Posted: 6/23/2026 10:00:06 PM EDT
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Anyone else ever run into this? Through the years I’ve ran the gauntlet of chasing that perfect trigger only to go back to where I started. Keep in mind, I don’t own any target or bullseye guns. For example, some my Glocks I’ve tried a few aftermarket triggers and connectors. Some lightened the trigger pull, but my accuracy got worst. Some didn’t lighten them that much, but accuracy did improved a bit. In the end, I just went back to the OEM trigger. On one of my 1911 I had a smith polish the trigger. The trigger break was clean and crisp. From dry fire feel one would expect the gun would shoot like a million bucks. In reality my accuracy may have degraded. I think it’s to light. I was more accurate before. Kind of regretted getting that polishing job. A lighter trigger pull alone doesn’t always translate to better accuracy (for me anyways). There is way more to it that’s hard to described writing. Don’t really know what I am trying to say. I guess if you have a good shooting gun leave it the hell alone and save yourself a bunch of money. |
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I can't say I have. Target pistols with lighter triggers are easier to get tighter groups. That being said, I agree that lightness isn't always better. My SP101 has a nice DA pull even at 12lbs because the pull is smooth and easy to stage. My 1911 has a 5ish lb pull and I think it's great. |
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Originally Posted By NN300BLK:That being said, I agree that lightness isn't always better. My SP101 has a nice DA pull even at 12lbs because the pull is smooth and easy to stage. My 1911 has a 5ish lb pull and I think it's great. But that's all just personal preference. Trigger shouldn't matter much for accuracy. The old adage about poor trigger control pulling your shots is from the old one handed shooting days. With a proper two hand grip, your trigger finger won't have the strength to overcome the strength of your other nine fingers and palms. With a proper two hand grip and a properly sized gun, you should be able to jerk the trigger and still hit where you were aiming regardless of the trigger type or weight (unless the gun's grip is too big or much too small for your hands - but that leads to poor grip and improper trigger reach that may not give you enough leverage) . If you have accuracy problems it's probably your grip, not trigger. |
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Originally Posted By NN300BLK: My SP101 has a nice DA pull even at 12lbs because the pull is smooth and easy to stage. The Ruger DA design makes it to where in double action you can "stage" the hammer right before the break. Obviously this is not how a DA is supposed to be shot so saying it isn't bad because you're able to do this is kinda silly. Comparing that trigger pull to a nice S&W performance center revolver will make it very clear. |
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Originally Posted By BoomBoom: On one of my 1911 I had a smith polish the trigger. The trigger break was clean and crisp. From dry fire feel one would expect the gun would shoot like a million bucks. In reality my accuracy may have degraded. I think it’s to light. I was more accurate before. Kind of regretted getting that polishing job. It is easy to add a little weight back in. Have someone adjust the leaf spring or buy a new one. They are cheap. |
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Originally Posted By Turbo30cal: The Ruger DA design makes it to where in double action you can "stage" the hammer right before the break. Obviously this is not how a DA is supposed to be shot so saying it isn't bad because you're able to do this is kinda silly. Comparing that trigger pull to a nice S&W performance center revolver will make it very clear. Just do a smooth pull straight through. No stopping, no letting off. Dry fire DA a lot and get the finger strength and muscle memory. Like a lot of things, it may seem harder at first, but when you can do it correctly, you get much better in the long run. Plus with (a lot of) practice you can rapid fire a whole cylinder as accurately as single shots. |
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Originally Posted By Turbo30cal: The Ruger DA design makes it to where in double action you can "stage" the hammer right before the break. Obviously this is not how a DA is supposed to be shot so saying it isn't bad because you're able to do this is kinda silly. Comparing that trigger pull to a nice S&W performance center revolver will make it very clear. Originally Posted By Turbo30cal: Originally Posted By NN300BLK: My SP101 has a nice DA pull even at 12lbs because the pull is smooth and easy to stage. The Ruger DA design makes it to where in double action you can "stage" the hammer right before the break. Obviously this is not how a DA is supposed to be shot so saying it isn't bad because you're able to do this is kinda silly. Comparing that trigger pull to a nice S&W performance center revolver will make it very clear. I don't stage while shooting normally; I mentioned it because it can be used similarly as shooting off the wall while slow firing a striker fired gun-- a bit of a parlor trick rather than a necessity. My SP101 still has a smooth trigger and it doesn't feel as heavy as it is; it is completely unnecessary to the stage trigger at anytime. I've shot a 686 before and those are smooth as silk, but honestly it's not a night and day difference between it and a Ruger trigger. |
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Originally Posted By NN300BLK: I don't stage while shooting normally; I mentioned it because it can be used similarly as shooting off the wall while slow firing a striker fired gun-- a bit of a parlor trick rather than a necessity. My SP101 still has a smooth trigger and it doesn't feel as heavy as it is; it is completely unnecessary to the stage trigger at anytime. I've shot a 686 before and those are smooth as silk, but honestly it's not a night and day difference between it and a Ruger trigger. I have a GP100 that has been shimmed, polished, and has the DA trigger pull down to around 8lbs. It is smooth as silk and I can assure you it in no way shape or form is anywhere close to a S&W Performance Center action job, neither is your SP101. Might as well be comparing a Glock 19 trigger to a 2011 at that point. And the main reason that the trigger can never be as good as a nice S&W is because of the stacking that allows for the staging of the hammer on a Ruger action. |
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Yes. For years I thought a nice trigger meant better groups. I bought an M&P 2.0 5" 9MM FDE that showed me the 2.0's weren't any more accurate than the 1.0 models. I ordered/installed an Apex Tactical trigger kit and it is awesome. Went to the range and was really disappointed that the pistol didn't shoot any better. Tried lots of different ammo. Used my P07 .40 to confirm the M&P was the issue, not me. Finally bought an Apex Tactical barrel and that was a much bigger improvement in groups than the trigger kit. I still like a nice feeling trigger but that's not always enough. |
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Originally Posted By Turbo30cal: I have a GP100 that has been shimmed, polished, and has the DA trigger pull down to around 8lbs. It is smooth as silk and I can assure you it in no way shape or form is anywhere close to a S&W Performance Center action job, neither is your SP101. Might as well be comparing a Glock 19 trigger to a 2011 at that point. And the main reason that the trigger can never be as good as a nice S&W is because of the stacking that allows for the staging of the hammer on a Ruger action. Ruger revolvers are tanks and I have no hesitation shooting hot 357 loads through my SP101. But S&Ws can (potentially, not always out of the box anymore unfortunately) be much smoother shooters, though I feel they are more delicate than the Rugers with hard use. |
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Originally Posted By M1A4ME: Yes. For years I thought a nice trigger meant better groups. I bought an M&P 2.0 5" 9MM FDE that showed me the 2.0's weren't any more accurate than the 1.0 models. I ordered/installed an Apex Tactical trigger kit and it is awesome. Went to the range and was really disappointed that the pistol didn't shoot any better. Tried lots of different ammo. Used my P07 .40 to confirm the M&P was the issue, not me. Finally bought an Apex Tactical barrel and that was a much bigger improvement in groups than the trigger kit. I still like a nice feeling trigger but that's not always enough. |
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Originally Posted By Turbo30cal: I have a GP100 that has been shimmed, polished, and has the DA trigger pull down to around 8lbs. It is smooth as silk and I can assure you it in no way shape or form is anywhere close to a S&W Performance Center action job, neither is your SP101. Might as well be comparing a Glock 19 trigger to a 2011 at that point. And the main reason that the trigger can never be as good as a nice S&W is because of the stacking that allows for the staging of the hammer on a Ruger action. Originally Posted By Turbo30cal: Originally Posted By NN300BLK: I don't stage while shooting normally; I mentioned it because it can be used similarly as shooting off the wall while slow firing a striker fired gun-- a bit of a parlor trick rather than a necessity. My SP101 still has a smooth trigger and it doesn't feel as heavy as it is; it is completely unnecessary to the stage trigger at anytime. I've shot a 686 before and those are smooth as silk, but honestly it's not a night and day difference between it and a Ruger trigger. I have a GP100 that has been shimmed, polished, and has the DA trigger pull down to around 8lbs. It is smooth as silk and I can assure you it in no way shape or form is anywhere close to a S&W Performance Center action job, neither is your SP101. Might as well be comparing a Glock 19 trigger to a 2011 at that point. And the main reason that the trigger can never be as good as a nice S&W is because of the stacking that allows for the staging of the hammer on a Ruger action. I've said it before and I'll say it again. I'm as happy with the trigger in my hellcat as a 1911-- and I've shot some tuned 1911's. It's been some time since I shot a Glock, but I thought Glock triggers were okay too IIRC. I'm not hyper focused on the trigger at the range-- I make the best shot I can at a given shooting speed or I see how quickly I can make a shot while maintaining acceptable accuracy depending on what I'm practicing. Am I faster for a given accuracy goal (let's say 3" group at 15 yards) with a fundamentally better trigger design/implementation? Of course. I'm definitely faster with an Echelon than a Hellcat. I'm going to mention my SP101 is a Lipsey's exclusive and I suspect the internal frame fit/finish may have been better than the standard SP101, but that is completely speculation. I'm not saying a 12 lb trigger with a coil spring as good as an 8 lb trigger with a leaf spring. But it's not like one is a brand new stretch of asphalt in a Cadillac and the other one is the suspension test track in a Mercedes. Why did you choose the GP100 over a 686? I'm inclined to pick a GP100 over a 686 because of the three point cylinder locking system and the longevity/robustness of that coil spring action. |
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I agree that light triggers do not automatically make someone more accurate. And different people have different description of "light". 5? 4? 3? When triggers get really light in AR platform often I cannot feel it reset in stressful situation. I would prefer I do so I know I let off enough to reset and do not have a dead trigger. If you think you need it that light you might want to consider your grip, hand strength or technique. Are you pulling the trigger straight back with the fat pad of your finger? |
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In general, I don’t think pull weight has an exact relationship to dispersion(accuracy). To me it is related to pull quality and even that is different between rapid fire guns, slow fire guns and duty/defense guns. To be quite specific, it is highly connected IMO to whether the static or sliding friction is more felt at the sear interface. I find rapid fire guns feel better with a bit more sliding friction. Duty guns even a bit more. Slow fire guns are much better with static friction being higher and sliding friction less felt . This relationship is managed by smoothness and angles. So, an easy example….My M&P 2.0 came with a heavy, spongy trigger. I guess that was S&W’s idea of a duty trigger. The Apex kit tightened up a lot of looseness and flex in the system. Now it is a 4.5lb trigger with greatly reduced sliding friction feel, but still maybe a bit much. The one thing it is now is consistent. Consistency is probably the most important. Even a terrible trigger that is the same bad every time is usually an accurate trigger. This is because most decent shooters with a clean and consistent trigger can shoot to the capability of the gun. Going lighter is sometimes a better feel, but without actual improvement to accuracy. Originally Posted By Joedirt199: Lightened and smoothed up all my CZ and 1911 triggers. They make pistol shooting much more enjoyable for me. Hate trying to do load testing for accuracy with my Glocks even with polished and massaged triggers. See above. I’ll bet your Glock needs some serious reduction in sliding friction….which is hard to do and a bit unsafe in safetyless designs. Might be worth adding spring force in takeup to give it more of a light 7lb da revolver feel. I hate to say it, but that style Glock trigger might be the best a person can do. Originally Posted By dmk0210: I agree. Folks worry about trigger weight too much. I guess because it's easier to fix, just swap a lighter spring in. Heavy (up to a point) but smooth with a crisp break makes for a much better trigger than light but gritty or spongy. You can exercise your fingers to deal with a heavy trigger. People did that for decades with DAO revolvers and autos. I laugh when people complain about DA/SA guns because the DA is too heavy for them. I have a DAK P226 that I can shoot just as accurately as any striker gun (though the heavy pull does slow down very rapid fire strings a bit. A striker gun or SA trigger is definitely faster). I absolutely love the smooth DAO trigger on my two P250s. But that's all just personal preference. Trigger shouldn't matter much for accuracy. The old adage about poor trigger control pulling your shots is from the old one handed shooting days. With a proper two hand grip, your trigger finger won't have the strength to overcome the strength of your other nine fingers and palms. With a proper two hand grip and a properly sized gun, you should be able to jerk the trigger and still hit where you were aiming regardless of the trigger type or weight (unless the gun's grip is too big or much too small for your hands - but that leads to poor grip and improper trigger reach that may not give you enough leverage) . If you have accuracy problems it's probably your grip, not trigger. I’m not sure that the grip can overcome a poor trigger. I’ll bet it is a super important part of accuracy though. |
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Originally Posted By dmk0210: We were just talking about this in the Best 9mm Suppressor Host thread. I had thought the random OEM barrel accuracy issues were only a problem in M&P 1.0, not so much in the 2.0. I do the MRDS course where I work, part of that obviously is zeroing. We don't have anyone running a first gen anymore, but plenty running the 2.0's. They are without question the least accurate of the "acceptable" duty guns that I have come across. We no longer recommend them to new people. |
| I’ve found that if I get a choice I shoot MUCH better with a trigger that has some ‘roll’ to it. Or a sliding trigger break. IMHO a trigger that best suits your style is vastly more important than mere lightness. For a bolt gun shot strictly from the bench yes a light trigger is great. But put me in a field position I do best with 3 lbs or so vs a few oz trigger. I need to feel that trigger to break a deliberate shot. Pistols? I’ve shot a LOT of wheel guns double action and even a 1911 I do better with a slide to the trigger vs a glass rod break for accuracy work. |
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When my son started shooting pistol I had him learn on a revolver, mainly to learn good trigger manipulation. At 14 or so he starts working on a G34 and things were rough. I put a NY trigger in it and he was back in the game. He eventually got used to the lighter triggers and the ability to shoot all types.--top shot in basic(US Army) He had plenty of work on an AR prior to going in. I used to take him to Moyock all the time, even doing CQB. Put the time in, learn trigger manipulation and keep a steady gun. |
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There’s a reason most dedicated target guns have light crisp triggers. The higher the accuracy requirement gets the more important things like the trigger matter. Most of us just don’t shoot well. |
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Originally Posted By ALASKANFIRE: There’s a reason most dedicated target guns have light crisp triggers. The higher the accuracy requirement gets the more important things like the trigger matter. Most of us just don’t shoot well. I think over a certain pull weight people may have some sympathetic movement between fingers while exerting adequate pressure on the trigger— training can help mitigate this, but I’m not sure it eliminates it. It’s literally harder to pull a shot with a 3 lb trigger than a 12 lb trigger if my hypothesis is correct. 
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