Will trigger weight matter in a defensive situation?

[NY27]

A good trigger is always an advantage to have. With adrenline dump, you will not have the best trigger discipline, so anything that helps the trigger break smoothly will keep you from pulling the shot as bad as a heavy trigger will. It is true, you may not notice the difference in that situation, hell, you wont even hear the shot or feel recoil, but, the advantage of having a good trigger is one that will be felt on the recieving end moreso than noticed by you, and thats what counts.

Also the shootability that a good trigger gives, and the accuracy potential it brings out instills confidence in practice, and goes a long way to being advantagous in that moment.

This about sums it up.

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[buckeye .45]

In a fight for your life, why hamper yourself?

It is hard enough trying to get rounds on target when the target it shooting back. I don't think you will notice the trigger pull per se in a SD type scenario, but when the rounds are cracking around my head, I want every little advantage that I can get in order to survive. I think a better trigger is one of those advantages, so I want one on my carry gun.

[QKShooter]

Will trigger weight matter in a defensive situation?

"Heart pounding and adrenaline rushing. Fighting to save your life, is the weight of the trigger pull going to matter? It seems buyers always want that light, smooth, and crisp trigger pull but I just don't see how that is an advantage in a real world scenario. Maybe I'm wrong. What's your opinion?"

It's possible that every small thing will matter.
Maybe the good guy that didn't make it....didn't make it because his overly heavy creepy trigger "mushed" when it should have banged.

Will it be a Life & Death difference?

We'll only ever get one side of the story.

A clean breaking trigger with no erratic pre-travel & creep is always an advantage. In my opinion.

[9MMare]

Hmm, I'm of the (completely professionally unqualified) opinion that any handgun designed for self-defense is not going to have a trigger whose weight is too much. Sorry....in a RL situation, a 12 lb trigger will not be an issue. You will have more than enough adrenaline to pull that trigger, esp if you have practiced with it.

A theme I read thru this thread is about training. For gun carriers, there is a wide range of training I'm sure, but for the *majority* it's all at the range. And for many, not even IDPA or other experience where you can even slightly emulate real situations.

So very few carriers (admit it or not) will have the level of training that enables them to handle the stress and actual conditions of a RL situation. That comes with RL experience, like cops or military.

My thoughts on heavier triggers come from the consideration of NOT firing unintentionally or prematurely....not about accuracy. If you practice with a heavier trigger, you should be in a better position to aim and fire than if you have a light trigger....and reactively and unintentionally pull it under stress...a much liklier outcome *IMO* (only).

[buckeye .45]

Hmm, I'm of the (completely professionally unqualified) opinion that any handgun designed for self-defense is not going to have a trigger whose weight is too much. Sorry....in a RL situation, a 12 lb trigger will not be an issue. You will have more than enough adrenaline to pull that trigger, esp if you have practiced with it.

A theme I read thru this thread is about training. For gun carriers, there is a wide range of training I'm sure, but for the *majority* it's all at the range. And for many, not even IDPA or other experience where you can even slightly emulate real situations.

So very few carriers (admit it or not) will have the level of training that enables them to handle the stress and actual conditions of a RL situation. That comes with RL experience, like cops or military.

My thoughts on heavier triggers come from the consideration of NOT firing unintentionally or prematurely....not about accuracy. If you practice with a heavier trigger, you should be in a better position to aim and fire than if you have a light trigger....and reactively and unintentionally pull it under stress...a much liklier outcome *IMO* (only).

Proper training includes proper discipline. The only time my finger went to the trigger in combat was when I was right about to shoot. When I wasn't immediately shooting, the finger was straight.

Honestly, having lived through my two deployments, and the engagements in them, I wouldn't trust myself to stand there, finger on the trigger, and have the fine motor skills to do it any other way. Its much harder to unintentionally pull the trigger when your finger isn't on it.

Another topic that i think is important here, and as is yet not mentioned, is the reset on your trigger, and how familiar you are with it. As being able to properly utilize triger reset will result in faster hits on target, which is fairly important. And generally, better triggers have a better reset point.

[9MMare]

Proper training includes proper discipline. The only time my finger went to the trigger in combat was when I was right about to shoot. When I wasn't immediately shooting, the finger was straight.

Honestly, having lived through my two deployments, and the engagements in them, I wouldn't trust myself to stand there, finger on the trigger, and have the fine motor skills to do it any other way. Its much harder to unintentionally pull the trigger when your finger isn't on it.

Another topic that i think is important here, and as is yet not mentioned, is the reset on your trigger, and how familiar you are with it. As being able to properly utilize triger reset will result in faster hits on target, which is fairly important. And generally, better triggers have a better reset point.

I'm not positive I'm getting the entire point of your message and in general I dont disagree with it. However I'm pretty sure when someone is in a life or death situation...they aim, prepare to draw, and bring their finger inside the trigger guard. There is a time and place that (in training) people do that, appropriately. And in a RL situation, they hopefully will do that appropriately as well (or not). But I think that is still outside of the specific discussion on trigger weight.

Because in a now or never situation where you draw your weapon, it may be entirely appropriate to have your finger, prepared, on the trigger or at least inside the guard.

I'll say that when I compete in mounted shooting, under pressure and time but certainly not life or death, I have to remember to get my finger in position, so ingrained it is in me to keep it straight against the frame. I have been late to have it in position to pull the trigger. That said, I have still, due to the bobbles and movement and slips off the hammer....accidentally fired too soon...with my finger consciously inside the guard and fully aware that I did NOT want to pull it yet. But either the rough movement or just a little too much pressure still had me firing. (I have only a 3 lb trigger for competition, not the same as my self-defense gun).

[GreyGhost]

I don't think you'll really notice the difference in trigger pull weight as far as feel goes in a self defense situation. That is, within a range of pull weights. For the purpose of discussion lets say 4-10 pounds. In that range the pull weight won't affect your accuracy as much as the adrenaline dump you are experiencing. However, above 10 pounds of pull I can't hit crap if I try. Below 4 pounds it's too easy to get an AD/ND. This is based on my hands and my own guns. Your own results will vary!

[Sticks]

Heart pounding and adrenaline rushing. Fighting to save your life, is the weight of the trigger pull going to matter? It seems buyers always want that light, smooth, and crisp trigger pull but I just don't see how that is an advantage in a real world scenario. Maybe I'm wrong. What's your opinion?

Only if you intend to sue somebody for a miss or ND.

[helderberg]

I run a stock factory trigger on my carry gun for a few reasons. I do not feel I have enough experience with a weapon under extreme stress. I want to have a heavier trigger so I do not discharge the gun when I do not want it to. I also have read of legal problems brought against the shooter for having a gun with a "Hair trigger" and must have been a Rambo Type looking to kill someone. For my carry gun, I will not change anything but will say that I want a good but heavy trigger that is as dependable as a machine can be. Just my two cents but then again we all have to do what we feel comfortable with.
Be safe, Frank.

[OldVet]

In terms of DA/SA guns it definitely can. If one hasn't built up good trigger discipline with the DA part of that equation, I've seen people throw the first shot clean off the paper at 7 yards when under a little pressure.

And that's the exact reason I don't carry a single-shot firarm!

"Now that I do cowboy mounted shooting, with a 3 pound trigger, I've accidentally pulled the trigger a few times when pulling back the hammer between targets..."

Please keep your personal lifestyle off the public forum.

[ontarget1911]

And that's the exact reason I don't carry a single-shot firarm!

"Now that I do cowboy mounted shooting, with a 3 pound trigger, I've accidentally pulled the trigger a few times when pulling back the hammer between targets..."

Please keep your personal lifestyle off the public forum.

Was that really needed in an informative thread, really?

I wonder how many of you answering "have seen the elephant". I have. And the weight of the trigger does matter. If someone with little to no training with a 3 lb or < trigger on a carry gun, they are more likely to shoot themselves in the foot or elsewhere. Train train train and then train some more. I don't like anything less than a crisp 4 lb trigger on my carry guns and the ones I build. I had a 1911 that had a very nice 3 lb trigger that I carried with for a time. Everytime I let someone try the gun for the first time they almost always doubled on the first shot. And then there is the legal deniability of a light trigger. There seems to be quite a move afoot to crucify people that have the trigger on their guns worked on.
If you have trained with the gun and can shoot the gun under high stress reliably and like a light trigger or have proven over time that you can shoot a light trigger better and faster than what you started with, go for it. If it is just the beginning of your pistol training experience then get the best trigger you can on the gun without going light. Something in the 5-7 lb range for an SA gun and 8-10 on a DA or DA/SA gun is very very manageable.
And get what your experience tells you feels best or shoots best or get someone that you know to let you try their guns. DON'T bet your life on what the internet tells you is best. And train, train, train, train. And then train some more. The only thing that will save you under stress is muscle memory and judgment brought about by enough training.


Jess

[9MMare]

"Now that I do cowboy mounted shooting, with a 3 pound trigger, I've accidentally pulled the trigger a few times when pulling back the hammer between targets..."

Please keep your personal lifestyle off the public forum.

I dont know if that's serious or a crude joke but if it's a joke it's not even relevant since I'm a woman.

[JBachman]

Hmmm... I was trained to keep my finger off of the trigger unless I intend to fire. If a situation required me to place my finger on the trigger, you are gonna be catching some lead. It doesn't matter if I have a 20# DA, or a 4# SA. End of story.

On a side note, how long do you guys and gals stay up at night dreaming up these scenarios...? No offense intended... Just where do you get these ideas... TV, books...? I have NEVER heard of a criminal case involving a justified kill being scrutinized due to trigger weight, type of bullet, modifications to the pistol, caliber... A civil suit is a whole 'nother ball game. I am thankful I live in a pro-victims rights state where I am protected from civil litigation if I am found innocent in a justified kill.

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[9MMare]

I have NEVER heard of a criminal case involving a justified kill being scrutinized due to trigger weight, type of bullet, modifications to the pistol, caliber... A civil suit is a whole 'nother ball game. I am thankful I live in a pro-victims rights state where I am protected from civil litigation if I am found innocent in a justified kill.

Sent from my Desire HD using Tapatalk

Hi there, welcome to the forum.

Have you ever read any Mas Ayoob? He discusses such RL cases and is a certified expert witness for such specifics as they apply to shootings.

[mlr1m]

I believe any trigger pull that is not the same as the one you are used to will adversely affect your aim.

Michael