A lathe is a great choice for the disc rows, but i don't have one. However, having said that, the discs were super easy to put on AND cut in half. I imagine cutting a lathed rod exactly down the middle wouldn't be that easy without an appropriate jig. The trigger was likely unnecessary for filming. You never see it, so why make it I guess. Using the squeeze to push the back button I made works surprisingly well and doesn't go off when pulling it out of your boot! A squeeze handle might be the same. Nine toed scout troopers must have been common before they decided to remove triggers.