Best trigger pull gauge for the money?

Well ol' faithful died on me a while back.

I have a pistol customer demanding an EXACT(!!!) 4# trigger pull trigger job on this 1911. I guess time to replace my trigger pull gauge.

What's the best bang for the buck these days? I almost never measure the few ounce pull on benchers rifles as the guys always just pretty much say make it a slight as possible and it be reliable. SO a scale that will do half pound and above should suffice.

Thanks.

The Lyman Electronic Digital Trigger Pull Gauge has been working well for me. LYMAN ELECTRONIC TRIGGER PULL GAUGE | Brownells


-Ron

Find out what the trigger weight testing procedure is and duplicate that. Typically, they use a 4 lb weight gizmo with a hook that contacts the trigger; the hammer is cocked and the pistol is slowly lifted and it passes the test if the hammer doesn't fall. A scale type gauge is useful to see how close you are but the weight is what has to be passed.

All the matches that I have been to use the weights with a hook. Brownell's sells a set with either a rifle hook or a pistol one. I usually set the trigger a hair heavyer than minimum just to ensure that they pass.

I made up a set of weights using a gram scale. I made the frame out of 1/4" diameter stainless rod, attached that to a 1 lb. round weight I made of 303 stainless bar so it weighed a total of 1 lb, then made several 1 lb weights to set on the spigot, a 1.5 lb weight and four .1 lb weights, and finally a 3 lb weight for really bad triggers as a "Before and after" measure.
That way I'm not depending on electronics, it measures actual weight by tenths of a pound depending on how it's stacked.
Here it is, not made to be pretty, made to measure accurately;

From left to right, three 1 lb. weights, a 1/2 lb. weight above and 1.5 lb. weight below, four 1/10th lb. weights, and finally the "Before" weight, 3.5 lb. Above all is the base and hanger which weighs 1lb. exactly

Another view;

Just how smoothly you can lift it.

Buy the lyman electronic and be done. I have been doing trigger jobs on 1911 and 2011 competition pistols over the last five years with one. Easy to check tension on just disconnector or sear and disco together and has definitely been repeatable.

My lyman electronic trigger scale went bonkers, which is why I washed my hands of electronic liars.

The only thing reliable about the digital electronic devices is that you can rely on them to go tits up without warning. They all have a 100% failure rate too!

I really like the home fab unit pictured in the post above.

The weights are all that is legal for use when checking triggers at a match.

Thanks all.

I have been working on the 1911 Pistol for years. Best is weights and if the gun is checked weights are used. To get accurate pull weight lift the Pistol with both elbows resting on the bench while sitting on a chair. My weights are in ounces, not that I check the pull weight in ounces since legal weight is a minimum. What I use ounces for is to check repeatability. I work on the trigger to repeating in less than +/- 1 ounce. Reaching Master Class in Bulleye Competition and my son being one of the Best Bullseye (now Precision) and Bianchi Cup type Action shooting in the USA I understand trigger pull weight repeatability. Best is to buy a set of weights and get a few extra 1/4 pound weights and modify them for ounces. Not sure why your customer wants 4 pounds. 3.5 is NRA legal for Precision. CMP Service Pistol events is 4 pound minimum and all triggers are weighed. Being exactly 4 pounds could be rejected if it becomes a hair less than 4 pounds. Most shooters have the weight a few ounces over 4 pounds.