Ever notice this about striker fired pistol trigger reviews?

[mgmorden]

Nah I haven't really noticed it. None of them are "great", but I own about a dozen striker fired handguns from various manufacturers and honestly the Ruger SR9 and the M&P with an Apex upgrade kit are the best. The S&W SD/Sigma series have terrible triggers (an Apex kit can get you into "acceptable" territory), the Remington RP9 is pretty bad too, and the two Taurus striker guns I have are the worst (they work reliably, the trigger just sucks). The Glocks are middle of the pack. Not terrible, not great.

Compared to a 1911 trigger though none of them are going to feel all that good.

 

[CNobbe]

As far as striker triggers go, I’ve been completely underwhelmed by Shadow Systems Glock clones. They made everything about the Glock design better, great grip angle options w/ the back straps but the trigger pull. Ugh. On. $1k pistol. No thanks.

For strikers, the best I have are the PDP and Canik Rival. They’re both ultra crisp.

 

[Otto]

Define "worst trigger possible". Double action? Spongy? High poundage on trigger pull? Rough? No detectable reset, or reset is actually a fully released trigger?

It's any trigger that compromises safety.

 

[tarosean]

I don't claim to have shot every striker-fired pistol, or even a statistically-significant number of them

I would guess that is where most people would fall. Striker fired handguns have existed since the 1890's, definitely not a "modern" design as so many think

 

[mcb]

Having spent many years shooting USPSA/IDPA competition with a variety of handguns including striker fired, single action 1911/2011, and revolvers. (Revolvers always in double action since elapsed time is inversely proportional to you score.) After all that experience I have to be honest, the best trigger is the one you are most use to. I remember when I switched from my long double action 10+ lb 627 to my crisp 2.5 lb double stack 1911 and how dramatically my in match accuracy dropped due to the change in fire controls. It took me a lot of practice and several matches to get my accuracy with the crisp single action trigger of the 1911 to be as fast and consistent as I had been with my 627 revolver. On the bench I have little doubt that the single action trigger of the 1911 or even the revolver in single action would produce the best "itty-bitty" little groups but in semi-realistic shooting conditions of a USPSA or IDPA match what matters was familiarity and lots of trigger time more than the technical specs of trigger pull weight, reset, over-travel, etc. A quality trigger is a good thing but a decent trigger and practice beats an exceptional trigger and no practice every time and twice on match day.

 

[RetiredUSNChief]

It's any trigger that compromises safety.

OK, what does that mean?

I don't necessarily consider a trigger with a strong pull to "compromise" safety. Nor one that doesn't have a clear "reset" or isn't "crisp" in operation. A defective trigger that won't work properly, such that it jams, sure.

Some people would say a very light trigger compromises safety. Others would say a very heavy pull would compromise safety.

Just because a trigger doesn't fit one's definition of an "ideal" doesn't mean it compromises safety.

 

[Zerodefect]

It should be drop safe.

No extended firing pins. (CZ custom)
No bypassed or inop striker safeties.
No Sig, unless it's been fixed.

 

[shoobe01]

Yup, it's just impossible to get a good trigger on any form of striker fired firearm. Only external hammers are good:



Yes. Lots of us have shot lots of guns. I've shot more 1911s with bad triggers than plastic internal/semi/striker fired pistols with bad triggers.

Many of the modern series are spectacularly good. Go to a gun store and click around things like the HKs. The CZs are used for top tier competition for a reason as well.

As stated, all the big brands also have aftermarket triggers, and many options in those. So like the 1911, if you don't like the factory trigger: change it to one you do like.

(To further confound everyone but OT: the third best trigger in my gun cage is on a bullpup. Stereotypes are not all true).

 

[Trashyshoots]

Glocks have almost exactly the same trigger pull as most out of the box 1911's.

No. Just, no. They're nothing alike. The weight, take up, movement, reset, and break is completely different.

 

[trackskippy]

I have to agree with jmr40, the triggers of box stock Glocks and 1911's are very similar. The only difference with the Glocks is, initially, they have more of a military 2 stage takeup/feel until you hit the reset. Once you're shooting, they are basically the same.

Weight wise, all my Glocks are pretty much the same as my 1911's, around 5-6 pounds or so.

 

[Old Dog]

After some 86 posts through four pages, one thing becomes strikingly (pun intended) clear to me: everyone seems to have their own opinion of what constitutes a "good trigger."

Mayhaps there's some also that have never experienced a really good trigger. However, I do think triggers on production striker-fired pistols are getting better every year; as I noted back in post #52, I've shot a number of HK, Walther, SIG and M&P (w/Apex) pistols, even one Canik, all with better than average triggers.

Shot a few mags through a SIG P-320 AXG Pro (a steel-framed striker pistol!) last week that had an absolutely (to me, anyway) spectacular trigger, best out-of-the-box striker gun trigger I've ever shot. An update to my last post in the thread, finally got around to actually shooting a plastic CZ (P10 F) and color me unimpressed. (And I'm a CZ fan) Although the trigger dingus was wider and flatter (not blade or fin-like such as a Glock's), the trigger had a bit of creep and almost felt a little gritty when pulled slowly (this gun was designed for competition?), definitely more'n a 5 lb. pull.

And then there are some out-of-the-box opinions:

the triggers of box stock Glocks and 1911's are very similar.

Yikes! In the immortal words of the legendary sportscaster Keith Jackson, "Whoa, Nellie!" Now, I may be a relative newcomer to this shooting stuff, having been shooting semi-auto pistols for only about 52 years or so, 40 years in the military, law enforcement and a little local/regional competition, but I would not agree with a comparison of box stock Glock and 1911 triggers. And don't get me started on that little fin dingus thingie (am I the only one who can actually feel those with my trigger finger?) sticking out of the trigger faces on certain manufacturers' striker pistols...

What I do know is that I'm lookin' hard for a P-320 AXG Scorpion or Classic now.

 

[mcb]

I don't think of myself as much of a trigger snob but the idea that a Glock and 1911 have similar feeling trigger seems pretty to me. That would have to be a really really bad 1911 trigger to feel like a Glock. Next your going to tell me a Remington Walker feels just like a Webley Mark VI...

 

[trackskippy]

Yikes! In the immortal words of the legendary sportscaster Keith Jackson, "Whoa, Nellie!" Now, I may be a relative newcomer to this shooting stuff, having been shooting semi-auto pistols for only about 52 years or so, 40 years in the military, law enforcement and a little local/regional competition, but I would not agree with a comparison of box stock Glock and 1911 triggers. And don't get me started on that little fin dingus thingie (am I the only one who can actually feel those with my trigger finger?) sticking out of the trigger faces on certain manufacturers' striker pistols...

Except for the ridiculously light triggers some 1911's have on them, I never found them to be noticeably different. Ive owned quite a few of each too. My box stock Colts all have had triggers in the 5-6 pound range and my Glocks have all been about the same. Other than one 1911 that was assemeld from random parts, that had a "two finger" weight trigger, Ive not spent a dime on trigger jobs. That trigger is right around 5 pounds too.

But, as I said earlier, I really dont pay much attention to the trigger and what its doing and focus on either the target or the sights, and/or both. The gun goes bang when I think it, and the rounds usually go where I was looking when the gun goes off, so life is good.

I really do believe that once you stop worrying on that trigger, and focus on the important things, and you're going to be better off.

Or, focus on that trigger, and get out your wallet.

 

[trackskippy]

I don't think of myself as much of a trigger snob but the idea that a Glock and 1911 have similar feeling trigger seems pretty to me. That would have to be a really really bad 1911 trigger to feel like a Glock. Next your going to tell me a Remington Walker feels just like a Webley Mark VI...

The trigger is what the trigger is, or what you want to make of it. The more youre familiar with shooting heavier, DA triggers, and doing so without thought, the easier things usually get. A bad trigger is one that is ridiculously out of the norm, that's really all.

A lot of people will tell you that a normal factory S&W double action trigger is unshootable and that the SA is more what it should be. Whats usually going on there is, that person only shoots SA and the DA trigger is "bad".

I shoot all sorts of guns on a pretty much weekly basis and dry fire them on a daily basis. Glocks, 1911's, DA SIG's, and Berettas, DA S&W revolvers, even the occasional SA revolvers. Those SA revolvers are the only guns I thumb cock and shoot that way. Everything else gets shot DA/DAO with the trigger.

With all of them, I dont think about the trigger when I shoot. My focus is on what puts the bullet where I want it to go. The quickest way to screw that up, is to start thinking on what the trigger is doing.

 

[crstrode]

Glocks have almost exactly the same trigger pull as most out of the box 1911's.

Reading a statement like this is a cue to never waste one's effort in any discussion on any topic with the author.

 

[Rex in OTZ]

Some times your stuck with what you brought.
Taurus PT111-G2
My new to me used PT-111 g2 was as gritty as can be.
A little looking on youtube helped clear most of it up.

 

[SwampWolf]

But, as I said earlier, I really dont pay much attention to the trigger and what its doing

I think you're missing the point here. Whether you can "soldier on" with a mediocre trigger pull and don't need to devote attention to it to shoot well is not the issue. There are better triggers and worse triggers but what's the downside to insisting on a good one? If you are competing in a Bullseye match or drawing down on game while hunting, a good trigger pull is not only preferable but is required. And when you equate a typical Glock trigger pull with a typical pull from a 1911-type pistol, one has to wonder which Glocks and which 1911 pistols you've been shooting. We're not talking apples and oranges here; we're talking olives and watermelons.

 

[stanley_white]

“I want the best trigger pull possible, thus I chose a striker fired pistol.” -Nobody Ever



-Stan

 

[trackskippy]

I dont do trigger jobs on anything unless, in those odd instances, something is really wrong, which has been pretty rare.

Out of the box 1911's and Glocks really are not all that different, 5 to 6 pounds or so, and really nothing to worry about. Unless you just like to worry.

And I've got a pretty broad experience with both of those guns as over the years, Ive owned right around 40 1911's and at this point, about ten short of that of the Glocks, all of which but one 1911 assembled from random parts, were all box stock triggers. So Im not just basing things on one or two samples here.

The whole point is, its not the fruits and vegetables that get you the hits, its the headlights and target focus.

 

[mcb]

I dont do trigger jobs on anything unless, in those odd instances, something is really wrong, which has been pretty rare.

Out of the box 1911's and Glocks really are not all that different, 5 to 6 pounds or so, and really nothing to worry about. Unless you just like to worry.

And I've got a pretty broad experience with both of those guns as over the years, Ive owned right around 40 1911's and at this point, about ten short of that of the Glocks, all of which but one 1911 assembled from random parts, were all box stock triggers. So Im not just basing things on one or two samples here.

The whole point is, its not the fruits and vegetables that get you the hits, its the headlights and target focus.

I believe your opinion is fairly unique. Personally if I picked up a Glock and a 1911 and could not feel a difference in the trigger pull I would make a doctor appointment fearing nerve damage in my hand.

 

[trackskippy]

Focusing strictly on the triggers, what exactly are you comparing, and how are they different? Are you comparing stock, factory guns/triggers?

 

[JTQ]

I think double action triggers came out for those that are not capable of using a safety. I don't know of any other advantage.

While I'm primarily a 1911 shooter, and have been for the past 30+ years, this Ernest Langdon video on the Beretta 92 is one of my favorites and I share it often. You can skip to about the 2:05 mark and follow to about the 2:45 mark - "it's the length of trigger travel that keeps you out of trouble and not the weight of the trigger."



If every time the gun comes out of your holster, you're pulling the trigger, like a competition or range only gun, the single action trigger is great. However, when you're doing the whole "should I shoot or shouldn't I shoot" thought process, there is some advantage to having a trigger that may be a little more forgiving.

 

[mcb]

Focusing strictly on the triggers, what exactly are you comparing, and how are they different? Are you comparing stock, factory guns/triggers?

Talking about factory triggers.

The Glock trigger has the locking tab, the trigger pivots on a axle above there trigger in the frame. As you pull you can feel the increasing spring tension as you finish cocking the striker and then the creep as the striker skips off the trigger bar firing the gun. The pull is relatively long.

A 1911 has minimal uptake movement as you take any play out the trigger components. The trigger moves straight back, no rotation around a pivot. You then feel the wall of the sear disengaging the hammer. Depending on the quality some creep might be felt. The total stroke of the 1911 trigger is significantly shorter than the Glock.

The straight back motion of the 1911 trigger is fairly unique. Even a middle of the road 1911's trigger is crisp and very short pull compared to most factor striker guns.

I like striker fired guns probably have more round in an XD than anything else I own but the idea that a striker gun trigger is indistinguishable from a 1911 is not something I have experience. They are very unique in my experience.

 

[CNobbe]

What I do know is that I'm lookin' hard for a P-320 AXG Scorpion or Classic now.
View attachment 1071002
View attachment 1071003

No interest in the Equinox AXG? I was giving one a hard look the other day, but can't justify the price when I paid the same amount for a 229 Legion.

 

[Zaydok Allen]

Of course they think their preferred model has the best trigger. Why wouldn’t they want to own the gun with the trigger that feels best to them?