Dwell Time And Your Trigger
Having a heavy trigger pull weight on your rifle can lead to errant shots, especially if the over-travel is not adjusted properly. Jewell triggers are really quite easy to adjust, for those of you that are not familiar with those adjustment screws, "Listen Up".
Screw #1 is for sear engagement! With an unloaded rifle, cock the gun and turn this screw clockwise until the gun fires. Note the location of your allen wrench (clock face setting) and turn counterclockwise 6 hours or half a revolution. This properly sets your sear engagement.
Screw # 2 is for over travel! The meat and potatoes of this article for improving your shooting. Most of us have over the years adjusted or had our over-travel adjusted to the most imperceptible movement possible. We touted and showed the rifle to our friends and absorbed the ooh's and ahh's when they tried the trigger pull. It was great balm for our ego and we thought we had done the right thing? Oh really?
Humor me for a minute and kick-back in the sofa chair while I explain. With an over-travel adjusted so tight, as soon as the trigger breaks the force required to discharge the rifle is now imparted directly into the rifle while the bullet is still in the barrel! Hmmm?
If we are shooting the "NEW" 300 Testosterone Magnum in an 8 lb. rifle the results are going to be less than desirable, especially when shooting in a field position. Very few shooters can give a perfect trigger squeeze with such a violent recoiling rifle. We usually yank, slap or jerk the trigger keeping in mind the horrendous noise and recoil that are soon to follow. If our trigger pull was adjusted to 3.5 lbs and our yank, slap or jerk (commonly referred to as a trigger squeeze@ in higher social circles) to discharge the rifle was 5-7 pounds, and immediately we come up against the over-travel stop, we are imparting that energy into the rifle! An errant shot is guaranteed! Those extra forces we impart into the rifle with a heavy trigger pull and minimal over-travel can and do affect the shot. These errors are magnified the farther the target.
Screw #1 is for sear engagement! With an unloaded rifle, cock the gun and turn this screw clockwise until the gun fires. Note the location of your allen wrench (clock face setting) and turn counterclockwise 6 hours or half a revolution. This properly sets your sear engagement.
Screw # 2 is for over travel! The meat and potatoes of this article for improving your shooting. Most of us have over the years adjusted or had our over-travel adjusted to the most imperceptible movement possible. We touted and showed the rifle to our friends and absorbed the ooh's and ahh's when they tried the trigger pull. It was great balm for our ego and we thought we had done the right thing? Oh really?
Humor me for a minute and kick-back in the sofa chair while I explain. With an over-travel adjusted so tight, as soon as the trigger breaks the force required to discharge the rifle is now imparted directly into the rifle while the bullet is still in the barrel! Hmmm?
If we are shooting the "NEW" 300 Testosterone Magnum in an 8 lb. rifle the results are going to be less than desirable, especially when shooting in a field position. Very few shooters can give a perfect trigger squeeze with such a violent recoiling rifle. We usually yank, slap or jerk the trigger keeping in mind the horrendous noise and recoil that are soon to follow. If our trigger pull was adjusted to 3.5 lbs and our yank, slap or jerk (commonly referred to as a trigger squeeze@ in higher social circles) to discharge the rifle was 5-7 pounds, and immediately we come up against the over-travel stop, we are imparting that energy into the rifle! An errant shot is guaranteed! Those extra forces we impart into the rifle with a heavy trigger pull and minimal over-travel can and do affect the shot. These errors are magnified the farther the target.
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