The Importance of a Good Trigger Pull in Handguns

June 03, 2009 |

The Importance of a Good Trigger in Handgun Shooting

The key to firing a handgun accurately is to maintain your sight picture during your trigger pull, until the gun fires. If your sights remain aligned during the trigger pull, without disruption, the shot will go where you want it to go. Any movement in the sights caused by a heavy or rough trigger pull will adversely affect your accuracy. A handgun with a smooth, relatively light trigger pull will be easier to keep on target during trigger manipulation. This results in a handgun that is easier to shoot accurately, regardless of the intended purpose of the handgun (competition, self defense, plinking, etc.). You’ll have more fun with a gun that you shoot accurately and, regardless of its use, accuracy is the ultimate goal.

A large part of the handgun business we do at Dury’s Gun Shop involves the Glock pistol. Fortunately, it is a very simple and quick parts-swap to lighten the trigger pull on a Glock. Changing the factory connector to the “4.5” connector (marked with a “-“) will result in a lighter trigger pull, making the gun easier to keep on target during the trigger pull. We have three certified Glock Armorers on staff who can install the required connector inexpensively while you wait. 

Our three full-time gunsmiths can do trigger jobs on 1911-style guns and some other types. These need to be brought in for our gunsmiths to inspect and evaluate. Most double-action semiautomatics (Heckler & Koch, Springfield XD, etc.) cannot be modified except at the manufacturer’s factory. For these, contact the manufacturer to see if trigger modification is possible/available.

For revolvers, our gunsmiths can install a “spring kit” to make the trigger pull lighter. Again, your handgun should be brought in for inspection and evaluation.

A handgun is much more enjoyable if it is one you can shoot accurately. A trigger job on your handgun can make it easier to shoot accurately and result in a much more enjoyable shooting experience.

Dury’s Gun Shop will be hosting a one-hour seminar entitled, “An Introduction to Practical Pistol Competition” on Saturday, June 06, 2009 from 8:00-9:00 am. Some of the topics to be discussed are basic handgun marksmanship, basic equipment, getting started in handgun competition and benefits of shooting in matches. Feel free to join us Saturday morning!