View Full Version : Can't stage/predict SHIELD 9mm trigger--will APEX help?
New Shield 9mm (got it for $389 at the local gun store).
However, when I start to pull it and it fires TOO SOON--before I know it and am ready/staged. Maybe it's because I put about 50rds through the Glock 19 and 150 through the Kahr P9 (as a sort of last-test before selling due to a long trigger and reset) BEFORE going to the Shield. I literally would start to pull the trigger and it would fire before I knew it--hardly any uptake; if I tried to let it reset and stage it a bit, it would usually fire again during the staging. I'm sure there is uptake that I'm staging, but at some point, it gets tough to pull, then KABLAM! IS THIS A COMMON PROBLEM?!
Will the APEX CARRY KIT fix this, and if so, do I need the APEX trigger too? It doesn't have to be EXACTLY like my glock trigger, but I need to be able to stage it and know when it's about to break--also lightening it up to 4.5-5.5lbs would be ideal.
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NOTE: When I tried VERY hard and went super slow while bracing the gun on the platform, I'd shoot a 2.5" group of 7-8rds about 4" high--directly at 12 o'clock. I have Defoor Ameriglos coming in that will probably shoot POA/POI.
It was 100% reliable with 3 or 4 FMJs and at least 3 JHP (American Eagle--my main FMJ, Tula Brass, Blazer, Winchester Ranger 124gr JHP, Federal HST 124gr, and Federal 147gr hydrashok).
My out of the box trigger was pretty good. There is slack, then you hit a wall, and with a bit of creep- bang. Just like most factory guns.
I would like a APEX trigger but have not bothered. I'm a trigger snob, but mine was decent.
I just purchased one last week and have about 250 rds thru it. The factory trigger has a wall that you can feel and then very little creep. After all the criticism with Shield triggers I was pleasantly surprised. Follow up shots are quick as well as the reset is pretty clear. At about 10 yards POA is at POI which IMO is about right for a gun this size. Do not see shooting it much past 10 yards.
Yeah, my last one (bought when they first came out--and sold for $50 more like 6 months later) wasn't this bad and shot to point of aim. This one put a nice group about 4-5" high at 7yrds....and was higher at 25Y (I shoot 25Y just because at that distance you can really start to see any issues).
But man this trigger is bugging me--the last one didn't. I went ahead and ordered an APEX kit. May do the trigger later, but I want to see what polishing the parts and putting in the APEX does first.
I used a work sharp on my striker face and trigger bar, no grit and a pretty good break. I still want to do an apex kit to try and get the pull down some.
Staging? There is no staging on either my m&p or shield... once it breaks, its going all the way. Just focus on pulling straight back and you should see good results downrange. Dry fire will tell you if your doing it right.
... but I need to be able to stage it and know when it's about to break--
Why? It breaks when you pull it. You will get a feel for how much pressure is needed. I get on target, take up the slack with firm pressure (maybe half the trigger pull weight - but its a wild guess), then smoothly press the finger into my palm on the thumb side of my lifeline.
Yeah, my last one (bought when they first came out--and sold for $50 more like 6 months later) wasn't this bad and shot to point of aim. This one put a nice group about 4-5" high at 7yrds....and was higher at 25Y (I shoot 25Y just because at that distance you can really start to see any issues).
But man this trigger is bugging me--the last one didn't. I went ahead and ordered an APEX kit. May do the trigger later, but I want to see what polishing the parts and putting in the APEX does first.
That's not right. Have someone who you know can shoot a shield try it out. If its actually shooting 5" high @ 7yds, id send it back. Mine shoots in the front sight's dot at 7yds.
I would dry fire a lot before dropping $150 on a trigger.
Staging? There is no staging on either my m&p or shield... once it breaks, its going all the way. Just focus on pulling straight back and you should see good results downrange. Dry fire will tell you if your doing it right.
Why? It breaks when you pull it. You will get a feel for how much pressure is needed. I get on target, take up the slack with firm pressure (maybe half the trigger pull weight - but its a wild guess), then smoothly press the finger into my palm on the thumb side of my lifeline.
That's not right. Have someone who you know can shoot a shield try it out. If its actually shooting 5" high @ 7yds, id send it back. Mine shoots in the front sight's dot at 7yds.
I would dry fire a lot before dropping $150 on a trigger.
There is a discernible difference between the Shield AEK Trigger kit and the stock shield trigger. The Apex kit better distributes the trigger pull poundage over a more generous curve which allows finer control. The stock Shield trigger in MY opinion has too much of the trigger weight based upon sear and striker interaction. I found this combination very hard to shoot, similar to a six pound 1911 trigger press. I find that a better distribution of trigger force in order to get the gun to fire, leads to better accuracy. To further define this, i prefer the weight to be almost evenly split between spring tension and sear break weight.
Given the VERY flat design of the shield, having a flat trigger prevented my finger from being displaced from its index point as i pressed through my shot.
If you have the cash, buy the kit, you will not be disappointed but buyer beware, hardware is NEVER a solution for a software issue.
Yeah, the fact that from a rest it produced a VERY tight group shows me it CAN be shot. I don't know if it was 5"--but it was definitely 3.5" for sure. New sights will help that I'm assuming. The Defoor's will be lower to the bore and have a much thinner front sight, which I've become accustomed to.
It really could be because I've put about 1K rds through the Glock 19 in the last month, including 50today, and I spent an hour putting 200rds through the Kahr today....THEN broke out the new Shield. Maybe shooting those other two so much hurt my ability with the Shield--dry-fire practice seems normal to me. The trigger is SO much harder than the glock that it seemed much harder to get a fast "after-sight" (a method I learned from Defoor that really seems to help, especially with calling my shots....with the Shield, the shots were almost always a surprise--even the nice, tight supported groups.
Yeah, my last one (bought when they first came out--and sold for $50 more like 6 months later) wasn't this bad and shot to point of aim. This one put a nice group about 4-5" high at 7yrds....and was higher at 25Y (I shoot 25Y just because at that distance you can really start to see any issues).
But man this trigger is bugging me--the last one didn't. I went ahead and ordered an APEX kit. May do the trigger later, but I want to see what polishing the parts and putting in the APEX does first.
You're not the only one, I had one within a week of them being first released and never had a problem with that trigger. But the new one I got, roughly two months ago, was atrocious and I couldn't get anything even close to a respectable group. So, I dropped an APEX sear in it and it has been great ever since. Now just hoping they come out with the polymer trigger for the Shields soon.
My Shield's trigger wasn't too bad out of the box. Bought it a year ago. Dry firing it just prior to live fire practice seemed to help me a lot with accuracy.
I have since installed a Apex DCAEK and the aluminum trigger. My full size has both these upgrades and it only made sense from a consistency standpoint to configure the Shield the same way as both are my primary carry guns now.
Take up on the Apex trigger is much improved over the stock trigger. Apex quotes a 20% improvement but it feels like more than that to me.
You won't be sorry buying the action enhancement kit. It has made a big difference for me in my shooting.
my Shield trigger is words better than the factory trigger on the FS M&P. I can deff feel a wall with a tiny bit of creep before the gun goes off. Having said that, I am looking to do the Alum trigger in the Shield to match the FSS kit in the FS gun. I like the Alum trigger, and having consistency across both guns will help I think.
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