El Cheapo trigger gauge

hillman

hillman

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I’m too cheap to buy a manufactured gauge, but I saw this idea in a blog a while ago and finally gave it a try. I give it thumbs up after measuring pulls on 5 rifles. I'd post a photo of how I bent the hanger, but I can't post attachments

All you need is a wire coat hanger and an empty one or two liter plastic bottle. Use a couple plastic ties to hang the bottle to the wire hanger. Measure the water in the bottle and then calculate the weight. One liter of water weights 1000 grams or 2.2 pounds. Add an ounce or two for the hanger & bottle.

To measure trigger pull you’ll need graduated measuring cup and a calculator.
Clear the gun. #### it if necessary. Hold the gun straight up, and lift he coat hanger and bottle with the middle of the trigger. If the trigger doesn’t trip add more water or get a bigger bottle. If the trigger does trip, you can pour water out of the bottle a little at a time. Then figure out how much water is in the bottle and multiply by 2.2 pounds
 
An ordinary cheap kitchen digital scale works really well. Rig a container with a bent coat hanger or whatever. Weigh it and reset the tare to zero with everything in place. Hook it up and add water untill the trigger trips. Weigh the works again and that's the trigger pull.
I set the scale to read ounces and average two or three tries.
 
I don't have a trigger pull gauge either. Mine's the boutlike or the justover. Boutlike my marlin, or justover the Cooey's!!:D And of course, the descriptive words, mushy, like glass, crisp.

Maybe I should get one....
 
gunpro said:
for the $35 cost of an RCBS trigger gauge why go through the hassle of weighing water or fishing weights?
Click to expand...

Because weights on a wire are faster and more accurate?

In biathlon competitions regs require a minimum trigger pull so locally we just "bent a coat hanger" and hung a heavy duty plastic pouch from it (it looks like some kind of IV bag) then added lead shot to bring it up to the minimum weight. So when we do equipment check we just #### the rifle, hang the wire off the trigger and if the striker doesn't fall the rifle is legal. Simple, fast and accurate!
 
I been in this industry going on 26 years and it never ceases to amaze me! People will drop $60,000.00 on a truck, $30,000.00 on a boat $15,000.00 on a quad but they will walk in the woods with some old war trophy and a tobacco can full of mixed ammo. Cheap cheap cheap Rod :eek:)
 
I'm not humourless or self rightous, but lighten up speerchucker.

Honestly, it's not a sin in my family to pay retail. I just don't need another gizmo gathering dust since I'll hardly ever use it again. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.
 
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