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Posted: 9/10/2014 1:08:03 AM EDT
| I think I read somewhere that a stock AR trigger, or any trigger for that matter, will polish itself as it gets used over time. Has anyone here experienced this to be true? If so, how many rounds did it take? |
| I've put thousands of rounds through a pistol and its always had a little bit of a gritty trigger. I'd say if you don't like your trigger go ahead and get a better one. The alg triggers are much better and won't break the bank. Or if you don't mind spending more there are plenty of options out there. A decent trigger completely changes the experience. |
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1. separate lower and upper.
2. smear valve grinding compound, (available at any auto parts store) onto and into the contact surfaces of the trigger and the hammer. 3. get comfy on the couch and while using your left hand to keep the hammer from hitting the lower pull the trigger and reset with the left hand about a hundred times. 4. disassemble FCG and clean with your favorite cleaner very thoroughly and reassemble using a dab of your selected grease/lube on those contact areas. 5. reassemble your AR and head to the range. Profit. To further enhance this trigger you can use the JP yellow springs for a even lighter and smoother feel. I have done this to several of my own and for many of my friends ARs and everyone loves the results especially for the very minimal cost and effort to have a really great trigger using stock components. |
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It is true as the areas that come in contact will marry over time. I polish mine when new, first I used a nail file followed by rubbing compound but it took forever since its hardened steel. Now I use with a Dremmel to polish the face of the trigger mirror smooth and use the nail file to make sure the grove in the hammer is free of defects. You have to be very patient as to not take too much off otherwise you can get into trouble. The end result is you have a very crisp and smooth trigger with the reliability of the standard configuration. |
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Anytime two pieces of metal make contact over and over again, they will form a uniform shape due to wear.
If you want to prematurely wear your trigger, that's fine, but it's not a best practice by any means and I would recommend against it. Especially using any king of compound. If you want to use something on your trigger, use graphite free grease. |
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Quoted:
I think I read somewhere that a stock AR trigger, or any trigger for that matter, will polish itself as it gets used over time. Has anyone here experienced this to be true? If so, how many rounds did it take? Yes, it does. It won't be to that of a SSA or SSA-E but it will smooth out. It happened to my stock Spikes M4LE that I converted into a Recce. It took about 1000 rounds to really smooth out. It's almost as smooth as a Nickel Boron ALG trigger I just put into a MEGA GTR-3S Ambi lower/upper combo. The ALG is the best trigger for the money IMHO. You can find it HERE for $65. A trigger install only takes 10 minutes at best. And that is for uninstalling the old trigger and swapping the new one in. Watch a youtube video a couple times first. A 12 year old can do this with ease... |
The trigger (mil-spec) on a brand new build was very gritty. Over the past 2k rounds, there is still uptake in the trigger but the pull has smoothed considerably, and most (if not all) of the grittiness is gone. It's a very smooth shooting trigger. Just make sure to shoot it. 
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I just buy ALG ACT's anymore but I have done what the above poster mentioned and had good results. This. If you have more free time than money, get the valve compound. If not, the ALG trigger packs are great for the money. QMS is a tuned mil spec, and the ACS is a tuned and electroless nickel plated trigger. Quality Mil Spec (QMS) pack $45 Advanced Combat Trigger (ACT) $65 |
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Even smoothed out triggers suck. I'm reminded of this every time I qualify on the KD course. On a budget you can get the RRA 2 stage for $80 on ebay. If you have a little more money spring for the Geissele G2S for about $130. Their is some extra improvement to be found in the SSA-E, but for most applications I don't consider it worth the extra money.
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There was a great video we watched years ago from American Gunsmith Institute (AGI) about triggers and trigger jobs. One of the things they pointed out at the beginning was the "variances" allowed in the parts manufacturing. Some where smaller and others larger but still within spec. I found is this to be true in even the more costly and well respected "drop-ins". For example, two new & identical triggers had 1+ pound difference between the two. Some of the guys in our unit would spend hours swapping the various parts with others and tweeking them until they got "feel" they were looking for. |
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A stock milspec trigger (yes, military, issued, etc) are very heavy and gritty. So much that they seriously affect accuracy. The difference being hits or misses.
I think the amount you'll get out of break-in over time isn't enough to bother with the cheap kit triggers. Actually just posted on this. I'd get the ALG Defense QMS trigger. It's $45 and offers the most improvement I've personally seen for the money. The ACT version didn't offer a noteable improvement from the QMS. |
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So, to recap: $10 option. Stock trigger can bed improved by polishing but not enough to be comparable to quality match triggers. $75 option. ALG ACT + JP Springs seems like the next best choice, but light strikes could happen. $160 option. Geissele G2S Decisions, decisions... |
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Quoted:
So, to recap:$10 option. Stock trigger can bed improved by polishing but not enough to be comparable to quality match triggers.$75 option. ALG ACT + JP Springs seems like the next best choice, but light strikes could happen. $160 option. Geissele G2S Decisions, decisions... I'd totally discount the JP spring option, and just figure the option is ALG ACT for $65. That, or the ALG QMS for $45 (my recommendation). I wouldn't 'buff' (or mess with in any other way) the cheap kit trigger. At least not with anything more coarse than a buffing wheel and jewelers red. |
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Go through the process...you'll learn a lot. 1) Polish the milling marks off the trigger and get it mirror smooth. If still not to your liking than: 2) Try ALG defense triggers. If still not to your liking than: 3) Try a dual-stage trigger. Personally, I prefer to polish standard or the ALG triggers for reliability reason. Keep in mind if the standard trigger has really bad milling marks I will swap it out for another and polish it. |
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Quoted:
A stock milspec trigger (yes, military, issued, etc) are very heavy and gritty. So much that they seriously affect accuracy. The difference being hits or misses. I think the amount you'll get out of break-in over time isn't enough to bother with the cheap kit triggers. Actually just posted on this. I'd get the ALG Defense QMS trigger. It's $45 and offers the most improvement I've personally seen for the money. The ACT version didn't offer a noteable improvement from the QMS. Not to derail the direction of this thread but for those who want to stay with milspec triggers, they are NOT all the same. All will have the milspec configuration and weight, generaly within a pound or so of 8 pounds. But, S&W M&P milspec triggers are very smooth and non-gritty. I've had experience with several and they all are great milspec triggers. Heavy, per spec, yes, but not gritty or inconsistent. I did upgrade my M&P trigger with a Geissele SSA-E, because I was using the lower on a precision rifle build. But, I kept that fire control group for backup because it is very smooth. I agree that it is generally not a good idea to try to stone or otherwise use abrasives other than perhaps valve grinding compound to smooth out a milspec trigger. Last thing you want to do is work through the surface hardening and degrade reliability. If I wanted a milspec trigger and had one that was gritty or inconsistent, I'd look in EE to see if anyone had a real, genuine S&W M&P milspec fire control unit -- trigger, hammer, springs -- as a group, they wanted to let go of cheap. If I wanted a better and lighter trigger, I would buy a new one from a reputable company with good quality control. There are a lot of things to skimp on, but not the parts between your finger and the firing pin striking the primer of a chambered round. |
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Quoted:
They are asking a tech question. Quoted:
Originally Posted By Hydra- shokz:
You really have a problem remembering you're in a tech forum, don't you? They are asking a tech question. His response was not appropriate; hence the edit. Any further questions, IM me instead of derailing a thread. |
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