[cool45auto]

I read a lot in the magazines about a trigger's overtravel and how the writer's don't seem to like it.

[3 gun]

Rearward movement of the trigger after the point of the release of the hammer/striker. It can hinder your follow thru in target shooting.

[Blackhawk]

3 gun nailed it.

Say your trigger pull is 8#. That much force is being applied by your finger against your hand holding the gun. Whent he trigger breaks, you're still applying the force against no resistance fromt he trigger so your hand ends up jerking. The problem comes from the fact that neither primer ignition nor bullet emergence from the muzzle are instantaneous after their initiating event. You end up jerking the gun off target due to overtravel unless you've specifically trained to overcome it, and that's not easy to do.

You can easily test to see if you're bothered by overtravel by dry firing while a laser pointer is strapped to your gun. As you sight on a small target 20 or so feet away and pull the trigger, note whether or not the dot moves. If it doesn't, you either don't have a mechanical overtravel problem or you have excellent trigger control or maybe both. :D

[cool45auto]

Thanks guys.

Blackhawk: I'd be happy with both!

[BamBam]

Cool9mm2002,

Thers are several ways to reduce overtravel, if you're interested in doing so.
The easiest way is to epoxy a mechanical pencil eraser to the trigger guard, directly behind the trigger. Just trim it to the proper height with a razor blade.
The erasers come in different colors and, if you're careful with the epoxy, you can get professional-looking results.
Like I said, this is the easiest (and cheapest) way that I know of. There are other ways of doing this, too.

[Blackhawk]

BamBam,

I've found it much easier and less messy to use SuperGlue instead of epoxy. It's also a much easier cleanup if you want to remove or replace it. KTOGers call that a "White" trigger stop. http://www.ktog.org/tecwerks1.htm#White Trigger Stop

[BamBam]

Blackhawk,
Good advice for the Kel-Tecs and other polymer weapons; I tried epoxy on my P-32 and it didn't bond well. Super glue does.
I use epoxy on metal guns because I figure it's less likely to damage the finish and you have a few minutes of working time before it sets. Never tried Super Glue on them.

[Blackhawk]

Tried epoxy on a metal frame gun once, BamBam. It was well cured, but sometime after about 15 rounds, it let go. There are about a jillion formulations of epoxy, and some of them are intolerant of shock.

JB Weld is supposed to be a shock tolerant formula, but I haven't tried it for a trigger stop on a metal frame gun.

[Jim K]

More professional (and permanent) ways are a screw through the trigger or one set in the frame which can be adjusted just right and then left alone. Soft material, like a pencil eraser, gives a "mushy" feeling that is not conducive to good accuracy, either.

Jim

[Blackhawk]

I adjust mine so that they contact the trigger just before the trigger breaks. The "feel" is very satisfyingly firm and precise. The worst problem, IMO, with the erasers is that they wear out pretty quickly and get sloppy.

[dance varmint]

My solution is a stack of small washers, chosen to reduce overtravel enough without preventing proper reset. The washers are superglued together, and duct taped to the trigger guard for testing, possibly epoxied there if desired.