Thread: Trigger pull weight.

I have bought recently a Rem 700 in 308 and i do prefer a light trigger pull in my hunting rifles. After a range shoot i thought the trigger pull was abit too heavy for my liking as i have a light trigger in my 243. So i have taken it to a gunsmith to drop it down to 2lb. He said thats been a popular weight for the requests he gets and said 1.5 lb would be too light. So i have got him to do 2lb, is this too light, have i made a mistake here or will it be fine, cheers.(do prefer light pull thou personally)

In mine and a few of my friends opinions it's best to keep all your rifles as close as you can to the same trigger pull. It helps when you pick up a rifle you haven't fired in a while and you have a fair idea where it's going to fire. Nothing worse then picking up a rifle with a light trigger after using a heavy one and letting rounds go well before you are ready. I have had this a lot using mates rifles that are set rediculously light

All my hunting rifles are around 2lb both my remingtons and my weatherby as well. I shoot them at the range a fair bit and go hunting with them

I have all my rifles at 1.5lbs as I wanted the consistency between all my rifles and do a lot of varminting. I only have 1 rifle at 2lbs which is my .308 deer rifle. The advice I was given was to make it a little heavier so when i humped my unfit fat arse up a hill and saw a deer I might appreciate a slightly stronger pull. Seemed to make sense so just did it.

Down the range 500g or less is ideal but out on the hill wearing wet gloves when your hands are numb and shivering even 1000g can be hard to control. 2 lb is a very nice lighter weight for hunting. Good call.

Originally Posted by Phill243

Nothing worse then picking up a rifle with a light trigger after using a heavy one and letting rounds go well before you are ready. I have had this a lot using mates rifles that are set rediculously light

Im struggling with this comment. What is your finger doing anywhere near the trigger if you are not ready to shoot?

Poor firearms handling in my opinion, and a recipe for disaster!

Just my opinion of course.

There is a difference between not ready for safety, and not ready for optimum accuracy or the intended timing of the shot?

2-2.5lb is good for me too, consistency and crispness just as important.

2lb is the go.

1 1/2lb same as all my other guns have been works for me (or as near too it as you can get)

Depends on what sort of shooting your doing, LR varmiting/competition a light pull is good, if you are bush hunting & your shots are close I reckon a slightly heavier pull weight is a smart choice (2.5lbs)

1lb for all my hunters , 1.5oz for my target / LR , i like them lite .

Originally Posted by Proudkiwi

Im struggling with this comment. What is your finger doing anywhere near the trigger if you are not ready to shoot?

Poor firearms handling in my opinion, and a recipe for disaster!

Just my opinion of course.

I do quite a lot of 3 position shooting at the steerdalkers range and what I mean by it going off well before your ready is when you are breathing and you squeeze the trigger at the last part of your exhaling breath and your rifle crosshairs are coming down onto your target and you are squeezing an unfamiliar trigger weight can often lead to bullets going in an undesired place . All safe at the range where it's a controlled environment and we know what's down range.

Happens to me most everytime I switch from shooting the 303 to the Sako.

Best thing i did was go with the 2lb. Its great, like it alot, very simlar to my 243 now.

When I was in business the lightest weight I would do for a hunting trigger was 2.5lbs (with a creep-free crisp break). The reason was that in winter conditions it is very difficult to feel the trigger any lighter than that when your fingers are cold. That, coupled with heightened nervous tension at the critical time, can (and has) caused accidents. The secret to any trigger is the crisp break rather than the weight. Note also that some trigger mechanisms have large bearing surfaces between the trigger, sear, and sideplates. The use of gumming oils (such as Youngs .303 and others) can often cause trigger failures in rifles with light triggers as the oils thicken with age. Light oils such as CRC or WD40 are far better.