Terminology: Trigger Shoe

by
posted on August 14, 2013
** When you buy products through the links on our site, we may earn a commission that supports NRA's mission to protect, preserve and defend the Second Amendment. **
wiley-clapp.jpg (2)

A trigger shoe is a block of metal configured to fit snugly on the front face of the trigger of a designated firearm. 1911 Match pistols often had trigger shoes installed, as did many types of Smith & Wesson revolvers. Usually held in place with a couple of Allen screws, the trigger shoe is wider than the original trigger and extends a little farther forward. In use, the shooter places the trigger finger on the shoe and gets contact over a wider area. This tends to make the trigger pull feel a little lighter.

He or she can also get a little better placement of the trigger finger on the trigger for a straight back pull. Trigger shoes were popular in the Golden Age of bullseye work and I can recall several variations in that great old Gil Hebard catalog. They helped many shooters, including this one, to improve their scores.

However, I would caution all shooters to avoid using them in any type of shooting involving speed or where the gun must be manipulated quickly. These are not devices for combat shooters. For that matter, I don’t like target triggers on combat guns. Both are intended to make the trigger easier to pull. Under stress, this might seem to be a good idea, but it really is not.

I once built up a fighting 1911 on a Gold Cup frame, with that gun’s characteristic wide target trigger. Being familiar to a regular long trigger, I got a couple of down range AD’s and it scared the devil out of me. Anything that increases trigger surface or materially lowers trigger pull weight is poison for a gun that is to be used fast.

Latest

hunter with rifle
hunter with rifle

Reloading The Stalwart .308 Winchester

For more than 70 years, the .308 Win. has been one of the world’s most tested and versatile cartridges—and it’s still far from obsolete.

The Rifleman Report: Tried-And-True Attributes

In this August 2025 issue, we explored how several entirely different kinds of firearms, and a classic cartridge, possess the tried-and-true attributes that make them effective for self-protection or hunting—even though none is as popular as the modern sporting rifles, semi-automatic pistols and specialty chamberings that account for much of today’s gun coverage.

C&H Precision And Grounds & Rounds HQ Grand Opening

Cavalier Attitude Global Holdings, parent company of eight industry brands, will officially host their grand opening celebration in September with raffles, concerts and the unveiling of Grounds & Rounds, a combination coffee bar and gun range.

“Mine Beat Them All”: Great Britain’s “Baker” Infantry Rifle

Famous in both fact and legend, Great Britain’s Pattern 1800/1805 "Baker" Infantry Rifle has become one of the Napoleonic Wars’ most enduring firearm designs.

The Armed Citizen® Aug. 25, 2025

Read today's "The Armed Citizen" entry for real stories of law-abiding citizens, past and present, who used their firearms to save lives.

Studying Ammunition Developments Of The Early 20th Century

In the mid-1920s, the U.S. Ordnance Dept. faced a problem: How do you measure improvements in ammunition design if everyone is shooting at different distances and recording different results?

Interests



Get the best of American Rifleman delivered to your inbox.