Aftermarket triggers for Glocks - question

[socalbeachbum]

Is there significant differences in the many aftermarket triggers for Glocks? I'm not referring to the spring or transfer bar but the numerous trigger with safety gizmo and attached bar.

Do they accomplish shorter reset than factory parts by changing the geometry somehow?

Any particular ones stand out as to design and quality?

 

[danez71]

I hope you don't mind me piggy backing on your thread... it IS related.

Do any of the triggers reduce the reach to the trigger?

 

[JTQ]

I know very little about them. However, the drop safe issues with the SIG P320 has brought to light some of the drop safe issues with aftermarket Glock triggers. Some of those aftermarket triggers have not kept the "drop safe-ness" of the factory triggers.

While I'm not a Glock guy, some of the folks that I respect, who are Glock people, often recommend keeping those things stock.

 

[Zerodefect]

The new Apex is the best one. It keeps all of the stock safeties intact. (you need to understand how to test this before fuddling with Glocks) Don't expect a huge difference. Just a quality metal trigger. It's only available for the 9mm, .357, and .40 Glocks. No .45 or 10mm, which stinks.

The others, like the obsolete Zevtech Fulcrum, have a safety that's too wide. Most safeties will overtravel and basically be a hole in the face of the trigger that's uncomfortable and distracting. The Apex trigger safety is thin, like factory. The other brands haven't figured it out yet, because I doubt they shoot their own product much. IIRC, a few companies are retooling for thin safeties, but haven't got past some problems. Thin Al safeties are a bit brittle and can break if they get momo'd about.


My recommended setup is to keep the Glock action very stockish feeling:

-Apex Trigger.
-Lone Wolf 3.5 connector or Glock 3.5 connector.
-Stock Glock trigger spring only, NEVER aftermarket.
-Maybe the Apex or Lone Wolf striker safety and spring.

-Wolff medium striker spring. The light spring should only be tested by Glock experts, it often needs stretching to achieve proper trigger return.

-Polish the connector, striker safety, and trigger bar with chrome polish and a cotton wheel.

 

[Zerodefect]

I hope you don't mind me piggy backing on your thread... it IS related.

Do any of the triggers reduce the reach to the trigger?

They all do a little bit. The ones that improve that too much, often fail basic safety checks.

The good ones change the triggers pivot point a bit to change the feel of the trigger, and possibly reduce perceived travel even though the actual bar travel is the same. But there's a down side to that. Short travel pivots will never have the light action of longer travel triggers.

A 3.5 connector for example, just lengthens the break of the trigger over a greater distance. A 1911 guy would call it a mushy trigger, or creep. Although I've always found that to be good for accuracy. My best accurate 1911 triggers are all ruined mushy, creepy triggers. The crisp glass break triggers, are great for BBQ's.

 

[socalbeachbum]

Interesting. I had a Suarez International flat faced trigger on my last G17, had the 'patrol' model that does not monkey with changed geometry. It looked cool, but honestly I didn't feel any real difference to stock.

In the past I did play around with 3.5# connectors, soft safety plunger spring, and ended up reverting to stock.

 

[JohnKSa]

If the trigger travel distance is reduced then you'll want to test the gun to insure that the passive safeties are not "pre-disabled" by the reduction in trigger travel. If you don't know how to do that then don't buy an aftermarket trigger that claims to reduce the trigger travel.

If the aftermarket trigger does not have the safety tab then there's a good chance it is not drop safe, especially if the rest of the trigger bar assembly is roughly the same weight as the stock unit. I've run the numbers and without the trigger safety locking the trigger bar against inertial forces, there is enough inertia in the trigger bar assembly and striker to result in a discharge under some conditions if the gun is dropped. Same sort of deal as the P320--it needs to land at the right angle to make it happen.

 

[valor1]

Throw in the Overwatch Precision tirgger and never look back. As of today they are probably the only manufacturing an aftermarket trigger for the Glock that has never failed the safety. Feels nice too.

 

[M1key]

OEM parts only is my recommendation as an armorer. Why dink around with the trigger when the original parts already have been tested and proven for what...35 years? I have played with aftermarket parts and I too eventually end up coming back to where I started from. Trigger time and round counts will do nice things to that trigger.

M

 

[MTMilitiaman]

OEM parts only is my recommendation as an armorer. Why dink around with the trigger when the original parts already have been tested and proven for what...35 years? I have played with aftermarket parts and I too end coming back to where I started from. Trigger time and round counts will do nice things to that trigger.

M

I think of one of the best things about the Glock is the aftermarket support and the fact that the design is simple enough that the user can fix or replace anything that can go wrong with his pistol in minutes, without special tools or a lot of handfitting. That being said, I opted to just give a Twenty-Five Cent Trigger Job to my G20 and keep all the OEM parts. I have no complaints. The $.25 cent trigger job is pretty much just polishing contact areas--it doesn't do anything 1000 rounds of normal use won't do. I never found the stock Glock trigger to be that bad. There is a few of DA/SA handguns in my family. I'll take the stock Glock trigger even without the trigger job over the factory trigger on a Ruger or Beretta any day of the week.

 

[JJE]

There's a thread on m4carbine.net called "Looking for a flat, straight Glock trigger? Pull up a chair and come inside", where the poster reviewed a bunch of these triggers. I'd post a link, but for some reason I can't find it - not sure how I found it before.

Anyway, based largely on that thread I bought an Overwatch Precision trigger for my Glock 19 range gun, and soon after trying it, I installed the same trigger on my carry G42 and G26. Yes, it reduced the trigger pull length by eliminating a lot of the pre-travel, but it did not lighten the pull weight (you need to install a minus connector for that) and the reset is the same (which is good). I think the most important thing about this trigger is the flat face and the fact that the trigger safety depresses completely flush with the trigger face. Just because of the trigger shape, I can use the pad of my trigger finger instead of the 1st joint, and you basically can't push or pull the gun off-target because the trigger doesn't give you anything to push or pull sideways against - you almost have to pull the trigger straight back. All by itself, this trigger eliminated my tendency to shoot low/left on all 3 guns.

Overwatch Precision goes to pains to explain why all of the safeties continue to work, and I have had no issues on any of the guns.

These triggers are $130 or so, which seems like a lot since I think that the most important benefit is the trigger shape. If Glock just provided a cheap plastic straight/flat trigger on their guns, most of the advantage of these aftermarket trigger would disappear. However, for $130, Overwatch Precision does give you a beautiful, machined and anodized trigger, plus an NP3-coated trigger bar, all of which seems to have been carefully engineered to maintain reliability.

I used to be one of the "stock parts only on carry guns" people, but now I realize how many corners get cut & compromises made on stock guns (rough trigger group surfaces, weird trigger shapes, heavy triggers for liability reasons). If I can clearly improve my ability to put shots where I want, and I can verify that the gun remains reliable, then I'll modify the gun.

 

[481]

OEM parts only is my recommendation as an armorer. Why dink around with the trigger when the original parts already have been tested and proven for what...35 years? I have played with aftermarket parts and I too eventually end up coming back to where I started from. Trigger time and round counts will do nice things to that trigger.

M

And the nice thing is that, if one is looking to reduce trigger pull weight, Glock makes a '-' connector that helps out at least a little bit while still satisfying the preference of an OEM part (which I also agree with).

 

[Speedo66]

You mean there are better alternatives to my agency installed 12 lb. NY+ trigger? lol
Surprisingly, I managed to do alright with it, shot expert every time.

Retired now but still have the same trigger.

 

[george burns]

Here is what worked well for me after much screwing around, and reading. I hated my G19 gen 4 trigger. It was like a sponge with cleanser stuck to it. So first I put in a Ghost ultimate connector, I didn't want to go through the filing process that is required on the top tier ones. That did nothing really, I changed the spring that connects the connector, and the gun failed to reset 50% of the time, so I reversed that, I didn't want to mess with the firing pin spring, but the plunger spring made sense, "as it really wasn't going to stop the gun from firing". Still no good, I took everything apart and polished the crap out of the areas, found all over the internet. That smoothed it out the most. But I still was not really seeing much. I had always been Leary of the nipple on the Gen 4 trigger assembly and noticed that many of the expensive kits used the gen 3. I ordered a gen 3 trigger and bar for 15-20 bucks , attached that and tossed the gen 4 in the box. That did it, It's still no 1911, but the difference is as big as it gets for what I could see as not screwing with the parts that make it go bang. The trigger is now smooth and breaks clean, it resets faster and feels better. I spent about a month on getting it to this point. I really don't think you can do much more unless you want to drop a lot of cash into a relatively inexpensive gun. It's a carry gun for me, maybe if it was a comp, gun I would do it, but I am one of those people who don't believe in spending 2 grand, on a polymer gun. My gen 3 , 26 has a great trigger for a glock, so I copied and improved upon it with the plunger spring, trigger bar, connector, and polish job, good enough for what it is.

 

[the duck of death]

"QUOTE"
I had always been Leary of the nipple on the Gen 4 trigger assembly and noticed that many of the expensive kits used the gen 3.

OR--you can file most of the nipple off, achieve the same thing & save some $$. That's one thing I do when working of a Glock trigger.

 

[george burns]

"QUOTE"
I had always been Leary of the nipple on the Gen 4 trigger assembly and noticed that many of the expensive kits used the gen 3.

OR--you can file most of the nipple off, achieve the same thing & save some $$. That's one thing I do when working of a Glock trigger.

I figured if I ever wanted to return the gun to stock, it would be easier to just keep the gen 4 part and pop it back in. Also I fear weakening the metal and causing the gun to stop firing when you need it. But it will defiantly work. That was supposed to align the trigger with the plunger better, but to my eye all it did was rub against the inside of the slide creating drag. I won't mess with the ignition system springs, other than that it's a simple mechanism to work with, also love the gen 3 flat trigger without the grooves.

 

[the duck of death]

"QUOTE"
Also I fear weakening the metal and causing the gun to stop firing when you need it.

3800 rds thru my G29 EDC--no failure--No fear here.