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Posted: 1/13/2005 4:59:05 AM EDT
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I've been shooting for years, but I'll admit to being ignorant of what constitutes a "good" vs. "bad" trigger. I've heard people talk about putting a "two-stage" trigger in their AR, but I have no earthly idea WTF that means. Finally, I'm not familiar with the different ways of doing a trigger job to improve a trigger, either by making it lighter or reducing "travel", etc. So, what constitutes a "good" trigger? What are multi-stage triggers? What do gunsmiths (or folks like me) do to a trigger to improve it? Thanks. |
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14,000+ post and you never actually read or checked out this article at Maryland AR15 Shooter's site: groups.msn.com/TheMarylandAR15ShootersSite/triggerfaq.msnw Next you'll be sayin ya never heard of the "15 Minute Trigger Job", which you'll find by typing into any search engine...... Mike |
Guilty!  The very sad thing is that I have collected more than I have shot, and have never really followed a "techie" approach to shooting. I hope to change all that.... 
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Have you ever shot an M1 Garand, M14/M1A, Springfield M1903 series rifles? These rifles have two stage triggers. Also I believe old Mausers too? A two stage trigger has an initial takeup of several pounds and then you come to a "stop". Add another pound or so of pressure and the trigger trips. Some of these triggers can be rather heavy but feel light because you don't notice the inital weight so much, just the weight of the second stage. The AR15 has a single stage trigger. It has one long, constant weight pull. |
Ah geez, sir. Can't I can't a break? First, you have to clear up my confusion of Navy vs. shooting for years.  The way "you" do a trigger job is to send it to a 'smith (sorry, gunsmith). A 'good' trigger is one that 'breaks' the same every time at a desired poundage. You'll hear such terminolgy as 'crisp', or, 'breaks like glass'. The way I try to put it into analogy is think of snapping a three year old dried twig vs. a sappling. One will break crisp, one will feel like mush. |
Yes. M1A.
Okay, but how does a two-stage give any benefit over a light-pul single-stage? Is it simply a matter of safety? If so, why would an M1A (which is supposedly the ultimate battle rifle - let the flames begin! ) have a two-stage trigger, or was the one I shot upgraded?Sergeant, Got the analogy perfectly. All that remains, then, is the answer to my question above. As for the Navy and shooting, don't get me started! 
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I forget what the weight of pull range is for the different service rifles are. But they run something like 5# to 8-9# for the most part. With a single stage trigger you are pulling the full weight all the way through the pull. That might be 9# for the whole range of movement. With a 9# two stage trigger you will pull 7½#-8# for the first stage. Then you stop, hold, take a breathe and squeeze off the last pound or so. Feels like you're pulling a lighter trigger than you really are. Previous service rifles came standard with the two stage trigger. The M16 started the single stage trigger usage in US service rifles. The main advantage of the two stage is you can hold it at the end of the first stage, and keep it there for as long as you can hold it. Or you can just yank right on through both stages for bumpfiring or SHTF. Sporting rifles use single stage triggers. But they can be set lighter than the .mil likes for a combat rifle. So originally the two stage was a safety thing. |
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