Homemade trigger pull scale - any ideas?

[Timothy]

Just wondering if anyone has come up with a homemade pull scale. It doesn't have to be pinpoint accuracy, in the ballpark would be fine.
Thanks

[Spindly61]

A gallon of fresh water weighs approx. 8.3 lbs. To Get close I would rig up a gallon container and start filling.

[FLINTFOREVER]

let see: a fish scale should be close

[Canuck-IL]

Offical NRA weights are just a rigid wire for the trigger from which is hung a set of steel weights. Rig the wire to clear the frame, using a bag or small can, hang a known weight chunk of lead below it that's approximately correct, then add chunks of metal, or individual bullets when really close to the break.

You get a few weird looks but taking a handful of lead pieces into the post office works well to calibrate - make a 2#, 3 1#s and a 1/2# - should cover the useful range needed....top off with 230 grain or larger bullets.
/Bryan

[gbw]

I use a large plastic cup. Poke 2 holes in the opposite edges and run a wire between them, leave a couple of inches of slack (like a bucket handle). Scrounge a 12" piece of 1/8" rod - steel, brass, whatever you can find. Welding rod works just fine.

Put 100 ea. 200gr bullets into the cup. The cup, wire, rod, and bullets will weigh very close to 3#.

Make up several small baggies with 18 ea. of the 200gr bullets. Each of these will be close enough to 1/2 lb. If you want to be exact, put 17ea. 200gr and 1ea. 100 gr in each baggie.

Take the 1/8" rod (doesn't need to be exactly 1/8", just stiff enough) and bend one end 3" back at 90 degrees. This will rest on the trigger. Put a hook bend on the other end, this will snag the bucket handle. Now bend the center of the rod to reach around the gun so the bucket hangs more or less under the gun.

To use: Unload the pistol. Hold pistol vertical (muzzle straight up). Disable grip safety (tape it down). Insert the rod on trigger and try carefully to 'lift' the bucket with the pistol. If it lifts without dropping the hammer, pull is over 3 lb.

Set it down, re-cock pistol, add 1/2 lb. baggie and repeat. And so on.

It takes mor time to describe it than it does to make and use it. WIth a little fussing and practice, it's quite accurate and much less messy than water. It also provides an emergency supply of bullets if you ever get caught short.

[Timothy]

Thanks everyone, I knew I'd get some good ideas here.

[LeeCreekKid]

I bent a 1/4" rod to make a hanger and suspended a one gallon jug from it. I then filled it up with water until the hammer fell. Then I would weigh it on the digital bathroom scale that weighed in .5lb increments. It comes very close.

[Trader]

I used a coat hanger and weighed a bunch of washers I bought on a postal scale until I reached the poundage I wanted. I then used packing tape and taped the washers together in desired increments. It works great and is verifable with my other trigger pull scale.

[FLINTFOREVER]

I had some time to kill wanted to see how many 200 grain lead bullets will fire the gun.
168 rounds
I guess it was around 4 1/2 pounds out of the box SA MIl SPEC
A little closer to 5 lbs

[Snakebite Nixon]

Price a digital scale for ADA door closures. The one I use came from a commercial door manufacturer. Are trigger scales that expensive?

[Cap]

Are trigger scales that expensive?

$16 bukz more than a $4 dollar fish scale.

Guess the extra $16 gets you the wire trigger puller thingie.
Cause the spring scale part is the same.

Tim, if you buy an inexpensive fish scale, buy the one that only goes to 10 or 12 pound.
It will be more accurate at lighter weights than the scales that weight up to 20 to 40 pounds

You can buy them at Gander Mountain, Wally-Mart or most anywhere for a few bukz.
McGiver the trigger pull wire with a coat hanger and save the extra $16 RCBS gets for their trigger scale.
Buy a box of ammo with the money you'll save


..L.T.A.

[Timothy]

$16 bukz more than a $4 dollar fish scale.

Guess the extra $16 gets you the wire trigger puller thingie.
Cause the spring scale part is the same.

Tim, if you buy an inexpensive fish scale, buy the one that only goes to 10 or 12 pound.
It will be more accurate at lighter weights than the scales that weight up to 20 to 40 pounds

You can buy them at Gander Mountain, Wally-Mart or most anywhere for a few bukz.
McGiver the trigger pull wire with a coat hanger and save the extra $16 RCBS gets for their trigger scale.
Buy a box of ammo with the money you'll save


..L.T.A.

:D
Good advice, Cap. I used a coat hanger and a plastic bowl that butter comes in, I think I'll go buy a couple boxes of ammo now. ;)