Potential legalities of lowering trigger pull on S&W 442

[BigMike]

Recently purchased a 442 and am very happy with it.

However as it stands it has a trigger in the 12lb range. I have read in various articles and books about it not being a great idea to alter trigger pulls and saftey mechanisms on CCW. The purpose of the heavy trigger on snubs serves as a "safety" against AD/ND's.
If I was ever involved in a civil suit against me when I used my CCW legally, a prosecutor could make an argument that I was "reckless" in lowering the trigger pull of my firearm. For instance, 1911 owners generally agree that a CCW 1911 with a 3.5lb trigger is fine for the range, but not carrying.

NOTE: I'm not living in fear of prosecution, but it's something to think about.

Well I was wondering what are some of your thougts on adjusting my 442 down to an 8-9lb pull.
Why 8-9lb range? I figure it puts me in company with the NY-1 trigger (Glock), where it's heavier than a normal 5lb and requires a positive decision to pull, yet isn't prohibitively so.

Anybody have knowledge on what is a good and acceptable trigger for a J-frame like mine?

 

[Billsail]

1911 owners generally agree that a CCW 1911 with a 3.5lb trigger is fine for the range, but not carrying.

Don't forget the trigger pull on your J frame is about 4 times longer than a 1911. A safety feature in itself. You'll be fine.

Bill

 

[Jose]

IANAL but think about this.

If your defense is that you shot someone in self defense, then you must claim that you made a conscious decision to shoot and that you affirmatively pressed that trigger in order to defend yourself. In that case, you must never, ever even insinuate that the pistol went off by itself, or that you did not fire until you were damned good and ready.

If you claim a deliberate act, it is impossible for the plaintiff's counsel to claim that you were somehow negligent unless he can disprove your claim that the shooting was a deliberate response to a threat of deadly force.

How in the hell is he going to do that if you did indeed pull the trigger (regardless of how easy or hard it is to do so) deliberately and have repeatedly testified to the fact? Who is going to contradict you?

Make it a good shoot. Get your shit together with your attorney before ever contacting anyone to make a statement.

If my theory does not make legal sense, I would appreciate any attorney setting me straight.

 

[jar]

The legal thing has been beat to death here. The short version is it's probably a complete non-issue.

A much more real issue with light revolver triggers is reliability. The weight you're pulling against is the spring that drives the hammer in to the firing pin to light the primer. On a carry revo I wouldn't do anything beyond having the bearing surfaces smoothed out. You can pay a gunsmith to do it for you, or simply dry fire it a few thousand times.

 

[Jose]

The legal thing has been beat to death here. The short version is it's probably a complete non-issue.

A much more real issue with light revolver triggers is reliability. The weight you're pulling against is the spring that drives the hammer in to the firing pin to light the primer. On a carry revo I wouldn't do anything beyond having the bearing surfaces smoothed out. You can pay a gunsmith to do it for you, or simply dry fire it a few thousand times.

+1000

 

[RKG]

IANAL but think about this.

If your defense is that you shot someone in self defense, then you must claim that you made a conscious decision to shoot and that you affirmatively pressed that trigger in order to defend yourself. In that case, you must never, ever even insinuate that the pistol went off by itself, or that you did not fire until you were damned good and ready.

If you claim a deliberate act, it is impossible for the plaintiff's counsel to claim that you were somehow negligent unless he can disprove your claim that the shooting was a deliberate response to a threat of deadly force.

How in the hell is he going to do that if you did indeed pull the trigger (regardless of how easy or hard it is to do so) deliberately and have repeatedly testified to the fact? Who is going to contradict you?

Make it a good shoot. Get your shit together with your attorney before ever contacting anyone to make a statement.

If my theory does not make legal sense, I would appreciate any attorney setting me straight.

It makes fine sense. See #22 in:

http://www.northeastshooters.com/vb...reased-liability/page3?highlight=trigger+pull

 

[drgrant]

There arern't any..... next.

This is somewhat of a moot issue, since on a DAO J-frame most smiths aren't going to be able to make it much lower than about 8-10 pounds or so anyways, without compromising ignition reliability in the process.

Get it lightened and cleaned up and move on with your life. If it's a 442 I'd bet its northward of 12 pounds, especially at the start of the
pull.

-Mike

 

[BigMike]

Glad I asked