doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion Classic & Custom Single Barreled Sporting Rifles @ doublegunshop.com 2lb trigger?

Would 2 lbs be light enough for a varmint gun or would lighter be disirable. I am thinking of buying a Timney trigger and the model bottoms out at 2 lbs. Thank you,

I think that's a personal question you need ask yourself. Only you can know how light your trigger needs to be.

What trigger weight is generally used in long range shooting of this type? I am aware that bench rest guns may go as low as a couple of ounces, but this weight is not often used in the field for safety reasons. If I had a 2 lb trigger on a rifle or a rifle with a known trigger pull, yes it would indeed be my decision to make. As I do not have a rifle with a 2 lb trigger , but am considering buying a Timney for a rifle I have and that trigger system bottoms at 2 lbs, I am asking for advice. This rifle is a 222rem. and I will and do use it for woodchuck shooting to 300 yards.

ben-t,

Is your rifle a 700? If so, the trigger is adjustable and a good smith can make it real nice. I've got 2 700's in 222 with factory triggers that have a 1 1/2# let off. I use both rifles for varmints. I also have a Ruger #1 with a Kepplinger single set trigger, unset it's 2#'s, set it lets go at 8oz's. I also use it for varmints, almost always set. Timney makes a good trigger, I've used quite a few over the years.

Ben,

2lbs is really on the edge. For a top of the line trigger such as a Jewel, I would say absolutely. For a middle of the road trigger like the Timney, I personally would not use it. For varmint shooting I would either get a better quality trigger with that weight of pull or I would get a lighter trigger.

The most important aspect here of course is safety. Specifically, I personally would never use a trigger at the absolute minimum weight it is rated for...that is just an accident waiting to happen in my opinion. More than likely you will run a very serious risk of encountering slam fires with that trigger if you use it at its absolute minimum suggested weight of pull setting.

JRH

JRH, Would you please relate your experiences with the Timney trigger and those with other triggers set at lowest pull weight? Thank you,

The Timney trigger I had issues with was never set at its lowest recomended manufacturers setting simply because even that level was never safely achievable (I kept the trigger at 2 3/4 though the factory claimed it be capable of 2 lbs). However, even with the trigger set well above the 2 lb minimum the trigger unexepectedly still began to operate unsafely about 2 years after instillation. As I mentioned the trigger which had never had a problem previously unexpectedly began slam firing.

Simple logic dictates the reasons these issues occur. By definition, if you are setting the triger at, or near, its minimum safe weight of pulling setting that means that if the trigger parts encounter any wear whatsoever the trigger will immediately become unsafe. In the case of the Timney the part that failed was the weight of pull of spring which had become compressed and bent over time. (I have since replaced the trigger on that Savage with the far superior SAV-2 trigger.)

In the end, when you consider the potential negative repricusions of an accidental discharge it really is lunacy to attempt to push the limits of the capabilities of a trigger.

If you let me know what type of rifle you are placing the trigger on I may be able to provide more specific insight.

JRH

What JRH said about Timneys. IMO they are the last resort or close to it, and haven't proven very satisfactory for me in the past. OK for a hard-pull (3 lbs) hunting rifle but not suitable for really precise lighter-pull shooting. AAMOF the cheap-looking Dayton-Traister triggers have given me more reliable, less variable and thus safer service than many of the Timneys. I'm not recommending the D-Ts especially, just saying that I like them OK in comparison to the Timneys except for their looks.

IMO only a foolish or ignorant person trusts his adjustable trigger implicitly. A wise and prudent person will check his rig often for potential slamfires, by energetically slamming the bolt closed on an empty chamber and/or dropping the cocked-but-empty rig onto its butt.

If your particular rifle or gun can't stand being dropped on its butt onto a very thin leather pad on the floor then perhaps it wasn't constructed or adjusted properly in the first place. IMO it's the same with dry-firing, if my rig can't stand it then I correct the problem or change to a different rifle or gun. IMO it's more than a little ridiculous to pay thousands for a product that will fail under normal usage, I don't care HOW prestigious the brand name or maker!
Sorry, end of rant, regards, Joe

Thank you all for your advice! I have decided to leave the rifle as is abandoning the Timney trigger. There are no other "after market" triggers made for this model rifle so I will be content to use it as I have for the past 30 years. My eyes and hand strength aren't what they were anyway so a trigger is most likely not going to make the difference. Thanks again.

Kurt,

What's the make and model?