Let's face it, a standard factory AR trigger sucks. 6+ pounds and usually gritty and "different" every time you pull it. Lawyer triggers are the best way to describe them. Heavy and made more for high stress situations than precision shooting. They are the reason the aftermarket trigger market is so hot and generally expensive.
You can spend money on an upgrade or work the factory trigger yourself.
This is my fix using all the factory parts and springs. I have my triggers down to about 2.5 pounds and they are safe. Don't get me wrong, they still don't compare to my CMC trigger, but they are so much better than factory and the price is much better too.
As with anything these days, you are on your own here. I make no guarantees on your outcome or the safety of your trigger.
The problem with factory triggers is their geometry. The sear to hammer engagement is purposely designed to be heavy.
The easiest way to see it is to seperate your upper and lower and pull the trigger. *** Do not let the hammer strike your lower. *** This will cause damage to your lower. Either use your finger or a foam ear plug to keep the hammer from striking the lower.
If you watch the hammer movement while pulling the trigger you can see the hammer drop a little while the trigger is being moved. This means that while you are pulling against the trigger spring you are also fighting the hammer spring.
My fix is simple and eliminates the extra pressure that the hammer spring exerts on the trigger. You need to get the trigger out of the lower to work on it. This includes taking the grip off, safety out, hammer out, and finally the trigger. It is much more simple than it sounds and I am not going to go through it. The information, if needed, is covered many times over elsewhere.
The front end of the trigger needs to be squared up. If you put the trigger and hammer together on the outside of the lower you can see how they mesh up. The angle of the trigger sear pushes the hammer down during the pull.
I start with a piece of sandpaper on a flat surface to square up the sear. I use 220 grit to start and higher grain paper to smooth it up. It doesn't take much but you do have to reassemble it in the lower to get a real feel for your progress. Slow and easy. Sandpaper is plenty to do the job. A Dremel or grinder is too much and not necessary.
This is the angle of the sear from the factory.
This is what square looks like and what I shoot for. Don't over cut the angle as that is just asking for trouble.
As you can see, you really only need to recut the top third of the sear. That is all that makes contact with the hammer. This is my finished product with a nice 2.5 pound smooth pull.
I only have a couple hundred pulls on my recut triggers so I can't attest to their long term durability. They haven't shown any signs of excessive wear or worse yet, double firing. So far they are working well and I have recut AR15 and AR10 triggers.
Work slow and take it easy. Test it a few times as you progress so you don't take too much off. It doesn't take much to get the pull lightened and smoothed out.
You can spend money on an upgrade or work the factory trigger yourself.
This is my fix using all the factory parts and springs. I have my triggers down to about 2.5 pounds and they are safe. Don't get me wrong, they still don't compare to my CMC trigger, but they are so much better than factory and the price is much better too.
As with anything these days, you are on your own here. I make no guarantees on your outcome or the safety of your trigger.
The problem with factory triggers is their geometry. The sear to hammer engagement is purposely designed to be heavy.
The easiest way to see it is to seperate your upper and lower and pull the trigger. *** Do not let the hammer strike your lower. *** This will cause damage to your lower. Either use your finger or a foam ear plug to keep the hammer from striking the lower.
If you watch the hammer movement while pulling the trigger you can see the hammer drop a little while the trigger is being moved. This means that while you are pulling against the trigger spring you are also fighting the hammer spring.
My fix is simple and eliminates the extra pressure that the hammer spring exerts on the trigger. You need to get the trigger out of the lower to work on it. This includes taking the grip off, safety out, hammer out, and finally the trigger. It is much more simple than it sounds and I am not going to go through it. The information, if needed, is covered many times over elsewhere.
The front end of the trigger needs to be squared up. If you put the trigger and hammer together on the outside of the lower you can see how they mesh up. The angle of the trigger sear pushes the hammer down during the pull.
I start with a piece of sandpaper on a flat surface to square up the sear. I use 220 grit to start and higher grain paper to smooth it up. It doesn't take much but you do have to reassemble it in the lower to get a real feel for your progress. Slow and easy. Sandpaper is plenty to do the job. A Dremel or grinder is too much and not necessary.
This is the angle of the sear from the factory.
This is what square looks like and what I shoot for. Don't over cut the angle as that is just asking for trouble.
As you can see, you really only need to recut the top third of the sear. That is all that makes contact with the hammer. This is my finished product with a nice 2.5 pound smooth pull.
I only have a couple hundred pulls on my recut triggers so I can't attest to their long term durability. They haven't shown any signs of excessive wear or worse yet, double firing. So far they are working well and I have recut AR15 and AR10 triggers.
Work slow and take it easy. Test it a few times as you progress so you don't take too much off. It doesn't take much to get the pull lightened and smoothed out.
