Story: I coach Juniors in 10M air. We have a kid that's a pretty good shooter, but has hit a plateau in his scores. He's been asking to have his Anschutz trigger adjusted lighter of late. The other coaches had indulged him previously. When he asked me I tried his trigger, and it is at the limit of safe. I advised him I wouldn't take it lower, but I would work with him to evaluate his technique on the SCATT (electronic trainer) and see if there was a technique "opportunity". I suspect there's an element of grabbing or slapping at the trigger when the sights are lined up. This runs counter to what we are teaching (getting the rifle to settle and adding weight gradually until it breaks).
I'm reading between the lines ie " It's got the accuracy .. from a bench with a bit of cheating it'll shoot under half inch with some loads, but I can't do it without the cheats and I can't do the cheats from field positions."
I think others have alluded to this nicely, but I'll come out and say it more plainly. It sounds like you have a marksmanship problem. I'm not sure what your "cheats" are (mechanical rest, remote trigger?), but if you have to rely on a lighter trigger than is typically used on an AR, it sounds like you're using light weight as a bandaid to compensate for poor technique (sorry but I think this is your better way forward).
That coupled with your confusion on the safety and mag release make me think you might have a "training" opportunity. Maybe you're not willing or able to put in the time...maybe you're right, the AR is not for you. I can tell you having shot the AR in it's most raw form (stock M16A2 with a burst trigger), and in it's most evolved forms, the AR today delivers great accuracy if you're willing/able to spend the time learning it's specific needs. If you live close to me or are willing to travel, I'd spend some time taking a look at what's going on. ...maybe even a SCATT session.
Good luck finding something that fills your needs safely.
Last edited by ChrisF; 12/16/18.
