One of my favorite stops on YouTube is Nelson Ford’s The Gunsmith series. As a collector of old Colts and Smith & Wessons, I never tire of his “inside baseball” education on the inner workings of classic handguns.
He’s done videos where he talks about getting trigger pulls on 1911-style semiautomatics down into the three-pound range, which is fine for target pistols. However, that’s a range that brings you into “hair trigger” territory, which can carry some serious liability with it if the gun in question is used in high stress situations.
I’ve long recommended going no lower than four pounds on the 1911 style pistol used for serious self-defense, and my own 1911 defense guns are mostly in the 4-5 pound range, a few a little heavier. Anything lighter I reserve for dedicated target pistols.
I’m happy to note that Nelson Ford seems to agree. Catch the first minute and a quarter of one of his videos, here:
or watch video here.