AR Triggers

[velocette]

The modern sporting rifle. AR 15 style or AR 308 style.
Great accurate reliable rifles that come from the factory with awful triggers.
Actually I'm being nice about their triggers, awful is an understatement.
Rough, creepy, heavy, lotsa overtravel, lousy feel.
Modifying the stock components is chancy. Thin case hardening of the stock parts means you cannot safely stone them. Changing springs is the only safe tool available for the stock trigger parts & that can mean light strikes or poor re-setting.
Aftermarket triggers abound. It seems that every other "gunsmitty" offers a better replacement trigger for the AR rifles. All are better than stock - - - not that it takes a lot to do that.
Just like with automobiles, watches, Scotch whiskey, price means something and usually gets you something.
I have 3 AR rifles each with an aftermarket trigger. .308 with a JP trigger, installed by DPMS with the original order for the rifle. Rock River .223 with their 2 stage match trigger, factory installed. Finally, a home-built AR 15 in .223 with a Geissele 2 stage match trigger.
The Geissele trigger was not only the most expensive but by far the best. It is almost telepathic in how it reads my mind. Fully adjustable for pull weight, 1st & second stage &, overtravel. Smooth and clean is an understatement.
Don't get me wrong, the JP and RR triggers are FAR superior to the stock AR triggers, its just that the Geissele is head & shoulders better than ANY AR trigger I have ever tried. (and I've used a LOT) It's not better than my Anschutz 1913 trigger, but for an autoloading rifle its superb.

Roger

 

[BBBBill]

Agree with everything you said. Geissele is as good as it gets.

 

[HankB]

I have a RR match trigger in one of my ARs and it's what the stock trigger should have been.

But it doesn't hold a candle to the Jewell in my other rifle.

 

[gunner69]

It's a "combat rifle" made for Joe <deleted>. That being said, you are correct the triggers leave a lot to be desired. All my triggers have either been "worked" or replaced with a better trigger.:banghead:

 

[BBBBill]

I've been disappointed in Rock River trigger groups. I know of three that have broken over the last few years. One, I installed for a friend. That one had less than 1000 rounds on it. RR was no help with any of them. It's a shame because they do feel much better than the stock components. Never a problem with Geissele.

 

[velocette]

Gunner69 has it half right, "It's a "combat rifle" made for Joe <deleted>"
Sadly, especially a combat rifle should have a decent trigger.
What is more accurate is that the triggers are made as cheap as possible and as heavy as possible to satisfy bean counters and lawyers.
I work as a range officer at a large municipal range. I see daily new shooters struggle with their new "modern sporting rifles". When I assist them in sighting in, I test their triggers and they are uniformly horrible. You cannot get good accuracy or comfortable shooting with an 8 ~ 12 pound gritty rough trigger pull.
I watch them listen to my advice on trigger pull, the steady smooth increase of pressure on the trigger until the rifle fires. They pull and pull and pull then finally give up and YANK with predictable results.
I'm not saying that a Geissele match trigger (or other high quality ones) should be in every AR, but at least make the triggers fairly smooth and less than the weight of the rifle!

Rant over
Roger