Wide triggers on firearms?

[Ds J]

What are your experiences with wider triggers on firearms?

My dad's revolver (S&W M19 6") had one and I recently handled a rifle with a wide aftermarket shoe on the trigger.

It feels really good but can anyone give an experienced opinion?

[Rick Pascoe]

Trigger shoes were quite popular back in the 80's and work well PROVIDING that they do not protrude past the trigger guard.They give better purchase for the tip of the trigger finger and hence a cleaner break.Shoes that are wider than the guard are an accident waiting for a place to happen. I used to stipple the standard trigger on SA pistols to give a better grip and smooth and round of those on DA guns.

[Ds J]

Smooth DA triggers - is it because they have a longer travel?

[TStone]

Shoes that are wider than the guard are an accident waiting for a place to happen.

I have seen two ad's with hunting rifles that were fitted with trigger shoes.

[pre 64]

As uncle Rick says,they were popular in the 80's with a few ISU target pistols having a wide trigger as standard.

Yes,the smoothing on DA triggers was done because of the long travel.This enabled your trigger finger to come straight back towards you for the full lengh of travel.On an even trigger pull,your finger maintains the same directional contact on the trigger but the trigger actually slides under your finger as it moves back.

Like a lot of modifications,a trigger shoe has its pro's and con's.

In theory [hell of a thing] it should actually be safer than a trigger job that lightens the trigger pull for the simple reason that while the trigger pull stays as it was made in the factory,it gives the impression of being lighter as your finger contacts on a larger surface area.

Care must just be taken [practice ?] to avoid an AD as stated by T. A lot of chaps contact or brush the trigger when they slide their finger into the trigger guard.It is a lot easier to then inadvertently press the trigger which is fitted with a wide shoe.Add a bit of buck fever,adrenaline or fatigue and....boom.

Me,i like a wide trigger and another advantage is that it also changes the distance in relationship between your grip on the FA and the reach to the trigger.If you feel that you are 'crowding' your trigger [too close to your grip] then a trigger shoe is a very good fix.The chaps with large hands or long slim fingers may find a trigger shoe invaluable.

[Wanderin' Zero]

https://www.americanrifleman.org/art...-trigger-shoe/

Another view on the subject.

[A-R]

Smooth DA triggers - is it because they have a longer travel?

I find that a serrated DA revolver trigger will chew the skin off my trigger finger if shooting long strings. This makes me assume that the finger moves a little around the trigger on the long DA stroke. A smooth trigger face is easier to control and more comfortable on the long run. I also like to slightly round the sharp edges of the trigger face.

A wide trigger shoe seems to help a heavy rifle trigger feel a little lighter. It does not really reduce the pull weight, but spreads it out over a larger surface, resulting in a PERCEIVED lighter pull weight.

[Marius@Jizni]

I'm struggling to see how reducing the PERCEIVED pull weight can contribute towards accuracy. If the ACTUAL pull weight is the same, the misaligned component of the force is going to be the same, and the movement of the sights will be the same. Maybe less feedback can equal less flinching if you're going really fast, not trying to find the reset point and just going for a long, constant move through the trigger travel, but I don't know if that is for me. Not if it means losing some ability to find the reset point fast and consistently.

A while ago I had a discussion with Santie and she mentioned that when she was shooting 3P air rifles, a serrated trigger allowed her to feel the trigger better when tired and sweaty. So I changed over to a serrated trigger, and I do think that it works a bit better for me. (Single Action)

[Zipp]

I have had a trigger shoe on my hunting rifle for the last 35 years. I Took it off for a season and the practical accuracy suffered, may be due to habit/ muscle memory of there may be something in it. The SA Bisley shooters had a trigger weight limit and most of them used trigger shoes, should count for something!

[Ds J]

If I understand this correctly it is similar to putting wider tyres on a vehicle. The weight of the vehicle stays the same but the distribution area is larger. The tension of the trigger spring stays the same but the force is distributed over a larger area of the trigger. One needs less force per square cm than on a thinner trigger.