What constitutes a "good" trigger . . .

[cosermann]

For years, friends and family, and more recently, folks on the forum occasionally make comments on the quality of a particular gun's trigger that make me scratch my head.

I finally figured out they simply don't know what a good trigger pull feels like. They've never had a decent gun. They've never been 'educated.' They simply aren't cultured on the finer points of proper triggerology.

Well, I came across a blog post the other day of the, "I wish I'd wrote that," variety suitable for sharing.

So, without further ado:

GrantCunningham.com - Library

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[ROLEXrifleman]

"Good" is a relative term that will mean diffrent things to diffrent people.

From a mechanical standpoint the author of the blog does a "good", there goes that term again, job of expklainging what can be measured to determine what a pull of the trigger consisits of. But that's all he does. To say his definition of "good" is the standard would be wrong.

This is a bold statemnet to make as well:

I finally figured out they simply don't know what a good trigger pull feels like. They've never had a decent gun. They've never been 'educated.' They simply aren't cultured on the finer points of proper triggerology.


To try and take away someone's standard of "good" is wrong. Especialy based on criteria that will change from person to person:

don't know what a good trigger pull feels like

never had a decent gun
never been 'educated
simply aren't cultured


WTF??

So what is a "Decent" gun?
What education do you need to determine what feels "good" to you?
Cultured, to what extent can anyone make this conclusion of another person?

It all boils down to what the END user perceives as good, not someone elses opinion of the term.


Other uses of the term "good" that are up for debate:

I have a "Good" job
I have "Good" kids
I have a "Good" wife

ETC.........

 

[cosermann]

Agreed that there is "good" or "better" for a particular purpose.

A trigger on a target gun is setup differently than a trigger on a defensive piece for example.

Here's a sequel if that post didn't get folks stirred up enough.

Let's talk about triggers... | Revolvers, Gunsmithing, Personal opinions | GrantCunningham.com

The purpose of a firearm is to put rounds on target.

The purpose of a trigger is to enable that to happen in a controlled manner - accurately, consistently, rapidly, and safely.

Lots of triggers are 'adequate' for the purpose, few are optimal (either in an absolute sense or for particular shooters).

 

[ROLEXrifleman]

Again, he does a "good" job of describing the mechanics of the topic he is covering but to say that they have to meet that criteria to be "good" is wrong.


I'm a true believer in everyone is entitled to their opinion , but he is no authority on the defininition of the term "good" in teh firearm realm. Some may see things diffrently than I do, and that's ok too. I'm no autority either, just a 13 year old girl on my dads computer!


My Corvette runs "good"! It handles very well.
Dale Jr. might take a ride in it and say it sucks beyound all belief, who would be right?

 

[96firephoenix]

a "good" trigger is one that is comfortable for you and will consistently make the gun go boom.

 

[jojoa55]

a "good" trigger is one that is comfortable for you and will consistently make the gun go boom.

+1. It's all in the perception of the user.

 

[Buckhunter]

good

a "good" trigger is one that is comfortable for you and will consistently make the gun go boom.

this is a "good" explination

 

[rugernut65]

i would say a good triger is one that you are personally comfortable with and thats all i have to say about that

 

[yotebutcher90]

i believe that a good trigger is any trigger that will activate the firing pin to throw some lead lol

 

[42769vette]

for me it depends on the guns use. on my hunting rifle a good trigger would be 2-2.5lb pull, minimal overtravel,smooth

on my target gun a good trigger is less than a pound

 

[paintball_addiction]

I think a "good" trigger is one that you only have to pull once, but it keeps firing the gun until the magazine is empty. On second thought, maybe that is a "great" trigger.

 

[jeremy]

See what some on here would quantify as a "good" trigger/action to me is reckless and unsafe. I am not a target/competion shooter I am a combatant shooter. Creep is not a bad thing nor is a heavy trigger weight. But, look at what each of us are trying to accomplish with our shots. The target shooter is attempting to place their rounds in the same hole, I am just concerned with hitting a 12 inch target every time...

 

[schafe]

I'm no autority either, just a 13 year old girl on my dads computer!


My Corvette runs "good"! It handles very well.
Dale Jr. might take a ride in it and say it sucks beyound all belief, who would be right?

What is a 13 year old girl doin' drivin' a Corvette, anyway? And what is Dale Jr. doin' in the car with a 13 Year old girl? Inquiring minds want to know.

 

[matthewdanger]

A "good" trigger will vary based on the application. Target rifles probably should have short, crisp, light triggers. Defensive handguns should have consistent (same every time), with a strong reset. And even these things are subjective.

Most any trigger (within reason) can be learned through training and repetition.

 

[SSGSAD]

a "good" trigger is one that is comfortable for you and will consistently make the gun go boom.

And put the round, where you want it, as long as you do all the rest...

 

[kludge]

"Breaks like an icicle" is a good descriptive term of what many people want for a target trigger.

But it depends on the use and personal preference.

Sometimes things are easier to define by what it isn't...

A good trigger is not:

creepy (obvious sliding of parts before the trigger breaks)
gritty (when "creepy" isn't smooth)
too much take up (wasted trigger motion)
too much over travel (wasted trigger motion)
vague (unpredictable break)
vague reset (revolvers and semi-autos)
too heavy
too long
too light
too short
unsafe (think bumps or drops)

 

[Hornett]

So....
There's no bad triggers?
I disagree!

 

[flightsimmer]

Oh alright, I'll bite.
To me, I have always admired the S&W single action trigger pull on their double action revolvers, they break like a glass rod, at least on the ones I own.
Then, I have a Kel-Tech PF-9 that for a double action trigger is as good as I have ever felt, light (relative), consistant and smooth. Not a bit like the PF-11 which I thought was awful.
My 1911's also break like a glass rod at around 4 lbs. I tune them myself.
I have a Benjamin/Sheridan pump air rifle that has a light but smooth (sliding) trigger pull that I find acceptable, besides not much else can be done with it unless I can find a way to limit the creep or sear engagement distance.
I tuned my AR-15 trigger to 4 - 4-1/4 lbs. It still has a short smooth slide and stops, then any additional pressure and it breaks clean. I've got a new American Trigger Corp. Gold Trigger coming for it and will see how that does. I would also like to do a write-up on it here on INGO in the near future.
Yeah, triggers are a personal thing, it's what you find acceptable. If it doesn't suite you, fix it or sell it.

10mm, when you care enough to send the very best.

 

[indyjoe]

Sometimes things are easier to define by what it isn't...

A good trigger is not:

creepy (obvious sliding of parts before the trigger breaks)
gritty (when "creepy" isn't smooth)
too much take up (wasted trigger motion)
too much over travel (wasted trigger motion)
vague (unpredictable break)
vague reset (revolvers and semi-autos)
too heavy
too long
too light
too short
unsafe (think bumps or drops)

I'm OK with a little take up on a defensive pistol or rifle, as long as the trigger reset after the shot is pretty tight. On the Glock I get that. It takes a little while to get back to the initial break, but while you are coming down from recoil and easing the trigger back forward, you feel the click and pull again with no take up.

I see the initial take up as a little safety buffer, just like a higher weight trigger than a target rifle.

Other than that small change, I think you pretty much nailed it.

 

[chraland51]

In my old and shaky hands and with eyes that definitely are not what they used to be, I would very much doubt if one of the fancier and more expensive adjustable triggers would do me much good. To spend a bunch of money to eliminate a pound or two of pull and a little creep would probably not be justified by the very small improvement in accuracy that I might or might not achieve. Hopefully, I will never have to act as a sniper and make a 1000 yard shot even though I have several weapons that would be capable of making one in the hands of an expert. I just like my triggers to feel a little better than the ones normally found on the Hi Points, even though they do seem to work. I really have little to contribute to this thread, but since I took the time to read it, I felt it my duty to say something. Just my two cents.