I know there are other threads with reviews of the trigger but I thought I would post a few comments on here.

First of all I am a Geissele trigger guy.  A couple of years ago I tried out a Geissele SSA and liked it and decided to upgrade all my ARs with the enhanced triggers, even my retros.  I bought 21 of them for the ARs I had.  I also installed several for my friends.  Mostly SSAs but a few SSA-Es.  

Last week I bought a couple of the Colt lower receivers from Primary Arms and decided to outfit them with enhanced triggers.  Instead of buying Geisseles I decided to give La Rue a try.  Not any particular reason why but they make good products so why not?  They certainly get good reviews.

They came in yesterday and I installed them and tried them out this morning at the range.  I shot about 100 rounds.

They are very nicely made triggers.  Very robust looking and feeling.  I like the wide trigger.  I like the fact that the disconnector is held in place by a rivet.  That makes installation a breeze.   It took me five minutes to install both triggers and half of that time was putting on the lubricant.  Unlike the Geissele trigger the MBT doesn't come with a lubricant or any instructions on how to lub but I would highly recommend that you do it.

I had heard comments on reviews that the back leg of the trigger may not fit into the slot of the selector because of the wide width.  I did not find that to be the case with the two CMMG LPK selectors that I used.

I think the MBT triggers are like half way between the Geissele SSA and SSA-E.  The pull on the first stage is very smooth and break on the second stage is very crisp.  The reset is nice and very acceptable but not quite as firm as on my SSAs.  

It is a very nice trigger to use for a tactical AR and it would be fine for most long distance shooting.  It is like a thousand times better than any stock trigger.  No contest.  The $199 price tag was very reasonable for the quality of product that you get.

As far as the difference between the MBT and the Geissele SSA.  They are both outstanding triggers.  You can't go wrong with either one.  The minor differences between and pull, break and reset between the two are personal preferences but for most of us I don't think it would hardly add up to enough difference to chose one over the other.

At $199 I would probably buy the MBT again.  Most of the time you can find SSAs for sell for $200 or less from somebody.  I don't think I would chose the SSA over the MBT if I had to pay $20 or $30 more.  Conversely I would not get the MBT if it cost more than the SSA.



 

Most of your statements are spot on. Absolutely FANTASTIC trigger at a very reasonable price.

I think I would agree with your thoughts on the pull being between an SSA and SSA-E. However with that said, I feel that it fills the roles of both VERY well.

The width of the trigger and overall feel are excellent. The pull is super smooth. Installation, a breeze. The lack of grease or anything, doesn't detract from it as I've got plenty of it, but at the same time I could see how your random guy just picking one up may have some issues. Though with that said, with a little lube it'll work just as well for the grease, you just might need to reapply it a little more often.

I do A LOT of precision shooting and this trigger, without a doubt is my very favorite in an AR. I've owned practically every trigger on the market over the years(Except maybe 1 or 2), sometimes multiples and the consistency of the MBT is excellent, along with the trigger weight, feel, and overall performance. Just check out the MOA All Day thread in the Precision Rifles section to see some work done with it. Not only by myself but from other users who attempt the challenge as well.

As far as CQB and close range? I've got an MBT in one of my SBR's and an SSA in another and while they both perform admirably I will say, the control you have over the wider MBT is spot on. It's also not TOO soft to use as an SD/HD trigger.

Overall LaRue Tactical hit it out of the park with this trigger. With the recent price drop on it, it made it even more obtainable. The thing is great and I have yet to read or hear of any negative reviews on it yet and I don't anticipate seeing any. Between the quality and qc done on the trigger and the customer service offered by Larue, I'm fairly certain there won't be any unhappy customers.

Interesting. Is $199 the new price, or a sale/special price? I seem to remember them being around $280 when they were first released, which is the reason I discounted it.

That's the new price. Plus I think you get a hat too.

I agree.  Mark La Rue did a great job.  So did Bill Geissele.  I almost felt like I was cheating on Bill by ordering Mark's trigger.  It is kind of like jilting your girl friend for some strange.

I don't do a lot of precision shooting.  Just some now and then out to 600 yds.  Most of my fun time at the range is tactical.

The MBT is a good precision trigger just like the SSA-E.  Even the SSA is more of a precision trigger than the great majority of AR shooters in the US would ever need.

My opinion being a range officer and seeing a lot of different people at the range is that either trigger is better than the shooting skills of 99% of the AR shooters in the US.

While an experienced marksman like yourself can discern the difference most people would say that both the MBT and SSA are fantastic triggers and probably couldn't tell you the difference.  

Bill Geissele. I too used Geissele triggers for years. I still do in some rifles. But the MBT is a breath of fresh air with some new traits we haven't seen too much of in the AR world.

I'd agree, most couldn't really feel the difference as well. But with the price coming down, it'll be interesting to see where people go now. The SSA used to be the standard, but now people have options.

The two I ordered came with two hats, dillo dust, armadillo bottle opener, some plastic things that I have no idea what they are, god bless the snipers bumper stickers and three copies of the US Constitution.

Of course when I ordered directly from Geissele I got hats and other things also.

I stand corrected.  I knew that it was Bill but my computer typed in Bob.

Sounds like you got a pack of index clips. It's the Larue Version of rail covers. They've got a great feel and come in a few styles to sort of be modular in a sense. The different clips allow you to run wires from lights off to the side and not have to use rubber bands or tape or anything to keep them out of the way.

One thing is for certain, both companies are great.

True that.

I'm so conflicted. I have an SD-E in my recce and love it. My cqb gun needs a new trigger and I'm totally torn between Larue and Geisselle. Bill and Mark have always done me well and their products truly are top tier. So it comes down to MBT vs. SD-C now.

Honestly, I'd urge you to give the MBT a shot. Really a well made, excellent trigger. EXTREMELY comfortable.

Definitely a strong consideration. I'm just use to the flat face on the geisselle. But variety is the spice of life and whatnot

Correction.

I said in my post above that there was no instruction for the lub.  I was wrong.  It was on the reverse side of the installation instructions.  Since I have put in many triggers before I didn't bother to read the instructions.

I apologize to La Rue.

I have two MBTs and they're nice triggers.  Like you said, right between an SSA and an SSA-E.

I find myself wishing I had an SSA-E back in my precision rig.

One of my MBTs has a noticeable amount of grit to the first stage on some trigger pulls and it breaks heavier than the other.

If I had to do it over I'd still be rockin' an SSA in my primary carbine with a 1-4 optic and an SSA-E in my SPR with a 2.5-10.

Two triggers that are supposed to be the same that are slightly different are actually proving to be more difficult for me to manage than two wholly different triggers.  If that makes any sense....

At $250 I thought it was a better trigger than my SSA-E, not sure about their adjustable DMR though. But I find the MBT to have a much more defined wall which leads to it being far more predictable. I think the wider trigger face and light first stage help in this.

Many times I have found myself slowly putting more and more pressure on my SSA-E wondering where the second stage was going to brake, and it can be annoying.

Now at $199 the MBT has become a no brainer, and you can have it tomorrow for $4 shipping if you have Amazon Prime! You cannot beat that!

I think I see one of these in my next personal build. While I like how smooth the SSA is and I'm happy with the pull weight, I'm not a big fan of the "carrot" break. Nothing against Geissele. They tell you it's designed that way up front. I just think that a trigger with the same pull as the SSA but, with a crisper break would be ideal. From what I keep reading, it sounds like the MBT is basically what I've been looking for. Those of you who have hands on experience with the MBT, is this basically what you thought of it? Sort of like a SSA weight with a SSA-E break?

Yeah, it's more along those lines. I love the travel on it and you know for sure, each time you're on the trigger, just where that wall is before it breaks. Very refined feel to it.

You can't go wrong.

I swapped it and it feels the same in both lowers.  It was in an Armalite (that originally had the other MBT in it and felt great), I swapped it into a Colt.  I also greased it up with some Aeroshell #5 and it did slick it up a bit.

The grit in the take-up is not felt on every pull.  It's like a little drag in first stage that can be felt when taking it up or releasing it.  

I'll help you with that confliction. Buy the MBT, if you don't like it as much as your SD-E, I'll buy the MBT from you for what it cost you, and you can keep the hat and dillo dust, etc.  Man I wish I would have added more of them to the cart when I got in on their sale/promo!!!

Agreed.

The Larue MBT to me is more crisp than the SSA-E, but not quite as crisp as the fully adjustable hi-speed.  But I presume that is strictly because its non adjustable, which makes sense.

Best drop-in non adjustable precision rifle trigger out there IMHO.

I'll mirror the above. I have several SSA-Es, and HS-match and a MBT. The break on the MBT is noticeably crisper than the SSA-E, although not quite as crisp as the tuned and adjusted HS-match. My future builds will likely be with the MBT. Cheaper and better than the SSA-E and almost every way.

The fact that I mine for free is the the cherry on top. Thanks Mark.