Trigger Upgrades - what are you gaining

Bolivar

Bolivar

CGN Ultra frequent flyer
Rating - 100%
87   0   0
Location
Outside Barrie ON, Native to South Shore of NS
Lots of folks seem to into installing after market triggers in their black rifles.

Curious about what you gain?

1)Do the rifles end up grouping better, has any body shot before and after groups to verify?

2)Are they gaining better splits on rapids?

3)Is it a confidence thing? "My trigger feels great so I am confident I can make accurate hits!"?

4)Is it pride of ownership, bragging rights? "My custom AR has ### super fantastic awesome trigger". Not that there is anything wrong with pride of ownership/bragging as long as it's not excessive.

I ask because lots of folks recommend aftermarket trigger upgrades and say how great they are but often don't quantify the "greatness" and effect on shooting results.

Not slagging or asking anybody t to justify their upgrades, just trying to quantify the effect of an improved trigger.
 
I've generally been happy with the stock triggers on my black rifles. The AR's I used to own had decent triggers, the Ar180b trigger was a little heavy but clean, the ACR trigger is decent, and the Swiss Arms triggers are nice although they take a little getting used to. Like you I shoot mainly Service Rifle/CQB, and I've never though upgrading a trigger would give me an advantage.
 
A 12 or 15lb trigger will not help you shoot to the guns potential that's for sure. If you look at a Nork trigger for example because they are usually the worst, when you pull the trigger the hammer actually moves back a few degrees. This is due to completely improper angles on the hammer and sear. This is far from ideal. So yeah, an abnormally heavy trigger will make your shot to shot consistency suffer, as well as your ability to follow up quickly. It will also make your finger tired after a few hundred rounds....
 
Hitzy said:
A 12 or 15lb trigger will not help you shoot to the guns potential that's for sure. If you look at a Nork trigger for example because they are usually the worst, when you pull the trigger the hammer actually moves back a few degrees. This is due to completely improper angles on the hammer and sear. This is far from ideal. So yeah, an abnormally heavy trigger will make your shot to shot consistency suffer, as well as your ability to follow up quickly. It will also make your finger tired after a few hundred rounds....
Click to expand...

The heaviest trigger I ever had on a black rifle was 10lbs, and that was the 180b. I don't own AR's any more, so I can't measure them exactly, but according to my trigger pull gauge, my ACR trigger breaks at 7 1/2lbs, and all my Swiss Arms break at 6 1/2lbs. The triggers are all smooth, no grit, and the break point is consistent and predictable.
 
I felt the same way when I first got my AR. But let me tell you, of everything I've done to it the trigger has been the single most important upgrade and had the most dramatic effect on my shooting. The only way to know is to try it yourself, but yes, it simply becomes way way easier to keep the barrel exactly where you want it when the trigger breaks.

My first trigger upgrade was to the ALG Defense QMS, which is still a mil-spec (~6lbs) trigger, but has a much cleaner break. I was in heaven when I took it to the range for the first time with that. Then when I upgraded to a 3.5lb Chip McCormick single stage trigger... Well that's when it affirmed how much the trigger pull plays a role in good shooting. I wish every gun I own has that trigger in it.
 
Last edited:
The 3 things that are allways worth the money for accuracy is a trigger, optics, ammo
My ar's have allways had just factory triggers, some were good and some were crap but my bolt guns all have aftermarket triggers.
 
I bought a Timney, couldn't be happier and very simple installation without any tweaking! BUT its a single stage which I prefer on the AR
You can get them in 3lbs, 4lbs or 4.5lbs

 
100m bench test, 18" JP upper, ACOG TA31CH 4x, Timney Trigger 3lbs
15rds of 75gr Hornady match ammo

I pulled a few shots to the left and also adjusted 2 clicks right and 2 clicks up during the test>
All this gear can outshoot me by a lot so this about the best I can do...

Supermatch223_zps7a014bd2.jpg
 
Gucci triggers make it easier to group well and shoot faster. You can shoot very well with a stock trigger. Just look at the guys at Connaught and what they can do with a stock C7 and a 3.4x optic.
 
yohann160 said:
Gucci triggers make it easier to group well and shoot faster. You can shoot very well with a stock trigger. Just look at the guys at Connaught and what they can do with a stock C7 and a 3.4x optic.
Click to expand...

My question is, would that money be spent better by either getting in to handloading or by just practicing more? I believe yes on both accounts. You can get all the fancy stuff you want, but at the end of the day, if you're practicing a lot, you'll do better than someone who just goes out and buys all the fanciest stuff.
 
Ar180shooter said:
The heaviest trigger I ever had on a black rifle was 10lbs, and that was the 180b. I don't own AR's any more, so I can't measure them exactly, but according to my trigger pull gauge, my ACR trigger breaks at 7 1/2lbs, and all my Swiss Arms break at 6 1/2lbs. The triggers are all smooth, no grit, and the break point is consistent and predictable.
Click to expand...

Will you now have to change your name? No AR's? I feel for ya man, but I guess the Swiss Arms could make up for it.
 
Ar180shooter said:
My question is, would that money be spent better by either getting in to handloading or by just practicing more? I believe yes on both accounts. You can get all the fancy stuff you want, but at the end of the day, if you're practicing a lot, you'll do better than someone who just goes out and buys all the fanciest stuff.
Click to expand...

Especially on here where people post 25m and 50m targets with 6-10 inch groups and state how awesome the gun is....lol
Definitely more practice before replacing parts, but once you can actually shoot proficiently, then an improved trigger can help a lot. On a bench with a steady rest you might get decent groups with a #### trigger, but start moving around and shooting from different positions and things go to hell.
All my milsurps have decent OEM 2 stage triggers in them, and I dropped 2 stage triggers in my AR's to keep that consistent. I don't need a 2lb trigger, just 5lbs +/- and I'm good. I use RRA triggers....around $100 and they work well for me.
 
Hitzy said:
Especially on here where people post 25m and 50m targets with 6-10 inch groups and state how awesome the gun is....lol
Definitely more practice before replacing parts, but once you can actually shoot proficiently, then an improved trigger can help a lot. On a bench with a steady rest you might get decent groups with a #### trigger, but start moving around and shooting from different positions and things go to hell.
All my milsurps have decent OEM 2 stage triggers in them, and I dropped 2 stage triggers in my AR's to keep that consistent. I don't need a 2lb trigger, just 5lbs +/- and I'm good. I use RRA triggers....around $100 and they work well for me.
Click to expand...

It all depends on how "bad" your stock trigger is. With most decent AR's (and black rifles for that matter), the trigger is good enough that I see no point in replacing the trigger with a fancy trigger. If you're doing stuff like service rifle, IMO a stock military trigger is beneficial because when the blood gets pumping and the adrenaline flowing on the rundowns, you don't want a light trigger.
 
Ar180shooter said:
It all depends on how "bad" your stock trigger is. With most decent AR's (and black rifles for that matter), the trigger is good enough that I see no point in replacing the trigger with a fancy trigger. If you're doing stuff like service rifle, IMO a stock military trigger is beneficial because when the blood gets pumping and the adrenaline flowing on the rundowns, you don't want a light trigger.
Click to expand...

Exactly. Unless your trigger is horrible a better option is more ammo.
 
My Bushy was pretty good out of the box, it's still in there. The Nork was repulsive, DPMS was bad.....if it's within spec it's usually not bad. 10lbs is not good....lol
 
For me, its not so much better groups , faster splits etc , but rather what I'm use to with all my other rifles

Most of my bolt guns all have 2 stage ( about 3 to 4 lb pull weight with no creep )

It would be prudent to sick with what you are use to ( muscle memory ) for obvious reasons

I had a Timney single stage 3 lb , and when I had 3 or 4 ARs at the range and picked up the one with the Timney single stage, you would be surprised how easy it is send one downrange when trying to take up the 1st stage pull to 2nd stage of a single stage trigger ! Been sitting in my tool box ever since

Same goes for pull weight. If all your ARs have 6lb pull, nothing wrong with sticking with that. I had a friend new to shooting so we set his AR up with heavy 6+ lb . He shot this for 600+ rds . When he tried my lower with Geissle S3G he "didn't like it" because he wasn't sure when it was going to drop the hammer. He was simply use to what he was use to . This illustrates why IMO its more important to set up trigger similar to what you have in other rifles

Same can be said with handguns. I know there is lots of hate for 1911s but you cant argue the fact that once you are use to a good single action pull of a 1911 , its awkward to jump to a striker fired for example
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom