By Sam Hoober, Alien Gear Holsters
If you’re going to upgrade anything on any firearm, a trigger job or trigger upgrade of some sort is one of the few that make a serious difference in terms of how well you’ll be able to shoot the thing.
The other, of course, is upgrading the sights or sighting system.
Presuming all other components are in working order and/or function well enough, how well you see the sights and/or the target and the relative ease of the trigger press get you the most bang for the buck.
A tuned trigger system is often one of the differences between the more working-class versions and premium versions of the same pistol. There are more, of course, but the bang switch is usually one of the largest items that get an upgrade.
1911 pistols are a great example; you can find very decent triggers among the entry level guns but nowhere near the same league as the high end handfit examples such as a Dan Wesson or Les Baer.
See also Sig Sauer P226/220/229 series pistols and CZ 75s; a tuned example of the latter, such as the CZ Custom A01, is positively sublime.
There are several aspects of the trigger pull that people are typically looking to improve or change.
First you have take-up, meaning the slack or slop that has to be taken out of the trigger before the trigger begins to engage the firing mechanism. Striker triggers and double-action triggers in single-action mode have it the worst; single-action triggers typically have little of it.
Then you have the trigger travel itself. Grittiness or uneven travel is usually what a person is looking to take out of the trigger, for a smooth, even press to the rear.
Over-travel, meaning the trigger keeps going after the trigger has “broken” and the cartridge fired, is another phenomenon that people look to mitigate or eliminate.
The reset, meaning the distance the trigger has to travel as well as the audibility and tactility of when the trigger resets, is also a desirable quality to improve. The shorter and more pronounced the reset, the faster and easier to ride the trigger for faster follow-up shots.
There is also the pull weight, meaning the amount of force that has to be used to press the trigger to fire the gun.
Exactly how to address each of these elements depends on what gun you’re working with.
For instance, you can address the travel of a 1911 trigger by polishing the trigger bar to reduce friction while the trigger is being pressed.
For modern (striker-fired) pistols, shortcomings in the trigger press are usually down to the design of the trigger group, but the good news is that they are easily addressed.
A number of aftermarket Glock trigger assemblies likewise are polished for a smoother pull, with slightly different trigger bar designs for less take-up.
Also, changing the trigger geometry can mitigate the slop and travel; this is why flat triggers are becoming more popular. By changing the angle the trigger sits at to nearly vertical, the shooter doesn’t have to pull the trigger as far to begin engaging the firing mechanism.
Polishing the trigger bar or installing a polished trigger bar, and installing a flatter trigger are among the lowest-hanging fruit that will improve the trigger pull. If you want to do your own tinkering, neither are terrifically complicated; usually you just pop a couple of roll pins, take out a few springs, swap the parts and reassemble. Usually, anyway.
In many cases, just having a smoother trigger press on its own will yield the most benefits. Even if pull weight remains the same, simply smoothing the travel of the trigger can yield a big improvement.
Modern striker-fired pistols are the easiest to improve, as most have drop-in trigger assemblies. Hammer-fired semi-autos and revolvers are more complicated, so unless you’re confident in your abilities it’s best left to a gunsmith or just leaving the gun stock.
Where many people look to make an improvement is the pull weight, but here you should exercise caution. Here’s Massad Ayoob and Active Self Protection to explain why:
Watch:
A gun that is used in a defensive shooting will be examined to make sure that it functions within the manufacturer’s factory specifications.
A gun that is outside of factory spec could be argued to be defective or unsafe, and therefore that a shooting occurred due to negligence or willful disregard for the safety of others.
Bear in mind that trigger pull weight adjustments can be made without thought to a range only gun. If you have a pistol that will never be used in a defensive capacity, adjust away, but proceed cautiously if modifying a carry gun or home defense gun.
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Sam Hoober is a Contributing Editor to AlienGearHolsters.com, a subsidiary of Hayden, ID, based Tedder Industries, where he writes about gun accessories, gun safety, open and concealed carry tips. Click here to visit aliengearholsters.com.
