AR Trigger Tips

[fotoman]

Hello guys,

I'm interested in improving the trigger in my AR's, I don't have the fancy drop-in kind, I will buy it only as a last resort, if I'm not able to fix the ones I have. My triggers were purchased at Bushmaster and was part of a kit.

I'm wondering if there are any tips, suggestions or any other experience you may have in reducing the pull on the standard trigger, all responses are greatly appreciated.

[apbrian112]

try this: http://www.sargenthome.com/15_Minute_AR_Trigger_Job.htm

or you could pick up some JP trigger/hammer springs for cheap off of brownells.

[railroader]

I did the 15 trigger job on my rifle. It helped and I'm haven't had any light primer strikes even when I'm shooting my 22 conversion kit. Mark

[Jwood562]

I have some JP trigger springs and it says to cut the hammer and polish the hammer and the sear.....

is this necessary?

I have heard some people dropping the springs right in with no adverse affecrts.... anyone chime in on this idea????

[Lon Moer]

I love using the JP Rifles spring kits.

[FMJBT]

I have some JP trigger springs and it says to cut the hammer and polish the hammer and the sear.....

is this necessary?

I have heard some people dropping the springs right in with no adverse affecrts.... anyone chime in on this idea????

Polishing the hammer and sear will help smooth out the trigger pull quite a bit if done correctly. The key is to very lightly polish the engagement surfaces without going through the thin layer of surface hardened metal. The engagement surfaces should still have nice sharp edges when finished. Rounded off edges will result in inconsistent trigger pull

With reduced spring tension, cutting off the hammer spur is IMO a good idea. Losing a little mass out there at the end of the hammer will let it regain some of the velocity it lost by reducing the spring rates. Rounding off the end of the hammer and polishing it will let the bolt carrier slide over it easier and with less wear to both parts.

I haven't tried the JP trigger springs, but I have had excellent results so far by modifying the stock springs as per the "15 minute trigger job". I also thread in a 3/8" long 1/4-28 tpi set screw into the grip screw hole. By adjusting the depth of that screw prior to attaching the grip, you can fine tune sear engagement for a shorter trigger pull. Be sure to function test the rifle several times after adjustment to make sure everything is still operating correctly. I adjust mine until the disconnector barely releases the hammer when the trigger is released. The downside of this mod is that the safety will now typically only engage when the hammer is in the cocked position.

[Forestgnome]

Polishing the hammer and sear will help smooth out the trigger pull quite a bit if done correctly. [/B]

Doing it correctly means not using polishing compound the way it's described in the link. You really need to use stones or EZ laps, so you get a straight, parallel surface. Otherwise, like stated elsewhere, you get an inconsistent trigger pull. Also by lapping, you make a convoluted surface that actually causes more contact surface that tends to negate the effort of polishing. I don't know of any experienced gunsmiths that would recommend that.

[randy]

One piece of advice if you are going to do your trigger yourself test it by yourself no need to have it go FA at a public range and draw attention.

[Blacktail 8541]

Send it to :http://www.triggerwork.net/

Very good reviews

[norcal-ar]

I also thread in a 3/8" long 1/4-28 tpi set screw into the grip screw hole. By adjusting the depth of that screw prior to attaching the grip, you can fine tune sear engagement for a shorter trigger pull. Be sure to function test the rifle several times after adjustment to make sure everything is still operating correctly. I adjust mine until the disconnector barely releases the hammer when the trigger is released. The downside of this mod is that the safety will now typically only engage when the hammer is in the cocked position.

by doing this did you have to drill through the receiver to get that set screw to poke up through into the receiver? I dont remember the grip screw hole going all the way through the receiver.

[Jicko]

This is the best DIY trigger job. YMMV tho.

http://www.ar15.com/forums/topic.htm...f=282&t=159764

[FMJBT]

Doing it correctly means not using polishing compound the way it's described in the link. You really need to use stones or EZ laps, so you get a straight, parallel surface. Otherwise, like stated elsewhere, you get an inconsistent trigger pull. Also by lapping, you make a convoluted surface that actually causes more contact surface that tends to negate the effort of polishing. I don't know of any experienced gunsmiths that would recommend that.

The polishing compound works pretty well actually, as long as care is taken not to reshape the surfaces during polishing. The end result should not look like the "Melt" treatment on a concealed carry handgun The polishing stones are more likely to remove material than a small felt wheel with polishing compound. Without a stoning jig, you are also more likely to to end up with surfaces that are not parallel to eachother. For cheap DIY trigger work the dremel and polishing compound is probably a bit safer. An experienced gunsmith would likely have a stoning jig on hand as well, so of course they would recommend that over a dremel

[FMJBT]

by doing this did you have to drill through the receiver to get that set screw to poke up through into the receiver? I dont remember the grip screw hole going all the way through the receiver.

The hole goes all the way through, but threading varies between manufacturers. The grip screw hole on most Mega's I've seen is tapped all the way through. Noveske, Kaiser, and Double Star are not from the examples I've seen. It's not too difficult to run a 1/4-28 tpi tap through the hole to finish it out though.

[niko454]

+1 on FMJBT's method. Did the same thing to mine and it works beautifully. Also, i have a kaiser lower, and by running a that 1/4-28tpi tap through it was able to insert the set screw with no problems.

[fotoman]

Thanks so much guys, I'm really grateful for all your valuable tips, I don't want to sound cheap but I just could not bring myself to cough-up $200+ for a fancy trigger, since I'm planning to upgrade (4) rifles The JM spring kit is probably the best choice and I've already went ahead and ordered (4) kits for all my black rifles. Thanks Jicko for posting the short tutorial, it looks very doable and that's what I'm planning to do.

The AR trigger/hammer is a very simple system with just a few parts and it is just the stuff of genius. Unfortunately since the AR is a military piece of hardware the design focused more on simplicity and reliability, nevertheless the AR remains a great invention.

Thank you Mr. Stoner and a Happy new year to all...