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Dfariswheel · August 15, 2005, 12:18 AM

The idea of what constitute a "good trigger job" has changed over the years.

In the case of actual trigger and sear work, like on a rifle or the single action of a revolver, the idea is to have as close as you can get to the famous "Glass rod break".

In other words a "perfect" trigger should just suddenly fire with no discernible movement.
It should just suddenly break like snapping a glass rod.

In these cases, the idea is to minimize take up, creep, and over-travel.

In the case of double action revolvers, the intent has shifted over the years.

In the old days, the lighter a DA trigger was, the better people thought it was.
Springs were cut, parts were polished and altered, and geometry of parts were changed to try to give the lightest possible DA pull, but still be reliable.

The problem was, the reliable part. Too many "trigger jobs" wound up being amazingly light......and causing unreliable ignition.

In more recent years, the idea has changed to an almost box-stock trigger pull, BUT one that's as SMOOTH as possible.

Some top revolver shooters like Jerry Michlek, Eldon Carl, and others discovered that the lighter the double action pull was, the SLOWER the action was.

They started going back to standard weight springs, but tuned the action to give the smoothest operation.

Turns out, a SMOOTH, heavy pull not only offers full reliable ignition, but also give the best "shoot-ability".

This is a tough sell to most shooters, who still think lighter is better, but the idea of the smooth but standard springed revolver is the way to go.

Back in the late 80's I'd bought a limited production S&W Model 66, with the rare 3" barrel.
I'd tuned it for a light DA pull, and tuned for smoothness.

I recently dug it out and replaced the lighter springs with factory standard, and did a higher level smoothing job.
With standard springs and the smooth action, I can shoot it better than I ever could before, AND there are no worries about an ignition failure.

So my advice on revolvers is, forget the super light DA action jobs, and go with standard springs and a smoother action, you'll be surprised at how well and FAST you can shoot it.

August 15, 2005, 12:18 AM	#9
Dfariswheel Senior Member Join Date: May 4, 2001 Posts: 7,478	The idea of what constitute a "good trigger job" has changed over the years. In the case of actual trigger and sear work, like on a rifle or the single action of a revolver, the idea is to have as close as you can get to the famous "Glass rod break". In other words a "perfect" trigger should just suddenly fire with no discernible movement. It should just suddenly break like snapping a glass rod. In these cases, the idea is to minimize take up, creep, and over-travel. In the case of double action revolvers, the intent has shifted over the years. In the old days, the lighter a DA trigger was, the better people thought it was. Springs were cut, parts were polished and altered, and geometry of parts were changed to try to give the lightest possible DA pull, but still be reliable. The problem was, the reliable part. Too many "trigger jobs" wound up being amazingly light......and causing unreliable ignition. In more recent years, the idea has changed to an almost box-stock trigger pull, BUT one that's as SMOOTH as possible. Some top revolver shooters like Jerry Michlek, Eldon Carl, and others discovered that the lighter the double action pull was, the SLOWER the action was. They started going back to standard weight springs, but tuned the action to give the smoothest operation. Turns out, a SMOOTH, heavy pull not only offers full reliable ignition, but also give the best "shoot-ability". This is a tough sell to most shooters, who still think lighter is better, but the idea of the smooth but standard springed revolver is the way to go. Back in the late 80's I'd bought a limited production S&W Model 66, with the rare 3" barrel. I'd tuned it for a light DA pull, and tuned for smoothness. I recently dug it out and replaced the lighter springs with factory standard, and did a higher level smoothing job. With standard springs and the smooth action, I can shoot it better than I ever could before, AND there are no worries about an ignition failure. So my advice on revolvers is, forget the super light DA action jobs, and go with standard springs and a smoother action, you'll be surprised at how well and FAST you can shoot it.