Trigger Pull for Fowler

[Fiftyfour]

What is an acceptable trigger pull for a smoothbore Fowler?
I'm getting 6.5 pounds with the pivot pin 0.40 from the contact
Point of the sear bar.  What is a good distance? I was thinking
It should be about a 1/4 inch.

[smallpatch]

About the proper distance, and should be above the sear pivot.
I like a 2 to 3 lb pull.
If it's a quality lock, and your pivot is properly placed, you should have around 4 or 5lbs.
You can adjust that by some judicious grinding of the sear spring.

[Hungry Horse]

You did not say if you use this smoothbore primarily for shooting shot, or round ball. For shot the current trigger pull is probably about right. But, if you shoot round ball much it will be a little heavy. The difference is that in a smoothbore shooting shot, the trigger is pulled, but when shooting round balls, it is squeezed like a rifle. Natural wear on a light trigger will make a smoothbore used in the field for shooting shot dangerous in a short time. IMO.

  Hungry Horse

[Bigmon]

I built a gun a few years back, the first in about20 years.  I used a store bought trigger and plate combo and not knowing any better at the time, ended up with near 5/8" pivot pin to sear bar,
Just too hard to shoot especially accuractly.
Anyway short of switching to a regular wood pined trigger and making a new trigger plate, which I still might do, I tried to modify the existing trigger.
I was able to just move the pin back some and now have just over 1/4".
However there is some funky trigger swing geometry going on if you can visualize that the pin is now over or a little behing the actual trigger?
What is bad though is that I can feel allot of travel seems like the sear needs to travel along way before it trips.
But it is allot easier and shoots better.

[flinchrocket]

You did not say if you use this smoothbore primarily for shooting shot, or round ball. For shot the current trigger pull is probably about right. But, if you shoot round ball much it will be a little heavy. The difference is that in a smoothbore shooting shot, the trigger is pulled, but when shooting round balls, it is squeezed like a rifle. Natural wear on a light trigger will make a smoothbore used in the field for shooting shot dangerous in a short time. IMO.

  Hungry Horse

I agree with HH 100%, you can eliminate some of this by silver soldering a piece of high carbon steel on top of the trigger bar and polish it smooth. I would also suggest you look at William Buchele's book, Recreating the American Longrifle.

[smallpatch]

I only pin my triggers in the wood, whether I use a plate or not.  Only way to get a good trigger pull.