What is the ideal trigger pull weight?
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There is no ideal trigger wt. It depends on your skill level. All of my carry guns are 3-3.5lbs. Many people are only comfortable with triggers over 4lbs. I have target guns with sub 1lb triggers. I have friends who are serious target shooters who have triggers that fire on release. It all depends on what you are doing with the gun and what you are comfortable with. Based on you asking this question, I am guessing that you are new to shooting (or at least pistols). I would suggest that you keep the stock trigger wt and improve the take up and trigger reset.
ranburr
ranburr
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I disagree completely. The perfect trigger pull is a slight hair over 3.625 lbs. True story!
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Obviously you are not a competitive target shooter.What the hell does "fire on release" mean!????
ranburr
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Actually a 4-5 pound trigger is about right for a duty-defense pistol, unless you're talking 'point-bang' poly-pistols, in which case you can add a half pound or so. More important than the actual pull weight, is that the final stage is crisp.
That last applies to target guns as well; but the low end of the weight scale is controlled by the design. I know about what you can get away with 1911's & revolvers...if I needed to know what was safely possible with the XD, I'd probably call Scott Springer.
On the issue of target guns in the home defense role- if you are under siege then you fight with what you can get your hands on, whether it's a hatpin or a howitzer. I keep a .357 DA revolver within reach of where I sleep, along with a nearby 12 gauge or rifle in the event I get time to roll out and fight standing up. Heck there's even a shaving-sharp 1903 Springfield bayonet handy, now that I think about it
That last applies to target guns as well; but the low end of the weight scale is controlled by the design. I know about what you can get away with 1911's & revolvers...if I needed to know what was safely possible with the XD, I'd probably call Scott Springer.
On the issue of target guns in the home defense role- if you are under siege then you fight with what you can get your hands on, whether it's a hatpin or a howitzer. I keep a .357 DA revolver within reach of where I sleep, along with a nearby 12 gauge or rifle in the event I get time to roll out and fight standing up. Heck there's even a shaving-sharp 1903 Springfield bayonet handy, now that I think about it
Thanks for the replies. Yes I'm pretty new to shooting. Had a Beretta 92F 9mm like 15 years ago and shot a little as a kid with my dad. Until a month ago or so that's been about it. Since then I've been to the range a half a dozen times or so.
So, I guess, somewhere around 4.25 is about right then for what I'm doing and my experience level.
So, I guess, somewhere around 4.25 is about right then for what I'm doing and my experience level.
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I didn't think fire on release triggers were used on rifles. I have seen them on O/U.Obviously you are not a competitive target shooter.
ranburr
trigger pull is entirely personal preference, but it should be crisp and predictable
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I will quote Larry Vickers
"Often I get asked in my classes what is an acceptable trigger pull weight on a carry or duty handgun.
This is a very good question and one that does not get addressed properly in the gun media. The following are my thoughts on the subject;
>As a general rule a serious use pistol should have a trigger no lighter than 4 pounds and ideally no more than 6 pounds. Average shooters will generally shoot a pistol with the same trigger pull weight from shot to shot better than a double action/single action pistol that has a long and relatively heavy first trigger pull followed by lighter and shorter trigger pull for each following shot. A perfect example would be a Glock 17 with a factory stock trigger that weighs approx 5 pounds and is the same for each shot vs a Beretta M9 with a double action first trigger pull of approx 13 lbs and a 5 lb single action trigger for each shot after. Although DA/SA guns can be mastered the average shooter will definately shoot a pistol like a Glock better than a Beretta.
In addition a trigger below 4 lbs can easily lead to accidental discharges under conditions of stress. Remember fine motor skills degrade rapidly and not only does the shooters ability to shoot accurately suffer but because of this a 4 lb trigger will feel like a 2 lb trigger when you are truly in fear for your life. Add into this sweaty hands, rain and/or cold, and possibly gloves and you begin to see why finely tuned match triggers of 3 lbs or less have no place on a serious fighting tool.
Another disturbing trend is for Law Enforcement agencies to put very heavy trigger on their issue service pistol for liability reasons. The most famous example is the Glock New York trigger that weighs approx 8 lbs and even worse is the New York plus that has a trigger pull weight of 12 lbs. Remember if your pistol weighs 2 lbs loaded and you have an 8 pound trigger pull it will take 4 times the loaded weight of the the handgun to make it fire. This means for the typical shooter it is virtually impossible to shoot the weapon accurately under stress. This leads to misses and an unintentional spray and pray approach when in a gunfight. The danger to innocent bystanders is increased dramatically and the very thing that was meant to make the pistol safer ( heavy trigger pull ) actually increases the danger to the public that LE officers are sworn to protect. This sad state of affairs started as a byproduct of LE agencies that issued revolvers and relied on the long heavy double action trigger pull as a safety device. This lead to the unsafe habit of allowing officers to have their finger on the trigger when they should not. Enter a stock Glock 17 with a 5 lb trigger and no manual safeties of any kind and you have a recipe for disaster. A much better approach is to train and if need be re-train officers to keep their finger off the trigger at all times except when presenting the weapon toward the target. Always keep in mind that a mechanical device is a poor substitute for safe gun handling.
Proper trigger manipulation is key to accurate pistol shooting some like me argue it is the most important factor when learning to shoot a handgun. For this reason alone trigger characteristics and pull weight deserve careful consideration when selecting a weapon to bet your life on."
"Often I get asked in my classes what is an acceptable trigger pull weight on a carry or duty handgun.
This is a very good question and one that does not get addressed properly in the gun media. The following are my thoughts on the subject;
>As a general rule a serious use pistol should have a trigger no lighter than 4 pounds and ideally no more than 6 pounds. Average shooters will generally shoot a pistol with the same trigger pull weight from shot to shot better than a double action/single action pistol that has a long and relatively heavy first trigger pull followed by lighter and shorter trigger pull for each following shot. A perfect example would be a Glock 17 with a factory stock trigger that weighs approx 5 pounds and is the same for each shot vs a Beretta M9 with a double action first trigger pull of approx 13 lbs and a 5 lb single action trigger for each shot after. Although DA/SA guns can be mastered the average shooter will definately shoot a pistol like a Glock better than a Beretta.
In addition a trigger below 4 lbs can easily lead to accidental discharges under conditions of stress. Remember fine motor skills degrade rapidly and not only does the shooters ability to shoot accurately suffer but because of this a 4 lb trigger will feel like a 2 lb trigger when you are truly in fear for your life. Add into this sweaty hands, rain and/or cold, and possibly gloves and you begin to see why finely tuned match triggers of 3 lbs or less have no place on a serious fighting tool.
Another disturbing trend is for Law Enforcement agencies to put very heavy trigger on their issue service pistol for liability reasons. The most famous example is the Glock New York trigger that weighs approx 8 lbs and even worse is the New York plus that has a trigger pull weight of 12 lbs. Remember if your pistol weighs 2 lbs loaded and you have an 8 pound trigger pull it will take 4 times the loaded weight of the the handgun to make it fire. This means for the typical shooter it is virtually impossible to shoot the weapon accurately under stress. This leads to misses and an unintentional spray and pray approach when in a gunfight. The danger to innocent bystanders is increased dramatically and the very thing that was meant to make the pistol safer ( heavy trigger pull ) actually increases the danger to the public that LE officers are sworn to protect. This sad state of affairs started as a byproduct of LE agencies that issued revolvers and relied on the long heavy double action trigger pull as a safety device. This lead to the unsafe habit of allowing officers to have their finger on the trigger when they should not. Enter a stock Glock 17 with a 5 lb trigger and no manual safeties of any kind and you have a recipe for disaster. A much better approach is to train and if need be re-train officers to keep their finger off the trigger at all times except when presenting the weapon toward the target. Always keep in mind that a mechanical device is a poor substitute for safe gun handling.
Proper trigger manipulation is key to accurate pistol shooting some like me argue it is the most important factor when learning to shoot a handgun. For this reason alone trigger characteristics and pull weight deserve careful consideration when selecting a weapon to bet your life on."
Just my opinion
The ideal weight trigger pull for conceald carry is 5.0 to 5.5 pounds.
I say this after years shooting Bullsey targets in competition and practice with 4.0 Lb. pulls on fine tuned target pistols and 4.0 triggers is too light for concealed carry.
I have also used 6.0 Lb pulls shooting IDPA and had no problem at all.
In my opinion I would recommend a 5.0 to 5.5 Lb pull, due to the high stress levels encountered, you dont want stress firing the pistol before youre ready!
Oh and One more thing, If you havent read the Book Point shooting by John Veit you should, it actually works!
The ideal weight trigger pull for conceald carry is 5.0 to 5.5 pounds.
I say this after years shooting Bullsey targets in competition and practice with 4.0 Lb. pulls on fine tuned target pistols and 4.0 triggers is too light for concealed carry.
I have also used 6.0 Lb pulls shooting IDPA and had no problem at all.
In my opinion I would recommend a 5.0 to 5.5 Lb pull, due to the high stress levels encountered, you dont want stress firing the pistol before youre ready!
Oh and One more thing, If you havent read the Book Point shooting by John Veit you should, it actually works!
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