The short answer is yes. Though the devil is in the details. And as we shall see, it’s takes much more work and potentially requires a bit of crafting.

I recently tested a Lyman and Wheeler trigger gauge. One was digital and the other mechanical but both essentially measured the weight of pull on a trigger. So if they both measured weight, it got me wondering if I could use a cheap luggage scale to measure trigger pull?

I have a cheap digital luggage scale that I bought to well, measure the weight of luggage for airline travel. I don’t remember if I got it at TJMax or a Brooklyn dollar discount store, but I’m certain I paid less than $8 for it. It’s actually cheaper today on Amazon (see link below).

It’s reasonably accurate when testing the dead weight of a soda. A full-sized can of Diet Coke contains 12oz of liquid and the empty aluminum can itself weighs about 0.5oz; so a full can should weigh about 12.5oz. The readings from my cheap scale gave me a 13oz. While not a precision scientific instrument, this is pretty darn accurate for my purposes.

My cheap scale comes with a small built-in hook to hang a luggage handle from. I made a trigger extension arm from an 1/8″ metal rod to transfer the force from the gun trigger to the hook and scale. This is a similar setup to the built-in metal arms of most commercial digital trigger gauges, like the Lyman.

Unfortunately my luggage scale requires a 1-3 second pause to lock in a final weight. As soon as the trigger broke and I released tension, the scale went back to zero. I had to closely read the displayed weight on the display in real time to try and estimate the final trigger break weight. It can be done but requires vigilance and concentration. Exact, this is not.

The Lyman digital trigger gauge was much easier to use because it displays the maximum force applied without resetting itself. But that convenience comes with a cost easily 5x more than the luggage scale. And it’s not like I need to measure a trigger every week, so the Lyman will get far less use than the luggage scale.

Would I rely on my luggage scale for a trigger job? Probably. I’m more interested in figuring out if a trigger adjustment put me closer to 4lbs than 8lbs, than if a trigger is closer to 4oz. than 8oz.

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Cheap Luggage Scale: https://amzn.to/3JPfH8Q
Lyman Trigger Gauge: https://amzn.to/3AiAs9z