Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Gunsmithing Lyman Digital Trigger Pull Gauge -- Inaccurate?

I've been using a G.P.S gauge ($21) and it seems accurate but hard to read, so I splurged and bought the Lyman gauge which is $57. It is certainly easy to read and seems consistent, but consistently *wrong*. Weights read about 1 1/4 higher on the Lyman than the G.P.S. Based on a number of things, I think the G.P.S is giving correct readings.

I've now ordered an RCBS gauge to be a tie-breaker, but I'm wondering if anyone else out their has encountered inaccurate Lyman gauges.

So you are just going to buy new gauges until you get one that you think is right? Check the one(s) you have. Make a weight ( a sand bag is good)that weighs 5 lbs on your gauge and take it to the post office. Plop it on the counter scale and ask the clerk what it weighs. You now have your calibration weight. Make a note

RAN

I've never been a fan of Lyman products. Hope it works out for you. Let us know the outcome.

The worst problem with the Lyman digital gauge is it continues to record after the trigger trips. This causes false high readings. You have to watch it close and catch the actual reading of the trigger break. Otherwise it is very accurate. I test ours all the time against my spring scale and it is within an ounce. If you can pull it really slow and not over travel it will give good readings but you have really watching close you don't over pull it.

That's a very good point, about the scale continuing to record, but I found that easy to deal with.

But, I think the scale *is* accurate and my problems came down to technique. I just made these changes and came up with 2 lb. 10 oz average for the X-bolt, which is actually lighter than the 3 pounds they say it will get to.

Some changes to technique I made:

1) Put the gun in a gun vise

2) Held the gauge with 2 hands. One hand on the handle and the other with 2 fingers on either side of the rod

3) Made sure to get the scale right alongside the stock and parallel with the height of the trigger

4) Probably most importantly, once I had a rough idea of pull weight, I approached a point just below that quickly and then went very slowly as I continued on up toward the pull weight.

Unless one is adjusting a trigger to meet match regulations, it is a subjective thing really only meaningful to the user. Any gauge that gives repeatable results is ok. For example: if one adjusts his pull to what the gauge says is two pounds, and it feels perfectly ideal to him, then that is his benchmark to aim for with that (and other?)triggers- if all measuring is done with that particular gauge. It doesn't really matter what the actual pull is, as long as the gauge indicates two pounds. Likewise if when adjusting down and the thresh hold for safety is reached (the sear not staying in engagement reliably), then that is the benchmark for that, as long as the same gauge is used. No matter what actual force is employed, all that matters is that the same gauge be used religiously for all critical adjustments done by an individual to his own guns.

In truth, the rest of the world doesn't give a hoot if a shooter states his trigger is adjusted to a 10 ounce let off, or if it is even measured with laboratory accuracy. What matters is that let off, no matter what it actually is, feels good to the owner and can be repeatably adjusted to in a safe and reliable manner. Hence the need for a good repeatable gauge, not necessarily an accurate one.

I also use my trigger gauges to weigh my rifles, and for that it is important to have accuracy -- so I can compare notes with others here.

you guys know you can check your spring scales with water right??

Water, Tap water is consistent enough to get you with in 1 ounce on the scale

1 ounce of water is quite a bit to be off on a measuring cup. so the chances of you being off are slim.

Just measure one pound (pint at a time) in a measuring cup, come up to the same point and dump water into larger vessel. works every time.

How do you deal with the weight of the container?

Also, according to what I just read, 2 cups of water weigh 1.0425 pounds so it's going to be hard to come to exactly 1 pound using volume measures.

IOW, do all my thinking for me!