Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Trigger pull for a hunting rifle

After shooting bench rest rifles ( 40x ) for years. The triggers are set at 2 ozs. I can’t stand a heavy trigger. My hunting rifles have DST’s. Where you have a choice. When the triggers are set it’s about 3 oz. Pulling without setting about 1 1/2 pounds. Granted most of my hunting is in South Texas from an elevated blind or from a Jeep in a high seat.
Hasbeen

Has the rifle been vaccinated? This forum is mostly about that.

3.5# and not less than 3#.

I like 2 to 2.5 pounds

I like 2.5 lbs

2-2.5 lbs, on all of my hunting rifles and handguns, works for me.

2 - 2 1/2 lbs. depending on use.

I like 2.5 on Timneys, 700 or 725 factory. But anything nice and crisp up to 4 or so is workable. My Tangers with tuned factory triggers both run 3 to 3.5, and I have no problem with that.

If they were all shot at 75 yards I don't think it would matter...

Agree. Especially with a rifle that's handed around, loaned to others.

I have a good friend who's a master hunter. He likes his triggers at around 2 1/2 #'s or so. I don't mind adjusting his triggers as I know he knows what he's doing. Otherwise, 3 #'s is about the min I'll do on someone else's rifle.

I like 3 #'s on my personal rifles, have a few that are slightly less, but not much.

DF

Don't much care about the numbers, a good clean break with no creep is my huckleberry. I got an 1893 Marlin that breaks at 4 pounds, but it so crisp and clean it's like an icicle breaking.

Thanks Dwayne, I don't hunt in FL so it's typically a bit chilly and I often wear light gloves but mostly to cover the movement of my hands while glassing and moving about but often don't have time to take them off. I do believe a heavy trigger can be a major detriment to accuracy, especially for young shooters with small hands. I have three sons and they learned early on a Ruger 10-22. I put a Timney in that rifle and it really helped accuracy, little hands and fingers don't quite have the leverage as adults. For me, it's about consistency from rifle to rifle. Based on the replies, 2.5-3 sounds about right. Will be curious when my scale arrives to see what the factory settings are on my four CA rifles.

3 1/4 as per Elmer Keith. 2 1/2 to 3 1/4 seems to work just fine. I don't recall ever missing a critter because of trigger pull, but then I learned on about an 8 lb pull on a Red Ryder and never had a problem with it.

I grew up varminting w HP so like em lighter.

Older, diff job.....my fine touch aint what it used to be.

2 to 4# seems OK these days.

The triggers on my hunting rifles for big game are set at about 3 lbs. Most of my rimfires are lighter, more like 2 lbs.

Why would a lighter weight trigger pull freeze?If you keep lubricants and water out of a trigger it should never freeze.Now a firing pin might freeze if it is greased with a heavy lube or got condensation in it.

2 to2 1/2 pounds works for me.

Anywhere from 2 to 3 lbs works fine for me. Even 4 is ok as long it breaks clean.

3 lbs

No lower than 3.