.303 "Full Bore" trigger pull weight mimimum

[Maxwell Smart]

I wonder if anyone would be able to tell me what the minimum trigger pull weight was allowed to be, in the old NRA full bore competitions in Australia?

I have a 1945 Lithgow, in full target trim (Heavy barrel ,Central sights, target swivels etc), which a previous owner seems to have done some trigger improvements on. It has a beautiful, single stage, one-half-pound trigger pull. In the course of the modifications, the cocking piece has been shortened to such an extent that the safety will not engage as the groove no longer lines up when the action is cocked.

This all seems a bit unsafe to me, and would it have been "shoot legal" at the time?

Information

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[Peter Laidler]

First pressure, 3 - 4 lbs. 2nd pressure, 5 - 6.5lbs taken across the line of the trigger finger. So the min weight to fire will be 5lbs. You use words like 'trigger improvements' and 'beautiful single stage' and one-half pound pull-off.....' and 'shortened cocking piece......'. Max me old pal....... Not words that me or too many other furumers will be using while reading this, open mouthed and eyes like soup plates.............

Just my take on things

[Maxwell Smart]

I should have put "improvements" when I wrote my original post to indicate tongue-in-cheek perhaps.

[browningautorifle]

trigger improvements

You did...

[ActionYobbo]

from what I know and can remember the short fall cocking piece came about some time in the very late 50's and was outlawed soon after because of safety concerns. if your rifle is set up this way then it can only be single loaded because the firing pin will be sticking out the bolt head until the cocking piece hits the sear and pulls the firing pin back.
this is a dangerous setup because the lug on the cocking piece has been removed so its is now possible for it to fire with the bolt in any position.

[Maxwell Smart]

The safety lug on the cocking piece is still there on this bolt; and the half-cock notch is still functional. The firing pin does not protrude when the action is un-cocked.

The angle of rake on the front face of the cocking piece is so severe that it effectively shortens it too far, such that when the action is cocked, the safety groove in the side of the cocking piece is too far forward for the safety to engage. I can make it engage by pulling the cocking piece back just a fraction.

It looks to me as the trigger has been worked on in an attempt to lighten the pull-off to the maximum extent physically possible - just why, if it was likely in breach of the rules, escapes me.

[Peter Laidler]

It is the angle of the sear bent of the cocking piece that lowers or increases the weight of the pull-off. Clearly, your butcher/previous owner was a trifle too enthusiastic with his stone - or angle grinder in the case of your rifle

[Bindi2]

Stock standard weights were the rules. Under weight was DQ and still is for full bore shooting.

[Maxwell Smart]

Stock standard weights were the rules. Under weight was DQ and still is for full bore shooting.

OK, thanks for that.

Replacement of one cocking piece coming up...

[Peter Laidler]

Armourers at Carlisle will remember a superbly made, approx 5x scale model of a No1/4/5 trigger mech where every part that could be adjusted, such as cocking piece sear bents, trigger radii. ovalised axis pin holes could be set. There was also a similar 5x scale bolt that served the same purpose. Certainly gave you a mechanical insight to the weapon as well as the usual Armourers view. Same with Brens too....... And when people say '........ah, they don't train them like they used to', they're right!