Trigger stop? "We don't need no stinking trigger stops!"

[carl3989]

Seriously though, I carried in excess of 20 years a Combat Masterpiece until the Department transitioned to Sigs and thousands of my fellow members also carried revolvers and nary a one ever had a trigger stop. Now I just got this new 625 PC and it's hyped to have a trigger stop. When I look at it, all I see is a roll pin flush wth the back of the trigger. So I think to myself that it must be doing something wonderful inside the trigger, otherwise why would S&W hype it? Then I see pictures on the forum of other revolvers and the stops stick out the back.Then forum members tell me the stop is suppose to bonk against the frame when the trigger is pulled all the way. Well mine doesn't do any of that and why should I care? Please help illuminate me here in the frozen north of upstate NY. Thanks in advance.

 

[CrossRifles2008]

I'm also confused about it.

 

[scooter123]

In theory, the trigger contacting it's limit of travel should happen as close to the break as possible so that the sight picture will be disturbed by the least amount possible. That way you can't continue to move the trigger at speed after the break and cause a "hitch" in the sight picture when when it does bottom out. Personally, I'm not a good enough shot with either a handgun or rifle to ever notice the benefit of a trigger stop.

 

[Texas1941]

Trigger stops were once pretty common on Smiths, especially those that were intended for target shooting. The stop was a sort of half moon shaped piece of steel that protruded from a slot in the frame behind the trigger. It was a part that required a fair degree of hand fitting (or so I've been told). You often saw service guns with the slot but no trigger stop. This was especially true of K frames.

I don't know when the feature was dropped.

There are a couple of issues with trigger stops, at least from my point of view. One is the tendency to make the stop too long, which does not allow enough over travel for a smoth follow through.

The other is with adjustable trigger stops that are very common on 1911s. The stop can back out unless it is very well secured. Every adjustable stop I've looked at is threaded so that, if it does back out, over travel simple becomes longer. The weapon will still fire, but the quality of the trigger pull is degraded. If you are a competition shooter, this is a bad thing in the middle of a match. Might be a nasty surprise in a self defense situation, as well.

For what it's worth, both of my bullseye 1911s have welded trigger stops. The PC trigger stop is probably harmless, but I doubt it's a big advantage.

Charles

 

[Mike SC Hunter]

Trigger stops were once pretty common on Smiths, especially those that were intended for target shooting. The stop was a sort of half moon shaped piece of steel that protruded from a slot in the frame behind the trigger. It was a part that required a fair degree of hand fitting (or so I've been told). You often saw service guns with the slot but no trigger stop. This was especially true of K frames.

I don't know when the feature was dropped.

There are a couple of issues with trigger stops, at least from my point of view. One is the tendency to make the stop too long, which does not allow enough over travel for a smoth follow through.

The other is with adjustable trigger stops that are very common on 1911s. The stop can back out unless it is very well secured. Every adjustable stop I've looked at is threaded so that, if it does back out, over travel simple becomes longer. The weapon will still fire, but the quality of the trigger pull is degraded. If you are a competition shooter, this is a bad thing in the middle of a match. Might be a nasty surprise in a self defense situation, as well.

For what it's worth, both of my bullseye 1911s have welded trigger stops. The PC trigger stop is probably harmless, but I doubt it's a big advantage.

Charles

K frames has those screw held oblong stops in a milled slot in the frame behind the trigger. IF THEY GOT LOOSE AND ROTATED they could and would prevent the gun from firing. Mine 19 did just that once while I was shooting at a coon. Most LE armorers would remove them from duty guns to prevent such a mishap.
BTW I still have them a 18/19 & pre 15.

 

[epj]

N frames used to have a fitted pin inside the trigger return spring.

 

[cmj8591]

The trigger stop is more important in accurate single action shooting than double action. It does make a difference in a bulls eye gun. I'm not sure of its value in double action combat shooting.

 

[RGPM1A]

My 617-6 has a trigger stop pin inside the rebound slide spring.

 

[Bullseye Smith]

Food for the brain, what "if" your action is so good that the hammer drops when the trigger is almost all the way back that they cut the stop off flush that it didn't need one, That is a "if". But a good one!!!!!

 

[snw19_357]

I can understand your confusion or disgust.

A trigger stop is meant to limit or prevent over-travel of the trigger.

Back in the day, adjustment of the trigger stop was somewhat limited (especially with a K-frame). Today, the PC is able to control its limits better.

You could look at it as a positive that you don't need much of a roll pin in your 625 to properly limit the travel of your trigger.

 

[CrossRifles2008]

Sounds like Carl is right. We don't need no stinking trigger stops!

 

[nofishbob]

Regardless of whether or not you believe that an external trigger stop is essential, the one on the OP's revolver is faulty.

My view is that if a gun does not have an external trigger stop, I would not go far out of my way to add one. If it comes from the factory with one, it should be functional. Come on! An external trigger stop is not a cosmetic enhancement!

Mine was the same as the OP's on a new PC gun, and S&W made it right when I sent the gun in for other QA problems.

My gun has a fabulous single action trigger now.

Good luck!

Bob