I shot my first double rifles yesterday - had a nice visit with Butch Searcy. Being a bolt rifle guy, the triggers on the doubles were a surprise to me. The pull seemed long and soft with some play on the front end compared to good bolt triggers. Admittedly, Butch said one of the triggers on a 500 had too much creep and needed adjusting. But I'm curious; as a general rule are double rifle triggers soft, with play on the front end?

Antlers

No, there is no reason double rifle triggers need to be any "worse" than bolt rifle triggers.

Just remember, many people, even on big bore bolt guns tend to set their triggers too light, as they shoot them mostly off the bench, not in Africa.

A buddy of mine, who is mainly a bolt rifle, shoot on the bench kind of guy, commented when shooting my 9,3x74R Chapuis, at the range, that the triggers seemed too heavy.

I told him they do not seem too heavy when you are 5 yards from an elephant.

He looked at me with a puzzled look....

Then I asked for the keys to his car... He was even more puzzled... Then I explained, Lets go into the parking lot, I will start in YOUR car at 25 yards, and floor it, heading straight for you... you shoot for the radiator/motor to stop the car.
Then tell me if the triggers are too hard.

In seriousness the triggers should be crisp, between 3.5 to say a max of 5 lbs depending on calibre.

I don't want to cause any confusion; Butch was doing me a favor by letting me shoot a couple of rifles that handn't been fine tuned - he even had to put firing pins back in one that he pulled for carrying to the SCI show.

The weight of the pull wasn't really my concern but the "feel" of the pull. It's nice to know that a double rifle trigger can be adjusted to a crisp break with no creep.

The triggers on my Searcy .470 Field grade are set to 2 3/4 pounds ... and are crisp as breaking a microscope slide. Very, very fine indeed.

The triggers on my Chapuis are crisp but much, much heavier ... need to be adjusted for sure.

quote:

Originally posted by Antlers:
I shot my first double rifles yesterday - had a nice visit with Butch Searcy. Being a bolt rifle guy, the triggers on the doubles were a surprise to me. The pull seemed long and soft with some play on the front end compared to good bolt triggers. Admittedly, Butch said one of the triggers on a 500 had too much creep and needed adjusting. But I'm curious; as a general rule are double rifle triggers soft, with play on the front end?

First off no rifle used for close quarters dangerous game should have it's triggers set at 2 1/2 pounds! That is too light, and is prone to an unintional discharge before you are ready to shoot, in a very stessfull and critical sittuation.

There should be some looseness in the front trigger of a big bore double rifle, and the reason is the front trigger should be articulated (so it can move freely forward as the rifle recoils from fireing the rear trigger)! this is to avoid damage to your trigger finger. Addtionally, the two triggers should be set at different weights for the front trigger, and the back one. This is because the proper sequince is to fire the front trigger first (right barrel), So this trigger should be articulated, and set lighter than the back trigger. The reason for the back trigger being a heavier pull than the front is, when the rifle chambered for a heavily recoiling cartridge, has it's front trigger pulled, the recoil lengthens one's LOP, and lets the finger slip off the front trigger, and hit the back trigger, fireing the left barrel a milasecond after the right barrel. This is not a true "DOUBLEING", and the second barrel rarely hits the traget, but shoots over the target because of the recoil arch. The very light back trigger may fire simply from the recoil of the first shot, if too light, as well. So the rear trigger is normally set at a half pound more than the front trigger.

The problem with this so-called "DOUBLEING" is, the shots are close enough together that one doesn't know both barrels have fired, and is relying on an empty rifle if the animal isn't stopped, and in most cases, as I said getting no benefit from the left barrel because it shot high!

Creep, is not good in any rifle, but the triggers on double rifles are not properly adjusted if both are the same, and what is percieved as looseness in the front trigger is often articulation, and was made that way porposefully! Gentlemen, when you are dealing with a double rifle, you first need to forget almost every rule that applies to bolt rifles, be it trigger LOP, and weight of break, or handloading cartridges for the regulation of your rifle! They are simply two different animals!