Anyone else prefer the short, smooth triggers?

General Firearms Handguns - 1911
1

The “skeletonized” and serrated-faced medium to long triggers seem like the most popular trigger sold on 1911’s:

I can’t stand them.

I like the short, maybe medium length smooth faced or the gi hatch-faced triggers. With a nice rounded edge.

I don’t know why “skeletonized” exist.

Am I missing something?

Another question:

Are triggers normally steel or are there alluminum ones? Are alluminum triggers durable enough?

I’m in the 1911 market (Tisas or Ruger, probably) and it’s tough to find just the combo of parts I like on a factory gun.

One of the most common issues is the trigger. I like’em short and smooth.

2

It really depends on the grip circumference of your hand. The 1911 is the OG adjustable grip system. You can swap put mainspring housings between flat (1911) or arched (1911A1), and short or long triggers (there have been a few “medium” length triggers on the market). You can also get thin grip panels, so a 1911 can be custom fit to all but the smallest or largest hands.

Pretty much the only triggers with steel faces still in circulation are the original GI spec short, grooved triggers. Most of the current triggers are steel bows with aluminum faces. The heavier the trigger system, the more likely you’ll get trigger bounce if you try to go with a lighter trigger pull.

IMO, the absolute best triggers on the market are from STI. They have adjustable tabs for take-up and over-travel, and feature carbon reinforced polymer bows with a fine checkered pattern on the face. They don’t show frame drag marks like aluminum triggers and are easy to custom fit to trigger windows for drag free performance. If you don’t like the checkering on the face, it’s easy to remove with just some sandpaper. They were available in short or long, and I have a short one on a budget custom 1911 I did a bobtail conversion on.

I used to get them from Dawson Precision, but I don’t know what the current availability is since STI became Stacatto. You can always source a short trigger from Brownell’s. There are no reliability issues with aluminum 1911 triggers. You can also get custom blank triggers that can be adjusted for length and profile by a gunsmith. Just swapping out a 1911 trigger isn’t a big deal and I wouldn’t let that stop me from choosing a 1911 I wanted. Pretty much every 1911 I’ve ever had wound up with a trigger swap.

3

Yes. As a dinosaur, I’ve always shot “short/arched” (mainspring housing).

4

I always hated the feel of the short trigger because I felt like I would run out of pull and get a dead trigger. Not a real concern, but just a bad feeling.

5

My favorite is Harrison Customs’ medium-length trigger. it has a black Ion-Bond aluminum shoe with a smooth face.

Long, skeletonized 3-hole triggers with sharp edges and serrations do nothing for me.

6

The short trigger is also good if you are wearing gloves. If you have a long trigger and wear thick gloves during the Winter you may want to keep the thumb safety on until you are sure you are going to fire.

7

Thanks!

8

That trigger looks perfect to me!

9

I can understand that.

10

I watched a couple videos teaching how to change a trigger and it doesn’t look difficult.

I’ve never detail stripped a 1911 but I could manage it.

11

If you do your own automobile maintenance and can operate a punch and jeweler’s files you can install a trigger yourself.

I’ve shot 1911s over four decades. My hands are on the smaller side of “Medium” and I prefer a medium trigger and arched mainspring housing.

12

You can even fit it yourself. Take a little off the top and bottom of the shoe until is just right. I hate a trigger shoe with vertical wiggle room. (how in the hell am I talking about 1911s in this modern day??) :wink:

13

Yea, that’s what I saw in the videos. I’d call it a 4/10 difficulty level and setting aside a couple hours just watching the video & having never detail-stripped a 1911.

Obviously the second time doing it would take 1/2 the time and the third time 1/2 of that.

14

Yep, I’ve done about a dozen and it’s easy peasy now. The first time takes so much longer because you don’t want to make any mistakes. :slight_smile:

15

I prefer the Cylinder and Slide medium trigger with the smooth face.

16

Another vote for the Cylinder and Slide medium trigger with the smooth face.

17

Harrison short in all three

18

Nice.

Two of those have something else I find aesthetically pleasing; barrel color that matches slide color.

19

I always use a dead flat surface (glass or similar) and a half sheet of sandpaper (in decreasing grits) to reduce the trigger shoe to optimum.
Much easier (for me) to keep surfaces square/plumb.

20

Very very nice Rocket.

PB