“Wow, what a light trigger!” This is something people exclaim while having no idea what the actual weight is. It may seem like triggers often go by personal preference and feel. However, knowing the specific weight of a trigger can help more than you may think. Before buying a trigger and dropping it into a firearm, especially a precision rifle, you need to know your preference of trigger weight. Having a digital gauge can find that preferred weight in seconds. The Wheeler Engineering Professional Digital Trigger Gauge ha a large easily readable screen, averages out your trigger pulls, and comes with adapters for different triggers.
Wheeler Professional Digital Trigger Pull Gauge Specs
“Featuring an over-molded design with soft-touch buttons, the Wheeler Professional Digital Trigger Gauge accurately measures the pull weight of your firearm trigger, allowing you to make precise adjustments to your trigger—without the need to visit a gunsmith. Compatible with pistols, revolvers, rifles, and shotguns, this trigger gauge measures pull weights from 0 to 12 lbs., allowing you to determine how much you want to adjust your firearm’s trigger pull weight, and is compatible with both right- and left-handed users. Plus, this trigger gauge features a collapsible arm for safe, convenient storage and allows the load sensor to contact the trigger directly for improved accuracy and quicker readings.” -Wheeler
Price: $66.99
- Over-molded construction
- Soft-touch buttons
- Audible indicator tone
- Compatible with most firearm platforms
- Ambidextrous design
- Collapsible measuring arm
Main Noticed Features
The Adapter
The goal with a trigger pull gauge is to press straight to the rear. This means that the sensor on the gauge has to sit on the trigger evenly and without slipping as force is applied. A poorly designed sensor means inaccurate trigger pulls.
This is the only trigger pull gauge that I have seen that gives two different trigger adapters on the gauge. At first, I thought this was silly. However, it totally makes sense and is very useful. The gauge comes with a curved trigger sensor. It does not slip when tried on both curved and flat style triggers. The kit also has an adapter for bladed triggers that fits over the normal sensor. This is for triggers that have internal safety blades such as a Glock. The flatter adapter fills the space in the middle of the trigger to start pressing the bladed safety. If the adapter wasn’t used and you tried to use the normal sensor, that blade would not be pressed due to the curve on the sensor.
The adapter also has a place within the case so that you don’t lose it.
The Functions and Display
The display is massive and easy to understand, for good reason. This gauge allows for both live and peak functioning. Live allows the user to watch the weight go up before break and as it breaks. This can help with more trigger issue diagnoses. The weight shown also clears automatically once taken off the trigger, which is a nice feature if you want to restart the pull mid-pull (if you feel as though you messed up the current pull) and don’t want to have to press another button to clear it out.
The gauge also shows averages, the number of pulls in all, and is super easy to use. I learned everything within four minutes of reading and using which is saying something. When taking a pull weight of a firearm it is best to take two to three pulls just in case one pull wasn’t taken properly. The gauge automatically takes the average of all of these pulls and displays it.
Now the best feature: if you feel that one pull during the three that are taken wasn’t a good pull, that individual pull can be deleted from the lineup, but everything else will stay in the calculations. To clear everything, hold the delete button for two seconds. To save a pull into the calculations, press enter. If for some reason you forget to press enter and take another pull, that last pull will still be shown, but the new one won’t. This will allow you to go back and just hit enter to save the last good pull. Wheeler provides a really easy-to-understand page of instructions with the gauge.
The Design and Case
The overall design of the trigger gauge is great due to the fact that it is one piece. In other digital gauges, such as the Lyman Digital Gauge, the pull arm has to be assembled before it can be used. On the Wheeler, the arm simply bends down into itself and the sensor is seated inside the body of the gauge for safekeeping.
The case is a plastic hard case with foam inside for the gauge and the adapter.
The Calibration Card
A calibration card comes with the Wheeler Digital Trigger Gauge, which is a massive deal. Any type of gauge should be calibrated properly because its job is to take precise measurements. The calibration card shows the test weights taken, a stamp of who inspected it, and the date of inspection. It’s legit too because not every test pull is perfect. Such as below, this calibration card shows that a nominal value of 9 lbs was taken. However, a value of 8 lbs 15.8oz was read. While this is very close to 9 lbs and shows that the trigger pull gauge is working as it should, it also shows that averages of readings should be taken, and not every reading will provide the same thing. This card also helps with information if the trigger pull gauge isn’t working when it reaches the customer. The customer can provide the calibration card information to the manufacturer.
Trigger Pull Readings on Various Guns
Pistol
- HK P30: 5 lb 9.7oz, 5 lb 6.7 oz, 5 lb 9 oz. AVG: 5 lb 8.5 oz
- Walther PDP: 4 lb 10.9 oz, 4 lb 12.6 oz, 4 lb 7.5 oz. AVG: 4 lb 10.3oz
- FN 509T: 7 lb 5.7 oz, 7 lb 8.0 oz, 7 lb 5.7 oz. AVG: 7 lb 6.7oz
- Sig Sauer P320-XTEN: 5 lb 8.3 oz, 5 lb 9.5 oz, 5 lb 13.1 oz. AVG: 5 lb 8.9 oz
Rifle
- Custom .223 Gas Gun w/ Trigger Tech Diamond AR15 Pro Curve: 2 lb 2.1 oz, 2 2.7 oz, 2 lb 3.9 oz. AVG: 2 lb 2.9oz
- Custom 6.5 Creed NRL Hunter Gun with Trigger Tech Diamond Pro Curve: 13.8 oz, 12.9 oz, 13.1 oz. AVG: 12.6 oz
