1911 Trigger Weight

[thawein1856]

So I'm getting my SA 1911 Loaded a trigger job and I wanted to get some feedback on what type of pull (lbs) I should be going for. I am a recreational shooter, this is not for carry or defense, I've considered competitions but that wouldn't be for at least 2 years and I would likely upgrade if I did to a Baer. What do you guys like? I ws thinking 4.5 -5 Lbs. any suggestions?

Thanks.

[razr]

Go for a 3-3.5 crisp.

[Voo]

I just used my buddy's digital trigger gauge to measure the force on my Springfield 1911 and it's roughly 3.5 pounds of force. Under the duress of a timer, I have no idea what the trigger weight is. The best shooters I know cannot tell either when competing in IPSC style events.

I would cater the trigger to what you personally want. If thats 5 lbs..so be it..if its 2.5 thats fine as well.

The guys i shoot often run 2-3 lbs triggers in their guns. I dont really recommend this for everyone, but it's not unreasonable if you're comfortable with it. I think you'll be fine with anything from 3-4 lbs. Also keep in mind things like take up slack, over travel, wiggle, crispness in the trigger. etc etc- If you care about these things, make sure the gunsmith doing the trigger work understands your concerns so that when you get the trigger, its' setup the way you like...

[DougJ]

My Kimber Pro Carry is a very crisp 4lb 3oz, seems about right, or perhaps you could argue very slightly on the light side to me for an SD pistol. If you're exclusively punching holes in paper and whatnot I'm sure you could go lighter and be happy.

It a personal preference thing though. Most important of course is that nice clean break.

[sammy]

Go for a 3-3.5 crisp.

I agree. Anything lighter than a crisp 3# trigger is not going to help your shooting. That would be for a range gun. If this were an all around gun that would be used for home defense I would keep the pull around 4lbs.

[razr]

1911 has one of, if not the best triggers of any pistol. A 1.2 lbs pull is an absolute JOY! If you know what you're doing. Unless you are an experienced shooter don't go below 3 lbs., you'll live longer. Anything over 4.5 lbs is an insult to a 1911, get a double action revolver instead. Once you become proficient, trust me, you could tell the difference between a 2.5 and 3 lbs pull. Majority of people have it at 3.5 to 4.5 lbs, cause its safe and feels normal to them.
3 to 3.5 lbs will help you concentrate on your sight more so than squeezing your trigger. Make sure your gunsmith has worked on 1911s.

[Capt_Communist]

I agree. Anything lighter than a crisp 3# trigger is not going to help your shooting. That would be for a range gun. If this were an all around gun that would be used for home defense I would keep the pull around 4lbs.

+1

3-4 is a good setting

[sholling]

My philosophy for 1911 triggers is 4-6.5lbs for a self defense pistol, 3-4.5lbs for a target pistol with 4-4.5lbs the sweet spot for the average shooter shooting a mixed use pistol. That's where I'd have it set.

[DougJ]

My philosophy for 1911 triggers is 4-6.5lbs for a self defense pistol, 3-4.5lbs for a target pistol with 4-4.5lbs the sweet spot for the average shooter shooting a mixed use pistol. That's where I'd have it set.

[sholling]

I'll add one more thing. If you need a 1911's trigger any lighter than 4 or 4.5lbs to hit what you're aiming at quickly and reliably then you need a lot more trigger time and not more gunsmithing. Stick with a safe pull weight.

[railroader]

My kimber trigger is at about 3lbs. which is great for a range gun. I would consider it too light for home defense but it is great for shooting paper or shooting pistol matches. So I would say between 3 and 4lbs. for your springer. Mark

[3GunFunShooter]

My S&W 1911 is about 4 lbs. My Para 16/40 is a little over 3 lbs. The Para is competition. The S&W is a great range or HD pistol. The Para is strickly for competition, or SHTF.

[JTROKS]

I have my Para/STI 40 S&W at 2.5 lbs for USPSA matches. My open guns are at 2 lbs.

[Kiba]

I have 1.2 lb triggers on both my STI 2011s; my first 2011 was like that when I bought it and I had my 2nd one worked to match the first one as that's what I was used to by that point. They're really nice but too light for most guys. While they feel great dry firing if you don't have good trigger control you'll probably end up doubling or tripling the gun when actually firing it.

I let another "frequent flyer" who I always see at my local range try my .40 limited gun on a day I was doing load development and he doubled it on the very first try-- scared him pretty good. A few friends who I have let shoot them had the same experience... which is why I only load the mag up with 2 for the first couple of tries to make sure they have control over their finger. They're a joy to shoot but not forgiving of poor finger control. I haven't surprised myself (yet) with a unintended double/triple but I have to admit it is something I always have bouncing around in the back of my mind just because the triggers are so light.

Also, once you get the triggers down that light they need "tweaking" and a little touchup work every 2K +/- rounds. If you keep them over 2 lbs they last substantially longer between touchups. Next time around I'll probably put them at around the 2.5 lb mark.

All that being said I'd take a crisp 4 lb trigger with no take up, no overtravel, and a good reset any day of the week over a vague, crunchy, excessive overtravel, or otherwise sloppy 1.5 lb trigger. As Voo mentioned there's a lot more to the overall "feel" of the trigger than just the pull weight. Given your requirements I'd say razr's recommendation is good... go somewhere around 3.5 lbs and make sure it's a very clean break with no overtravel and a good reset.

[subin]

yep, 3~4 lbs.