DST triggers on a hunting rifle?

[flehto]

I've never liked DSTs on a hunting rifle...both elk and deer. All that's necessary is one well tuned trigger.

While preparing the equipment for an elk hunt, one of the guys going on the hunt stopped in and while discussing the hunt I asked him if he wanted the DSTs adjusted so only the front trigger operated.....the rear or setting trigger  would have been blocked. He said no and said  that he liked the DSTs.

On the 4th day of the elk season he was climbing a steep slope and spotted a nice 6X6, set the rear trigger and because he was breathing very hard, inadvertently  touched the  front  trigger and the MLer fired into the ground. To his surprise, the bull just stood there. He reloaded   and while bringing the gun to his shoulder, he prematurely  again touched the front  trigger but this time the bull took off.....a complete miss at 50 yds.

Needless to say....2 weeks later he brought the MLer over and I blocked the rear trigger and adjusted the front trigger for a 3 lb pull.....Fred 

[bowkill]

About the only hunting gun I will have set triggers on is a squirrel gun.

[45-110]

I guess if you can not manage a dst arrangement you should not hunt with them. All my hunting rifles but 1 have them. If they where not practical in the woods, then why did so many historic rifles have them for game and man quarry? Thick gloves and a small guard can be a concern though. Proficiency is the word.

[jgraham1]

Most if not all my hunting rifles; muzzleloaders, BPCRs and bolt actions have double triggers.  You just have to know how and when to use them.

Jerry

[Tim Ault]

I have them on my rifles I use for deer in the late season and don’t worry too much about it I have mine set  for a hunting situation not competitive target shooting  . The user need to be familiar with their equipment . To each their own

[rich pierce]

I guess the western fur and buffalo trade hunters using Hawken and other plains rifles managed their set triggers ok. I’m guessing plenty of hunters are not shooting their guns regularly to where everything is a well practiced routine. I’d not set the trigger till ready to raise the rifle to the shoulder, or as raising it.

[Preacher Dave]

Fred - I think it can be "one less thing to think about" situation when hunting. -- Dave

[bob in the woods]

I have owned and used hunting rifles with DS triggers. I shot 2 of my larger bucks with a .50 cal that had them , and that was during our Dec.  Muzzleloading Season
Shooting is second nature to me. Practice and familiarity with one's tools is all together no longer common , and that's the real problem .  I never set a trigger until ready to fire, and my finger stays away from the front trigger until I do actually fire.  Our Range Officer is a terror to anyone who breaks that "finger off the trigger" rule.  I've seen my share of AD's ploughing up the soil  or ventilating the roof over the shooting benches because someone broke the rule.   

[Steeltrap]

Using my "trusty" (I say that tongue in cheek as back in the '80's with the factory barrel it was more miss than hit) T\C with DST's my history has been I liked them.....until the time my wool woven glove snagged the front trigger as I was about to shoulder the rifle (I had it set of course) and the gun fired into the sky.

The doe I was about to take aim on, turned and looked, then her and 7 other whitetail (that I didn't see) that were bedded in tall grass jumped up....and took off. I threw away the gloves.

Once I built my Leman (with much help from "The Gunsmith of Grenville" and placed the single trigger in the proper place, I discovered the joy and ease of a properly installed single trigger.

IMHO, DST are a coverup for a poor trigger to sear install.

Edit:I ment no offense to Bob Roller as I have a lifelong proclivity to view firearms from just a hunting perspective. I'm aware (now) there are far more shooters who don't hunt. And a DST would be a fine addition to target shooters and the like.

FWIW

[Bob Roller]

I make set triggers on a daily basis (almost) and if it's a 2 lever type like all I make just HOW is that front trigger pull adjusted without
altering the lock?? I do not hunt but if I were going to use a flintlock for deer it would be a half stock English style rifle or the 1803
Harpers Ferry.No set triggers involved.
Bob Roller

[Eric Krewson]

I have had 3 or 4 negligent discharges on deer in the last 45 years when my fingers were so cold that I couldn't tell that I had touched a set front trigger. My main deer rifle has a single trigger, almost all the rest have double set, it is sorta' a love hate relationship.

[Pukka Bundook]

When I made my double set triggers for the Jaeger -type I was making, it turned out the rifle can be fired set or unset, and can be set before cocking, at half, or at full cock.
Don't know why!

[oldtravler61]

  Rule number one in gun safety. Finger off the trigger until your ready to fire.  That to me means sights on target ( animal ) then touch, pull, squeeze or press the trigger..!
 
 All my guns have light triggers. DST or single. No problems . But I hold my guns with hand in front of trigger guard or behind when still hunting.      Oldtravler

[t.caster]

Like oldtraveler61 said, keep your finger outside the guard until ready to shoot. I've used dbl. & single set triggers for MANY years without an issue.
Personal choice is what you are comfortable and safe with.

[smylee grouch]

So many different situations when hunting. I have used both types and have chosen one over the other when I knew I would be hunting in a certain place or fashion. In the past on the open plains as in Pronghorn hunting I used the DST as my shots could be and were longer but in the thick bush as in some of my deer hunts and all my bear hunts I prefer a single trigger, pinned high and about 3/8 inch forward of the sear.

[flehto]

After reading all the replies the thought struck me that perhaps DSTs are the result of having single triggers that  have  too heavy a pull { common w/ many over the counter guns} and the DST is possibly the   solution? I've shot quite a few deer, elk and a whole lot of  small game and always w/ a rifle w/ a properly " tuned" single   trigger.  I guess that came about because the shotguns  used for grouse hunting naturally had only one trigger and ruffed grouse were our main game for many years.....Fred

[45-110]

Nobody really squeezes a trigger while ruff grouse hunting, its a slit second yank, so trigger effort does not matter much.

[rsells]

I have never owned a muzzle loading rifle (antique or contemporary) that did not have double set triggers and the use of double set triggers are the norm for me.  I think that folks have to know their weapon of choice and do not set the trigger until you are on target.  I never use a glove on my trigger hand when hunting or target shooting and have never set the rifle off by accident when hunting.  Right at 100% of my customers request double set triggers.  I have been building rifle since 1978 and I have only built one rifle for a customer with a single trigger.  Probably 90% of these folks are hunters as well as target shooters and spend a lot of time shooting their rifles.  I think that is the key.  Just my thoughts.  Shoot what combination that works for you as much as  possible to the point that you really don't have to think what to do before shooting.
                                                                               Roger Sells

[Steeltrap]

So, I suppose ....and I've not really considered this.....If you have a current firearm with a DST that has a heavy trigger pull when not set, what can you do to lighten up that front trigger while still having the option of using the DST?

Single triggers are easier to place for a quality lighter trigger pull (for the most part) but a DST....I can only assume...would require far more work to move the pivot point from it's existing place to a "better place"?

[Austin]

It’s whatever you are used to….

[Stoner creek]

I hunt with both a simple trigger and a set trigger depending on the gun.
Does that make me bi-???

[Austin]

Stay on your side of the creek!!😂

[Bob Roller]

When I made my double set triggers for the Jaeger -type I was making, it turned out the rifle can be fired set or unset, and can be set before cocking, at half, or at full cock.
Don't know why!

Maybe because you did it right either by intent or serendipity .

Bob Roller

[Duane Harshaw]

I have a single trigger on one of my rifles, I like it much better than my other rifles with DST triggers...D

[okawbow]

I like single triggers on my flintlocks. Seems to give me more control and actually better accuracy when shooting a flintlock offhand. Also, when one pulls a single trigger, the hammer begins to fall immediately. When one pulls a set trigger, there is a fraction of a second for the trigger bar to rebound and hit the sear. That could also cause a flinch in some shooters.I tend to shoot better on woods walks and offhand paper shoots with my well tuned single trigger rifle, than with any of my set trigger rifles.