Aftermarket Trigger Spring Hype!

Glad to hear someone say that, Lance!

The "Featherlite" in my X-bolt was like a weight training machine for index fingers at nearly 5lbs pull weight out of the box and could only adjust it down to 3.6lbs. With the spring I'm at 2.5lbs which is right where I like it and this trigger breaks very consistently pull after pull with no safety issues what so ever. I believe Browning specs say the "featherlite" trigger is adjustable from 3-5lbs so I would be inclined not to go to far below the advertised minimum without a better understanding of overall design\mechanics of this trigger.

Side story about gun safety issues related to trigger adjustments:
I was 10yrs old hunting buck mule deer with my grandfather here in E. Oregon. We made our way down a high ridgeline in broken timber with me trailing about 20 ft behind. I walked past an opening on my right and see a large yellow pine windfall laying across the opening with some branches sticking up. I took 2-3 more steps and realized yellow pines don't have branches that low and have much larger branches (My grandfather owned a logging business and taught us about trees from a young age). I did a double take and now I saw clearly these were not tree branches. I tiptoed up to my grandfather and tapped him on the shoulder and pointed back towards the opening. He signaled me to stay behind him and he silently made his way to investigate. He spotted "the branches" and with his rifle at an upward 45 degree angle clicked the safety off and ka boom! the rifle went off. The buck jumped from his bed a huge non-typical probably 10X8 (couldn't count that fast) and high and wide as a country mile raced down slope in an opening no longer than 40 yds. Gramps (what us grandkids called him) skillfully cycled another round into his 1950 Remington model 721 270 Win while I standing safely behind him was transfixed on the buck which was just about to leave the clearing when Boom! down went the buck. I looked at Gramps with amazement and he looked at me with a similar look and then we both looked back down the clearing and the buck is gone! After checking for blood and finding none Gramps theorized he must of hit that magnificent rack probably near the base which temporarily knocked him out.

Gramps had adjusted the triggers pull weight below what was safe for its overall functionality and the trigger broke when he clicked the safety off. After this incident he re-adjusted it until it passed the safety safe on\off test which he did not do after adjusting it the first time and the bump/drop test. Keep in mind this is waaaay before the issues with the Rem. X-Mark Pro triggers. I have my grandmothers Rem 700 made in 1969 and hadn't used it much until about 11yrs ago. I took it to a very reputable smith in my area to have the pull weight (didn't want to mesh with it knowing what happened with Gramps) I told him the story about the big buck getting away when Gramp's rifle mis-fired. He said the trigger\safety in this semi-early model 700 is basically the same as the trigger\safety in the model 721 only minor differences. He went on to say they are fine hunting triggers but he will not adjust them below 2.0lbs (He is a decorated 1000yd benchrest shooter and hunter) and not even that low for triggers that show a significant amount of wear. I had him set it 3lbs and this is a very accurate rifle and the trigger is a key component in making it so.

My take on all this is don't deviate far from the rifle manufacturers limits on trigger pull weight min\max recommendations ever and test test test especially when changing the overall mechanics. To this day I've never come across a buck like the one my Gramps missed that day and if I ever do I want my rifle to function flawlessly so god willing I can get the job done.

You know how you can tell if you flinch when you pull the trigger or if you come off target when you drop the trigger? Here's how. Note attempt #3. I knew I short stroked the first attempt, but thought I got it on the second...apparently not. Glad I caught that on video. Still not sure why the first round was sticky, this is a very moderate load.

My dad slapped the trigger, I never could break him from this habit. I did a video of him slapping the trigger, never realized the slap. Those heavy triggers can jerk you way off!

I have a aftermarket spring in Tikka T3 used for target work and no issues with hundreds of rounds. I have 2 bolts and 3 barrels for this rifle to make a nice switch barrel setup in a MPA Comp Chassis. One of the nice things about Tikka IMO, I can get a very nice trigger without spending $$ on a replacement.

lancetkenyon said:

So it is the pull weight of just over 1# to 3# variation. It keeps you honest that way.

As for pull weight... you might not want to know what I run my triggers set at (3oz to 8oz max).

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Seems pretty light for a hunting rig, bouncing around in a side by side, bumped and banged climbing rough terrain, etc......but to each their own. I have no problem with very light (sub 1#) on my long range steel rigs, but not my hunt rigs.

birddog 68 said:

Originally you said NEARLY a pound and now it's 2.5 pounds?
If you are getting almost 2.5 pounds difference between trigger pulls there is definitely some type of problem.

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Sorry if my math was off when explaining. I used loose wording, so my bad. To be clear, the actual measurements were from a low of just over one pound (1#3oz) to a high of just over three pounds (3#3oz).

I prefer just to change the trigger with aftermarket. I have done the springs and had good luck (I will not do a spring kit on the accutrigger style them get a charge out)

griffin ordway said:

Seems pretty light for a hunting rig, bouncing around in a side by side, bumped and banged climbing rough terrain, etc......but to each their own. I have no problem with very light (sub 1#) on my long range steel rigs, but not my hunt rigs.

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If it passes drop tests, what does bouncing around or banged climbing have anything to do with it? When I test mine, I am quite certain I slam it harder than either of those two examples.

griffin ordway said:

Just a bit of a public service announcement here. I got roped into the hype about swapping trigger springs to improve trigger pull, both on my X Bolt and my T3X.
Long story short, both rifles ended up becoming, in my personal opinion, unsafe. The main issue, with both, was that the pull weight was not consistent....like really, truly, scary inconsistent. The differences from pull to pull would vary by nearly a pound, and when you are shooting for a pull weight of 2 Lbs., this can become obviously unsafe, when the the trigger arbitrarily and unexpectedly breaks at 1 Lb. It is also very annoying, not having a consistent break. Yes, I saved a bunch of money going the spring route vs new trigger, but the new trigger would have been money well spent. I am not going to bash particular brands here, I will just say that my experience was with two of the most well known brands, and both had the exact same issue, on both rifles. Buyer Beware!

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Depends on the MANUFACTURE of the SPRING!

VinceMule said:

OP, I think there are some other issues vs spring, which would be how the contacting surfaces mate together.

I have replaced a bunch of springs on Browning A Bolts for myself and family with absolutely no issues. I am not familiar with other models of A bolts. Trigger pull on the A Bolts with upgraded springs runs between 1 lb to 2 lbs, and none have ever been any kind of problem. As you gain experience in tuning springs, you can get down below 1 lb, but this may not be safe for you or your gun. I use a large ink pen spring as they usually come in two sizes, measure dia with a caliper.

I would examine how the spring is being cradled, and if you can, if the spring is perhaps a tad bit too short...in which case you would pull it apart a little. Also, there maybe a bind in the pins, those holes need to be lapped with fine valve grinding compound, flitz, or other.

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THIS ^^^ THIS ^^^ read, the TOP line
As a former Gunsmith ( 25 years ) Springs, AREN'T that,.. inconsistent !
I've Done 2 Tikka's with Ernie the Gunsmith spg's,.. set at, 1 3/4 pounds for, Big Game, Hunting ( a .270 WSM and a 7-08 Rem, )
and I've done 2 set at, 1.25 Pounds for, Steel Targets / Varmints with, Elay Precision, springs and Have NEVER had, any such, "issues" !
Something ELSE is WRONG with your Rifle's trigger System !,.. take it to, a Gunsmith for Answers !

I replace the spring on my T3X with a Mountain Tactical and it worked gangbusters. That being said, I haven't weighed the pull, but if it were wildly different I would have noticed. I wonder what the difference is.

Idaho Lefty said:

THIS ^^^ THIS ^^^ read, the TOP line
As a former Gunsmith ( 25 years ) Springs, AREN'T that,.. inconsistent !

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I agree. Look at the trigger sear mating. That is likely not fully resetting due to lack of spring pressure to push it in position.

This can be a problem with user adjustable triggers. Something abnormal pressures the trigger….dirt, drag, roughness…these happen and users often struggle to diagnose. If I'm getting more than 0.25lb difference, I know something is wrong. Maybe it is as simple as cleaning or adding more spring force, but it cannot just be used in that condition.

After reading all the input so far (and thanks for that), I am a bit stumped. It is pretty much everyone's opinion that the problem can't possibly be with the springs. That leaves only one other possibility....the trigger mechanism in the rifle. So, what changed in the mechanism when the spring was changed out? And why/how would two different rifles experience the exact same problem when the spring was changed out? I was originally leaning towards the idea that maybe, just maybe, the factory triggers are just not engineered to to take springs that were "too light" (sear mating and resetting issues, as mentioned above), but if that were the case why does it seem that I am the only person that is experiencing this issue? As for taking it to a gunsmith, I think it would be money better spent buying an aftermarket trigger group and calling it a day.....in my experience most (not all mind you) smiths would just scold me for trying to alter a functioning factory trigger in the first place.