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I don’t think you’d want to shorten them, but I guess you could lighten them by thinning on a sanding belt rather than cutting. Though I’m not terribly sure I would, these aren’t target guns and, depending on what gun you’re actually referring to, the triggers are way too easy to snag on something and fire the gun. If you were to choose to lighten the trigger pull, recognize the inherent risk of negligent discharge and the possible legal and civil ramifications.

Translation: Don’t do this if you like your house and car, they may be lost in the lawsuit. 🙂 Jeff

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Agree with Jeff wholeheartedly! Derringers without trigger guards have heavy triggers for a reason. Once when I first started carrying years ago while taking the wife out to dinner I carried a new (at the time) Davis .38 Cal derringer in an ankle holster that I thought held pretty snug. I really liked it because I thought it packed enough punch and because there was no print whatsoever. When leaving we had to walk through a crowd of folks waiting to be seated. I accidently bumped someone in this packed area and low and behold out comes the derringer. It slid across the floor and banged into the wall. It was not only a dumb and embarrassing move but as it happened in what seemed to be slow motion my heart felt like it stopped! Thank God nothing bad happened. Not enough room here to list all the things I do different now but it was a major lesson for me. I was never so glad that the little dude had what seemed to be about a 20lb trigger pull. Roy

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I agree with the two previous posts…….but…if the trigger is excessively heavy and the gun is a standard single action fired firearm, then it could be smoothed and lighten up A BIT. Again lightened up some. Make sure all the trigger rules apply, positive etc. and the safety or safeties work correctly. On a double action gun be more cautious as like the others mention a lighter pull means the trigger could be snagged and fired easier, where as a single action fired gun has to have the hammer drawn rearward first. Ken

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With the exception of the Bond Arms guns, these guns are “across the table” guns. That said, I remember well the “it takes two hands and extreme motivation” triggers on the few I’ve owned over the years. I always felt it would be good to be able to use it one-handed and hit at 10’ or so. I wasn’t worried about the exposed trigger since it would take a highly motivated fool to carry it cocked and it isn’t a gun you’d wave around cocked.

Check GunTech 70 for the basic “Sear in Hammer Notch Trigger Job.” In that same issue is the S&W Smooth & Tune which shows how to spin a spring to lighten it. Don’t cut coils! No less than .025” on the hammer notch depth, polish and true the engaging surfaces. Put a 45˚ breakaway cut on the rear 1/3 of the sear, the hammers almost always have a safety notch.

I’d figure well done and quit at 8 lbs. Jack