camp; right around the 2-pound mark. Maybe 1.5 to 2 pounds.

In a field shooting position you're going to be wavering about the point of aim, mostly due to your own heartbeat assuming you're using a sling. You don't want a heavy trigger pull to make that pattern even worse, or inadvertently pull it off to one side.

In order to not have a pull-effect throw off your POA, you need to exactly counter the pull back with something forward. That something could be a really precise squeeze with you whole hand, or a tight pull back into your shoulder with the 3 lower fingers so that it's your shoulder supplying the counter-force. I prefer the latter. IMHO the lighter the trigger weight, the less you have to pull back into your shoulder.

However, I've found that some rifles have a different character, and are more responsive to a controlled squeeze than a shoulder-pull. Even though the weights are about the same. Still, 1.5 to 2 pounds feels right.

[Rman]

While a properly adjusted trigger will be inherenatly crisp, please keep in mind that most factory triggers cannot be adjusted safely to under 2.5 to 3 pounds.

R.

[catnthehat]

While a properly adjusted trigger will be inherenatly crisp, please keep in mind that most factory triggers cannot be adjusted safely to under 2.5 to 3 pounds.

R.

I have adjusted many factory triggers that had a mile of creep before they broke, and some were close to 7lbs!
Cat

[HunterDave]

Most factory triggers can be safely adjusted to the 2.5 to 3 pound range.
I like 3 pound triggers for hunting rifles.

R.

x4 I wouldn't want anything less than that for a hunting rifle.

[Slone500]

For me, it's not so much the weight of a particular trigger, but the creep and over travel.
I like a nice crisp trigger, and if it's four instead of two that's fine.
I'd rather have one a bit heavier and very short travel than than a pound lighter and an foot long!!:thinking-006:
3 is great, but several of my rifles have set triggers on them in case i have time to take a good solid rest and set up a proper shot sequence.
Cat

WOW, that is interesting Cat, but I have no idea what you are talking about, at least I don't think I do. You speak of "creep" and "over travel", as well as a "crisp trigger". Please help us newbies, put on your mentoring hat, and share your knowledge, and explain the terms, the language so newbies like me can understand some of the lingo! Thanks pal!
Len B

[dero338]

the force needed to press the trigger is one thing you can play with

there are 2 others that I know of
--- the back lash, the moovement of the trigger before it starts to do anything

--- trigger travel, the moovement the internal linkage has to do to let go the fireing pin

exemple: I replace the spring on my old swede mauser so the pull weight is very low but the travel is so long that sometimes I miss of over 1 moa

[catnthehat]

WOW, that is interesting Cat, but I have no idea what you are talking about, at least I don't think I do. You speak of "creep" and "over travel", as well as a "crisp trigger". Please help us newbies, put on your mentoring hat, and share your knowledge, and explain the terms, the language so newbies like me can understand some of the lingo! Thanks pal!
Len B

Ooookaayy, then!:sHa_sarcasticlol:
Pull weight is the amount of weoight needed to trip the trigger, of course, but there are other fsactors involved.
Creep ( or travel) would be the amount of distance the trigger actually travels before it trips the sear and the gun fires.

Overtravel is the amount the trigger moves AFTER the sear is tripped, or the distance it moves until it stops.

A crisp trigger" is one that has no or (almost no ) travel or creep until it engages.
A 3lb. trigger can have lots of travel and creep and still trip at 3lb.s whereas a trigger that has very little cree and overtravel will do the same but SEEM like it is a 1lb trigger to the user!

15 minutes in the range will give me enough to time to demonstrate to you how to adjust yours and get your trigger to optimum for your needs!:)
Cat

[Au revoir, Gopher]

I always thought this was one of those 'whatever works for you' as opposed to 'correct value' sorts of topics.

On a related topic; have any of you hunted with a 2 stage trigger? I haven't tried, but my gut tells me I wouldn't like it.

ARG

[catnthehat]

I always thought this was one of those 'whatever works for you' as opposed to 'correct value' sorts of topics.

On a related topic; have any of you hunted with a 2 stage trigger? I haven't tried, but my gut tells me I wouldn't like it.

ARG

Yes, "whatever works for you" for sure!
I don't often use a pull weight gauge in fact, but do make sure the trigger is safe afterwards but bumping the butt stock on the floor to make sure it stays engaged.
Most times they come up about 3lbs.

Many of my rifles have two stage triggers , which i like, and some have single set triggers , an d a few have double set triggers.
Cat

[Duramaximos]

I like a certain amount of resistance in order to "feel" the trigger. I find 2 lbs to be a bit too light, but 2.5 - 3 lbs to be about right for me - all other things being equal with respect to travel.

[Rman]

I always thought this was one of those 'whatever works for you' as opposed to 'correct value' sorts of topics.

On a related topic; have any of you hunted with a 2 stage trigger? I haven't tried, but my gut tells me I wouldn't like it.

ARG



I have a few two stage triggers, and I like them. The second stage can be set very light. Once the first stage is gathered up, you know the slightest pressure will trip the sear. They are not for everybody, but they work for me, on certain rifles.

R.

[Rman]

Yes, "whatever works for you" for sure!
I don't often use a pull weight gauge in fact, but do make sure the trigger is safe afterwards but bumping the butt stock on the floor to make sure it stays engaged.
Most times they come up about 3lbs.

Many of my rifles have two stage triggers , which i like, and some have single set triggers , an d a few have double set triggers.
Cat

Bumping the stock on the floor is not the be all and end all way to check if your trigger is safe. This is one of the reasons why Remington is supposed have unsafe triggers. The springs, as well as the general design, of most factory triggers just aren't capable of light weight pulls. They will work, for a time, and they will not, at the wrong time.
Anyone can make a trigger pull gage with string, a weight, an accurate scale, and some patience. Make sure you check your final adjustment weight with the action installed in the stock. This may mean removal and installation several times.
There are many articles and videos out there on how to adjust triggers. Some are good, and some are just plain dangerous. Please, read your manuals, and educate yourself before you adjust a trigger. It is serious stuff, and can get people killed.

R.

[elkhunter11]

Bumping the stock on the floor is not the be all and end all way to check if your trigger is safe

Maybe not, but if the firing pin is released by a bump, the trigger certainly isn't safe to use.

[catnthehat]

Bumping the stock on the floor is not the be all and end all way to check if your trigger is safe. This is one of the reasons why Remington is supposed have unsafe triggers. The springs, as well as the general design, of most factory triggers just aren't capable of light weight pulls. They will work, for a time, and they will not, at the wrong time.
Anyone can make a trigger pull gage with string, a weight, an accurate scale, and some patience. Make sure you check your final adjustment weight with the action installed in the stock. This may mean removal and installation several times.
There are many articles and videos out there on how to adjust triggers. Some are good, and some are just plain dangerous. Please, read your manuals, and educate yourself before you adjust a trigger. It is serious stuff, and can get people killed.

R.
I never did say it was the end all, and be all, but it is the best indication on whether or not a trigger will hold or not, and as far as a trigger weight gauge goes , the trigger may hold the weight, but if it is not in safe condition , it may get jostled and the next time it is set it may not hold the weight.

There WAY too many variables involved in triggers to say one thing is god and another is not, and simply using a trigger pull gauge is not the end all and be all either.
if you want to get into a pizzing match with me by insinuating posted bad advice , take it some were else, I'm not interested.!:mad3:
Cat

[Rman]

I never did say it was the end all, and be all, but it is the best indication on whether or not a trigger will hold or not, and as far as a trigger weight gauge goes , the trigger may hold the weight, but if it is not in safe condition , it may get jostled and the next time it is set it may not hold the weight.

There WAY too many variables involved in triggers to say one thing is god and another is not, and simply using a trigger pull gauge is not the end all and be all either.
if you want to get into a pizzing match with me by insinuating posted bad advice , take it some were else, I'm not interested.!:mad3:
Cat

Dude, don't get your panties in a wad.
There are way too variables invloved in triggers, particularily factory ones. This was my whole point since post one. There is a reason for the 2.5 to 3 pound limit. That is all most factory designs can handle, and some can't even do that.
A trigger gauge is the best indicator of where you are at, with regards to that limit. As is doing a bump test, working the safety, dry-fireing, and others.
I can set a trigger so it survives the bump test, but when I work the safety, it will release the sear. Check that same trigger with a gauge, and it will come in well under the 2.5 to 3 pound limit.

When it comes to saftey, within our sport, I'm always interested.

R.

[catnthehat]

Dude, don't get your panties in a wad.
There are way too variables invloved in triggers, particularily factory ones. This was my whole point since post one. There is a reason for the 2.5 to 3 pound limit. That is all most factory designs can handle, and some can't even do that.
A trigger gauge is the best indicator of where you are at, with regards to that limit. As is doing a bump test, working the safety, dry-fireing, and others.
I can set a trigger so it survives the bump test, but when I work the safety, it will release the sear. Check that same trigger with a gauge, and it will come in well under the 2.5 to 3 pound limit.

When it comes to saftey, within our sport, I'm always interested.

R.
the reason I said what I did was because I just finished off with someone else who insisted on carrying on in the same manner.
Yes, there are lots of variables, and yes, a trigger can be set up to survive a bump test and disengage when the safety is set on or off, but that is not what was being talked about, but that is also something that every experienced person i know does, as well as cycling the bolt , even after using a trigger weight gauge.
Setting a trigger without the use of a gauge can be done ind is done quite often, as long as the person doing the job knows the parameters of the trigger.
Some after market triggers are not designed to go below 2lbs., jewel makes them, RPA, Canjar, and others, but they also make triggers that are designed to do that.
Most sporting rifles however, which are what we were talking about , work well at about 3lbs.
To ad to this every rifle is an entity unto itself, and needs to be shot, adjusted, and repaired as such.
We can use guidelines, but there are exceptions to every rule.....
Cat

[Rman]

I wasn't aware that I was carrying on. We had a person at the begining of the thread ask a very simple question. I supplied a simple, but safety orintated answer, much to his satisfaction. It went downhill from there, once the couch riders showed up trying to expound their knowledge, and show how smart they are, on everything trigger. A 1.5 pound trigger on a hunting rifle? How do you know? Does everyone that responded own a trigger gauge?The last thing I, or most anyone else, wants is someone to adjust a factory trigger to a guessed weight, drop the butt on the floor, call it good, and go shooting. That is just not safe.

R.

[catnthehat]

I wasn't aware that I was carrying on. We had a person at the begining of the thread ask a very simple question. I supplied a simple, but safety orintated answer, much to his satisfaction. It went downhill from there, once the couch riders showed up trying to expound their knowledge, and show how smart they are, on everything trigger. A 1.5 pound trigger on a hunting rifle? How do you know? Does everyone that responded own a trigger gauge?The last thing I, or most anyone else, wants is someone to adjust a factory trigger to a guessed weight, drop the butt on the floor, call it good, and go shooting. That is just not safe.

R.

There is a little more to it than just "'dropping the butt on the floor" as you suggested and more than setting a trigger with a gauge once and calling it good.
C'ya.
Cat

[elkhunter11]

Does everyone that responded own a trigger gauge?

I for one do. After adjusting a trigger, I rap the receiver with a dead blow hammer, then operate the safety several times, attempting to pull the trigger each time the safety is moved.

[209x50]

Crisp and clean with no creep or excessive over travel are very important for me. All my hunting rifles are at 2 pounds pull or with in an ounce or two. A target rifle I like set lighter, down to 12 ounces if the trigger will support it. I dislike two stage triggers, just a personal opinion.

[ACKLEY ABE]

There is a little more to it than just "'dropping the butt on the floor" as you suggested and more than setting a trigger with a gauge once and calling it good.
C'ya.
Cat

I think Cat (read: I know he does) takes evrthing into consideration...ie. sear engagement, trigger-pull, overtravel. His drop test is not the end all but if it fails this you know you have an issue to address. I do the same thing as PART of setting a trigger.


YO CAT. I Think he was wondering more about set triggers and two stage......must be a Savage...didn't they invent the two-stage trigger??? :sHa_shakeshout:

For what it's worth, all of my rifles are set between 2 1/2-3 lbs. with the exception of the rifles that I have that have set-triggers. Most of them pull through at about 3 lbs. and when "set" are about 2 oz. (3 Canjar's and one Keplinger) One double set on an Anschutz I havn't measured but is very very light......

[catnthehat]

YO CAT. I Think he was wondering more about set triggers and two stage......must be a Savage...didn't they invent the two-stage trigger??? :sHa_shakeshout:


Never used one of those new fangled Savage triggers, but to answer your question , no , the two stage trigger was invented by by a Swiss fella named
William Stage the second - his mom used to call him Stage number two!:)
When he was young he hated the heavy triggers of the time and detested the set triggers on his father's shuetzen rifle for hunting .
To this end , he figured out if he made a trigger with a little slack in it first, he could then feel the 1lb trigger much easier.

He was in the army when he invented it however, so Mom had to take his design to the patent shop.

When Mr. Schmidt, the patent clerk asked about the name, she said
"Oh, this is a design from Stage no. two!":sHa_shakeshout:
Well, Mr. Schmidt being a bit loopy in the brain department , got it wrong, and under the patent name it said

"Mechanical sear release device of two stage design"
Hence, the two stage trigger came to be!:)

true story, really - I read on wikepedia.......:medium-smiley-035:
Cat