Triggers on Ruger SR9c and S&W M&P9 Shield: Advice Needed

I completely agree with Wally in post #11 . New shooter do not need modified triggers for self defense guns.

I tend to agree with others here to leave the triggers be for now. I would think it more important for the new shooters to get range time and practice before determining inferior equipment. It is likely that as they become more proficient, if they continue their interest, their preference may sway toward other higher end platforms altogether. Save the money and time spent for shooting and worry about upgrades later as they will have a better idea of what suites them with the added experience.

I have a Shield and I find the trigger to be pretty decent right out of the box. Little take up, decent break, and a short reset. I prefer it over the trigger pull of my p938. Is it a 1911? Of course not.

As mentioned, there are after market options for each of the pistols, but I think it's probably a bit premature for that given your friends are brand new to shooting.

I have both an SR9, and an SR9C. Neither has a trigger that can be described as pulling an Edsel, upside down, a half-mile".

My friend's S&W Shield also lacks for your description.

What I do perceive, though, is that, as a 1911A1 shooter, you prefer a single-action trigger. Neither of the guns under discussion possess that. Their designed triggers require more travel, and are designed to run around 5-6 pounds of pressure.

New shooters taught on single-action guns will almost always be disappointed in striker-fired, or DA/SA weapons triggers.

Both of my Rugers, and my friend's S&W, haven't lost much actual trigger pull with firing. However, all three guns FEEL lighter in trigger pull due to the smoothing in of the fire control parts with use. Often, the best gunsmith is Mr Firethehelloutofit. He works cheap, and you know your gun much better by the end of his work.

BSA1 said:

My recommendation is to have your new friends get training from a instructor that is familiar with this types of firearms.

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I think this might be the best suggestion in this thread.

Moving from my Colt Commander (which I still carry from time to time and love dearly) to my Shield 9mm required quite a few adjustments. I was actually expecting a terrible trigger and was pleasantly surprised at the Shield - longer than a SA, of course, but I don't find the creep excessive and I like the short reset. I don't find the recoil to be all that bad, but I admit I have never shot more than 50 rounds through it in a single session. I find I can shoot it about as accurately and comfortably as I can any auto with a 3" barrel, unless you drop down to a .380.

I don't have a shield, but if it's anything like their other M&P triggers, then without the APEX kit it will be crap, and with the APEX kit it will be a nice trigger. I have an M&P with the APEX kit, and it was like night in a cave vs. noon on Mercury the difference it made.

My shield impressed three of my coworkers at the range a few days ago. They all spoke of how crisp the trigger was. Of course I did take the worksharp to the trigger bar and this took out all of the grittiness that was there from the factory. Fifteen minutes work....

Just shoot them. The criticisms of the triggers are largely overblown in my opinion. People rave about Browning HPs but have you felt the reset on one of them? Me neither and I own one!

As far as "trigger jobs" in SD firearms. If you're talking smoothing out the trigger or making the reset more positive without reducing the pull under 4.5 pounds you're probably Ok legally. I would argue that a more positive reset and smoother trigger makes accidental discharges less likely.

As far as this situation. M & P's have some trigger issues although the Shield is better than most of the double stack models. It has certainly been a deal breaker for me. I have heard nothing but good about the apex kit. BUT, for new shooters with both of these guns I'd let them shoot for a while first. If they are getting reasonably good groups, I wouldn't worry about it. It isn't like the new shooter beside me at the range last week with an Sigma-40, I felt sorry for him. He could barely hit a full body target at 7 yards.

No problem.

I agree generally with your advice, but I had done a lot of online research, familiarizing myself with the way the two guns operated. I read a lot of reviews and noticed that a lot of persons who had purchased them had removed the mag. disconnect and found that it improved the trigger pull. I then spent a lot of time specifically tracking down reports from persons who had removed the mag. disconnect and who reported on how that affected the trigger pull and general operation. I would never even have mentioned it to them without first informing myself through reports from those who have already done it.

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Having owned and shot both pistols, I wanted to comment on this regarding the mag disconnect.

I owned a brand new SR9c. In my experience, shooting it with and without the magazine in the pistol does not change the feel of the trigger at all. The SR9c's trigger feels pretty close to a Glock, maybe just a tad heavier.

Both the SR9/c and M&P's have good factory triggers. Could be better of course, but for a new shooter it will not make a noticeable difference since they don't need a 3 or 4lb trigger.

Awhile back the guy next to me at the range asked me to try his new SR9c as he was having considerable difficulty getting anything close to a decent group. He wanted to know if it was gun or the shooter. I loaded up 5 rounds and put all of them in the black at around 35'. The sights were great and came up quickly on target. The trigger, for being out of the box brand new, was also very good with a short take-up and not a lot of extra travel. After this I decided on getting one for myself.

My SR9c has a decent enough trigger and is somewhat better in fact than my Glock 17 which has had trigger work done to it. No experience with M&P triggers.

When I bought my M&P 9c, the choice was between it and an SR9c. The price was within a few dollars. The SR had a very nice trigger that broke in the proper place and reset very nicely. I liked it a lot. The 9c had a trigger that felt like it was being drug over sandpaper.

But the slide action and the grip felt better on the M&P.

My LGS guy, who has never given me bad advice, suggested that the SR trigger was nice and would stay that way. The 9c he said was horrible but would improve quickly with age and some careful massaging. He suggested that I consider what the two would be like after a few hundred rounds, and he handed me another M&P that was there for sight work.

I bought the M&P. I added an APEX USB and some polish and cleaning work -- $35 and some elbow grease. The M&P is now at least as smooth as the SR, if not better, and the SR was pretty good.

In the past few weeks, I bought a Shield. Its trigger started out being as good as the SR in the first place, and has now improved to being better than the 9c. I've done nothing to the Shield but clean it and shoot it.

My Shield started out fairly gritty. After a few hundred rounds and a few cleanings, it's getting a touch smoother.

My preference is to just leave it alone. It's still a ton better than the LC9 I sold a few weeks ago.

Odd...my SR9C has one of the smoothest DAO trigger pulls I've experienced. That was one of the key reasons I chose that particular gun.