In another thread I responded to a post with...
My reply was not specific enough. I should have said that if changing to a "lighter" trigger improved a shooters group size, they most likely have a issue with fundamentals. In that case, they would be better served with a case of ammo and some practice on fundamentals rather than a gear upgrade.
Going to very light triggers will force a shooter to have better fundamentals in one area, that of applying too much pressure to a part of the firearm.
When you apply too much pressure to a firearm, specifically not in line with the bore, you are disturbing the sighting, or POA thus introducing uncontrolled variables and disturbing accuracy.
We often see people say things like...my gun shoots better than I can, as well. I agree that for most casual shooters, and a good number of competition shooters, that is a true statement. But it is not a universal statement.
Rifles, pistols and shotguns all have different fundamentals, but the universal one is true...properly "point" the firearm at the target and press the trigger whiteout messing up that point. I use point, because "align the sights" is not universal.
With rifles, we can argue about loaded or unloaded forces on the firearm and the nuances between irons and optics, but the fundamentals of pressing the trigger without putting off axis forces into the rifle before during and after ignition is universal to getting all of the inherent accuracy out of a rifle. Free recoil all the way through a loaded bipod even to a lead sled will prove this to you if you don't believe it. Proper fit helps a good deal as well. But if one has proper fundamentals, whether prone, off-hand, bench or alternative positions, and you repeat it, you will shoot very close to the best inherent groups of a rifle's capability.
Many years ago, I set up a stage with 2 AR15s and small targets at 100 yards. One AR had a 2 pound AR-Gold trigger in it, the other an 8 pound Mil-Spec trigger, but all else was the same. If you guessed that folks preferred the AR with the better trigger, you would be right. The "rationalizations" were very interesting in that some blamed their misses on the trigger, some thought the barrels were different and some thought the ammo was different. But, the best rifle shooters just got behind each rifle, and applied proper fundamentals and got their hit on each rifle with no perceivable difference. Those who were not as good had to shoot more shots, with both rifles. The heavy trigger was first, the light trigger second. The RO working that stage learned a lot.
With pistols, typically, we are shooting unsupported, with 2 hands. But the same things apply, it is just harder. And unlike shooting rifles, grip strength is a huge factor. If we grip past about 70% with our strong hand, it becomes more and more difficult to not disrupt the sight picture during the trigger press, even more so at speed. If you don't have 100 pounds of grip force, you are starting behind the 8 ball with anything 9mm and above. You will have to sacrifice speed, or accuracy. Less movement of the trigger is a bigger benefit here than 2 pounds vs. 8 pounds as less movement of the trigger finger translates to less movement imparted to the rest of the hand, and thus the handgun. Hand to grip size and proper trigger to trigger finger geometry is also important for optimum accuracy. I'd argue that a short light trigger is a larger benefit with handguns than for rifles. But it is a different dance with handguns based on how they are used and, not to go into the weeds, but single action vs. double action. Glock threw a curve ball, and other manufacturers have gone from the accepted "Safe-Action" to, for all intents, single action striker pistols.
Shotguns have their own set of fundamentals and incorporate a few elements of rifle shooting and pistol shooting. For sake of argument, we'll stick with the traditional bead sight and the notion that the rear sight is your eyeball. So having perfect fit matters the most with the shotgun. And, since the shotgun is traditionally used for moving targets, the ability to maintain the cheek, head, shoulder gun geometry through the swing, firing and follow through IS part and parcel of the fundamentals. I'd say that 75% of the missed targets from the kids on my HS shotgun team are due to stopping the gun or lifting the head...at the point they press the trigger. I'd also argue that a good trigger is more important on a shotgun than on a rifle.
I shoot my guns, a lot, and so most of them, even with factory triggers, are smoothed out in the process of my practice to get used to the gun before I use it. Yeah, I have some excellent trigger jobs done on a few revolvers, a platform where having a good trigger might be the most important. But most of my hunting rifles have the factory trigger in them. With ARs, I have at least 6 different triggers, and I shoot them all about the same when it comes to groups off the bench. I can swap lowers around and I get no change in group size. BUT, when shooting in competition, where time is also a factor, yes, a better trigger does allow a little more speed and they are a little more forgiving if my fundamentals are not on point.
Just my opinions of course, but based on a lot of data from myself, students and top tier shooters over the years.
My reply was not specific enough. I should have said that if changing to a "lighter" trigger improved a shooters group size, they most likely have a issue with fundamentals. In that case, they would be better served with a case of ammo and some practice on fundamentals rather than a gear upgrade.
Going to very light triggers will force a shooter to have better fundamentals in one area, that of applying too much pressure to a part of the firearm.
When you apply too much pressure to a firearm, specifically not in line with the bore, you are disturbing the sighting, or POA thus introducing uncontrolled variables and disturbing accuracy.
We often see people say things like...my gun shoots better than I can, as well. I agree that for most casual shooters, and a good number of competition shooters, that is a true statement. But it is not a universal statement.
Rifles, pistols and shotguns all have different fundamentals, but the universal one is true...properly "point" the firearm at the target and press the trigger whiteout messing up that point. I use point, because "align the sights" is not universal.
With rifles, we can argue about loaded or unloaded forces on the firearm and the nuances between irons and optics, but the fundamentals of pressing the trigger without putting off axis forces into the rifle before during and after ignition is universal to getting all of the inherent accuracy out of a rifle. Free recoil all the way through a loaded bipod even to a lead sled will prove this to you if you don't believe it. Proper fit helps a good deal as well. But if one has proper fundamentals, whether prone, off-hand, bench or alternative positions, and you repeat it, you will shoot very close to the best inherent groups of a rifle's capability.
Many years ago, I set up a stage with 2 AR15s and small targets at 100 yards. One AR had a 2 pound AR-Gold trigger in it, the other an 8 pound Mil-Spec trigger, but all else was the same. If you guessed that folks preferred the AR with the better trigger, you would be right. The "rationalizations" were very interesting in that some blamed their misses on the trigger, some thought the barrels were different and some thought the ammo was different. But, the best rifle shooters just got behind each rifle, and applied proper fundamentals and got their hit on each rifle with no perceivable difference. Those who were not as good had to shoot more shots, with both rifles. The heavy trigger was first, the light trigger second. The RO working that stage learned a lot.
With pistols, typically, we are shooting unsupported, with 2 hands. But the same things apply, it is just harder. And unlike shooting rifles, grip strength is a huge factor. If we grip past about 70% with our strong hand, it becomes more and more difficult to not disrupt the sight picture during the trigger press, even more so at speed. If you don't have 100 pounds of grip force, you are starting behind the 8 ball with anything 9mm and above. You will have to sacrifice speed, or accuracy. Less movement of the trigger is a bigger benefit here than 2 pounds vs. 8 pounds as less movement of the trigger finger translates to less movement imparted to the rest of the hand, and thus the handgun. Hand to grip size and proper trigger to trigger finger geometry is also important for optimum accuracy. I'd argue that a short light trigger is a larger benefit with handguns than for rifles. But it is a different dance with handguns based on how they are used and, not to go into the weeds, but single action vs. double action. Glock threw a curve ball, and other manufacturers have gone from the accepted "Safe-Action" to, for all intents, single action striker pistols.
Shotguns have their own set of fundamentals and incorporate a few elements of rifle shooting and pistol shooting. For sake of argument, we'll stick with the traditional bead sight and the notion that the rear sight is your eyeball. So having perfect fit matters the most with the shotgun. And, since the shotgun is traditionally used for moving targets, the ability to maintain the cheek, head, shoulder gun geometry through the swing, firing and follow through IS part and parcel of the fundamentals. I'd say that 75% of the missed targets from the kids on my HS shotgun team are due to stopping the gun or lifting the head...at the point they press the trigger. I'd also argue that a good trigger is more important on a shotgun than on a rifle.
I shoot my guns, a lot, and so most of them, even with factory triggers, are smoothed out in the process of my practice to get used to the gun before I use it. Yeah, I have some excellent trigger jobs done on a few revolvers, a platform where having a good trigger might be the most important. But most of my hunting rifles have the factory trigger in them. With ARs, I have at least 6 different triggers, and I shoot them all about the same when it comes to groups off the bench. I can swap lowers around and I get no change in group size. BUT, when shooting in competition, where time is also a factor, yes, a better trigger does allow a little more speed and they are a little more forgiving if my fundamentals are not on point.
Just my opinions of course, but based on a lot of data from myself, students and top tier shooters over the years.