Still trying to figure out which trigger i want for my rifle build. I'm an admitted trigger snob even though I don't have any good ones. My favorite trigger was the Anschutz 5018 that was in the small bore I use to competed with back in college. What I liked about was that I could adjust it so that it had essentially zero over travel, and a second stage that was only about 20 thousandths. When the sear breaks, I really don't want the trigger to actually move any further than necessary. Everything else I've ever played around with, between the sear engagement, and over travel, the trigger ends up moving 50 to 60 thousandths and I hate that. Then again, I don't really have access to triggers to play around with. Different people have recommended Tubbs, B&A, and a couple of others, but I don't really know how they compare, or if they can be adjusted the way I would want. Are there triggers available that can be set up to run reliably with so little trigger movement?
More trigger questions
- Thread starter Lefty2506
- Start date
Doug Beach
Silver $$ Contributor
You might not like it, but that trigger movement doesn’t (or shouldn’t) show up on the target.
It's definitely a preference thing for me. Accuracy wise, I can get what I need from a stock Savage trigger, but that doesn't mean I like them. The only reason for me to build the rifle with a custom 700 clone is so I can put a trigger in it that I really like. Otherwise, I'd just find a Savage 110 on sale somewhere for $300, buy a new stock for it and a new barrel in my choice of chambers and call it done. Short of the 1813 smallbore and my 2002 Anschutz air rifle, everything else I've ever owned has been what I would consider "entry level".
For most disciplines, I've found that entry level equipment is more than accurate enough to win matches at the state and local levels. Points that I've dropped are because I dropped them, not because my equipment was insufficient. I've always wanted a custom rifle, but its never been in the budget. When we started a family 20 years ago, I quickly ran out of time for competing, so my dream of a custom tack driving target rifle quickly faded. I still hunt and do some plinking and training for fun a few times a year, but not enough to justify the cost of something like that.
Once our house was paid off, I was able to set aside a little money once in a while. After a while I was able to picked up a Savage 12FV from cabelas in 223 just to see if I thought i could ever be happy with a rifle built on a Savage action. Cheap rifle to feed, and no complaints on the accuracy. Straight from the box it was capable of 1/4 moa with hand loads. I really have no complaints about the rifle, but if I'm going to plan on spending well over a grand on a rifle, I WANT a trigger that I enjoy a LOT more than this.
A few years later I started doing a somewhat anual trip west a few years back for PDs. In an effort to enjoy the Savage moor, I put a timney trigger in it and dropped it in an Oryx chassis. As a 300-400 yd pd fifle, it's fine. One heck of a rifle for the $$, but I just can't get myself to enjoy the single stage trigger. If I'm going to build a rifle from scratch, I'm not going to be happy with it unless I can set the trigger up the way I want it. I'd gladly spend the money for an anschutz trigger if I knew I'd be able to fit it in a common chassis (or a stock I like) without dealing with a ton of headaches, but I'm not willing to drop $600--$700 on it without knowing it will end up working for me in the end. Similarly, I don't want to drop $300-$400 on a trigger I know will fit in the rifle without knowing I can set it up the way I want it.
There are better options on triggers than the Anschutz. How do I know this? Just take a look at the competitive F-Class shooters where every ounce of precision is chased down without budgetary concerns.
You are wanting a trigger that is better than the Timney that is in your Savage. Each shooter has their own preference with some making a distinction of precision target versus field rifle, with the main difference being pull weight. Building a custom rifle is a big investment … $3k - $5k plus the cost of optics ($1k-$2k). It is completely understandable that you want the right trigger. Every once in a while you might find a display of triggers that you can test fire, but I’ve only seen this for AR15 triggers ($90 - $175). You are looking for triggers in the $300 - $450 that can be set down to mere ounces… not likely to find sitting in a display demo at any gun store. Maybe you find this at national convention like annual NRA show, but that is a costly trip to try out triggers. Your best bet is to find a gun range that has F-Class Competitions or even PRS competitions and maybe show up to a local match and talk to some of the shooters to see if they’ll let you handle their gun.
Otherwise, take a look at top recommended triggers for competition shooting here on the forum. If this isn’t an option then you might consider calling known top gunsmiths or premium rifle makers/action manufacturers to speak with them… or watch a bunch of YouTube videos. Good Luck
You are wanting a trigger that is better than the Timney that is in your Savage. Each shooter has their own preference with some making a distinction of precision target versus field rifle, with the main difference being pull weight. Building a custom rifle is a big investment … $3k - $5k plus the cost of optics ($1k-$2k). It is completely understandable that you want the right trigger. Every once in a while you might find a display of triggers that you can test fire, but I’ve only seen this for AR15 triggers ($90 - $175). You are looking for triggers in the $300 - $450 that can be set down to mere ounces… not likely to find sitting in a display demo at any gun store. Maybe you find this at national convention like annual NRA show, but that is a costly trip to try out triggers. Your best bet is to find a gun range that has F-Class Competitions or even PRS competitions and maybe show up to a local match and talk to some of the shooters to see if they’ll let you handle their gun.
Otherwise, take a look at top recommended triggers for competition shooting here on the forum. If this isn’t an option then you might consider calling known top gunsmiths or premium rifle makers/action manufacturers to speak with them… or watch a bunch of YouTube videos. Good Luck
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Get a Triggertech Diamond and never look back.
swd
Silver $$ Contributor
I grew up as a teen shooting small bore silhouette with an Anchutz 54 and too was spoiled by nice triggers. I have used and or worked on Jewel, Flavio, Side, Timney, Trigger Tech, Bix n Andy, Shilen, Huber, Rifle Basics, and at least a few more I've forgotten. Jewell was my go to for years but we know that story. Huber's break like glass but are not user adjustable and they charge to do anything to them. Flavio and Side have a negative engagement angle feel to them. Good triggers but an odd feel to me. That leaves Bix which is my current favorite of the available triggers. Excellent feel and break and the competition model will go as light or lighter than you'd ever want. The other triggers I mentioned either flat out suck or have been constantly unimpressive for use on a bench rest or F Class rifle.
With the advancements in manufacturing technology over the past 30 years, I have no doubt that there are better triggers available now than the 5018 that I was using. I just don't have a good reference point to go from.
I would NOT say that Timney is my benchmark. Not even close. It was a moderate upgrade to the Acu-trigger. I would have likely been just as happy with one of Savage's target triggers as I am with the Timney. For the Savage platform, either of those options are about as good as I'm likely going to get, and that's adequate for that specific rifle. It is a FAR FAR cry short of what I would expect on a custom build. I've played with a TT Diamond in an AR. For an AR trigger, I'd say its not bad at all. For a bolt gun, it's not worth half of what it costs IMHO. I too have seen displays with AR triggers, but never for good bolt gun triggers. I really wish Ultimate Reloader would do some trigger plots on the B&A, and some of the others out there. The plots he did on the Anschutz and TT Diamond were very telling in regards to what a person should expect the trigger to feel like.
I'm also not limiting myself to a trigger that costs $300-$400. That's just the cost of most of the higher end triggers that I'm finding. As I mentioned, I'd have no issues spending $650 on a 5018 trigger today if I knew it would fit on a 700 clone correctly and still let me drop it into a Chasis or stock. I don't mind making some minor modifications with a Dremel and a burr, but with that trigger installed on an adapter I have no idea what it would take to make everything fit.
Also I'm not necessarily looking for a trigger that can go down to a few ounces. If it can't go much below a pound, that's probably still fine so long as I can set it up the way I want. If the 2nd stage is a 1.5 lb, I would want the first stage to be 16 to 20 oz, with zero over travel, and roughly 20 thou of travel on the 2nd stage for the sear to break. With this set up, I've found that I can deal with more trigger weight without it affecting accuracy. I'd rather have a trigger like this than a trigger where the 2nd stage was only 6 oz, but the trigger had to move 40 thou or more to break the sear.
Those are good suggestions. Thanks!
The TT Diamond that I played around with was in an AR. For my personal preference, I had to move the trigger way too far to get the sear to break, and I wasn't really pleased with how much over travel it needed in order to function reliably. I haven't played around with one that's made for a bolt gun. Maybe that would be better. I can definitely understand why an AR would need a little more sear engagement and overtravel for reliability compared to a bolt gun. I have a buddy who sells TT. He probably has a diamond trigger for or on a bolt gun that I could play around with. While I thought the AR TT Diamond wasn't good enough for a bolt gun, all the comments I can find indicate that there's not a big difference between a Trigger Tech Diamond, and the other triggers (like B&A). If that's true and all the TT Diamond triggers are essentially the same in regards to how they can be set up, then I'm not likely to be any more happy with a B&A either. To be clear, its not that I thought the TT Diamond was too heavy or rough, or that it didn't break clean enough. My ONLY complaints are that the minimum over travel still felt excessive, as did the length of the 2nd stage. Both of these are in comparison to how I ran the 5018 trigger.
swd
Silver $$ Contributor
They don’t go as light as I like and have too much sear engagement and don’t feel as crisp as other triggers. The sear engagement is sealed and if you remove the seal to adjust it, it voids the warranty. They might be able to be adjusted to feel nice but they are the only company with a lawyer seal.. Every other company lets you adjust theirs so the ones I mentioned end up with a better break than TT..
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