One might say that the trigger to any firearm is the most important component on the gun. Without a crisp, clean break, that several-thousand-dollar rifle/ scope combo you have might not be able to ring that 1,000-yard gong consistently or your pistol hits stay in the “A” zone in your next 3-gun match. Whether or not you agree it is the MOST important, we can all agree it ranks near the top.
Like most firearms components these days, there is a wide selection of triggers for the popular guns on the market. Modular, cassete/ drop ins, and fully adjustable models are available for almost every gun out there. No matter the style, triggers have a simple goal: no creep, clean break, crisp reset, don’t break. What does that mean? Let me break down some terminology for you:
Trigger Creep is the distance between when you start pulling the trigger to when the gun goes bang. If there is a lot of creep, it makes for awkward follow up shots and increases your chances of recoil anticipation.
Trigger Weight is the amount of pressure it takes to move the trigger to release the hammer and fire the weapon. There are specific purposes for heavy and light triggers:
a. Light triggers can help eliminate some issues such as pulling the gun off zero while pulling the triggers. Be aware, light triggers also increase the risk of ND’s(Negligent Discharge) so I only recommend these to shooters with considerable experience.
b. Heavier triggers are better for concealed carry and duty pistols, especially if you don’t shoot them regularly. This helps prevent ND’s from snags on clothing or gear. For reference, in my competition pistol, I have a 3lb trigger. It’s lighter than my carry pistol, which is a 5lb trigger.
Same goes for my AR15. In my 3 gun and varmint rifles, 1.5-2lb triggers while my truck AR is a 5 lb.
Trigger Reset is the distance the trigger travels after the round has been fired to reset the sear and hammer to fire again. It’s the “click” you hear when releasing tension after your shot. In some triggers, this is an adjustable feature so you can tune to your style of shooting. Others are not adjustable and have different feels. The idea is to have a fast, clean reset with no grittiness so you can fire again quickly. There is such a thing as having one not fit your shooting style, so make sure you get plenty of range time whenever switching a component. I had a very nice, popular brand of trigger in a rifle that I could not get clean, consistent follow up shots with. It was just not quite in time with me and after several rounds of trying to make it work, I switched to something else. It wasn’t because it was a bad quality trigger, or I didn’t like the way it shot. It just wasn’t for me.
A Clean Break means that when you press the trigger, it breaks (fires) in the same place every time without any grittiness or mushy feel. Any variation in that can also cause you to come off target when sending rounds downrange and in distance shooting that’s hugely important. What might pull you off a little at 50 yds will pull you off a lot at 500+.
Below are a few of my personal favorite triggers. I prefer the cassette drop-in style just because it’s so easy in my ARs, but there are other ways to improve your trigger. I also included a couple of my favorite pistol triggers. Be sure to consult the manufacturer and your gunsmith to be sure you have everything you need to install. Most folks have great videos to help make install a breeze nowadays. Just look them up on YouTube.
I’m starting at the top of the heap for this one. Timney has been a favorite of mine in the AR world for years and this trigger is no exception. I’ve had Timneys in other rifles too, but the Calvin Elite has taken my breath. Residing in my personal 3-gun rifle, the Calvin Elite features the drop-in configuration we’ve all come to love while allowing the user to choose from four different trigger shoes that can be adjusted along the length of the trigger bar to get that perfect squeeze. It weighs in at just 1.5 lbs making it feel more like a bolt gun than a battle rifle.
Agency Arms is known for their high-speed upgrades to all sorts of firearms. Their Glocks are highly sought after by the folks who use them daily and part of the reason is this trigger. While this is for the Glock 43, they offer them for many models. If you’ve ever shot a factory Glock trigger, you know they can use a little love. Agency Arms grabbed them tight and squeezed them good for this one.
CMC Triggers used to be known as Chip McCormick years ago but made the change and never looked back. This drop-in trigger group for AR15 is not adjustable, but they offer models ranging from 2.5-6 lbs and with a curved or straight trigger. Personally, I love the straight triggers but the curved is available for you purists.
RISE Armament offers an entire line of drop-in triggers for the AR15. The LE145 was designed specifically for LEOs and features a 4.5 lb trigger weight and crisp, clean break. The reset is like fresh baked bread, so if you’re looking for a trigger with a little more weight to it, this is for you.
My M&P has seen thousands of rounds, but they didn’t get fun until I added the APEX trigger. Talk about a night and day difference! APEX guarantees it will reduce your trigger pull weight by approximately 2 lbs, reduces trigger travel by 40%, and delivers that extremely clean break when squeezing off a round. I don’t want to say the gun shoots itself now because we all know that doesn’t happen, but man. If you have an M&P you’ve been holding for a rainy day project, it’s time to turn that frown upside down and get you some APEX!
Happy New Year everyone!
-Nick
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