Mark lll 22-45 "Pre-Travel"

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Biggjimm
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Mark lll 22-45 "Pre-Travel"

Post by Biggjimm » Mon Jun 18, 2012 11:06 pm

After drilling & tapping the pre travel & over travel set screws in the trigger of my Mark lll 22-45, I've come to realize that I think I actually like some of that free floating pre travel in the trigger. I can eliminate pretty much all of the pre travel on this gun & the trigger still reset just fine. It's just that when I take all the pre travel out of it you literally just have to touch the trigger & it's sending one down the pipe & if you're not careful you'll send another one right after the first one leaves the station. Some people may consider that the "perfect" trigger but beings my 16 year old daughter & her 16 year old boyfriend & my wife (all of whom are relatively new to the great sport of shooting) shoot this gun regularly it seems to me to be a safety issue to have the trigger set up like that. When I back the set screw out to give it about 1/8" or so of pre travel and then when you pull the trigger up to that spot where all the slack is gone (which technically should be the same as taking it out with the set screw) its much easier to control & you know exactly when it's gonna break & it breaks the same every time, it seems to be not only safer & more accurate but it's also easier to shoot it accurately & consistently. As much as I teach the kids safety, safety, safety I've watched them bring the gun down after firing (especially if they're excited about making a good or hard shot) & before they engage the safety again they have their finger on the trigger still & with it set that sensitive it would be very easy to have a bad accident. At least with that pre travel in there you'd have to actually pull the trigger to fire it as opposed to just touching it. (And the few times that has happened, we have stopped shooting & we take a refresher course in safety & gun control & trigger control & safety on & muzzle pointed in a safe direction) And even though I know it takes the same amount of pressure to pull the trigger either way it sure seems like its an awful lot lighter when all the pre travel has been taken out. So I'm going with what I feel is the safer, easiest to shoot & most consistent set up. I guess I'm lucky that all those variables line up together. Sometimes what is the most consistent is not the safest or easiest & vice a versa. Any thoughts on this matter? Thanks Biggjimm.

P.S. Is this factory set up on this trigger what they consider a "Two-Stage" trigger or is that something else?
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Post by bigfatdave » Tue Jun 19, 2012 12:24 am

I make a point to NOT start a brand-new shooter out on our two mkIII target pistols, because they're close to dangerous as you describe (I have about 1/2 a turn of pretravel on mine, the Mrs has maybe 3/4 of a turn on hers.

I generally start newbies out with a p22 or similar DA/SA trigger, at "duty" or "service" pull weight, not a slick target gun. Concepts like "finger off trigger" and "muzzle downrange" have to be automatic before moving to the specialized target triggers.

If keeping the muzzle downrange (or digits out of the trigger guard) is a challenge, the instructor needs to make that habit the #1 priority, even a long stiff DA trigger can be yanked by a startled shooter, if the finger is on the trigger.

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Post by Bullseye » Tue Jun 19, 2012 6:58 am

That's the great thing about a pretravel adjustment screw, you can adjust your trigger for the amount of pretravel you desire. You are not stuck with what ever the factory gives you. Not many Marks can fully adjust out all the pretravel, most need about 1/16th of an inch of pretravel for the disconnector to reset properly for a sustained fire sequence.

The Ruger 22 pistol is mechanically designed with a single stage trigger. However with a significant amount of pretravel you can have what amounts to a two stage feel. The plunger in the trigger adds 4-6 ounces to the pull and also gives a slack feel that some are describing as two stage. With a real two stage trigger the first stage takes up most of the trigger pull weight and the second stage is typically the let-off stage of .5 to 1.5 pounds. The Ruger trigger doesn't give this mechanically but can give two distinct feeling stages with the long pretravel slack to the engagement of the trigger to the sear.

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Post by blue68f100 » Tue Jun 19, 2012 8:22 am

Yes, Safety First

With new shooters you seem to have to remind them on occasion. Finger not on trigger unless your ready to fire. Some just don't have the fine motor skills/touch to handle a very light trigger, too.

My MKIII has a very light trigger with very little pretravel. Any time I let a new shooter shoot mine, I have them do a dry fire to know how light it actually is before I let them shoot it. The first time catches them by surprise, did not release as they thought it would. A lot earlier since they were expecting some resistance.
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ruger22
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Post by ruger22 » Tue Jun 19, 2012 10:47 am

I keep about 1/8 inch pre-travel on my VQ trigger. I'm just not comfortable with it set more exact. The after screw is set a little loose too, but I'm just a plinker, not a competitor.
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Post by Biggjimm » Tue Jun 19, 2012 10:41 pm

When I first started them out shooting I had a old sterling .22 with a 12+ lb trigger & we shot it single shot style for a long time until they had the basics & the safety aspects down pat. So they're not brand new shooters but they still don't have the years of experience that I have to where all the safety issues are second nature & are just part of the operation of the gun but they're not careless idiots neither. But like I said that fine trigger is not for them at this stage. Bullseye I was quite surprised when I put the trigger back in after the mods because I read your post about breeding some pre travel to reset properly, so i took all the pre travel out & was gonna start adding a 1/4 turn or so until it would reset & I was shocked that I give it about an 1/8 of a turn & it resets just as pretty as you please but I put about a 1/16" back in it for now atleast. When my daughter starts shooting alot of competitions & if she needs a tighter trigger we'll deal with that at that time. Which reminds me we have our first steel plate match this Saturday & the kids are pretty excited. My daughter is shooting her 22-45 & her boyfriend is shooting my 10-22 & I'm coaching I guess. It should be a blast. Thanks guys. Biggjimm.
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greener

Post by greener » Wed Jun 20, 2012 8:11 pm

Good idea to back off on the pretravel with new shooters. It is very exciting to have your GC pointed at your gut by a new shooter with her finger on the trigger. the second time she got a good example of "beserk".

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