Take-Up
Also: Slack
The light initial travel before the trigger reaches the wall, the defining first stage of a two-stage precision trigger.
Take-up is the easy, low-resistance movement at the start of the press, before the trigger seats against the wall where real sear pressure begins. On a two-stage trigger this slack is a deliberate first stage that lets the shooter find the wall, settle the sight picture, and confirm the hold before committing to the much heavier break of the second stage. It gives the finger a consistent reference point on every shot.
By contrast, a single-stage trigger is built to have little or no take-up, breaking almost as soon as pressure is applied. Whether take-up is welcome or unwanted depends entirely on the design and the shooter’s preference, but understanding it is essential to reading any trigger pull and learning where the break will occur.