AD at the range today

[dj454]

I saw an actual accidental discharge today at the range. Everybody had just got back from target reset when BOOM. A guy in the 2nd stall was sighting in his rifle and when he flipped the safety off it went off. The range officer had a talk with him and I heard him say he has a 6 ounce trigger on the rifle. The guy in the first stall said the guy never touched the trigger. A 6 ounce trigger on a deer rifle seems a bit too light to me. In my opinion nothing less than 2lbs for a hunting rifle maybe 1.5 lbs on the extreme. I hope it wakes the guy up and he realizes that is not safe. Maybe a bench rest rifle with a 6 ounce trigger might be ok but not a rifle you will carry in the woods. I would think a trigger that light would work against you in a hunting situation because I know how buck fever can cause you fire early with a normal trigger if your not careful.

[Hazcat]

I have a 2.5 on my Savage and it is LIGHT!  Think about it and it fires.

I cannot imagine 6oz!

[fightingquaker13]

I have a 2.5 on my Savage and it is LIGHT!  Think about it and it fires.

I cannot imagine 6oz!

6 oz  is not an AD. Its a DAD (dumb ass discharge). I hope his gunsmith has good liability insurance, because that is just a tragedy waiting to happen.
FQ13

[m25operator]

Remington had a recall over something just like this, If the safety was engaged, and the trigger pulled, the rifle would not go off, UNTIL,  the safety was taken off, then BOOM. I like very light triggers, but in the field I use 2lbs or more except for my set triggers, 4lbs, if just taken up and fired, but if you have a little time, push the trigger forward and now your at 8oz. The cool thing about set triggers is the original sear engagement exits, the trigger is pre-loaded forward, and has a helper spring to propel it forward to the sear, and release it, although extremely light, the sear engagement is still the 4lbs, it is just slapped hard.

I don't know of a trigger that go's under 2lbs and still has the safety, on a commercial rifle, unless it is a set trigger.

Gunsmith part, when I adjust triggers, after the adjustment, the rifle is slammed  hard against the floor on the butt to see if it will jump off the sear, Then the bolt is worked very hard into battery and look for the same thing, last put the safety on, pull the trigger and let the safety off, and look for the same thing, all of this with an empty chamber of course, if it passes these tests, usually good, but if I do it in the summer on a factory trigger, it needs to be retested in freezing weather, A 2lb Remington factory trigger will usually not pass this test from warm season to freezing season so the normal adjustment is 2 1/2 lbs +.

In this case, adjustment to that level I would expect bad things to happen, now We don't know what rifle, but I cannot think of any rifle without a set trigger that has a safety, set to 6oz or even 1lb pull. The Remington 40x has such a trigger but no safety. The safety is trigger finger, and don't slam the bolt, but this is a competition rifle and is expected to be treated like one.

[fightingquaker13]

Remington had a recall over something just like this, If the safety was engaged, and the trigger pulled, the rifle would not go off, UNTIL,  the safety was taken off, then BOOM. I like very light triggers, but in the field I use 2lbs or more except for my set triggers, 4lbs, if just taken up and fired, but if you have a little time, push the trigger forward and now your at 8oz. The cool thing about set triggers is the original sear engagement exits, the trigger is pre-loaded forward, and has a helper spring to propel it forward to the sear, and release it, although extremely light, the sear engagement is still the 4lbs, it is just slapped hard.

I don't know of a trigger that go's under 2lbs and still has the safety, on a commercial rifle, unless it is a set trigger.

Gunsmith part, when I adjust triggers, after the adjustment, the rifle is slammed  hard against the floor on the butt to see if it will jump off the sear, Then the bolt is worked very hard into battery and look for the same thing, last put the safety on, pull the trigger and let the safety off, and look for the same thing, all of this with an empty chamber of course, if it passes these tests, usually good, but if I do it in the summer on a factory trigger, it needs to be retested in freezing weather, A 2lb Remington factory trigger will usually not pass this test from warm season to freezing season so the normal adjustment is 2 1/2 lbs +.

In this case, adjustment to that level I would expect bad things to happen, now We don't know what rifle, but I cannot think of any rifle without a set trigger that has a safety, set to 6oz or even 1lb pull. The Remington 40x has such a trigger but no safety. The safety is trigger finger, and don't slam the bolt, but this is a competition rifle and is expected to be treated like one.

Good point on the set triggers. Any idea why they're not popular here in the US, because God I love them. As you say, you get the safety of a firm trigger, but also the precision of a very light one. I would certainly have payed extra for this feature, yet I can't think of a popular US hunting rifle since the Sharps that used them.
FQ13

[Sponsor]

[1911 Junkie]

Do you know how long ago the Reminton recall was?

I have a buddy with a 700 who messed with his trigger until it would fire when the safety was taken off.

I also have the same rifle and would like to know.

[blackwolfe]

A guy at the range once insisted that I shoot his Anschutz .22 bolt action target pistol.  He told me the trigger was two stage and a little light.  I lined up on the target and barely touched the trigger expecting to work the first stage and the gun fired.  I opened the bolt and laid the gun down on the bench.  The guy was a little mifed that I didn't want to shoot it anymore telling me what a fine target pistol it was with only a three ounce trigger pull.  I absoultly hated it and thought it was dangerous.  Although you called this an accidental discharge, I think it borders on negligence having such a lite trigger.  

[m25operator]

Late 80's Junkie as far as I can remember, FQ the domestics really never had it that I remember, except for Shiloh, the imports however, Steyr, and CZ, for sure, but brownell's sells the Dlask arms, which I have on my model 7, carbine, and it works great, but not expensive, uses the original firing group, but the trick trigger.

Light triggers are for precision shots in a given venue, pistol or rifle, My match airguns are all under 1lb, but that is the game, If you have not handled one, it will surprise you again and again, but then again that is what works, but none of us wants an AD.

[fightingquaker13]

Late 80's Junkie as far as I can remember, FQ the domestics really never had it that I remember, except for Shiloh, the imports however, Steyr, and CZ, for sure, but brownell's sells the Dlask arms, which I have on my model 7, carbine, and it works great, but not expensive, uses the original firing group, but the trick trigger.

Light triggers are for precision shots in a given venue, pistol or rifle, My match airguns are all under 1lb, but that is the game, If you have not handled one, it will surprise you again and again, but then again that is what works, but none of us wants an AD.

Airguns are where I've used them as well, but the German brand (spacing on the name) would let you fire with a two stage 4 ilb., or just pull it to the break and then use the set trigger, very sweet and way beyond my budget.
FQ13

[Big Frank]

Airguns are where I've used them as well, but the German brand (spacing on the name) would let you fire with a two stage 4 ilb., or just pull it to the break and then use the set trigger, very sweet and way beyond my budget.
FQ13

Maybe Feinwerkbau?