How low do you go in the woods?

[thermaler]

I'm talking trigger pull weight. I've seen some mention of weights that are around what I would consider a match bench gun. But my experience so far has been that maneuvering in the woods, with all kinds of of branches, twigs grass and stuff--not to mention gloves, cammo wear and close confines of a stand--is such that I don't feel comfortable with a round in the well and a very light pull weight--regardless of safety or not. I'm really interested in what others set their pull weights at for hunting.

[sixonetonoffun]

Agree with the #3-3.5 crowd. Accidental discharge is too scary. Especially parrty hunting. I don't want to live forever but...

[rjtfroggy]

I keep my trigger wt. at 1.5-2 lbs. for hunting. I let the gray matter between my ears be my main safety,I keep finger off the trigger until ready to shoot,never with gloves on and don't load until in my stand. I also unload before getting out of stand and walk to & from unloaded. If I see something while walking oh well there is always tomorrow.
If you have ever seen a high power gun shot wound on a person you would understand my reasoning.

[foxx]

I agree. My woods/brush gun is a Marlin Guide Gun. Trigger pull is 4.5 lbs... a little more than I'd like.
My long range bean field, "blind" rifles are 1.5 lbs if Accutrigger, about 2.5 if not. I normally don't wear gloves, no matter how cold it gets, and if I do, its just for camo and I cut off the trigger finger. If my hands get cold I use a muff while in a stand and they just don't get all that cold walking or stalking. Also, when I use the 1.5 # Accutrigger, there is no realistic chance I will shoot anyone because it is so wide open there. However, I might get excited and shoot before I am totally set. Haven't dealt with that yet. :)

Welcome any opinions to the contrary.

[jb6.5]

All mine are 1.5 to 2 lbs. for hunting I don't like to go much lower.

[JCalhoun]

About 4 lbs. My fingers get cold easily so tend to wear gloves a lot.

[sixonetonoffun]

I'll admit my 3 accu-triggers may be a little lower then the standard.triggers. But haven't changed springs on em spose they break around 2.5 or so.

[Rick_W]

My go-to Savage 10FP is set at 2.5 lbs. I've never had a problem with keeping the safety on and my finger out of the trigger guard until I was ready to shoot.

[shovelheadave]

3.5#, don't want any problems from cold fingers

[thermaler]

Most of mine are in the 3 to 3.5--but I do have my 300 win mag at around 2/2.5. I suppose if you are doing a static long-range thing maybe a lighter setting is OK--especially with an accutriigger that prevents a sear break. I sometimes wonder how many of these would pass the "dropped from the stand" test.

[rjtfroggy]

Mine passed from 18 feet. Of course the scope and stock didn't fair so well and it sure put a damper on that days hunt (thank God for more than 1 gun), was able to go out later that day after a trip home for replacement but it never fired when it landed.
Do not try this just to see if they hold.
It aint the fall it is the sudden stop that screws em up.

[JCalhoun]

I learned a long time ago to bring more then one gun.

[foxx]

Mine passed from 18 feet. Of course the scope and stock didn't fair so well and it sure put a damper on that days hunt (thank God for more than 1 gun), was able to go out later that day after a trip home for replacement but it never fired when it landed.
Do not try this just to see if they hold.
It aint the fall it is the sudden stop that screws em up.

Was that an Accutrigger? If so, was it the safety bade that stopped the sear from falling all the way or did it just not break?

[limige]

1.5-2# for me. Im not pushing through brush and shoot with jersey gloves. Finger dont touch the trigger until im ready to kill.

[rjtfroggy]

No not an accu-trigger old three screw, and believe me there was a pucker factor. You know one of those OHHH-****'s. I think the reason it didn't go off was because it landed on the scope.

I only lived 20 minutes from where I was hunting, it took longer to walk in or out than it did to drive there.

[Savage6x284]

All my rifles are at about 2.5-3#. These triggers are all extremely crisp with no hint of mushiness before the break and minimal overtravel after the break. Nearly everyone who tries my rifles thinks that my pull weight is much lower than it actually is.
Given the fact that my preferred method of shooting whitetails is on the ground stalking through sometimes very heavy vegetation I feel more comfortable in the 3# range.
I'll take a clean crisp 5# trigger over a mushy, indistinct 2# every day.

[thermaler]

All my rifles are at about 2.5-3#. These triggers are all extremely crisp with no hint of mushiness before the break and minimal overtravel after the break. Nearly everyone who tries my rifles thinks that my pull weight is much lower than it actually is.
Given the fact that my preferred method of shooting whitetails is on the ground stalking through sometimes very heavy vegetation I feel more comfortable in the 3# range.
I'll take a clean crisp 5# trigger over a mushy, indistinct 2# every day.

Funny you mention this--the trigger on my new American also has almost zero travel before breaking and/or overtravel--my feeling is that the "feel" is heavier than it actually is.

[handirifle]

When I was in West Germany, '74, one of my fellow soldiers was sitting in the guard tower, like we always did. The tower windows were too high at the bottom to sit and see out them, and 4hrs at as stint was too long to just "stand there" so they built pedestals to put our chairs on. MOST of us would set the rifle in the corner, on the floor (M-16 A1) and for some reason he set his on the pedestal with him. After an hour or so he was shifting in his chair, and bumped his rifle. The buttstock slipped off the pedestal and when it hit the floor (about 16" drop) the bolt CHAMBERED A ROUND AND FIRED IT, WITH THE SAFETY ON!!!!

The investigating board worked for 2 weeks to try to prove he did it himself in an attempt to get out of the Army, but every test they did, repeated exactly how he said it happened. Bullet entered his right arm about halfway from shoulder to elbow and went straight through the bicep. No bone injury, very lucky.

That is only ONE of the reasons I don't like AR's (or most any semi auto) for hunting, or for much else for that matter. Army board finally cleared him and ruled it completely accidental. NONE of them thought it would so easily chamber a round and fire it with safety on. Can it happen with a bolt gun, yes if a round is in the chamber, but NEVER if none is chambered.

[thermaler]

When I was in West Germany, '74, one of my fellow soldiers was sitting in the guard tower, like we always did. The tower windows were too high at the bottom to sit and see out them, and 4hrs at as stint was too long to just "stand there" so they built pedestals to put our chairs on. MOST of us would set the rifle in the corner, on the floor (M-16 A1) and for some reason he set his on the pedestal with him. After an hour or so he was shifting in his chair, and bumped his rifle. The buttstock slipped off the pedestal and when it hit the floor (about 16" drop) the bolt CHAMBERED A ROUND AND FIRED IT, WITH THE SAFETY ON!!!!

The investigating board worked for 2 weeks to try to prove he did it himself in an attempt to get out of the Army, but every test they did, repeated exactly how he said it happened. Bullet entered his right arm about halfway from shoulder to elbow and went straight through the bicep. No bone injury, very lucky.

That is only ONE of the reasons I don't like AR's (or most any semi auto) for hunting, or for much else for that matter. Army board finally cleared him and ruled it completely accidental. NONE of them thought it would so easily chamber a round and fire it with safety on. Can it happen with a bolt gun, yes if a round is in the chamber, but NEVER if none is chambered.

I find this very hard to believe--UNLESS the bolt was already locked back in the "charged" position; in which case I could see how something like that could happen with the right jolt. right worn parts, right sticky springs etc.

[DanSavage]

I've been hunting deer in the open bean fields with my 16 pound match .308 rifle, trigger set at 5 oz. works real good when you need to take a 200 yard free hand shot while standing. In the woods during regular gun season I feel best with the accu trigger at 1.5 lb. I always hunt alone and never crash through thick stuff banging through branches. I always stalk my game, i'm not a fan of shooting at running animals taking snap shots, that's how accident's happen. I've shot 4 doe so far in the bean fields and I must say that nothing can survive a 178 amax!

[Nandy]

I think it is regional and very depending on how you hunt. Nowadays all my 3 hunting rifles are under a pound. However, I hunt 100% from a stationary point, either a blind, stand, climber or shooting box. Never walked with a loaded gun (except when stalking back in the days) in the woods. I walk to my stand with a round or two in the magazine but none chambered, bolt closed. When at the stand I load a shell, push the bolt forward but do not close it until I see deer and I decide to take it. Seems to me the majority of the bolt guns does not block the firing pin when the safe is on, only way to be 100 percent safe is to not have a round loaded and the bolt closed, no matter how much you bang your gun, it wont go off...

[yobuck]

We, meaning all of us in our camp only hunt long range. If it rains we dont hunt except from our porch from which we can see a long way.
There is never a gun handy for shots along the road in the vehicles. The gun is placed on a portable bench when we arrive at our destination,
wether that be by walking or driving. It is never loaded untill we are ready to actually shoot at an animal.
The shooter will not be wearing gloves. Id say most of our guns have 1.5/2# pull.

[J.Baker]

I'm like mine in the 3 to 3.5 pound range as well. Strange things tend to happen to the human body when a deer, elk, moose, bear, whatever poses for you in front of your crosshairs, so I like the extra safety factor. I also almost always wear gloves when hunting, be it leather shooting gloves, lightweight camo or heavy insulated so the extra pull weight gives better trigger feel and eliminates any possible "Did I do that?" moments.