G.C.Montgomery wrote:
I honestly feel there is a serious skill difficiency if someone "can't stand" a trigger as light as 4lbs on a handgun. There was a time that 4lbs was considered "light" for a 1911. And that is still the MINIMUM trigger weight for a 1911 in Bullseye. I think the weight requirement in Service Rifle was 3.5lbs when I last shot. But if we are really going to talk about light triggers, I used to routinely shoot rifles with triggers well under 500 grams in 50m and 300m rifle as well as 10m air rifle events as a kid. Still, the transition from those "light" triggers to guns with "street" triggers in excess of 4lbs was not a big deal to me because the process of aligning the sights and gradually applying pressure to the trigger while correcting the sights never changes. Trigger travel and weight are generally irrelevant when we apply that process. That's just my opinion based on 20 years of shooting and a whole lot of learning from people who do it better than me.
With few exceptions, how much force is required to move the trigger has little to do with accuracy and precision. Shooting longer and heavier triggers will however, force you to pefect the basics required to make an accurate shot (i.e. gradually applying pressure to the trigger while correcting the sights). With long, heavy, gritty triggers, any habit of slapping, mashing or jerking will show up as a shotgun pattern or bullets landing "off paper" rather than a tight and consistent shot group.
I used to be able to play guitar, but now days I have a hard time doing it, I can play for a few days straight, then all the sudden my fingers have a hard time moving, when I go to another string my finger hits the string so hard you dont even have to pluck it, this happens when I'm trying to be easy.. I'm a mechanic, and now days I cant handle small bolts, parts or whatever without great care.. My handgun, I notice once I get around the 4lbs mark my hand starts to move quite a bit, at times it shakes pretty bad.. This is really the biggest reason I cant stand a heavy trigger, because sometimes I go out and I can shoot fine, a few days later I cant hit anything.. A lighter pull and this doesn't happen.. I very recently figured out why I have this problem, even being just 25 yrs old I shouldnt have these problems typically I have health issues that can sometimes lead to nerve damage and muscle control problems ( not major problems like MS though, just twitching and general precise control issues ).. I had some blood work done the other day that I requested, and specified certain tests be ran instead of the general tests. Basicly I found out why I'm having these issues, though I was told in the past that there was nothing anyone could do.. So we'll see if I can get that control back or not.. It's not that it's major, but a heavy trigger can sometimes make my hand shake pretty bad, where as a light trigger does not make my hand do this. I dont have this problem with rifles, being there is more support for my hand, it's just pistols.. So maybe I found out why I hate heavy triggers so much, I didnt become "fully" aware to all this until recently. Last time I put some snap caps in the gun and practiced drawing and such I saw where my problem was, so maybe my action's to take care of it will end my concerns..