vgdvc Posted November 9, 2018 Share Posted November 9, 2018 Hello all, Has anyone experimented with setting the trigger pre-travel on a 1911/2011 style pistol to just enough forward movement for proper reset. If the majority of trigger press error happens during the pre travel take up wouldn't stand to reason to have it minimized as much as possible? Think of shooting quickly and accurately with a finely-tuned single stage AR-15 trigger versus a slow prep of a two-stage national match type setup. I realize some pro shooters such as JJ racaza teach to take up the pre travel while the gun is in recoil so the finger is resting against the trigger wall ready to break shot once the sites are aligned but to me that has become a fine motor skill that I can't ingrain as a sub conscious effort. Others like Leatham slap through the entire pre travel and trigger break even on long tight shots Thoughts, experiences? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ken6PPC Posted November 9, 2018 Share Posted November 9, 2018 (edited) I knew one guy who had zero pre-travel on his 1911 trigger. I tried to tell him I didn't think that was safe. He ignored me. Until one day, he loaded his pistol, and when the first round went into the chamber, it went into full auto mode for three shots! You NEED a little pre-travel! Edited November 9, 2018 by Ken6PPC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vgdvc Posted November 9, 2018 Author Share Posted November 9, 2018 Absolutely not wanting to sacrifice safety or reliability. Minimizing it to the least amount practical may provide a worthwhile performance enhancement is my thought. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tjlw Posted November 9, 2018 Share Posted November 9, 2018 In my opinion pre-travel is irrelevant from a shootability standpoint. My 2011 has probably 3/32" of pre-travel, but if it was twice that I probably wouldn't notice. I don't notice pre-travel on a Glock any more than I do on a 1911. Also, from a technical standpoint, in a 1911 you need to have some pre-travel or else your trigger bow would be resting on the sear at all times which would be rather unsafe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bkreutz Posted November 9, 2018 Share Posted November 9, 2018 I find proper pre travel is critical, too much and I end up not getting to reset at times (and too little ends up with the hammer not catching the sear ), I kind of ignored it for a long time but now I set it at around 0.010" and it's goldilocks for me (just right). It's all about your comfort zone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tdp88 Posted November 9, 2018 Share Posted November 9, 2018 I just slap through the whole thing on a 1911. I don’t think that you’ll notice a short pre travel vs no pre travel when shooting at speed in USPSA. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zzt Posted November 9, 2018 Share Posted November 9, 2018 Not all 1911 and 2011 are the same. Sometimes it requires a lot more than .010". Here is a good article from Brazos Custom. http://www.brazoscustom.com/magart/0407.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sti38super Posted November 9, 2018 Share Posted November 9, 2018 I set my take to as little as possible and still reset. Around .010. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wheelsthatgrip Posted January 27, 2019 Share Posted January 27, 2019 Better to have a little pretravel than an AD. I would worry more about over-travel Keith Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimBoettcher Posted January 27, 2019 Share Posted January 27, 2019 I set all of mine to .035" Tim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ezra650 Posted January 28, 2019 Share Posted January 28, 2019 I'm a trigger rider, meaning I don't take my finger off the trigger shoe between shots. Therefore a little pre travel is fine with me and preferred. I think the brazos article is spot on and what I followed with my edge. I agree with Keith, overtravel is more noticeable. After picking up a different gun/trigger a few shots and I'm already used to the "correct" amount of pre travel and how to stage the trigger for my preferences. It is nice to have a "wall" with the overtravel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeBurgess Posted January 28, 2019 Share Posted January 28, 2019 Pre and Over travel settings are a personal feel preference, once you have a functional trigger (see Brazos article) everything beyond that is what you like or believe will help you in some way. for me I like having quite a bit of pre travel to the point that non of my triggers have adjustment tabs. when I'm shooting fast I don't feel any of it and when I'm shooting slower on difficult shots I can feel the trigger face as I move it to the sear wall Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jfitz427 Posted January 28, 2019 Share Posted January 28, 2019 3 hours ago, MikeBurgess said: Pre and Over travel settings are a personal feel preference, once you have a functional trigger (see Brazos article) everything beyond that is what you like or believe will help you in some way. for me I like having quite a bit of pre travel to the point that non of my triggers have adjustment tabs. when I'm shooting fast I don't feel any of it and when I'm shooting slower on difficult shots I can feel the trigger face as I move it to the sear wall I like some pretravel also, in both my pistols and rifles, especially rifles. I like to prep/stack the trigge and find the wall, then realign my sights and then let it break. Little different with pistols cause we’re shooting much faster. I just don’t like it when it’s right on the wall and the first bit of pressure causes it to break. Like I have a bit of take up to find the wall. When I’m shooting fast I don’t even notice the pretravel since I’m usually just bouncing off the reset. But for longer shots I find it very helpful to have some. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vgdvc Posted January 29, 2019 Author Share Posted January 29, 2019 I realize having very little pre-travel may cause the hammer to drop when the trigger is pulled at half cock. There seems to be some discrepancy whether this would create a safety issue if tested at a level 2 on up match. Friend of mine just got a very nice limited pistol built by one of the more popular gun builders of today. His trigger was set up from the gunsmith with hardly any pre-travel and it would definitely drop the hammer if the trigger was pulled at half cock He was told this is a non-issue and safe. Too little overtravel and the hammer hooks will bump the half catch notch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zzt Posted January 29, 2019 Share Posted January 29, 2019 Having the hammer drop from half cock will get the gun DQ'd at a Level III match. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TONY BARONE Posted January 29, 2019 Share Posted January 29, 2019 Enough pre travel is a must in order for the half cock to work. How much depends. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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