{"id":13576,"date":"2016-06-29T18:46:27","date_gmt":"2016-06-29T18:46:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/?p=13576"},"modified":"2016-06-29T18:46:27","modified_gmt":"2016-06-29T18:46:27","slug":"its-your-trigger-stupid","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/its-your-trigger-stupid\/","title":{"rendered":"It’s Your Trigger, Stupid!"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"T-1\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Some shooters just don\u2019t get it, probably because they spend too much time shooting from the bench. From the standpoint of practical rifle shooting, the bench rest has no place. You can easily manage a bad trigger from the bench because 90 % of your concentration in on the trigger and only 10% on the sight picture. When you\u2019re shooting off-hand the exact opposite is true. 90% of your focus is on sight alignment and only about 10% on the trigger.<\/p>\n

Why did you miss that big buck? Very likely because your trigger sucks!<\/p>\n

Who cares how it shot from the bench? What matters in the field is how you shoot your rifle from various positions. Like Gunsite Academy<\/a> Jeff Cooper often wrote, \u201cThe most essential element of the \u201cshootability\u201d of rife or pistol is its trigger action.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

I conducted a test to see how much difference a good trigger could make. I started with a box stock Remington 700 with a trigger that broke reasonably clean at 5.25 pounds. First I fired three, three-shot groups from the bench at 100 yards. Then, I fired three shots from the standing, three shots from the kneeling, and three shots from the seated position, all at 100 yards. (Every three-shot group was fired within 30 seconds.) The results are shown below:<\/p>\n

Bench Rest Groups \u2013 Factory Trigger<\/strong><\/p>\n

1.41 inches, 1.96 inches, 1.86 inches<\/p>\n

Average Group Size: 1.74 inches<\/p>\n

\"T-4\"<\/a>
Nothing to brag about here. There shots standing, three shots kneeing, and three shots seated, with a factory, five-pound trigger.<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Off Hand Score \u2013 Factory Trigger<\/strong><\/p>\n

62 0 X out of possible 90-9X (9 inch + group)<\/p>\n

\"T-2\"<\/a>
Most Timney triggers can be installed in about 20 minutes or so and you can do it right on your kitchen table.<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The next day I installed a Timney<\/a> trigger, adjusted to break at 2.5 pounds. I then repeated the drill from the day before. The results are shown below.<\/p>\n

Bench Rest Groups \u2013 Timney<\/a> Trigger<\/strong><\/p>\n

1.15 inches, 2.39 inches, 2.58 inches<\/p>\n

Average Group Size: 2.04 inches<\/p>\n

Off Hand Score \u2013 Timney<\/a> Trigger<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Total: 79 \u2013 3X out of possible 90-9X (7.85 inch group)<\/p>\n

\"T-3\"<\/a>
This target shot with a 2.5-pound Timney trigger looks much better. Three shots standing, three shots kneeling, and three shots seated.<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It\u2019s reasonably clear that from the bench rest there was not a lot of difference; average group sizes were within a quarter-inch. Yes, the groups fired with the Timney trigger had a larger average but this could be within the performance range of the ammunition, or it ould have been influenced by not torquing\u00a0the stock screws the same as they were from the factory. Regardless, as stated at the outset, a bad trigger can be managed from the bench.<\/p>\n

(For what its worth, it took\u00a0two\u00a0shots for the rifle to settle\u00a0together\u00a0after trigger installation\/stock removal. Those two shots landed six inches apart and the third shot returned to the original zero. Keep this in mind if you ever remove your action from the stock.)<\/p>\n

The off-hand shooting is where the stark difference appeared. During the first nine shots with the factory trigger, I horrifically missed the 12-inch target with one shot from the standing position! The other eight shots grouped into a nine-inch cluster, but not a single shot landed in the X or 10 ring.<\/p>\n

The off-hand shooting with the Timney<\/a> trigger was much better, maybe more so than the score represents. Four of the shots landed in the ten ring and three of those were Xs! There were more than twice as many shots in the black on the target shot with the better trigger. Comparatively speaking, shooting off-hand with the factory trigger produced a pattern more like a shotgun \u2013 and you know how much I dislike shotguns.<\/p>\n

The moral of the story is, life\u2019s too short and targets are too small to live with a bad trigger. Visit a gunsmith or call Timney<\/a>.\u00a0Your other options is to just keep missing or to only shoot from a bench rest. Just remember, a bench rest is hard to find in the bush!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Some shooters just don\u2019t get it, probably because they spend too much time shooting from the bench. From the standpoint of practical rifle shooting, the bench rest has no place. You can easily manage a bad trigger from the bench because 90 % of your concentration in on the trigger and only 10% on the sight picture. When you\u2019re shooting off-hand the …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[2509,2522,2500,1],"tags":[2693,2694,1292,2459,249],"class_list":["post-13576","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-defense","category-hunt","category-shooting","category-uncategorized","tag-bench-shooting","tag-field-shooting","tag-good-triggers","tag-rifle-shooting","tag-timney-triggers"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p5hujZ-3wY","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":7493,"url":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/triggers-matter\/","url_meta":{"origin":13576,"position":0},"title":"Triggers Matter","author":"gunwriter","date":"September 3, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"I have been working with ARs in .300 Blackout for several months now. After finishing a project where I tested the accuracy and terminal performance of a bunch of factory loads and some hand loads - See an upcoming issue of Shooting Illustrated - I'd had about all I could\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "DEFENSE"","block_context":{"text":"DEFENSE","link":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/category\/defense\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Before you give up on a load shooting groups like this in your AR, you might want to think about replacing the trigger.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/T1-300x291.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":12879,"url":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/rifle-shooter-interface\/","url_meta":{"origin":13576,"position":1},"title":"Rifle \/ Shooter Interface","author":"gunwriter","date":"January 13, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"The interaction between a human and a firearm is most assuredly dependent on the interface of the two. Shooting a firearm is a mechanical exercise and if the mechanical aspects do not jive, the bullets will not find their mark. At least not the mark the shooter intended. \u00a0 Rifle\/shooter\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "DEFENSE"","block_context":{"text":"DEFENSE","link":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/category\/defense\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"RSI","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/RSI.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/RSI.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/RSI.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/RSI.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":12899,"url":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/an-oscar-nomination-for-timneys-targa-triggers\/","url_meta":{"origin":13576,"position":2},"title":"An Oscar Nomination for Timney’s Targa Triggers","author":"gunwriter","date":"January 16, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"With all the talk about the Oscars and the movie The Revenant - which was really a story about a man who just wanted\u00a0his rifle back - winning a bunch of them, I've got another Oscar nomination for you. Its for the new Targa triggers from Timney.\u00a0Now, though it was\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "HUNTING"","block_context":{"text":"HUNTING","link":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/category\/hunt\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"TT2","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/TT2.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/TT2.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/TT2.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/TT2.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":12684,"url":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/a-deer-target-for-rifle-hunters\/","url_meta":{"origin":13576,"position":3},"title":"A Deer Target for Rifle Hunters","author":"gunwriter","date":"November 22, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Rifle hunters are lazy and often careless with their practice. 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Do you understand take-up, creep and over-travel? The trigger is arguably the most important interface between a shooter and their rifle. If you want to shoot your best you need a good trigger. And to get a good trigger, you need to know what\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "DEFENSE"","block_context":{"text":"DEFENSE","link":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/category\/defense\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"BLOG LEAD","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/BLOG-LEAD.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/BLOG-LEAD.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/BLOG-LEAD.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/BLOG-LEAD.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":8692,"url":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/whats-in-your-rifle\/","url_meta":{"origin":13576,"position":5},"title":"What’s in your rifle?","author":"gunwriter","date":"April 1, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"3-Gun competition is the fastest growing segment of competitive firearms shooting. 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