First off, overall I have been extremely satisfied with my M&P 9. That said, I shot a Walther PPQ yesterday and the trigger was exceptional.
My quick question for people with experience with the APEX DCAEK trigger is that does it match or come close to the Walther PPQs trigger?
Thanks!
I tried an M&P 9MM with the DCAEK trigger and while it was nice it was not as good as the PPQ trigger in my opinion.
I liked how short the reset was with the Apex trigger but it just felt different. It was not as distinct of a reset as with the PPQ.
A friend of mine has a V-TAC fullsize M&P9 with the Apex trigger.
It is tons better than stock…but the re-set is still hard to determine compared to Glock or the PPQ.
That may or may not bother you…I don’t know.
Me? I’d buy another Glock or PPQ.
I would put the DCAEK on par with the stock PPQ relative to break or overtravel. Takeup is smoother on the DCAEK. As to pull, I didn’t install the DCAEK trigger return spring, so the pull on my M&P is 4lb 6oz as opposed to my PPQ which is 5lb 7oz. I don’t feel for the reset when I shoot, so I can’t comment on reset one vs the other. I shoot the PPQ a fair amount better than the M&P, although some of that may be due to the crappy stock sights that I still have on the Smith.
The only Apex trigger that will exceed the PPQ, would be the FSS…It’s probably the best Apex has to offer…
I have not shot the PPQ stock, but the 3 FSS’s (+RAM) are THE best polymer gun triggers I have ever shot.
I have both the PPQ(stock) and the MP9 FS with DCAEK. While the Apex kit is not quite as good back to back with the PPQ, I have no qualms with it at all. It is a really nice setup.
I’ve ha a mp9 with dcaek trigger and ram and I prefer the trigger in my new PPQ. That and the PPQ’s shoot-ability & accuracy.
I have an M&P40 4.25" Pro Series and a PPQ FE. I have upgraded the M&P with an APEX FSS & RAM.
The Pro Series trigger, pretty much inferior to the PPQ in every way.
The FSS, well, I don’t know that I would say “better” per se. It’s different, and I can see why they might say it is designed more for competition than carry. There is very little of what I call pre-travel and very little creep. You pretty much put your finger on it, take up a smidgen of slack, and it breaks. The RAM definately helps reset be more solid. But I’d still say the short reset on the PPQ is better, though I honestly haven’t compared reset on the two in any great detail.
Both are great triggers.
As far as bone stock goes, the PPQ wins hands down.
If you use the DCAEK and polish everything, you will get close.
Wha I would do is go with the AEK + DCAEK and have about the best trigger on the market.
C4
I must be the weird one…I ordered a PPQ just based on all the positive feedback and didn’t find the trigger to be better then my M&P with DCAEK + RAM. It just felt kind of mushy. I ended up selling the PPQ as I didn’t find much at all that I liked about it over my M&P and P30.
Getting an AEK trigger for my M&P and am hoping that will make something great even better.
I have three PPQs. I have four M&Ps with the Apex FSS and trigger.
The FSS triggers are excellent. I still prefer my PPQ triggers. It is a cleaner break. Either set-up produces exceptional accuracy (I believe it is better than my high end 1911s but it could be just that I haven’t alloted the proper time to acclimate to them these days).
I can say that I went to the range on Sunday with a PPQ and a compact .45 M&P after not making it to the range for one month. Within two to three mags with each gun, I was shooting fist sized groups at 25 yards.
The last time I took my 1911s to the range, my groups still sucked after way too many rounds. Probably a personal deficiency but my money is on both of these plastic guns these days.
Of all things, my Shield with a stock trigger has become an all-time favorite gun, up there with the PPQ even possibly above my FSS equipped M&Ps.
Having only dry fired a PPQ, I’d say the Apex Comp AEK with RAM in my M&P Pro is roughly equal. One advantage of the Apex components is they can be mixed with factory springs and components to fine tune the trigger to shooter preference.
The deciding factor for me in this argument is cost…
Both are great triggers
But for the cost of all the additional apex parts to put in the M&P I am 1/2 of the way (or further) to another PPQ at that point…
I am not so certain about that (with the newest parts in the M&P’s). I think if you do some clean up work on the sear, SB and trigger bar, you will have a very good trigger. I do agree that it is not AS good as the out of the box PPQ though.
C4
I think I may be ordering your DCAEK kit in the next couple of weeks. How hard is one of the kits to install or should I just have a gunsmith install it?
I think it is easy and Apex has some pretty good video’s on the install, but I have learned that not everyone should be allowed to take a firearm apart. So you will have to figure out if you can do it or not.
C4
How would you compare it to building a AR lower in difficulty?
AR’s are harder IMHO as you have to be aware of several different torque values. No the case with a pistol. Then again, there are people that think AR’s are simple, but don’t realize that they installed every part incorrectly.
C4
My advice; if you attempt the install yourself, get a set of roll pin punches. Can be had for less than $20 off ebay. They make life a LOT easier.