Why are handgun triggers so bad?

[coylh]

Seems like there are a lot of categories of triggers:

long revolvers
crunchy 1911s
squishy glocks
sloppy sigs

and these are some of the better ones for their types. Why are handgun triggers so weird?

I was playing with my ar15 today and thought that it has what would be a great handgun trigger: mid weight pull, no slack, no extra movement. Just a nice *snap* feeling to it. Is there some kind of space constraint in handguns that makes their triggers different than rifles? Or do handguns companies not make the trigger a priority?

 

[Cal4D4]

Try an older S&W in single action mode or a properly set up single action Colt or Ruger. Crisp like a glass rod breaking and 2# or less. I think 1911's can do it also.

 

[10-Ring]

Well, part of it is that different manufacturers approach triggers differently...DAO, SA, DA/SA, safe action & what ever else may be out there. Plus, the mechanisms are slightly diff't too.
I don't think it's a conspiracy, but just many different ways to achieve the same outcome.

 

[SirVette]

A few more good ones:

Colt Python, Diamondback
Bersa 380
Walther TPH

As we are talking prod. guns not all may be the same.

 

[Old Fuff]

Some handgun triggers aren't so great because of the gun's design. This is often true of double-action/single-action pistols. Others, particularly some revolvers are heavy because the manufacturers are tired of getting sued everytime they turn around by some dumb dip who can't remember to keep his finger away from the trigger except when he intends to shoot.

If that wasn't enough, really good triggers require extra fitting and adjustment by someone who is very skilled. In this day and age that translates into bucks. Relatively few shooters are will to pay extra for trigger work. For those that do several companies have custom shops or performance centers.

 

[Majic]

Your AR-15 has a single action trigger. Most single action triggers can be tuned to be even better than your AR-15. You really can't compare a DA trigger of any style to a SA trigger for a crisp feel.

 

[Sean Smith]

Factory 1911 triggers vary pretty widely in pull weight and overall quality (about 5 pounds is as light as you are likely to find on the shelf), but 1911 single-action triggers can be pretty easily made as good or better than the typical AR-15 trigger for about $100. Now, you probably can't take a handgun trigger pull weight down nearly as low as some of the uber-light triggers on alot of bolt-action rifles, for instance, but you probably don't need a genuine hair trigger to hit at 25 yards as opposed to 500+. A "light" single-action handgun trigger is considered about 3.5 lbs, which IIRC is the minimum allowed in certain bullseye competitions. If you want a REALLY good handgun trigger, try a SIG P210.

You bring up an interesting point, though, that alot of handgun makers don't seem to give the slightest bit of consideration to how good the trigger pulls on their guns are. Glocks and HK USPs come to mind here with their borderline-incurably-bad triggers, but factory DA revolvers and most DA/SA revolvers aren't much better out of the box (though they can be tuned for genuinely good pulls more easily). Since most handgun buyers aren't credible shots much beyond 7 yards, I guess they figure the quality of the trigger pull is a non-issue.

 

[Ky Larry]

Manufacturers have no reason to make good triggers in their guns because we, the buying public, don't demand them on guns. Also, the lawyers would have a field day filing lawsuits over accidental discharges.

 

[P95Carry]

I think Larry has nailed some of it ..... triggers have to come out of factory ..... very safe!

Other thing tho I'd say is ....... time and cost ...... if a manufacturer was to fine tune a gun's trigger it would add a disproportionate amount to time and thus cost .... I am excluding here the best custom gunmakers .... more just the ''run-of-the-mill'' gun makers.... churning out mass produced ''ordinary'' guns.

Design of trigger group does have some bearing but overall ... i think much is down to lack of final finish ... we are expected to do that .... by shootin the hell outa them!

 

[Standing Wolf]

...the lawyers would have a field day filing lawsuits over accidental discharges.

I'd appreciate it if someone with legal expertise could post a list of cases of this type. I believe we're really talking about the fear of law suits, not actual law suits, but I'm willing to stand corrected if there's evidence to the contrary.

 

[P95Carry]

It is indeed ... IMO ... way more ''fear'' induced than based on actual events. As I said elsewhere ... it is this litigious society in which we live .. reflected also IMO by the lower loads in stuff like .357 mag factory ammo.

''Just in case'' approach!

 

[coylh]

I think I'm not so concerned with the pull weight as the quality of the pull.
Things like slack, travel, firmness of the break, overtravel, if I'm thinking of these terms correctly.

CZs have, from what I hear, better triggers in general. But the single action pull on my cz-75b is nothing to rave about. It starts off loose, has some takeup before encountering resistance, which must be overcome before the break, then gets very squishy after the shot as the trigger bottoms out.

The ar15 trigger doesn't feel especially light, just firm and positive with a minimum of movement.

 

[Tamara]

I dunno, all these 1911's and S&W wheelguns have great triggers...

 

[Waitone]

IIRC one of the usual suspects in DC want to set by law the minimum pull on a trigger. Don't know if its only at the OEM level or if it includes aftermarket modifications also.

Anyhow the chosen have deemed a 13 lb. minimum pull as acceptable.

Why 13 lbs? Its for the children.

 

[SnWnMe]

My Smiths have great trigger pulls. Case in point: M 629 with 2# SA stock

 

[Sunray]

Your country's stupid courts. Liability for the use of a product after it is sold placed on the manufacturer by stupid judges. They don't hold any other manufaturing sector liable for the mis-use of a product other than firearms. Otherwise, the car industry would be gone.

 

[Ky Larry]

Standing Wolf, I agree that fear of lawsuits rather than actual lawsuits add a tremendous amout of cost and frustration to daily life.