O.S.T.

Hello All,

Just for the record, I installed my DCAEK kit with no issue. I had the larger sear plunger and spring. Everything I've read says they went from the smaller to the larger in 2011, but nobody can seem to pin down when the change took place exactly. The cutoff has to be before June 2011 because mine was all set.


FYI, you can call S&W with your SN and they can tell you the manufacture date if you're unsure. Post June 2011 should be all set.


I don't know if anyone still updates this thread but if they do this is good info that should be edited into the OP.

I installed the DCAEK on my M&P40 recently and it improved almost everything.  The trigger weight seems too high now.  I've test fired it and the accuracy is much better but I don't like the weight of the trigger pull and want to lighten it. I still have all the factory parts.  Can I replace one on of the springs to lighten the trigger?

the same.

My reading has led me to believe the rest of DCAEK kit installed with the stock trigger spring will get you down to 4-1/2 pounds, the DCAEK trigger spring brings it up to 5-1/2.

Ok, that's what I was thinking too but wasn't sure.  With the DCAEK installed my trigger feels heavier than 5.5# but that's just by feel since I don't have a gauge.  It just feels too heavy compared to my other striker fired guns.  I'm going to try and find access to a trigger pull gauge and see what it is before changing anything and then after going back to the factory spring.

Thanks much!

Is it a new gun?

I'd highly suggest getting a couple to a few hundred rounds through it before making a decision. They have a tendency to lighten up as they break in, even the stock triggers.

Nope, not a new gun.  I put around 70 or so rounds through it when I got it trying to get it smooth out but the trigger was literally so bad it wouldn't even group worth a darn shooting supported.  When I say bad, I mean it literally felt like the trigger was full of kitty litter.  So bad that I put it away until I could afford the DCAEK kit because I wouldn't use it for defense.  The DCAEK made a world of difference, the only thing I don't like is the trigger pull weight and the mechanical feel of the trigger.  I put probably a 100 rounds through it after the kit. I have a few different handguns all with different triggers but they all still feel good.  Not so with the M&P, it feels like it's dangling from a hinge, which it kind of is, but it doesn't feel good to me.  I'll probably swap back to the factory spring and keep all the rest of the DCAEK and see if the lighter pull helps before considering a new trigger.  I'd sell it but I would take to big of a hit.

The one thing I've learned about the M&P is that there is a HUGE disparity in the triggers not only from guns of a certain year span but also from gun to gun.  Which is why you have one person who's trigger is fine from the factory, another's is rough but smooths out from the factory and others are just unusable without intervention.  Unfortunately, mine fell into the last group.  With S&W denying there was an issue they were just sending guns back to the owners with the same crappy parts in them so sending them back in was a waste of time.  

Anywho, hopefully lightening the trigger pull is enough.  If not, I may end up swapping the actual trigger.

Put the Apex kit in my Shield 9, minus the trigger, and new Ameriglo night sights. Amazing trigger. Ran 200+ rounds through her and only had one issue. Either a dead trigger or primer, happened about 40 rounds in, and was only issue. Haven't duplicated issue. Did not have to do the trigger bar loop mod.

Love it and continues to be my EDC.

Is the APEX worth it for a 45 shield? I just got mine in yesterday and after playing with the trigger a bit it seems fine and not at all horrid like I've heard some describe.

okay, I have a question. I put an Apex polymer trigger in my new fde 5" 9mm 2.0.  no other mods. trigger break was so far back that when the shot broke the trigger was already pressed back against the frame. absolutely zero movement past that point. I have read that the Apex trigger is a good fit the the 2.0.  is that true fact? is there any way I could have screwed this up? I have installed 4 of the duty/carry kits and triggers with no problem. I put the original trigger back in the it works fine, I just don`t like the hinged trigger.

thanks

ETA "i put the original trigger back in the GUN and it works fine."

So I had an old M&P45 Apex Hard Sear that I accidentally ordered years ago when I got a FSS for my M&P45.  I was looking at Apex's website, waiting for that FNS trigger to drop, when I looked at the 2.0 page.  I have a 5" 2.0 that is awesome, and when I saw that their fully machined sear (hard sear) fit the 2.0, I decided to give it a shot.

Works great.  Really cleaned up the pre-travel and has an exceptionally clean break.

Does the AEK trigger reduce reset?

Put the Apex trigger kit on my Shield 9mm and what a difference. Smooth crisp trigger pull. Along with the Taran Tactical +2 mag extension and the Trijicon Night sights this gun is an awesome shooter.

Traded into a CORE model earlier this year. It had the competition kit in it with a screw installed on the stock hinged trigger to help with over travel.
The pull was nice and smooth, but the hinged trigger still sucked. So I swapped it with an AEK trigger, much better. Then got to reading about the FSS kits.
Ended up getting one and it is the shizzle. Ended up switching the Comp kit over to my 5" Pro.
The Flat Faced FSS is the complete shizzle, so much so that now I want it on the 5" Pro. So now I need to sell the Comp kit to fund the next FSS kit.
All 3 of my pro series triggers were decent but nothing compared to the APEX kits.

20170511_122335_zpspfkosim4 by jason dorman, on Flickr

So a follow up, I did get another FSS kit for my 5" Pro. Also using the comp TRS and striker spring in both 5" guns. The trigger is amazing, though maybe just a tad too light. I may go to the Factory TRS in them after a few more range outings.
A buddy is interested in my comp kit, but really wants an FSS kit, so if he ends up not liking it, I will probably put the comp kit in my 4.25" gun and play with the TRS to get a nice 4-4.5 lb trigger.

[url=https://flic.kr/p/Yvxbfk]20170901_231418[1][/url] by jason dorman, on Flickr

Just got a performance center conversion for my M&P 40, and was curious how much difference I would notice if I swapped out the trigger for the Apex action enhancement trigger.  The PC slide comes with an improved striker block plunger, so I wouldn't get a kit, just the trigger.

The aek trigger itself is supposed to remove about 20% of the pre travel. That's all it does. It is a lot better than having the hinged trigger. All 3 of my pro series guns were decent and the aek trigger made them better as i hate the hinged trigger.

Thanks, I had seen that on the Apex site, but wasn't sure what that really translated to realistically.  Seems like it will probably be worth doing.

Things are about to get MUCH better!

Attached File

I got the same thing. Trigger and sear went in w/o a hitch. That rear sight is a pain to get off to finish up the USB. Used a brass punch to try to drift according to the Apex instructional video. Maybe I need a heavier hammer....

Still w/o the USB install, huge difference in feel between that sweet flat face trigger and the cursed long pretravel hinge trigger.

I just installed the Faced Forward Set Trigger Kit on my M&P 2.0 and it changes the whole experience for me.  I was concerned about the contact the trigger bar makes with the sear actuator but when I contacted Apex about it they said it shouldn't be an issue.

Mine came in yesterday and will be installed tomorrow on my 2.0 compact 9. Already have the duty/carry kit in 2 Gen 1 Shields and my Gen 1 45 compact. IMHO this is the best mod to do on the M&Ps.

Can you 2.0 guys show me which kit to order off the Apex site?  THeir site needs a serious overhaul.

Gun in question is a 2.0c in 9mm.  Looking to do the flat face with all internal upgrades, can't seem to find it on their page.

**Edit - I think this is it right?  Brownell's link

That’s it. (Please re-read description, it’s in there)

Apex part number is 100-154.

As seen in Brownells as MFR 100154.

I installed the forward set trigger in my brand new full size 9.  I have to say it is awsome.  I installed the spring package for around 6lbs and it breaks between 5.5 and 6 now.

Aside from the action having larger hands it great to have it break further forward.  As the stock one breaks almost all the way back.

I was doing another DCAEK install after a couple of years and wanted a refresher.  After viewing the Apex Tactical videos I came to the conclusion that they made a lot of assumptions and skipped things that I know would have been very helpful to a novice.  I said to myself, "self, there has got to be a better video out there!".  After searching I found two very good videos when viewed in sequence do an exceptional job of explaining and showing the process from start to finish including disassembly and assembly while installing the sear, the trigger and return spring and the USB.  I will create a new thread also so that newbies don't need to read through this whole thread.  If they do, they will just find the Apex link at the front and never get to these, significantly better, videos.  I know I wish I had these two videos to follow when I first did this.  If the hyperlinks don't work, just copy and paste the URLs below into your browser and they will take you there.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NqJ-v2xf7-c&frags=pl%2Cwn

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IzVRqnk4hVg&frags=pl%2Cwn

I've had a M&P 9 pro since 2010ish. It has the APEX striker block, hard sear and the solid trigger. About 2 years ago, S&W replaced the barrel with the 2 dot 1:10 barrel. This gun's trigger is a little spongy but breaks at 2.5lbs.

I plan on keeping my old one, but I picked up a FDE 5" 2.0 with the safety. I already have the safety plugs. I plan on getting a Dawson adjustable sight set, magwell, ext mags, recoil spring and trigger kit. This gun will be USPSA competition.

Which APEX kit do I want?

Bonus question: Which reduced power recoil spring do I need to start with? My second shot on paper is always about 8" low.

Would be nice if Apex would make at least the trigger for the 22. This is a polymer M&P trigger modified to fit the 22 compact.

I have three M&P 1.0 9mm handguns and all have some sort of Apex Tactical upgrade(s). All have proven to be very reliable.

My M&P9 full size (early sear block with 1/16" sear plunger) has an Apex Failure Resistant Extractor, a Duty/Carry Action Enhancement Kit, and a Reset Assist Module installed. This was a huge improvement over the mushy, indistinct trigger. Breaks at 5.5 lbs, smooth take-up, crisp break, very short over-travel, and a tactile reset. Luckily, I have experienced no sear flutter. This particular M&P pistol is pretty accurate, certainly accurate enough for its intended purpose (bedside HD gun), and it's fun to shoot. More importantly, this pistol has been 100% reliable for thousands of rounds over the years.

My carry gun, a Performance Center ported Shield 9mm, has an Apex Ultimate Striker Block installed. The USB smooths out the take-up on what was already a very good trigger. I bought this handgun new in box online for $320 after handling one owned by a fellow patron of our local range. This pistol is a joy to shoot! The ported barrel does seem to minimize muzzle flip effectively making for a relatively soft shooting compact 9mm handgun. After shooting mine my son bought one from the same seller and he likes shooting it as much as I do. Both have proved 100% reliable with nearly 1,000 rounds through each.

I've made other modification to these to pistols. I stippled both frames as well as the 8-round Shield magazine spacers, and removed the beavertail from the full size M&P9. Both have a Hyve extended magazine release installed. An Inforce APLc weapon light was installed on the full size M&P9, as were TFX Pro Tritium/Fiber-Optic day/night sights, while the Shield's sights were upgraded to AmeriGlo Pro I-Dot Tritium night sights. Here's a picture of both pistols...



I recently purchased a new in box M&P Performance Center ported and optics ready M&P9 online for a stupid low Memorial Day sale price (just over $300) to be used as a dedicated target pistol. When it arrived I installed an optic I already had on hand (a Holosun HS507c). After some range time it became clear that there were accuracy issues with this pistol. This was due to a terrible barrel to side fit. In addition (and of no consequence), the ported barrel seemed to make little difference other than to make a mess of the inside of the slide. So I ordered a 4.25" Apex Grade Semi Drop-In 9mm barrel and carefully fit it to the slide per Apex Tactical's instructions. Now the barrel fits perfectly to the slide - the barrel will not move in any way when in battery. I also installed an Apex Failure Resistant Extractor as well as a Forward Set Sear kit (curved polymer trigger shoe) and a Reset Assist Module which produced the stated and expected result, a vastly improved trigger. The break is very crisp at just under 4 lbs, reset is tactile, pre-travel is light and significantly reduced, and over-travel is all but non-existent. With the new barrel installed I headed to the range to run a couple hundred rounds of Federal 115 grain FMJ ammo through it and was astonished by the results. It consistently cuts ragged little holes in 10 round groups fired from 15 feet and tight groups at 15 yards. I also shot several 10 round groups off bags at 25 yards, most of which were between 2.25" and 2.5". Here's the best 10 round group of the six fired from 25 yards...



There's one flyer (I pulled this shot a bit). Center-to-center this group measures 2.25". Minus the flyer it measures just 1.375". Fired from 25 yards off bags, using the same ammunition, the factory barrel could not consistently keep 10 rounds inside the same 8" targets. The Apex Grade barrel is a huge improvement.

In addition to the Apex Tactical parts I've made a few other modifications. I installed a Hyve extended magazine release, a Carver magwell, and standard height Dawson Precision target sights (I found that I'm on target faster without the suppressor height sights installed). I also removed the beavertail and stippled the frame. This thing is really fun to shoot! It kind of feels like cheating... . I've sent about 600 rounds downrange with this pistol, ~400 through the factory barrel and 200 through the new Apex Tactical barrel. The only malfunction to date was a failure to lock the slide after the last round from the magazine was fired. This was caused by a weak magazine spring, so the pistol has otherwise been 100% reliable.

My son has a M&P 2.0 full size 9mm. Out of the box it's a bit more accurate than my early M&P 1.0 full size 9mm and it's factory trigger is miles better than the 1.0 trigger. Last week he installed an Apex Tactical Forward Set Sear trigger kit with the flat face trigger shoe. This is the closest to a tuned 1911 trigger that I have experienced to date in a striker fired pistol. It's nearly on par with my 1911's well tuned trigger. The relatively short take-up is amazingly smooth and there's very little perceived over-travel. While the Apex Tactical trigger kits provide a more significant improvement in the 1.0 M&P's (generally speaking) their 2.0 trigger kits result in a much better trigger IMO vs the 1.0 kits.

Regardless whether one is upgrading a 1.0 or 2.0 M&P, Apex Tactical is an excellent place to start.

Made hot.

I really like the trigger pull in my 2.0, but I hate that it's hinged in the middle. I'm debating wether to do the AEK, or do the whole flat faced trigger kit.

What do you guys think?

I went full kit with the flat trigger.  Wasn't sure I'd like a flat trigger in a handgun, but took a chance and don't regret it at all.  It really is fantastic.

What do people find with the pull weights as advertised on the Apex charts?  I have a flat face/forward set kit with all unpainted Apex springs and it's probably 4.25# instead of the advertised 5+

What are you guys running?  Thinking of changing the sear spring to purple to bump it up a bit...

I guess I got lucky as the trigger on my 2.0 compact was very good out of the box. Better than my PPQ even.
I could feel the plunger / striker at the beginning of the pull so replaced with the APEX ultimate striker block. Totally gone now.
Just debating doing the sear next but not sure if I really need it as it’s pretty damn good now. Being new to M&Ps I wasn’t really aware of everythingApex was bringing to the market but they are definitely a kick ass company. Glad to see they are here in AZ now.

Little late to this party but here I am.. Put the curved forward set trigger kit on my 2.0 yesterday with the 5.5 pound setup.  Man what an improvement.

I got the APEX action enhancement red trigger and the duty/carry kit for my S&W M&P Shield 1.0, and I've got the trigger installed and all the steps associated with the lower frame part of the pistol complete.  For the life of me, I am unable to get the rear sights to budge.  I've removed the screw from the middle, I'm using a brass punch, it's in a vise secured, hit it with a good dose of WD40, and I'm giving the punch some really good whacks, but I haven't even got it to budge even a millimeter.  I've watched youtube videos of people taking the sights off, and they don't seem to have near the same amount of problems that I do.  Anyone know any tricks or advise to help me out?  After I get the trigger done, I'd like to replace the sights with some night sights, but obviously I won't be able to do that if I can't get the old sights off.  

Thank you in advance.

The sights on my Shield were very difficult to move as well.  It's a fairly common issue with these guns.  Kroil or an other actual penetrating lube may work better than WD40, and it might help to carefully heat the slide around the sight dovetail.  In my case, it took a BFH and more force than I expected.

There's a good chance the new sights will be just as difficult to install.  Properly fitting them will make it much easier.  Dave Dawson has some good videos on the subject.

Switch to a steel punch

The second video has been removed for YouTube TOS violation, any other source you'd recommend?
@BigSky1

cops and soldiers aren't allowed to use apex and that's all the evidence i need that it's no good for duty or self defense. at the end of the day all guns are deadly weapons, and boutique triggers are a detriment to learning proper trigger technique. i'd rather be wrestling with difficult crap triggers all day long at the range so that my skills in trigger use is significantly better. same principle as weight lifting. the harder it is, the better you become. the more proficient you are as your neuromuscular system becomes intuned and you develop the correct calousses, tendons, muscles, etc at the right spot

an easy trigger all day? you will never become adapt at anything other than easy triggers. i want to be able to pick up any gun and run it well. that means handling the toughest tools with the toughest triggers and the toughest learning curves.

O.S.T.

Cops & Soldiers generally are not allowed to change from standardized duty parts to aftermarket parts on their general issue weapons.

We, fortunately, are not issued guns and told clean them but don't start swapping parts out or else!

Mods, if this is against the rules, please delete.


Any active coupon codes for Apextactical.com?


Edit: got it through MidwayUSA and saved a little bit. Basically used the S&W rebate and $11 and got the Apex Poly Flat Faced Trigger kit delivered ($111 total).

Installed the Apex Poly FFS kit. Holy crap. Big difference. Grit is gone. Pre travel is massively reduced. Break is still crisp. I went with the combo that is supposed to make a 4.68# trigger (OEM trigger return spring, unpainted Apex Sear Spring), and it’s a night and day difference. Probably about 45 min total for installation of the entire kit (first time install on anything S&W and/or APEX). Absolutely worth EVERY SINGLE PENNY.


Went and put 100 rounds of range ammo through it yesterday. Amazing what a difference a decent trigger will make.

REAL long lurker, seldom post. I picked up a 2.0 compact this past December. I really like the ergonomics all over my G19.3. The only thing I like on the Glock is the trigger, believe it or not. It has really settled in over the years. Smooth, crisp, 4.75-5#, and a reset from heaven.

The 2.0 trigger pull is a bit too light for me, 4.25-4.5#, and not as smooth or as crisp. The reset is a bit too indistinct as well. I want a bit heavier trigger and a crisper reset. Would the AEK take care of this, or the Forward Set? Also, it looks like the Apex curved trigger sits a bit further back than the flat trigger. Is this true? I have somewhat smaller hands, and every little bit helps.

There isn’t much you can do to improve the reset on the M&P 2.0. You can increase the trigger return spring with the Apex Duty spring but it won’t increase the reset “click”.  You could try a heavier sear spring, which may increase the reset “click” but will also increase the pull weight of the trigger break.

The Apex trigger kits are a combination of parts to smoothen the take-up, lower the trigger break weight and reduce over travel. You can then mix and match springs to increase or decrease the weight of each part of the trigger pull. The Apex forward set triggers break earlier and reduce pre-travel while the DCAEK does everything but maintains trigger pre-travel.

My impression is the Apex straight trigger has more reach and breaks earlier than the curved version. Both Apex triggers have more reach than the factory M&P two-piece curved triggers.

One other thing you can do to increase the break is call Smith&Wesson and ask for the non-angled sear firing pin. The 2.0 uses the 10 degree sear, marked on the firing pin, but I think the MA-compliant versions use the old 0 degree sear and heavier sear spring which causes a more defined wall and heavier break.

I'd like to hear some more reports about the .45 Shield, too.  I have a 2.0 model which is supposed to be an improved trigger for this pistol.  If so, the 1.0 trigger must have been awful as I can't stand the 2.0 trigger, finding it floppy and sloppy, and am interested in what the Apex kit does for it.  

As my Minnesota cousins say, the kit is "kind of spendy," but I'd be interested to give it a try with a little encouragement.  

Anyone replace the factory trigger that comes with the competitor with the Apex trigger.

I just bought the kit from Apex and should have it next week .