Saturday, July 11, 2009
Single Stage Match Triggers
Most of my air rifles have two stage triggers, even most of my match rifles. The 2 stage trigger allows for a safe trigger while also providing a very light and crisp let off of the trigger. For a hunting rifle, the 2 stage trigger offers some additional safety as the trigger can be set so that if the gun is dropped it won't accidentally let off a shot.
I have a Falcon FN19 in a CS1000 stock that I bought a number of years ago to shoot Field Target. The rifle is very accurate and I tied for 5th place with it at the 2001 Nationals. I had forgot that I set the match trigger on the Falcon to single stage until I took it out a few weeks back. I had forgotten how much easier it seemed to shoot accurately with a single stage trigger.
The advantage of a single stage trigger is that all you have to do is lightly rest your trigger finger on the trigger and when you start to think about squeezing trigger it breaks and the shot is gone. I have found that as I pull through the first stage of a 2 stage trigger, I tend to tense up, which forces me to have to think about relaxing again before applying pressure to the second stage. If I don't pay attention to this tensing, I will push the shot low with the tension in my right shoulder or flinch the shot high but flexing my left arm (I use the over the arm position).
After shooting the Falcon for a while I found that I didn't tense up as much when preparing for the shots and that I tended to squeeze the trigger more consistently while also following through better. It was like a light bulb going off in my head, again.
I knew this from years past but had forgotten it when I went back to my HW97 spring gun. I was told from a very reliable and experienced source that the Rekord trigger works better with a longer first stage and a short, crisp second stage (it has to do with the design of the sear arms), anyways, my HW97 is set up with a 2 stage trigger. When I went back to shooting it I forgot what I had learned about the single stage match trigger.
After my single stage epiphany, I got out my AA ProTarget and re-adjusted the trigger to a single stage. Wow, what a difference. The ProTarget trigger is better than the Falcon as far as the adjustments available and after adjustments, it is pretty incredible. I can safely rest my finger on the trigger and when I start to apply pressure it will break. It is wonderful and makes shooting accurately easier.
I really have come to prefer a single stage match trigger for competition shooting. I think it will add shots to my score. I am going to go through all my match rifles and change the triggers on those that I can to a single stage trigger.
I have a Falcon FN19 in a CS1000 stock that I bought a number of years ago to shoot Field Target. The rifle is very accurate and I tied for 5th place with it at the 2001 Nationals. I had forgot that I set the match trigger on the Falcon to single stage until I took it out a few weeks back. I had forgotten how much easier it seemed to shoot accurately with a single stage trigger.
The advantage of a single stage trigger is that all you have to do is lightly rest your trigger finger on the trigger and when you start to think about squeezing trigger it breaks and the shot is gone. I have found that as I pull through the first stage of a 2 stage trigger, I tend to tense up, which forces me to have to think about relaxing again before applying pressure to the second stage. If I don't pay attention to this tensing, I will push the shot low with the tension in my right shoulder or flinch the shot high but flexing my left arm (I use the over the arm position).
After shooting the Falcon for a while I found that I didn't tense up as much when preparing for the shots and that I tended to squeeze the trigger more consistently while also following through better. It was like a light bulb going off in my head, again.
I knew this from years past but had forgotten it when I went back to my HW97 spring gun. I was told from a very reliable and experienced source that the Rekord trigger works better with a longer first stage and a short, crisp second stage (it has to do with the design of the sear arms), anyways, my HW97 is set up with a 2 stage trigger. When I went back to shooting it I forgot what I had learned about the single stage match trigger.
After my single stage epiphany, I got out my AA ProTarget and re-adjusted the trigger to a single stage. Wow, what a difference. The ProTarget trigger is better than the Falcon as far as the adjustments available and after adjustments, it is pretty incredible. I can safely rest my finger on the trigger and when I start to apply pressure it will break. It is wonderful and makes shooting accurately easier.
I really have come to prefer a single stage match trigger for competition shooting. I think it will add shots to my score. I am going to go through all my match rifles and change the triggers on those that I can to a single stage trigger.
