What trigger pull weight for hunting?

[jamz]

What trigger pull wieght for hunting?

I want to tweak the trigger on my 77/22 for squirrel, rabbit and the like. What's a good weight, what's too light/dangerous. etc?

I'm guessing about 3 pounds is about right, but I'd like some feedback from the more experienced.

Thanks!

James

 

[HankB]

I've got one of my hunting rifles tweaked to a little under 3 lbs, the other is down around 2 1/2.

IMHO there's no problem with a light trigger so long as it's reliable - i.e, it must NOT go off if the gun is jarred or bumped, it must NOT go off when you take off the safety, even if you squeezed the trigger hard first . . . that sort of thing.

 

[Art Eatman]

It's not so much the pounds of pull as it is the quality or precision of the honing of the sear engagement. If the break is like the traditional "snapping a glass rod", four or five pounds doesn't feel all that bad.

Generally, hunting rifles are set at three pounds. Some of mine are set lighter, but I've been "doin' it" for a long time. Heck, some of my pet rifles are older than most folks on this board.

The safety aspects of a light trigger pull are sorta accumulated over the years, I guess.

HankB's right about bumping. I check my triggers with what's called the "bump test". Cock the rifle; let it drop butt-first onto the floor from a foot or two of height. If it goes "click", the trigger's too light...

Art

 

[Newt]

I'm going to go along with Hank on this one. I would think whatever works best and is the most comfortable for you so long as it's safe. You might bump and jar one with a light trigger unloaded first just to see if it's going to hold up. Always remember, the best safety is muzzle in safe direction, though.

 

[mete]

Regardless of the weight of pull it should always pass the bump test. I like mine about three lbs.One warning - when winter hunting and wearing insulated gloves it's difficult to feel a light trigger .One way I solved that is to remove the insulation in the tip of the glove finger.

 

[Spinner]

I'm sticking with Art on this one. The actual weight of the trigger pull doesn't matter to me so much as the quality of the trigger pull. A long, gritty and creepy trigger is no fun .... even if its light. A smooth, crisp breaking trigger is what you want with a trigger weight somewhere around 3.5-4 lbs.

Its a good point about shooting with gloves too .... too light a trigger and you won't be able to feel it if you do wear gloves while you're shooting. I almost never wear gloves .... if I do, they're the fingerless variety. It's not as cold here and I prefer to be able to feel what's going on.

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