Absolutely loving my new Colt AR-15, but have been wondering about something.
I am used to Colt 1911s with great triggers. Obviously the AR will never have ( or should never have?) as good a trigger as these handguns.Will the trigger on the AR ease up with more use or is there a little bit of tuning that can be done to make it more responsive. I know I can replace the trigger assembly but that is not what I am asking about.
My experience with colt AR triggers is that they seemed to get a bit better (lighter–smoother) after a couple thousand rds.
One thing you may want to do if you don’t want to switch out trigger assembly for something like the Geissele SSA is try Ken Elmore at specialized armament. If I remember right he’s got some sort of colt spring that makes the trigger pull a bit better.
It’s been a while as I replaced almost all my AR 15 trigger groups with Geisseles.
Why would you think you couldn’t have a good trigger on an AR? They are way to easy to get. I personally prefer a Geissele, but there are plenty of good triggers out there, and they should be even better than a pistol trigger, you are using it to shoot at longer ranges right??
After I put a couple thousand rounds through my 6920 the trigger seemed to tighten up a bit, losing some of it’s creep. This might not have been a physical thing though, rather I could have just become more acclimated with the trigger after a given period of time. If that makes any sense.
You can find every bit as nice of a trigger for an AR as you can for a 1911…try a nice aftermarket unit. Colt stock triggers suck big time imho.
I agree, I wouldn’t go so far as to say they suck but there’s definitely other options out there with a more crisp trigger. Something like a Geissele can all but eliminate trigger-jerk, considering one is practicing the proper firing fundamentals.
Just wondering…
would it be practical to “lubed” the sear on a quality single stage trigger with a fine metal polishing compound to “lap” it to feeling better quicker??
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Yosel,
Lots of threads on triggers. Use the search function and you could read for days. Bottom line, you have a basic, reliable, but heavy and gritty fire control group, with geometry causing the hammer to cam back as trigger is pulled. Its also only case hardened, so don’t stone it, only polish it, if you must.
This is like polishing a turd; its still a turd. Read, then spend the bucks and you will have a trigger to rival the better 1911 triggers.
Shabat shalom,
Mark
Just picked up a Geissele SSA-E…it’s awfully darn close to my 1911.
Ive polished a couple USGI type triggers, and it did improve the feel (not gritty anymore) I would not recommend modifying a USGI type trigger for anything but fun range use. No duty guns, home defense, ect.
If you want a better trigger feel the best thing to do is to buy an after market trigger of good repute such as Geissele.
Here’s what I did.
Step 1. Tap the grip screw all the way through, most lowers aren’t, so a 1/4x28 tap does the job.
Step 2. Lighten up the hammer, simple deal, just grind off the tail of it.
Before.
After. Just use a lil black spray paint to cover the ground portion.
Step 3. $15 set of JP springs.
Step 4. This is the only part of the sear surfaces you touch. Before.
After. There has been no change to the geometry of the trigger, and no grinding, only taking down the machining marks.
My tool of choice for this is a ceramic knife sharpening stone. The surfaces are perfectly flat and it’s such a fine grit that it feels smooth to the touch. It polishes, instead of grinding anything.
Step 5. Add a $0.15 1/4x28 set screw with some locktite.
Run it up the bore for the grip screw.
Hold the trigger to the rear and cock the hammer so that it is captured by the disconnecter (which was not touched and is factory correct) and advance the set screw until it contacts the trigger.
With the set screw contacting the trigger, release the trigger. Back out the set screw until the hammer falls from the disconnecter to the trigger.
Now, let the locktite set up, then function test it. Try it on safe to make sure the trigger can’t be pulled. Try it on fire to make sure the trigger can be pulled. Cock the hammer, and with the selector on fire, ram the stock into the ground a few times as hard as you think the rifle can take (hint, it’s a lot more than you think) to make sure the hammer doesn’t fall.
Lube the FCG, and dry fire the crap outa it to make sure everything works. Revell in the amazing trigger you have created. Go to the range and shoot a thousand rounds or so just for kicks. Then shoot an AR with a stock factory trigger just to realise how much of an improvement you have made.
At no point is any geometry changed. At no point is the disconnecter altered which may lead to doubling. The result is a light, crisp, fast trigger that runs pretty damn good for a minimal investment.
If you do screw it up, throw it away, a FCG costs what? $50? Chump change when it comes to learning how to do something yourself, improving your own skills and understanding is priceless.
Kwrangln,
How many rounds have you gone through with those JP reduced power springs in your AR? This is my personal experience with that particular spring kit so take this with a grain of salt but after installing mine (factory trigger group and I am certain it was installed correctly) I started getting light primer strikes after about 2000 rounds. Main ammo used was PMC Bronze. Lightening the hammer may compound this problem. Just something to look out for.
-Jax
Lightening the hammer should actually help avoid that problem. It’s not just the hammers weight that provides a proper primer strike, but it’s velocity. A heavy hammer takes heavier springs to achieve a certain velocity, lighter springs with the same hammer won’t be traveling as fast. An object at rest stays at rest unless acted upon, yada yada yada. Lightening the hammer to match the lighter springs should make for a balanced system that is reliable.
Just to add some credence, I got the idea after reading a thread involving Travis from MagPul and he said he was running the JP springs with a lightened hammer. If I recall, the thread was something along the lines of “how does he shoot so fast” or something. I’ve got a few spare hammers and triggers, along with spare springs, so if it starts acting up, it’s only a couple pin pushes away from being replaced. For the time being, it’s a damn awesome trigger and a joy to shoot. As a bonus it’s less than $20 more than a DPMS LPK, so value wise it’s a winner.