Clay Target Q&A
With Russell Mark, Olympic gold and silver medallist
Questions: russell@corporateshootingstars.com.au
Q What is the advantage of having a trigger mechanism that has leaf-type firing springs, as opposed to a mechanism that has coil springs?
William Muscat, Victoria
A Purists will argue that the flat or ‘leaf’ spring, as you describe it, will give a much crisper trigger pull than that of a coil spring. There is always a tradeoff. I do believe the flat spring gives a crisper pull, however, many people feel the coil spring gives better long-term reliability.
The flat spring has certainly progressed a long way over the past couple of decades in terms of strength and reliability, as anyone that owned an early Model SKB, Perazzi or Beretta S04 will give testament.
There will always be a valid argument that, in shotgun shooting, you do not need a precise trigger pull such as that required in an event like Free Pistol. Shotgun shooters tend to actually ‘slap’ the triggers, as opposed to pulling the trigger, so exact engineering mechanics are not needed to quite the same level. I always have a bit of a laugh to myself when I hear shooters saying that they are getting their trigger pulls lightened from 3.75lb down to 3.5lb. You may be able to pick the extra half-pound difference in a gunsmith’s workshop, but I doubt whether anyone in the middle of a competition could notice the change. If you can, I believe you are concentrating far too much on the wrong thing.