trigger pull

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dlay

Bearcat
Joined
Dec 19, 2012
Messages
61
Location
East Tennessee
My sr 1911 has a trigger pull of around 4 lbs, a little over some and a little under some, with a lyman digital gauge. I also has just a little creep in it also, any thoughts on a simple fix to get lighter and smoother? haven't shot but four clips thru and dry fired some, will it get better on its own?
 

Snake45

Patriot, Mentor, Friend ~ RIP
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Mar 14, 2009
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What exactly do you plan to do with the gun?
 

DGW1949

Hunter
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Apr 10, 2005
Messages
4,308
Location
Mississippi
A new 1911-type pistol which has a 4lb trigger with "just a little creep" sounds about perfect.
We are talking about a semi-auto service-pistol here, right?....not a bolt action target rifle?

DGW
 

dlay

Bearcat
Joined
Dec 19, 2012
Messages
61
Location
East Tennessee
The creep bothers me more than the pull, I need to shoot it more, ammo is problem here. I am used to soft triggers, both rifle and revolvers. Thanks, for info, will try to shoot more.
 

revhigh

Hawkeye
Joined
Aug 31, 2005
Messages
5,590
Location
PA
I think what you're really looking for is a crisp trigger .... Rather than a 'soft' trigger.

REV
 

Pat-inCO

Hawkeye
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Oct 17, 2009
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In the AZ oven (Phoenix basin)
dlay said:
... will it get better on its own?
No.

It WILL get better with use. Try a . . . lot . . . of dry firing. I have a very inexpensive 1911 that I bought expressly for dry firing. I noticed that the trigger began improving at somewhere near two . . thousand . . cycles. By the ten thousand I have on it, the trigger feels like it was done by a very good 'smith.

Dry firing also helps get rid of your flinch.

I have one that has a measured 3.75 lb. trigger. It is SCARY light. One in the 4 to 5 lb range seems best (I REALLY like between 4 and 4.25).
 

pisgah

Buckeye
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Apr 17, 2006
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Upstate SC
I agree that mucho dryfinring will help. You might also want to try a trick that sometimes work. When you dryfire, add thumb pressure to the hammer as you pull the trigger. The idea is to force the sear and trigger in to tighter contact and increase the rate of wear -- meaning, up to a point, you are mating the two parts. This does not always provide much improvement, and I suppose it could be overdone to the point of breaking a sear or trigger notch by some hamhanded muscle man, but the difference can be rapid and dramatic in cases where there is a minor rough spot or burr.
 

98Redline

Blackhawk
Joined
Dec 9, 2010
Messages
681
Location
PA
The trigger will slick up on it's own, however taking creep out of a 1911 trigger is not something that should be attempted unless you have the proper fixturing and know exactly what you are doing.

Additionally the MIM parts (primarily the sear and hammer) are certainly not designed for a perfect trigger pull. A good smith can certainly work with them, however I would not invest the money into a trigger job unless I was replacing the hammer and sear with something that is much more durable, such as the parts from EGW, Wilson Combat, or Les Baer.

All in all, I would say that the triggers I have felt on the SR1911s I have handled have not been bad at all. I would say give it 2000 rounds or so. If you still don't like it by that point you can look into a trigger job.
 

ra

Single-Sixer
Joined
Jan 16, 2010
Messages
264
Location
Tennessee
The cause of creep is the sear as it rides up the hammer hooks. When a smith does a trigger job they reduce the height of the hammer hooks to around .020", some go as low as .018". There are more steps to a trigger job but this removes most of the creep.
Here is a article from Brownell's

http://www.brownells.com/aspx/learn/learndetail.aspx?lid=10297

I did my own trigger job on my Ruger 1911, I reduced the hooks to .020" and tweeked the spring, I didn't touch any angles on the sear just a little polish to it and the disconnector. I have a 3.75 pound pull with no creep. If you feel comfortable working on your gun go for it, there is a lot of info out there. If you don't take it to a smith.

Roger
 

dlay

Bearcat
Joined
Dec 19, 2012
Messages
61
Location
East Tennessee
Shot a little more today, it is alright, creep seems to have lessened somewhat, it shoots much better than my 70 year old eyes will let it. Going to shoot a little more sun or mon.
 

1911Tuner

Single-Sixer
Joined
Jun 12, 2013
Messages
243
Are you sure you're not confusing creep with pretravel? Pretravel is the distance that the trigger moves before it presses on the disconnect. Creep is the distance that the trigger moves in rolling the sear away from the hammer hooks. Smooth, even creep is aka "Rollout Break" and some people pay talented smiths for that type of trigger action. Personally, I like a rollout break. Glass rod triggers have their place...but not on a defensive sidearm...IMHO.

They need a little pretravel. I like .050-.060 inch to prevent inertial hammer follow with heavy steel triggers. A light,low mass aluminum trigger will let you get away with less...but it still needs about .040 inch.

And 4 pounds is already just a wee bit light unless the gun is a dedicated range queen.
 

Rodfac

Blackhawk
Joined
Mar 11, 2009
Messages
691
Location
Kentucky
1911Tuner said:
Are you sure you're not confusing creep with pretravel? Pretravel is the distance that the trigger moves before it presses on the disconnect. Creep is the distance that the trigger moves in rolling the sear away from the hammer hooks. Smooth, even creep is aka "Rollout Break" and some people pay talented smiths for that type of trigger action. Personally, I like a rollout break. Glass rod triggers have their place...but not on a defensive sidearm...IMHO.

They need a little pre-travel. I like .050-.060 inch to prevent inertial hammer follow with heavy steel triggers. A light,low mass aluminum trigger will let you get away with less...but it still needs about .040 inch.

And 4 pounds is already just a wee bit light unless the gun is a dedicated range queen.

Very well said, Tuner...Rod
 

dakota1911

Buckeye
Joined
Mar 26, 2009
Messages
1,021
When you use any trigger gauge, use it several times. Throw out the first couple readings and average the next ten or so. My SR1911CMD is at 4.5 lbs with only a couple hundred down the tube. Lovely trigger, but for me that is a little light for a carry gun. Everyone and every gun is different. Hands, fingers, grips, trigger, etc.
 

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