Managing Rifle Trigger Overtravel
How many of you have an otherwise perfect rifle sitting in the back of the safe or on the local gun shop’s consignment rack, all because of a lousy trigger? If the problem is triggered over travel, you are not alone. More than one near-perfect design has flopped because the amount of overtravel was too much or too little and could not be easily adjusted.
Unfortunately, many shooters do not understand overtravel or how to address it. Let us take a few minutes to remove the curtain and reveal all the secrets.
What is Trigger Overtravel?
Simply put, overtravel is the movement of the trigger after the sear breaks. You generally feel this movement with little or no resistance until the trigger is mechanically stopped; at this point, it will feel like you have hit a wall.
There is no industry standard for the amount of overtravel considered favorable. Some firearms come standard with plenty of overtravel, and others will have almost none. Although some rifles may be designed to function better with a specific level of overtravel, it is more often a matter of the shooter’s personal preference.
Why Manage Overtravel
As stated before, the desired amount of overtravel is often a matter of personal preference, which is usually influenced by the shooting you are doing and how you learned to shoot. There was a time when long ranger shooters were taught to shoot with plenty of overtravel, while precision target shooters were taught not to use any. Even if these shooters moved into other styles, they retained their original preferences.
Despite personal preference, there are some generally accepted theories about when overtravel is good or bad:
Excess overtravel can result in delayed trigger reset, increasing the time necessary for follow-up shots. This is not normally a problem for defense situations that happen quickly or single-shot long-range applications; however, three-gun shooters will find that these fractions of a second can be the difference between first place and not placing at all.
Hitting the wall when overtravel is mechanically stopped can often cause the firearm to shift, resulting in shots to the shooter’s primary side.
Tuning a trigger to reduce or eliminate overtravel is usually limited to smaller caliber precision shooting loads. Trying to do so with heavy caliber rounds or firearms incapable of repeated same-point hits is a waste of time.
How to Adjust a Trigger for Overtravel
There are several methods of adjusting for overtravel. Each has advantages, and your choice depends on your technical abilities and whether you want the results to be permanent or temporary.
The first method that is used is trigger control. Instead of mechanically adjusting the trigger, the shooter adjusts the amount they permit the trigger to move after the sear breaks. The shooter’s goal is to release pressure before the trigger hits its mechanical limit or stop, thus avoiding the potential movement caused by a sudden stop. This is a standard method for those who learned to shoot with a handgun or hunting rifle with a stock trigger. It is also used by shooters who share a firearm with others to avoid having to make personalizing adjustments repeatedly.
The second method is to adjust the trigger itself. Many triggers, especially those installed in precision or higher-end hunting rifles, will be designed with adjustments for trigger pressure and overtravel. Specific steps for making trigger adjustments will vary depending on the brand and model; however, in most cases turning the adjustment screw clockwise will decrease overtravel, and turning it counter-clockwise will increase overtravel. You may need to adjust slightly, test the trigger, and repeat until you reach the desired results.
The final means of adjusting overtravel is to install an after-market replacement trigger. This is commonly used by shooters who wish to address more than one trigger issue or when the factory trigger does not provide the desired adjustment range.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
A firearm is a precision piece of machinery, and making any adjustments requires some technical ability. If you are uncomfortable making adjustments independently, it is always better to consult a professional gunsmith. If you attempt overtravel adjustments independently, here are a few common mistakes to avoid.
Do not over-adjust. There is a fine line between little to no overtravel and a non-functional firearm. Too much adjustment and the trigger will not work, and the firearm will not fire.
Not all firearms can function with less overtravel. Some do not have the mechanical tolerance needed to accept reduced overtravel. Attempting adjustments on these triggers can result in total failure or even unwanted firing during cycling after a round has been fired.
Too much overtravel can also cause malfunctions. In most cases, too much overtravel will not negatively affect the firearm itself; however, there are cases where doing so resulted in the hammer, sear, or trigger from adequately resetting. This usually requires adjusting the trigger to far outside the manufacturer’s specifications but can result from DIY adjustments.
