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Old November 25, 2012, 09:39 PM   #1
ky hunter
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As the trigger falls

When you have lots of different gun they all have different weight pulls.There seems to be lots of talk about barrel brake in and nothing about trigger brake in.So the more times you pull the trigger the smoother it gets (IMO).SO why is there no talk about trigger brake in and getting to know the fill of the gun? A gun with the best barrel on earth is only as good as the pull on trigger is. What are your thoughts on this?
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Old November 25, 2012, 09:58 PM   #2
Nathan
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I think trigger break in has been covered. I would rate it higher than barrel break in on my list of things to worry about.

Frankly, I tend to focus more on learning the new gun. How does the trigger pull exactly? How do I get it to my shoulder, sight on target? How do I get to prone fast? Dry fire about 1000 times.
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Old November 25, 2012, 10:25 PM   #3
James K
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Unless the trigger is really bad, it makes little difference to accuracy. Folks shot beautiful groups with the old trapdoor Springfield, and it was common to have 12 pound pulls on those.

BTW, I never saw a "trigger" fall; the hammer usually does that, and barrels sometimes need "break-in" periods, not "brake-in" shots.

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Old November 26, 2012, 05:56 AM   #4
Bart B.
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What's a "bad" trigger?
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Old November 26, 2012, 07:00 AM   #5
B.L.E.
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Quote:
What's a "bad" trigger?
A "good" trigger has a crisp and repeatable release with almost no pre-release movement (creep) and almost no after release movement (backlash). The first stage movement of a two stage trigger does not count as creep.

A "bad" trigger is pretty much the opposite.

Shoot a cheap air rifle or a cheap .22 and you'll experience the opposite of a good trigger.

The trigger on my 1885 Winchester single shot .22 has gotten noticably better with break-in, or maybe I'm just getting used to it.
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Old November 26, 2012, 08:40 AM   #6
Bart B.
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B.L.E., does pull weight have anything to do with it?

How about tactile feedback from the trigger as it's pulled and the sear releases?
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Old November 26, 2012, 12:28 PM   #7
Metal god
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I believe what makes a bad trigger , is a trigger that does not work . If the trigger works properly then its a good trigger . At this point we can get in to what makes a trigger better . I think that depends on what type of gun and the intended use will be . although pull wieght matters , I don't believe the pull wieght makes a trigger good or bad . I wouild not want a 2 oz trigger on my combat rifle and I would not want a 7lb pull on my bench gun . Neither of these wieghts make the trigger bad just not best for the application
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Old November 26, 2012, 12:42 PM   #8
Rimfire5
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I've shot a lot of rifles over the years and, while a trigger might get a little smoother, I don't expect miracles to occur with use.

A good trigger feel good because it feels smooth and repeatable without a gritty feel.
I personally like my hunting rifles to have about a 3.5 to 4 lb pull and the rifles that I use mostly on the bench all to have a 2 lb pull.

My CZs have hunting triggers about 3.5 lbs and also have set triggers slightly less than 2 lbs so they are great for hunting and also for shooting off the bench.

The rifles with triggers that were gritty or rough never go good enough and eventually got changed to after market triggers.
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Old November 26, 2012, 04:49 PM   #9
cw308
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A good trigger should break at the same pull weight each time. clean break with out over travel. After that, alot of trigger time. Dry fire & shooting. I'm a benchrest target shooter only. Rem. 700 LTR 308 Cal. Changed the trigger to a Jewell 10 oz. Once you get use to any trigger the 10 oz. doesn't feel so light. A lighter trigger for target shooting only, will tighten up your groups. Any other type of shooting no lighter than 3 lbs. Triggers must be consistent, clean with lighter fluid when needed & your good to go. Be safe, Hope I helped. Chris

Last edited by cw308; November 26, 2012 at 04:58 PM.
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Old November 26, 2012, 07:56 PM   #10
Art Eatman
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Barrel break-in gets discussed because of the schools of thought about its validity and then the different methods used by proponents.

Trigger break-in "just happens" and there's no procedure nor any variance in how the sear engagement wears. IOW, nothing to discuss.
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Old November 26, 2012, 08:03 PM   #11
B.L.E.
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Quote:
B.L.E., does pull weight have anything to do with it?
I'll take a crisply breaking and consistant 3.5 pound trigger over a creepy, gritty, inconsistant 10 ounce trigger any day.
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Old November 27, 2012, 12:11 PM   #12
ky hunter
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I shoot a Encore same trigger most of the time I have 3 frames and barrels from pistol to rifle muzzle loader. One of the frames had a hard trigger pull sent it back to TC they tuned it now it is the best of the 3.Even tho I still have the heed to brake in my self for say.When I change barrels you know get the fill of the gun.
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Old December 3, 2012, 09:14 PM   #13
TPAW
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BTW, I never saw a "trigger" fall; the hammer usually does that
You caught that also!
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Old December 4, 2012, 02:07 AM   #14
BigRick
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FWIW, I'd read somewhere in the past that a trigger breaking should feel like a glass rod snapping. Crisp, clean, with no gradual movement. One second it's there, the next second you've fired. Another blurb I remember is that it should nearly surprise you every time you fire. Just a couple of cents' worth of thought.
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Old December 4, 2012, 12:38 PM   #15
Sweet Shooter
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Per the subject line of the post... I've never heard of a or seen a trigger fall. Hammer maybe but...

-SS-
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Old December 6, 2012, 12:47 AM   #16
fatwhiteboy
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I just put Timney triggers in my Rem 700's, one in .308, one in .338 Lapua mag. They are better by far than the stock Remington trigger.A nice clean, crisp break at 2.5 lbs...
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Old December 7, 2012, 10:52 PM   #17
boattale
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I like a trigger that hardly moves and then surprises me every time it breaks.
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