Ads

Monday, June 09, 2008

Military triggers and their characteristics

I pulled out the ol'AR today, I was feeling the itch. Range time is going to be a requirement soon, or I'll end up buying a new firearm. I alleviated the itch by zeroing the pellet gun and noting where it shoots at the bruise setting.

I am glad to report that after over 6 months (I don't think I have been to the rifle range w/AR since at least Jan) I still know how much slack I can safely pull out of the trigger. Its almost like a little internal safety, when I am ready to shoot and on target, I take up the slack. When I move off target, the slack is released and the finger is outside of the trigger guard.

Its sort of like I have a two stage trigger, but its all in muscle memory and my head. Take up slack, squeeze the toothpaste, then its like the proverbial 'rod of glass'. I dunno if it is bad form, I guess I just speed up the squeezing process by pre-squeezing a set amount, then the slow-dunno-when-it-will-fire pull.

I am not as proficient with the trigger of the 1911, although I still take up some of the slack. Dry firing more regularly should fix that, I am just surprised that my body remembers the AR trigger more than the 1911 trigger (the 1911 trigger has been used more often more recently).

Also, a good side effect of practicing with the 1911... My hand is dead steady with the Wii remote. No jitters from this video-gamer.

Kerrminator, hows the new trigger? I know you haven't taken it to the range yet, but I assume you have dry fired it?

4 comments:

Spatchcock said...

Certainly I have. I was expecting the same two-stage trigger from your AR. Instead, the trigger is lighter and does not have a large amount of slack. The break is crisp without much motion.

I rather enjoy the AR trigger. I haven't shot it much during the past few trips to the range, but I recall it was enjoyable once you understood where it would engage the sear. No troubles.

Visit the SKS on the other end of the trigger spectrum. It's like double action but with a shorter pull.

sstc said...

On that note, can I test the SKS trigger with an eye toward its performance?

Spatchcock said...

Yes, you may test the SKS and take it to the range if you like.

Btw, I would recommend you arrange a target at 50 yards or so and attempt to shoot actual groups with it. That'd be a decent test of the trigger and something whose results you could put online!

sstc said...

So I tried the SKS trigger. I'd describe it as more of a three stage. The first stage takes almost no force at all, just rotating the trigger till it hits something. The next stage is extremely short and requires a lot of force, but you can tell where it begins and ends. Lastly, it shoots at random force/displacement after that.

Note to self:
When visiting best friend's girlfriend's place to test triggers, remember to announce a few things. Don't remove your tie and shirt while she is in the other room getting the rifle. Awwwwkkkwaaaard.

(thats not exactly how it went down, but its a better story)