This is just some thoughts with the hope to stimulate some open and honest thinking about our perceptions and other things we commonly read and claim. This is just one aspect of a gun – the trigger.
In researching the Sig P250 for a possible purchase, I noticed a common theme among threads about the P250 - it's got a long trigger pull. It's been a while since I had a P250 in my hands, but I don't remember the trigger pull being significantly longer than the first DA pull of DA/SA triggers. What I did notice was the trigger on the P250 was smoother and lighter than any DA/SA trigger - some have likened it to a DA revolver trigger.
There seems to be a perception that a shorter trigger pull makes a gun better than a gun with a longer trigger pull. If that is true then the 1911 is, based on trigger characteristics, the king of all guns, case closed. It should logically follow that a 1911 can be shot faster than any other gun, right? I mean with the light, short trigger pull and the short trigger reset, why would one choose any other gun?
As for me, since I shoot a lot and sometimes just want to take a break and do something different, I occasionally shoot a bunch of guns side-by-side and see what works best for me that day. The results have been amazing. One time I can shoot a 1911 better than anything else; another day it's a Glock, another day it's a Sig, another day an H&K, etc. But there is one exception - if my S&W 686, 2-1/2 bbl revolver is in the mix, it is the one I shoot better, every single time with no exceptions. Know how I shoot it? DAO exclusively, big ol long trigger pull and all. Granted, I have done some trigger work to lighten the trigger a bit, but nothing to shorten it.
Also, it's curious how some that find the DAO such a detriment to shooting, turn right around and claim they do much better with a DA/SA. From my experience, ALL DA/SA may be a bit shorter than say a P250, but it's also a lot heavier and noticeably not as smooth. So what happens? We draw our DA/SA and fire that first shot with a heavy, i.e. about a 10 lb pull, and it doesn't have a short pull. So our first defensive shot out of the holster is the one that's the hardest and I bet we practice the very least.
Just a guess on my part here - most that prefer DA/SA shoot 99.9% of their shots in SA. Typically we load the gun, rack the slide and now we’re in SA. We shoot the gun empty, stuff in a full mag, drop the slide and blaze away. That's all SA, so yeah, I bet we do like that, but let us not forget that first shot out of the holster is gonna be DA - the one we practice the least and we consider the least desirable trigger action.
Then there’s the speed perception that a SA trigger is faster in rapid fire. I wonder. I read the claim that you can’t defy physics, but I wonder if we’re fully taking physics into account. E.g., here’s a physics problem: I can run about 5 shots a second, which means I have to fire a shot every 0.2 seconds. Two tenths of a second, I wonder if the gun has recoiled and settled back on target in 0.2 seconds? Well, by my tests, which include a timer, it hasn’t. Now if you just count a hit as anywhere on the paper (a static target quite different than a real-world confrontation), then recoil isn’t a problem – you just spray and pray as fast as you can.
There are a number of variables that need to be accounted for to do a fair comparison between guns, esp. trigger types. E.g. let’s say I have carried a Sig 229 DA/SA for three years and shot it fairly regularly. Then I see someone at the range with a P250 and I shoot it. Is there any doubt which gun is gonna shoot better, feel right, and have the better trigger system for me? But, what if I carry a P250 for three years and shoot it regularly, and then one day shoot a P229 DA/SA. Is that gonna be a predicable outcome? I think so, and if not, it is inescapable that there will be an inherent bias for the gun I carry and shoot the most.
So I guess it comes down to this: have there actually been carefully executed tests to determine which trigger is best or advantageous and to who and when is it advantageous and why? Have we even used a timer and scored ourselves, AND given each gun equal and fair carry/shooting times, to see if trigger configurations really make a difference? Or, are we going by feel and perception? If the latter is true, realize that’s not expertise; it’s biased opinion.
I’ve even gone to the range just to see if one gun is better than my current favorite – guess what it never is. What I’m saying is there is a lot of bias inherent in us that sway our perceptions and even our performance when comparing two different guns.
In researching the Sig P250 for a possible purchase, I noticed a common theme among threads about the P250 - it's got a long trigger pull. It's been a while since I had a P250 in my hands, but I don't remember the trigger pull being significantly longer than the first DA pull of DA/SA triggers. What I did notice was the trigger on the P250 was smoother and lighter than any DA/SA trigger - some have likened it to a DA revolver trigger.
There seems to be a perception that a shorter trigger pull makes a gun better than a gun with a longer trigger pull. If that is true then the 1911 is, based on trigger characteristics, the king of all guns, case closed. It should logically follow that a 1911 can be shot faster than any other gun, right? I mean with the light, short trigger pull and the short trigger reset, why would one choose any other gun?
As for me, since I shoot a lot and sometimes just want to take a break and do something different, I occasionally shoot a bunch of guns side-by-side and see what works best for me that day. The results have been amazing. One time I can shoot a 1911 better than anything else; another day it's a Glock, another day it's a Sig, another day an H&K, etc. But there is one exception - if my S&W 686, 2-1/2 bbl revolver is in the mix, it is the one I shoot better, every single time with no exceptions. Know how I shoot it? DAO exclusively, big ol long trigger pull and all. Granted, I have done some trigger work to lighten the trigger a bit, but nothing to shorten it.
Also, it's curious how some that find the DAO such a detriment to shooting, turn right around and claim they do much better with a DA/SA. From my experience, ALL DA/SA may be a bit shorter than say a P250, but it's also a lot heavier and noticeably not as smooth. So what happens? We draw our DA/SA and fire that first shot with a heavy, i.e. about a 10 lb pull, and it doesn't have a short pull. So our first defensive shot out of the holster is the one that's the hardest and I bet we practice the very least.
Just a guess on my part here - most that prefer DA/SA shoot 99.9% of their shots in SA. Typically we load the gun, rack the slide and now we’re in SA. We shoot the gun empty, stuff in a full mag, drop the slide and blaze away. That's all SA, so yeah, I bet we do like that, but let us not forget that first shot out of the holster is gonna be DA - the one we practice the least and we consider the least desirable trigger action.
Then there’s the speed perception that a SA trigger is faster in rapid fire. I wonder. I read the claim that you can’t defy physics, but I wonder if we’re fully taking physics into account. E.g., here’s a physics problem: I can run about 5 shots a second, which means I have to fire a shot every 0.2 seconds. Two tenths of a second, I wonder if the gun has recoiled and settled back on target in 0.2 seconds? Well, by my tests, which include a timer, it hasn’t. Now if you just count a hit as anywhere on the paper (a static target quite different than a real-world confrontation), then recoil isn’t a problem – you just spray and pray as fast as you can.
There are a number of variables that need to be accounted for to do a fair comparison between guns, esp. trigger types. E.g. let’s say I have carried a Sig 229 DA/SA for three years and shot it fairly regularly. Then I see someone at the range with a P250 and I shoot it. Is there any doubt which gun is gonna shoot better, feel right, and have the better trigger system for me? But, what if I carry a P250 for three years and shoot it regularly, and then one day shoot a P229 DA/SA. Is that gonna be a predicable outcome? I think so, and if not, it is inescapable that there will be an inherent bias for the gun I carry and shoot the most.
So I guess it comes down to this: have there actually been carefully executed tests to determine which trigger is best or advantageous and to who and when is it advantageous and why? Have we even used a timer and scored ourselves, AND given each gun equal and fair carry/shooting times, to see if trigger configurations really make a difference? Or, are we going by feel and perception? If the latter is true, realize that’s not expertise; it’s biased opinion.
I’ve even gone to the range just to see if one gun is better than my current favorite – guess what it never is. What I’m saying is there is a lot of bias inherent in us that sway our perceptions and even our performance when comparing two different guns.