HK SL8 Triggers

[aaudet]

Hello and good evening Boyz!

Just sending out a quick question.

Has anyone ever found somone or something that can be done to improve the SL8's trigger.

Thanks for your help

AAA

 

[CNADNSL8-5]

There does not seem to be an improved trigger readily available on the market yet. There is a "Navy trigger" on a G36 on the wall of the HK grey room. It is reported to have an enhanced trigger. There were no other details that I could find. HK parts net in the US also has a "Sniper trigger" pack for the G36 for sale, but no detail of what, if any, improvements there are to the trigger. This has been brought up on HK pro's web site, but no one has a tigger mod solution yet.

 

[oenone]

The trigger of the SL8 is much lighter than that of the G36. There is very little that you can do to improve the SL8 trigger that anyone knows about.

What specifically do you not like about the SL8 trigger?

 

[CNADNSL8-5]

The trigger of the SL8 is much lighter than that of the G36. There is very little that you can do to improve the SL8 trigger that anyone knows about.

What specifically do you not like about the SL8 trigger?

The trigger return spring in the Sl8 is lighter than the G36. I wonder if that is what they call "enhanced"? LOL.

 

[oenone]

The trigger return spring in the Sl8 is lighter than the G36. I wonder if that is what they call "enhanced"? LOL.

I believe the G36 has the heavier spring because if the firearm is dropped in a combat situation, it should not go off. On the SL8, most "Sportwaffen" types it is marketed for prefer not to have to break a sweat while pulling the trigger and would never dream of dropping their HK. So yes, it is "enhanced" in a way.

In personal experience, the difference between the G36 and the SL8 trigger weight is considerable, and I admit that I prefer the G36 trigger. Something about the heavier trigger pull on the G36 set makes it more satisfying. The SL8 trigger set just seems like a joke in comparison.

 

[CNADNSL8-5]

[I am no gunsmith, but looking at my SL8 trigger:

Theoretically, if you were to increase the spring pressure on the locking lever so it pushes down on the hammer, it would take pressure off the sear and sear catch on the hammer. That would that mean less trigger pressure required due to less friction of the sear against the hammer. The sear spring and trigger return spring pressure would not be affected. The operation of the sear and trigger would not be affected either. The amount of downward movement the the locking lever can put on the hammer would be limited by the safety lever axle. I have manually put more pressure on the locking lever and pulled the trigger. (being careful not to let the hammer strike the bolt hold open and trigger housing) There is a noticable difference in the trigger pull. The added pressure on the locking lever would have to less than the hammer spring pressure so the hammer can overcome the pressure of the locking lever. The hammer travel distance and striking force should not be affected once it has overcome the locking lever. It would stll be needed to be proven that this would not make the trigger unsafe, but it seems possible it would work.

Hey, it's just a theory.

 

[Rich LPS]

I tried the trigger on the G36 that was tested by the US Navy, that is in the Grey Room at HK. It's still not as good as an SL8 Trigger, although it's a bit better than a regular G36. (The gun its self just looked like a MG36).

Rich

 

[UncleWalther]

I tried the trigger on the G36 that was tested by the US Navy, that is in the Grey Room at HK. It's still not as good as an SL8 Trigger, although it's a bit better than a regular G36. (The gun its self just looked like a MG36).

Rich

Rich, do you know if an SL8 trigger can be installed in a G36?

 

[oenone]

Rich, do you know if an SL8 trigger can be installed in a G36?

My name is not Rich, but yes, you can swap the entire trigger group. Or you can swap out the one spring to lighten the trigger pull (although you ask about the trigger, it would not be unreasonable to believe that you are asking about the trigger group). Note that the SL8 has additional safety devices in the trigger housing (that go way beyond the requirements for preventing slam-firing and the like) that will require the drilling of an axle hole in the lower. Luckily, the spot to drill is already marked. Thus it would be simplest and cheapest to just replace the spring.

Although some state that one must replace the entire trigger group, it is possible to mix and match most parts between the G36 and the SL8 trigger groups to achieve the desired combination of time spent on modifications and result. However, swapping the trigger group on an SL8 with one that is from a three or four-position G36 lower will not convert the firearms to fully-automatic, so there are no legal problems with using those parts on an SL8:

You have an SL8 -> You can use trigger group parts from: any SL8 and/or G36 lower

You have a G36 -> You can use trigger group parts from: any SL8 lower and/or only the two-position G36 lower

Owning the G36 lower assemblies is not illegal, even if their contain the parts for more than semi-auto. Owning such a lower AND a G36, however, would legally be iffy.

Please remember that responsible gun owners have thorough knowledge of their firearm, and know what modifications to their device will render it in non-compliance with applicable laws. (Disclaimer as we are discussing changing trigger groups and that can very swiftly lead to discussion of firearms conversions that most of us are not licensed for.)

 

[UncleWalther]

My name is not Rich, but yes, you can swap the entire trigger group. Or you can swap out the one spring to lighten the trigger pull (although you ask about the trigger, it would not be unreasonable to believe that you are asking about the trigger group).

Yes, that is what I was wondering, whether I could install SL8 parts to lighten the trigger pull on my G36. It is all hypothetical though, as I don't intend to convert my G36 into an SL8 . I may buy an SL8 as a partner to the G36.

 

[CNADNSL8-5]

Yes, that is what I was wondering, whether I could install SL8 parts to lighten the trigger pull on my G36. It is all hypothetical though, as I don't intend to convert my G36 into an SL8 . I may buy an SL8 as a partner to the G36.

Try replacing the G36 trigger return spring #205 240 with a lighter SL8 trigger return spring #217 918. You could also replace the G36 sear spring #205 421 with the Sl8 sear spring #217 917

 

[CNADNSL8-5]

Note that the SL8 has additional safety devices in the trigger housing (that go way beyond the requirements for preventing slam-firing and the like) that will require the drilling of an axle hole in the lower. Luckily, the spot to drill is already marked. Thus it would be simplest and cheapest to just replace the spring.

When the firearm safety selector is on safe, the slide prevents the sear from moving and the safety lever axle prevents the trigger from moving up. The locking lever really seems to do nothing in a semi-auto trigger group. It does not exist in a G36 semi-auto trigger, but is in the burst triggers. When the selector is on safe the locking lever moves back and does not prevent the hammer from striking the fireing pin. When on fire the locking lever moves forward and touches the tab on the hammer. But it does nothing to prevent the hammer from striking the fireing pin.

Quote fronm the G36 armorers manual:

With the force of the bolt carrier continuing to move forward, the
extractor cams out over the back of the cartridge
rim and then snaps back over the rim under the tension of the
extractor spring. Note: the firing pin is too light to cause a “slam fire”

If you know how the locking lever is a safety, I'd love to hear it because I and others have been looking for an answer.

 

[Bruce from Calgary]

Funny thing came to me when reading this - I thought of my first time firing the SL-8 and how smooth and low pressure the trigger pull was. I was thinking "wow - finally a decent gun with a decent trigger - I can drive tacks with this". Compared to a moderate priced 2 stage trigger in an AR it was a dream.

Sorry to be a wet blanket, but why do you want to make it harder to pull the trigger?

 

[CNADNSL8-5]

Funny thing came to me when reading this - I thought of my first time firing the SL-8 and how smooth and low pressure the trigger pull was. I was thinking "wow - finally a decent gun with a decent trigger - I can drive tacks with this". Compared to a moderate priced 2 stage trigger in an AR it was a dream.

Sorry to be a wet blanket, but why do you want to make it harder to pull the trigger?

Harder? The idea is to make it lighter and smoother.

 

[Bruce from Calgary]

Hmm..mine is about 3 lbs and is smooth. I don't think the previous owner did anything, either. All I ever did was disassemble out of the HK lower and put it into a H.E.R.A. lower. According to HK's information the trigger pull was lower than the battle rifle because they were catering to target shooters/hunters and were less worried about it being dropped. This is what caused my confusion. Has the originator of the thread measured the trigger pull? Maybe if it is out of spec it would be a warranty repair.

 

[oenone]

If you know how the locking lever is a safety, I'd love to hear it because I and others have been looking for an answer.

Now that I look at it again, as you have said, when the safety is on, the locking lever does shift up, allowing for the hammer to pass without touching. When the safety is off, the locking lever lowers, and the hammer must brush it when returning to the hammer up position, but it does not impede hammer travel whether the locking lever is up or down. This is quite curious as to why it is so, and what its purpose is. I admit that my perceptions of its purpose were incorrect: It has nothing to do with anything, safety or otherwise, as far as I can tell. It also does not exist on the G36 S-E-F groups, but what purpose it has in the G36 S-E-[burst]-F groups, I cannot imagine, where the hammer is without the nub such that regardless of the position of the locking lever, they do not touch.

The other thing is that the G36 S-F groups do not have a slide, where as the SL8 groups do. If you remove the slide from a G36 S-E-F group, all positions will be semi-auto, and the safety will rely only on the blocking of the trigger.

Does this mean that the G36 S-F groups only have one safety system (blocking the trigger only) where as all the other assemblies including the SL8 have two (trigger blocking and sear locking)?

Sorry to be a wet blanket, but why do you want to make it harder to pull the trigger?

It makes the effort put into pulling the trigger more satisfying. Other people want the trigger light enough to fire when a Liberal starts spewing hot air within half a klick just by the change in air-pressure. It's personal preference, mostly.

Harder? The idea is to make it lighter and smoother.

The SL8 trigger set I have has this strange click halfway that is like it’s hitting something and then that something has to be pushed aside on the way to dropping the hammer that I know not how to get rid of. The G36 set is very smooth, no clicks, no sudden changes in effort required, but it is heavier. Also, the physical trigger part on the G36 has beefier construction, and in comparison the SL8 trigger is a wet rag.

 

[CNADNSL8-5]

From what I have seen in the armorers manual, my SL8 trigger and a spare G36 (S,F) trigger that I have this is what I have found. Please remember I am not a gunsmith.

The SL8 safety blocks the trigger and the slide. The G36 (S,F) safety only blocks the trigger. All the other G36 safeties that have a slide still only block the trigger. The slide in the G36 SEF and burst packs is used only for disengaging the sear. In the pictures below you will see a tab on the bottom of the SL8 slide, this is what blocks the sear. The G36 slide in the SEF and burst packs is flat in that section.

As for the locking lever in the G36 burst packs, this is what I found on HK Pro. I cannot confirm myself for obvious reasons.

Apparently the locking lever appears to be what controls burst mode. After the second drop of the hammer, the LL moves up pushing the "slide" back preventing the hammer from falling a third time.

In semi, the LL is placed in the upwads position prevent subsequnt trips of the hammer and in F/A, the selector desengages the LL, positioning the slide to allow F/A fire.

Makes sense as to why burst grips have it and the FBI does not.

SL8

G36 (S,F)

The SL8 trigger set I have has this strange click halfway that is like it’s hitting something and then that something has to be pushed aside on the way to dropping the hammer that I know not how to get rid of. The G36 set is very smooth, no clicks, no sudden changes in effort required, but it is heavier. Also, the physical trigger part on the G36 has beefier construction, and in comparison the SL8 trigger is a wet rag.

I'm not sure what this could be. I know that on my SL8 there is about 1/8" - 1/4" of rearward movement of the trigger before it engages the sear. Maybe have a quick peek here to make sure everthing is correct. http://hkpro.com/forum/showthread.php?t=116098&highlight=sl8+locking+lever. Is it possible for you to take a close up video to show or may hear the click?