So I finally installed a JARD Inc. two-lever trigger upgrade kit, consisting of a replacement sear, trigger, and trigger spring costing about $62. The JARD kits are drop-in and easily installable for anyone with a modicum of mechanical ability or by your local gunsmith, and for this rifle they are available with your selection of 10 different trigger-spring weights running from 9 to 32 ounces. I selected a 14-ounce spring, which is about half the weight I'd want on a big-game hunting rifle--up to a certain point, a crisp trigger pull on a big-game rifle is more important than an extremely light trigger. But for a precision varmint gun, this is just what I like. The difference it made was impressive. With the rifle's preferred ammunition, my 100-yard benchrest groups shrank instantly to less than a third of what they'd been before. There were no other modifications to the gun.

JARD Inc. is only one of several well-known and reputable manufacturers of user-installable custom and aftermarket triggers for production-grade hunting and target rifles. Among the other best-known names are Timney Triggers, Jewell Triggers, and Rifle Basix. The range of models and types of aftermarket triggers available is very large, for nearly every popular make and model of rifle on the market from AR-15s to every well-known name of bolt-action gun; single-stage triggers, two-stage triggers, even set triggers, your preference. I've used examples from all the trigger makers named here, in a variety of styles, and as a rule of thumb I've found that a good aftermarket trigger in the 2-pound range will cut your average groups in half compared to a creepy standard trigger in the 6-pound-plus range.

A better trigger will make you a better shooter. Today there is no reason to put up with a cruddy trigger pull, whether you choose to put a custom trigger in your old-faithful rifle or buy one of these new-generation guns.