TWO POUNDS TEN!
Over many years, people have asked, "At how much pull do you set your triggers?" The answer to that question cannot possibly be singular; there are just to many factors to consider. For example, I have bench rest rifles that are set at a little under two ounces, and some non-adjustable hunting rifles that require a little over five pounds. However, figuring that most folks are talking about field use with sporting rifles, we can eliminate the discussion concerning bench rest shooting.
Not all that many years ago, factory triggers could be adjusted over a meaningful range. This was especially true with the Winchester Model 70 and Remington 700. Also, to some degree, the Browning A-Bolt II trigger could easily be made to break clean and light, especially so by replacing the spring. But, there are enough stupid people to spoil it for everyone, so we end up today with what are often called "lawyer triggers." For the most part, that's what we now have; triggers that are very limited in adjustment range.
Remington has been through a particularly tough time in recent years, battling claims of defective triggers that did or could cause accidents. I'm pretty darn familiar with the trigger design, and have serviced somewhere around 2000 of them over the years. In 100 percent of the instances where someone had gotten themselves into a bad situation with a Remington trigger, they had been either messing around with the sear engagement screw or had set the pull spring screw so light that it had trouble returning the trigger in less-than-favorable (cold) weather. Find a stupid enough person and they are capable of mis-adjusting both settings. Add to that the "gun slob" factor (the guy who knows absolutely nothing about the proper care and cleaning of a firearm), and you have the recipe for disaster. Of course, when disaster arrives, it's easy to point at the manufacturer; and there will certainly be plenty of gun haters to side with them, despite the fact that they don't know a damn thing. Nor do the lawyers, the judge, the jury, or the paid "expert witnesses." It's a situation where subject-ignorant people are eager to gather, and about which an even less astute media is excited to report.
Obviously, not all factory triggers have been user adjustable. Today even fewer are. But, let's talk about those that are adjustable, because I think that's the basis for the original question mentioned above.
I humbly admit it... I have a knack for getting triggers to perform in a clean and crisp manner. However, I do not necessarily describe myself as an expert. (I've been looking for some word more impressive and at a higher level than expert.) Whatever. So, yesterday, after working on the trigger of a very early production Remington 700 in 7mm Remington Magnum that I recently acquired, and getting it to feel just right for me, I checked the weight of pull with an extremely accurate gauge. Two pounds, ten ounces. At that point, I thought I'd check several of my other personal sporting rifles. I was in my range shop at the time, and had 14 more Remington and Winchester sporter-weight rifles right there handy. The heaviest pull was two pounds, twelve ounces; and the lightest was two pounds, seven ounces. The average of the 15 rifles was two pounds, ten ounces. That's the reason for the title, "TWO POUNDS TEN" -- intentionally chosen to sound like the old British monetary system, and something that might easily be recalled.
I have several rifles with aftermarket triggers, such as Jewell, and they can be reliably set much lighter. I do so when the situation calls for just a flying "tap" on the trigger when shooting at a moving target. On the other end of the spectrum, I have some Ruger 77 Mark II (and earlier) rifles that require around five pounds of pull. A good rifleman learns to adapt and become proficient with a wide range of triggers, stock configurations, recoil, and other factors. I am a good rifleman. The heavier triggers of the Rugers, especially those of the past, even though they have a fair amount of "over-travel," don't bother me in the least. Nor do the Weatherby Mark V triggers that often function best at not much under four pounds, and have considerable over-travel due to the trigger also serving as the bolt release. And then there are the two-stage military triggers of World Wars I and II, which also pose no problem if a shooter sets his mind at becoming good with them.
These brief comments on trigger pull are not meant to suggest anything to any shooter. Each person should make their own decision on the subject. Obviously, without giving it much thought, other than setting the trigger pull on some of my commercial rifles where I thought they felt "just right," it seems obvious that I must like "two pounds ten."
JDC