Page 130 - FAT 105 4.17 MOODLE

designs, the tolerances between the slide will cause disruption in the firearm when
and frame will make the break feel soft or the trigger bottoms out in its travel.
mushy. This soft or squishy feeling comes
• Reset – Reset is when the trigger must
from the fact that part of the fire control
be released into its forward position so
group is in the frame, while the striker
the fire control group can reengage. Reset
is in the slide. Any slop in the frame-to-
occurs with most repeating and semi-
slide fit will be transmitted to the feel of
automatic firearms to prevent automatic
the break, as the sear drags the striker and
fire. When the round fires and the action
slide downward before bottoming out on
cycles, a tab or mechanism disconnects
the rails and the sear continues downward,
the trigger from the rest of the fire control
releasing the striker.
group as the hammer/striker is cocked.
• Over-Travel – Over-travel is the feeling The trigger must be released in order for
of the trigger after the break. Over-travel the mechanism to reconnect and the fire-
is a feeling of nothingness. The over- arm to be fired again. The distance of the
travel stage occurs after the break when reset may not be as long as the initial pull
the trigger’s movement continues until it because the hammer/striker will already
bottoms out of its stroke. The over-travel be cocked and the trigger will be in a sin-
stage is often lightly sprung, which al- gle-action position. A short reset is equal
lows the trigger motion to accelerate after to a short pull and is great for rapid fire
the break because the trigger is no longer shooting because the trigger only needs to
fighting the forces of the hammer/striker. travel a short distance to break.
A small amount of over-travel is required
Now that you understand the stages of a trig-
for proper function, assuring the system
ger pull, we can discuss the differences between
is allowed to break. Too much over-travel
a single- and two-stage trigger. As its name

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