Budget trigger comparison

[Milspec78]

I ended up building a couple kiss ar pistols after psa’s Black Friday sales.i have been buying parts for these two piecemeal with extra funds,I thought now would be a good time to try a couple different budget trigger options and post results.
I bought an alg ect and one of the psa kits came with the ept.after assembly,I wasn’t real impressed with either,but I am admittedly ruined by a few geissele triggers in my other ar’s.
As opposed to grinding or polishing,witch I know nothing about,I decided to give the triggers one last chance and ordered a couple of jp 4.5 pound spring kits.
After installing the spring kits and lightly greasing the contact surfaces,the psa ept trigger had noticeably lighter smoother pull,the alg didn’t seem to gain much.both are waaaaay better than a stock milspec trigger.
Next thing was to dispel any light strike issues associated with lighter hammer springs.believe it or not I had trouble finding steel case ammo and had to drive almost an hour to get it.I bought all they had in stock (300 rounds).i got to the range the next weekend,and a buddy and myself each took 150 rounds and picked a pistol and ran through each pistols small allotment of ammo fairly quickly,without any type of issue.
Not really sure if all this blabbering is going anywhere other than,the psa ept trigger with jp 4.5(called the duty spring kit if I remember correctly) is a pretty big improvement over a stock trigger for about 50$

[Warp]

I know "just spend more money" is a response thrown around a lot in life and can be annoying, but...a LaRue MBT-2S is only $80 and you don't have to worry about light springs and primer strikes, and I'll bet it's nicer than either of those.

[Milspec78]

I’ve yet to try the larue,geissele has always been a solid choice for my upper tier carbines.

[Five_Point_Five_Six]

Neither of those triggers are going to be anything but marginally better than a standard milspec trigger and are a waste of money.

The cheapest upgraded trigger that is actually good is the LaRue MBT as Warp mentioned. I have a couple and they're great 2 stage triggers.

I also like the Geissele G2S for what it is, but I'd rather have the SSA or SSA-E.

[JediGuy]

The Hiperfire Heavy Gunner bumps up to $95 for a single stage, but can be had for less by using coupon codes.

But I think once we jump to LaRue and Hiperfire, which are both fully worth their cost, we are outside of what you’re asking.

I liked the BCM PNT when I dry fired with it. The PSA enhanced was OK, still not completely smooth.
But really, if you don’t want to spend at least $90 with shipping, just get a LaRue trigger mount, oil up a GI trigger, and start dry firing. That smoothed out a standard PSA trigger for me; still a heavy pull, but smoother than it was originally.

[Eurodriver]

I’ve yet to try the larue,geissele has always been a solid choice for my upper tier carbines.

Agreed.

The G2S is $90-100 on sale. Unless you’re a Texan with a weird fascination with ML you should always go with G.

[SteveL]

I don't normally care much for Larue, but IMO their MBT is where it's at. They're $80 and you can get a traditional curved or flat bow style. The one I have rivals the G triggers I have and it's only about 1/3 the price.

[RobertTheTexan]

The Hiperfire Heavy Gunner bumps up to $95 for a single stage, but can be had for less by using coupon codes.

But I think once we jump to LaRue and Hiperfire, which are both fully worth their cost, we are outside of what you’re asking.

I liked the BCM PNT when I dry fired with it. The PSA enhanced was OK, still not completely smooth.
But really, if you don’t want to spend at least $90 with shipping, just get a LaRue trigger mount, oil up a GI trigger, and start dry firing. That smoothed out a standard PSA trigger for me; still a heavy pull, but smoother than it was originally.

I’ve had several Hiperfires - that was my go-to for single stage triggers, but after I got some trigger time with the MBT-1S single stage I stopped buying them. Cheaper without having to find a coupon and it’s a good trigger. I was getting some single stage trigger time in today behind a 308 I just finished doing a makeover on. It’s a damn good trigger and the Hiperfire doesn’t deliver anything that the 1S doesn’t have.

[RobertTheTexan]

Agreed.

The G2S is $90-100 on sale. Unless you’re a Texan with a weird fascination with ML you should always go with G.

Hmmm sounds like you’ve been drinking a LIBERAL dose of Monkey Kool-Aid from Kalifornistan.

[jpmuscle]

Hmmm sounds like you’ve been drinking a LIBERAL dose of Monkey Kool-Aid from Kalifornistan.

If only LaRue made bolt catches


[emoji854]


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[Eurodriver]

If only LaRue made bolt catches

[emoji854]

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Ban him.

[jpmuscle]

Ban him.

Don’t be salty just because the LaRue is a good trigger.


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[RobertTheTexan]

If only LaRue made bolt catches


[emoji854]

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Big sigh...If only....but alas I had to settle for the supremely inferior Aero Precision bolt catch. I was sad. So sad. :sarcastic:

So I bought another LaRue trigger for $80 and got it in 2 days and with the bigly amount of money I saved because I didn’t waste it on an overpriced G-trigger I bought 10 grass fed 2” thick beautifully marbled ribeyes and grilled them using my Dillo Dust, while I opened beers with my Dillo BET (Beverage Entry Tool)

:D :D :D

[JediGuy]

I’ve had several Hiperfires - that was my go-to for single stage triggers, but after I got some trigger time with the MBT-1S single stage I stopped buying them. Cheaper without having to find a coupon and it’s a good trigger. I was getting some single stage trigger time in today behind a 308 I just finished doing a makeover on. It’s a damn good trigger and the Hiperfire doesn’t deliver anything that the 1S doesn’t have.

Good to know, I hadn’t heard anything convincing about them yet. If I need another trigger, maybe I’ll try one out.

[1168]

The ALG ACT is not bad. I used to like them a lot before I played with more other options. I don’t think I would buy one at this point. If I were building guns to sell as a FFL, I might consider it if it had cheap bulk pricing. The Hiperfire EDT and EDT2 (or whatever they’re calling them now) is definitely a better option in the same price range. I use them with the heavier spring, and they are great duty/defensive grade triggers, if you’re into single stages. I have not yet tried the Larue MBT 1S.

In addition to the Larue MBT 2S and G G2S that others have mentioned, Sionics sells a budget two stage, also. There’s a thread on it here: https://www.m4carbine.net/showthread.php?209487-Sionics-Enhanced-2-Stage-Trigger

Most any trigger (and shooter) can be improved greatly by a bunch of dry fire and a couple dabs of grease. Choosing a grip with/without a beavertail can aid finger placement. Light triggers are unnecessary for most uses/users, and expensive triggers are a luxury item, IMO.

[Milspec78]

I agree,they are a luxury to a fairly large portion of the market.that was kinda the purpose of the op.if you catch the ept on sale from psa it’s 29.99 and the spring kit for another 10$ is half the price of the next option mentioned in the responses.
40$ can be a lot of money for some people to replace a trigger that already is in place and doing the job.

[Warp]

I agree,they are a luxury to a fairly large portion of the market.that was kinda the purpose of the op.if you catch the ept on sale from psa it’s 29.99 and the spring kit for another 10$ is half the price of the next option mentioned in the responses.
40$ can be a lot of money for some people to replace a trigger that already is in place and doing the job.

I would recommend that those people spend that money on ammo instead of a different trigger, in that case.

[Dr. Bullseye]

I have had the mil stock, ALG-ACT, a binary trigger and the Rise RA 140. The Rise RA 140 is by far the best for me. It is all I will ever need. But there are dozens of 3.5 pound, short, crisp,drop in triggers out there for less than $150.00.

Rise RA 140
https://www.opticsplanet.com/rise-armament-ra-150-super-sporting-trigger.html

[RobertTheTexan]

Good to know, I hadn’t heard anything convincing about them yet. If I need another trigger, maybe I’ll try one out.

Got your PM about the triggers, but your box is full and I couldn’t reply. :)

[Straight Shooter]

I have had the mil stock, ALG-ACT, a binary trigger and the Rise RA 140. The Rise RA 140 is by far the best for me. It is all I will ever need. But there are dozens of 3.5 pound, short, crisp,drop in triggers out there for less than $150.00.

Rise RA 140
https://www.opticsplanet.com/rise-armament-ra-150-super-sporting-trigger.html

I own two Velocity triggers..a 3lb. & a 4lb, they are great triggers, well made and both have many thousands of rounds on them. The 4lb has been on an LMT for many years and I recently checked the screws and they were as snug as the day I installed them. Another option for those looking.

[Nowski87]

DSG also makes a budget trigger, it's a nickle boron coated trigger, hammer and sear like the PNT but comes with JP springs so you have a 3.5-4 lbs trigger

https://dsgarms.com/lower-receiver-parts-kt-dsg-4202-0011-jps3-5t

[JediGuy]

Any concerns about using the JP springs with a GI trigger?

[pitt]

Any concerns about using the JP springs with a GI trigger?

yes.mine wouldn't reset every 3-4 shots. went to the trash.