Trigger over travel...after the shot breaks

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toddinjax
Posts: 303
Joined: Wed Feb 24, 2010 10:04 pm

Trigger over travel...after the shot breaks

Post by toddinjax »

I read somewhere that you should pull the trigger all the way to the end of it's possible travel after the shot breaks. I've noticed occasionally that when I do I can accidentally deflect what would have been a pretty smooth release & accurate shot.. Not every time, but sometimes. Do I really need to pull all the way to the end? Sometimes I think it'd be better if I had a bit more reverse travel (I have it adjusted to a fairly minimal amount) and just stopped my finger after the shot breaks. So is it correct that one should always pull till the trigger until it can go no more, and/or will NOT doing this just create another issue?
Thanks much, todd.
orion_134
Posts: 9
Joined: Sun Nov 27, 2011 9:07 am
Location: Gainesville, FL

Post by orion_134 »

Let's think about this on a MICRO level. Once the shot breaks, in that split instant the trigger (which has finger pressure on it) is providing no pressure back to the finger. This causes the finger to accelerate because nothing is now resisting it. The further the trigger moves before it is stopped by the overtravel limiter, the faster the trigger is moving and the harder it hits that limiter. The harder it hits the limiter, the more deflection can occur (if the trigger pull is skewed even slightly off-plane of trigger travel) before the pellet has left the barrel...throwing the shot. IMO, you want that limiter right at that point that the shot breaks so the trigger stops immediately.
Jesse
Isabel1130
Posts: 1364
Joined: Mon Jan 28, 2008 7:19 pm
Location: Wyoming

Post by Isabel1130 »

The are dangers and different considerations to both schools of thought. Most the shooters I know really hate a lot of over travel on the trigger because in sustained fire they need to release it and get back on the trigger as quickly as possible.
If you are only going to shoot "one" gun and it is something like an air pistol or free pistol where you are doing one shot at a time, with a very light trigger, over travel is kind of a non issue.
However quite a few shooters also shoot events where the triggers are much heavier or they are shooting multiple shots.
I personally shoot better with a roll trigger and shoot best when I pull it all the way through smoothly and quickly. Thinking about "stopping" my trigger pull right after the shot breaks makes it almost impossible for me to shoot well because I find myself stopping my trigger pull before I get to the point that the shot will break. If I spend a lot of time shooting guns with really light triggers, I tend to hesitate on my guns with heavier triggers and abort a lot of shots.
I find it interesting that you seem to think that pulling the trigger all the way to the back causes you occasionally to have a poor shot. I can see where with some guns, a lack a follow through might cause a problem but the problem is more likely to be an unconscious "jerk" on your part that is moving the muzzle before the shot leaves the barrel.
lastman
Posts: 194
Joined: Mon Oct 19, 2009 10:05 pm

Post by lastman »

I think you may have slightly misunderstood what you read regarding to pull all the way to the end.

From a technical standpoint, once the shot breaks you should continue doing exactly what you were doing before the shot broke. That means you are continuing to press the trigger and develop pressure.

If it hits the end of its travel so be it, that is not the aim of what your doing. You're working on consistent development of the trigger, even after the shot has broker.

Personally I find over travel a bit distracting, so I adjust my mechanical trigger so there is very little over travel. But this is a personal preference. An electronic trigger will not have the falling off effect that a mechanical trigger does.

This is a fairly long way of saying rather than thinking about press to the end of the pull. Just keep pressing exactly the same way as you were prior to the shot breaking.

Good luck
David M
Posts: 1686
Joined: Wed Mar 24, 2004 6:43 pm

Post by David M »

Too little can be just as bad as too much. You need a little overtravel, the amount depends on the trigger sear setting, trigger weight and shooting style.
Experiment with differing amounts and see the results. You will learn what is best for you.
Spencer
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Location: Sydney, Australia
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Post by Spencer »

David M wrote:... the amount depends on the trigger sear setting, trigger weight and shooting style...
AND for 25m pistols, the 'peculiarities' of the design.
While insufficient first-stage travel is a major culprit, insufficient after-travel can cause problems - non-allowable malfunctions are something you can live without!

As alluded above, twitching 'off' during the after-travel is probably due to consciously or subconsciously letting the shot off when things look just right, and a poor triggering technique,
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jackh
Posts: 802
Joined: Sat Sep 25, 2004 8:51 pm
Location: Oregon USA

Post by jackh »

I have been at this pistol game over 40 years, and more with rifles. Mostly with High Standards with the trigger stop properly adjusted for small overtravel. Also with High Standards without any adjustable trigger stop. I honestly can not tell the difference by any feel, or result.
jerry0503214
Posts: 4
Joined: Fri Dec 09, 2011 8:01 pm

Post by jerry0503214 »

Too little can be just as bad as too much. You need a little overtravel, the amount depends on the trigger sear setting, trigger weight and shooting style.
Experiment with differing amounts and see the results. You will learn what is best for you.







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