Trigger weight and accuracy

[TMan]

One of our club members that I highly respect for his knowledge and experiences (like shooting at Camp Perry), asserts that trigger weight doesn't matter and that you can get used to the weight of any trigger.

I've never found that true, but until seeing something on TV, never understood why that I shot better with light triggers.

I'm sure you have been told to press the trigger and it should be a surprise when it actually breaks.

What I saw on TV is that if you don't get the shot off in the first 4 seconds then your muscles start being effected by lack of oxygen. To think I've been blaming my coffee addiction.

Let's do what my high school math teacher (R.I.P.) always advocated: throw in a little number and then try a really big number.

So with a 1 oz trigger, we raise the pistol to the target, stop breathing and touch the trigger. The gun goes off in less than a second.

Now with a 12 lb trigger (and I do have a revolver with a 12 lb trigger), we raise the pistol to the target, stop breathing and start pressing on the trigger. Several seconds go by as the pressing on the trigger increases and finally after several seconds, the gun fires. After the 4 second interval the muscles start shaking.

Could I train myself to get a shot off in less than 4 seconds with a 12 lb trigger - probably. Would I have accuracy without jerking the trigger? Having lived with me all my life, I'd have to say: No!!!

Am I full of it? The TOZ 35 Free Pistol has a trigger adjustable between 10 and 100 gr. If trigger weight didn't matter, why wouldn't they have it adjustable to 12 lbs.

["DoubleAction"]

.....TMan; You Are Correct.

.....The less pressure applied to the triggers, upon primer ignition, the less disturbance that a finger will have to affect the impact of accuracy of the bullet.

......The Lighter and Smoothness the trigger, the better the accuracy.
.....The some of the long distance rifles had two triggers, one was the take up trigger, and the other was to make the trigger light upon impact the the primer ignition.

...Example : ( I dislike having to show a scene in Movie to prove this point )

["DoubleAction"]

.....Try tapping out a full magazine, of .45 acp, with a 6 lb trigger, and achieve quarter size groupings.

......Why did I desire to have The Wilson Combat CQB pistols ?

.....My brother owned these pistols, and we always went to the range together. I shot these pistols, when they was brand new from the box.....and, I was shooting these pistols faster, with better accuracy, than any other pistol that I ever had in my hands.

.....I was tapping the trigger, without squeezing the trigger. These Wilson Pistols became my examples to fine tune my Colts.

["DoubleAction"]

....Sometimes, I find it necessary to back up my claims :

9 Use firearms with a trigger pull that is crisp (no creep, no feeling of motion), light, and short. Eliminating creep or the mushy feeling detected with some locks removes the sense that the trigger is moving. If the skirmisher cannot feel the trigger move, the tendency to flinch is reduced. A light trigger pull permits the skirmisher to apply less force when squeezing the trigger; as a result it is easier to keep the sights aligned on the target. A short trigger pull reduces the time required to squeeze the trigger. The reduced time spent squeezing reduces the tendency to jerk or flinch.

www.n-ssa.org/NORTHWEST/Flinching%20and%20Jerking.htm

.......I didn't start off my shooting with light triggers; I began with the heavy standard factory production triggers and worked on my trigger control, accuracy, my grip, my stance, and to form my shooting habits. The light triggers came later, and these light triggers improved my speed and my accuracy.

....The heavy triggers would result in in the "Pull"....Something that I would have watch. I would take notice of this, when the pistol was empty after firing. This holds true on semi-autos and revolvers. The heavy triggers is good to break bad habits and training yourself not to Flinch or Pull your shots.

[TMan]

.....The some of the long distance rifles had two triggers, one was the take up trigger, and the other was to make the trigger light upon impact the the primer ignition.

Actually you don't need two triggers. The CZ-453 just has a single trigger, but it is a set trigger. You push the trigger forward to "set" it, and then use it as a regular trigger. I don't know about others, but with the 453 you can use the trigger without setting it first, but then it is around a 3lb pull. It is an adjustable trigger.

The CZ-453 never worked out well for me. I kept forgetting to set it.

["DoubleAction"]

Oct 14, 2012 15:12:32 GMT -5 TMan said:

One of our club members that I highly respect for his knowledge and experiences (like shooting at Camp Perry), asserts that trigger weight doesn't matter and that you can get used to the weight of any trigger.

.......It does if you are shooting in competition against other shooters.

From Jack Weigand :

It seemed many of my customers that shot in the U.S.P.S.A. sanctioned matches wanted a very light trigger pull, usually around 2½ pounds.

www.brownells.com/.aspx/lid=10297/guntechdetail/2-lb-Trigger-Pull

[TMan]

Well he told me once that the best he ever shot at Camp Perry was 8th. Perhaps with a lighter trigger he might have done better.

I wonder if the Les Baer Monolith H.W. is legal for competition? The cool thing about it is that it is a modification to the original design, but is quite simple and doesn't change any of the fire control system.

Somewhere I heard, perhaps it was from you a long time ago, that adding a compensator to a 1911 causes it to wear out the frame (or perhaps it was the slide) faster. I never really understood why.

["DoubleAction"]

Oct 15, 2012 15:17:15 GMT -5 TMan said:

Somewhere I heard, perhaps it was from you a long time ago, that adding a compensator to a 1911 causes it to wear out the frame (or perhaps it was the slide) faster. I never really understood why.

......By adding a compensator to the barrel, it's usually to reduce muzzle flip on the hotter loads. It's not the compensator, but the ammo used.

[blueglass]

Both of my Smiths have a 2-1/4 lb pull on them as they are fully adjustable from I believe its 3.5 down to that low level I just love the lower trigger pull as its so smooth and helps with the accuracy of this style of pistol. My 45ACP is around 6lbs which is quite good but my Berretta 9mm is around 3 lbs which for it is just perfect.

["DoubleAction"]

Oct 15, 2012 20:22:18 GMT -5 blueglass said:

My 45ACP is around 6lbs

.....Standard trigger weight on the Colt 1911 pistols was about 7 lbs. when I began shooting. One day, I had to take one of my 1911 pistols to a gunsmith and he convinced me to have a 3 1/2 lb. trigger job. After this, I never went back to the standard. After having two triggers jobs done by him, I began to do my own, with custom aftermarket replacement parts.