AmericanLongRifles Forums
General discussion => Black Powder Shooting => Topic started by: Stoner creek on August 05, 2025, 04:43:33 PM
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There was a lively discussion on another thread about trigger pull length. Im curious about such things so Im going to ask; What is your favorite trigger pull length? Ill kick it off and say that my favorite trigger pull length is 13 3/8. Im 64 and very big in structure. Im a rifle shooter and generally shoot offhand.
W
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13 1/2 is the most comfortable for me, Im guessing that I could get used to a slightly longer pull given enough time
Tony
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I'm 6', and I like 14 1/2" pull on a double set. That's what I built on my squirrel rifle. But I like a shorter pull on a simple trigger.
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Two parts to it how the gun fits you and how the gun looks. LOP affects everything!
13 3/8 to 13 7/8 works for me depending. The one I'm building today is 13 1/2
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Length of a person's arms is usually directly related to their height. But LOP is not just height. It's also his build (thin or thicker bodied), the size of his hands and length of fingers, and the way he likes to hold his elbow (relaxed or lifted).
And, of course, the style of rifle matters (straight stock such as a Lancaster, or a pronounced drop as in most of the SMR style rifles). As probably everyone knows by now, the SMRs with a pronounced drop and a lot of curve in the butt plate are better shot off the bicep, with the rifle held across the body, rather than pointed forward from the body, so they sometimes require a slightly longer pull.
Whether you intend to punch paper or shoot upward also matters. What I like in a rifle and what I want in a shotgun are not the same.
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And, of course, the style of rifle matters (straight stock such as a Lancaster, or a pronounced drop as in most of the SMR style rifles). As probably everyone knows by now, the SMRs with a pronounced drop and a lot of curve in the butt plate are better shot off the bicep, with the rifle held across the body, rather than pointed forward from the body, so they sometimes require a slightly longer pull.
Yes- also makes a difference.
6'1" and 218 pounds. 34" sleeve - large hands, long fingers.
I have a double set trigger rifle that is uncomfortable to shoot and it has a 14" LOPull- too bloody long.
My SMR with DS triggers pulls at 13 3/8" - nice to shoot aim and hold. The toe is in my arm-pit.
My .69 with simple trigger has a 13 5/8" LOPull and is VERY comfortable to shoot. It is shot off the pec (chest) muscle. I hold it like s modern shotgun- more straight to the target
and it points like a shotgun. Sights are aligned on the target as soon as the butt is in the "pocket". Within reason, it can be shot like a shotgun - poke and pull.
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13in works for me, I'm 5ft 10 in,but when you put on your winter clothes to go hunting you length is shorter.
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62 with orangutan arms. I build mine a little over 14.
Bob
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Whetrock, posted a great answer to your question. At 6'1" and 240 I was either blessed or cursed with very long arms. I usually have my gun maker make the L.O.P. between 13 3/4" and 14". Some of the determination will come from the stocks architecture and the school of gun making I am having built. Great question, I will be following this post.
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I'm 5'11" and still managing to stay on the leaner side of things. I'm not crazy picky and can be happy with anything 12 3/4" to 13 3/4" or so. I like right about in the middle there but let's not overlook that the actual stock shape and architecture is going to affect how any given piece feels.
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6' 180 lbs. 13 5/8" is my sweet spot Steve
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5' 7" (used to be 5'9") and like 13 1/2". I built a NW trade gun in the 80s that fits me to a T in LOP and drop. My sight picture is the same as my favorite shotguns.
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I'm 5'11" and still managing to stay on the leaner side of things. I'm not crazy picky and can be happy with anything 12 3/4" to 13 3/4" or so. I like right about in the middle there but let's not overlook that the actual stock shape and architecture is going to affect how any given piece feels.
what this guy said!.............I would add a heavy wool coat on a November morning can alter things....
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Im. 59 short arms and legs. Heavy chest, short neck. 13 to 13.25 fits me with a flatter butt. Shouldered in the pocket. BJH
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I'm 5'10" and 220#. I vote 13 1/2 LOP.
I made my early ML rifle with stocks that emulated modern long guns. So, 14 1/4" LOP and modern stock drop. .
I built a couple of Kibler kits. I found that the shorter LOP and more drop a the comb was more comfortable. I Modified several of my old builds.
An Armstrong and a Hawken remain to long. I do not shoot them anymore, they feel like I am fighting something.
With the longer and heavier barrels bringing the center of gravity back helps with off hand stability. Long stocks now feel awkward. I strain more to hold it up. In service rifle competition many good shooters use a telescoping stock. Making the stock short for off hand is an advantage. It just hangs in the pocket really nice and steady. Bring the center of gravity baks seems to be important.
I also shoot skeet. I shortened and dropped the comb on a superposed. Sure you can contort you head to see down the rib but not me. IT was not repeatable and I could not do it quickly for the second shot. I shot high left to often.
Somehow getting old made me more picky about stock fit.
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I have an original Bedford County rifle by George Fay that has a 12 1/2 lop. Im 511 and that rifle shoulders and sights just fine for me. It works with the extreme drop Bedfords have. I made a Bedford copy and made the pull 13 and its the best offhand rifle Ive ever had.
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I used a "try" stock to determine my correct trigger pull which turned out to be 13.5", I figured out the best drop for me as well, I think it is 2 3/4". When I shoulder one the guns I made with my eyes closed then open my eyes, the sights are in perfect alignment.
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That's the test, Erik. 8)
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For me it depends on the style of the rifle - I do best on average from 13" to 13-1/2". ;) :)
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Some years ago, this topic piqued my interest, so I began to measure the the length of pull of military rifles and muskets to see how they stacked up to modern ideas of rifle "fit." Every single military arm measured, ranging from an 1842 musket, 1863 rifle musket, 1884 trapdoor Springfield, 1903-A3 Springfield, Krag-Jorgensen rifle, M-14, and an M 16 A-1, all had lengths of pull of 13 inches to 13 1/4 inches. The amazing thing is, every single trooper, of every size and shape, from the 1840s to the Vietnam era could, and has shot millions of these old guns, quite effectively, with no problems.
IMHO, based on my research, the length of pull controversy is a non issue. Personally, I prefer nothing longer than 13 1/2 inches, though 13 inches is good too.
J.D.
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6' tall and 185#. Prefer 13 3/8" trigger pull.
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My wife says my clothing size is "gorilla petite": 6' 1", 150#, with 36" sleeves; long arms, long neck, long legs and a very short upper body for my height. Shooting offhand with a bicep hold, my best LOP is 13 1/2 - 13 5/8", depending on the rifle's weight and balance point.
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Seems to me, this same subject elicited responses of many over 14" and even to 15", last time - or perhaps 2 times ago. ;)
Might have been a different forum, even.
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Anything past 14 is freakishly long for the average adult male.
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Anything past 14 is freakishly long for the average adult male.
Agreed....If held the way a Longrifle should be held, there is no need for long trigger pulls, even for very tall men.
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Stoner and Bill,
Just for curiosity, when you guys hold a yardstick in the crook of your elbow and reach for the "trigger", what does it say? (Of course you can do this with a stiff measuring tape as well.) I'm just curious how that old rule of thumb measurement works out for you, with you guys liking a LOP in the 13+ range. Does it provide a meaningful measurement for you guys, in comparison to the LOP you like on an actual rifle?
Whetrock
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Anything past 14 is freakishly long for the average adult male.
(https://i.ibb.co/M5Kfz0c5/Gemini-Generated-Image-mvknlmvknlmvknlm.png) (https://ibb.co/TqJ1Q34q)
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;D ;D ;D
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Just did that. 13 5/8. 13 3/8 is the sweet spot when Im on the shooting range during warm weather. The pull length gets shorter when the hunting coat comes on.
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I must have arms a bit like that fellow in Daniel's drawing. For me on the stick 14" would be right on the money with a simple trigger. I like to reach a bit further with a set trigger, and I measured that at 14 1/2". In the "freakish" category, I reckon. ;D
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Same yardstick measurement holding it as a rifle as Wayne, yet he is bigger than I am......My favorite length on a LR is no more than 13.5 inches, yet my English Double is 14.25 inches to the right trigger and it fits me perfect because I hold a LR completely different than a Double gun.....b
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Same yardstick measurement holding it as a rifle as Wayne, yet he is bigger than I am......My favorite length on a LR is no more than 13.5 inches, yet my English Double is 14.25 inches to the right trigger and it fits me perfect because I hold a LR completely different than a Double gun.....b
Absolutely correct. 2 different types of marksmanship.
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I have a wonderful Fowler that I just cant shoot because the pull is short. When I fire the gun, my fingers around the wrist gash my lip, which hurts a lot. A longer pull like on my FdC of 14 is perfect . (Rifles are fine because the trigger guard hand grip)
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I hold all of my rifles the same way as when hunting and shooting offhand.
I also hold them the same way when shooting off the bench, left hand at the entry pipe but with the back of that hand on the bag, no rear bag.
I find the POI is identical to shooting standing, as in offhand (shooting off the hands).
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With the right LOP and proper cast off your riffle should shoulder with your eyes closed and when you then open your eyes the sights should be lined up, for me wearing just a shirt, one layer of clothing the LOP needs to be 15 inches.if its more than one layer, winter jacket, etc., then 14 7/8 to 14 3/4 is good.
I was fortunate to have gotten to know a custom builder who took the time to teach me how to measure my lop and understand what I would need as far as drop, cast on, cast off, etc.
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How you shoulder the rifle matters for trigger pull length. I use a modern off hand position with the rifle across my chest and my left elbow against my chest.
If you hold it so that the rifle points more the right, closer to 90* facing out from a line drawn between your shoulders, then it is totally different. The drop required is much less and the stock feels longer. The modern "tacticool" guys and the 1858 enfield shooters do it that way. I find the the Enfield is stocked so high in the comb I can not shoot them comfortably.
And there are the stocks with the big drop and deep crescent but plate shot off the arm.
Each type of shooter would need a different length of pull for the same shooter to be optimal.
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Everyone is probably tired of seeing this picture of a try stock I use to figure out the correct drawlength and drop for the guns that I make to fit me.
Crude but it works; using the measurements I got after adjusting the stock, I could shoulder the stock with my eyes closed, open my eyes and have "sights" that are perfectly aligned on the try stock. I use the same measurement on my builds and have the same sight alignment on the finished guns.
(https://i.ibb.co/QjKq6P67/try-stock.jpg) (https://ibb.co/YTLKtct4)
(https://i.ibb.co/wNt3kszv/try-stock-hinge.jpg) (https://ibb.co/XZHNQ8Cw)
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14.5 front and 13.5 rear. ;D