19 July 13
At a Three-Gun-Program, here in CO, earlier this week, a female student was with us, sporting an expensive, custom 5-inch 1911, from a well-known manufacturer, for whom I have a great deal of respect.
However, the trigger, crisp and breaking-glass-like as it was, was far too light for a serious, carry pistol. It broke at three pounds, and I indicated to her that it was too light for a defensive pistol, in my opinion.
She graciously accepted my comments, but she clearly loved her beautiful pistol!
She loved it a little less after a high-stress exercise in which she was required to transition from her rifle (which had just run out of ammunition), to her pistol, and engage a close threat. She smoothly made the transition, drew her pistol, and fired three rounds at the immediate threat.
The first two were carefully aimed and struck the target in the center, as planned and intended. The third shot was an AD. The pistol was in full recoil from the second shot, and it discharged while still angled upward. It startled her. The round struck the top of the berm, a good distance over the target.
She recovered nicely and finished the drill. She transitioned back to her rifle, reloaded it, and then immediately used it to engage several more targets.
Afterward, I asked her about the AD.
She was trying to catch the link after the second shot, and it just caught her by surprise.
No harm done, but here is the point:
The industry standard for pull-weight on triggers of production pistols is currently six to seven pounds. I think that is about right. I’m sure it’s too heavy in the minds of some, too light for others. While I think twelve-pound triggers exhibited by the NY2 Glock Trigger Modification are needlessly heavy. I’m not comfortable with triggers any lighter than six pounds, owing to the foregoing.
I consider myself an reasonably competent Operator, and I carry routinely. All my carry-pistols comply with the foregoing industry standard. Three-pound, or lighter, triggers have no place in my life!
/John
