$35 DIY AR Trigger Job

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  • JohnAL

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    Just a note from personal experience.
    I had a 70% failure to fire rate on two different ARs with the JP spring kit and some cheap steel ammo from Cabelas. MFS was the brand. I had a 100% failure to fire rate with Monarch brand from Academy. Putting a milspec hammer spring back allowed both to shoot the crap ammo but cost at least 1.5 lb. of increased trigger pull over the JP springs. The JP springs worked just fine with name brand ammo and my reloads with CCI 41 primers.
     

    FrommerStop

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    Just a note from personal experience.
    I had a 70% failure to fire rate on two different ARs with the JP spring kit and some cheap steel ammo from Cabelas. MFS was the brand. I had a 100% failure to fire rate with Monarch brand from Academy. Putting a milspec hammer spring back allowed both to shoot the crap ammo but cost at least 1.5 lb. of increased trigger pull over the JP springs. The JP springs worked just fine with name brand ammo and my reloads with CCI 41 primers.
    This is an old post and I think a must read one if read critically.
    Lately the LaRue triggers have been going for only $80 so getting this $35 kit saves you $45 dollars doing it yourself if your time is free. My weapons are considered self defense tools that may sit in corner loaded, even collecting some dust, yet I want it to fire 100% reliably when needed. I do not like lightening springs at all. I want an excess of impact to the primers and I also do not want the gun to double. I just put a LaRue in a pistol AR in 7.62x39 with an H3 buffer in it with lengthened firing pin and it even recoils a bit. Gun was tried out with a single chambered round and no magazine. I wanted to see if the slamming of the bolt on an empty chamber would trip the sear. Was the gun going to double. This is with steel case russian ammo. Did this three times before using a loaded magazine. Basically this is a safety test. So far the gun works well and safely and the lighter trigger is a joy to shoot. All my misses now have no excuse for having occurred except it is on me.
    My point is if you tweak a trigger, be very cautious. I have known of people just going from a 5.56 to 7.62x39 upper on the same lower and getting doubling from the heavier recoil. Fellow told me he put in a heavier spring to cure it. Funny the same day he was trying out another AR15 with registered full auto part and that would not fire full auto.
    I am just learning about ARs, but I do have a lot general knowledge and for semiauto guns trigger tweaking needs to be done with caution.

    The gun gamers are more apt to do the tweaking since a lighter trigger allows you to shoot better yielding a better score. They also do a lot more shooting and so statistically are more likely to have an 'incident' I hear about incidents with modified pistols more than than I do for ARs. Firing 1,000's of rounds a year through a weapon will reveal any faults in the firing group for sure.
     

    SAWMAN

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    "My weapons are considered self defence tools,they may sit in a corner loaded . . . "
    With due respect I would ask - - -> then why not just stick with a milspec trigger group ??
    In a SD scenario you should be "slapping" the trigger anyway. Kinda like a shotgun. ESPECIALLY at the closer ranges. <70yds or so (~).
    Just my opinion(and training). YMMV --- SAWMAN
     

    FrommerStop

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    "My weapons are considered self defence tools,they may sit in a corner loaded . . . "
    With due respect I would ask - - -> then why not just stick with a milspec trigger group ??
    In a SD scenario you should be "slapping" the trigger anyway. Kinda like a shotgun. ESPECIALLY at the closer ranges. <70yds or so (~).
    Just my opinion(and training). YMMV --- SAWMAN

    Good point.
    One of my guns that is for safe defense has mil spec parts and an extra power hammer spring and I am sure is at least 8 lbs in pull.
     

    SAWMAN

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    For a SD/HD scenario reliability is a MUST.
    If your fire control group in milspec form,lights the primer (everytime) I would consider it good. --- SAWMAN
     

    FrommerStop

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    For a SD/HD scenario reliability is a MUST.
    If your fire control group in milspec form,lights the primer (everytime) I would consider it good. --- SAWMAN

    You must be sure to try it on the ammo you are going to be using. In 5.56 with boxer primed ammo and mil spec parts all should be good, but better to verify it.
    For me it is more safety and trigger tweaking and your skill level as a gunsmith. I am clumsy with a stone and even worst with a file. I know some of my limitations. If you do mess around with a trigger, be sure that the disconnector and sear are functioning in a safe manner.
    The LaRue is a designed system and so far it has been safe for me, but I need to do a lot more shooting before I give it a complete pass. Engineers are supposed to design margins of safety (safety factor). A gun that operates at 55 k PSI should have no problem with a proof load at 85K psi, but of course not on a regular basis. A bridge should should occasionally be able to handle twice it rated load prior to collapse etc. Getting near the margin or break point may be risky.
    In previous discussion there was mention of basically needing to balance the system with reducing hammer wt to get higher velocity for primer ignition. Gunsmiths with the 1911 would balance the springs when reducing the hammer spring by cutting coils off the firing pin spring. I am not surprised at all of .45's without the firing pin block going off when dropped on their muzzles, even with the safety locking the hammer back. Hammer did not go forward by the inertial firing pin did. I can not say for sure that a full strength GI spring would absolutely prevent it, but cutting coils was certainly not a way to make the system safer.
     

    FrommerStop

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    A lot of your cheaper trigger kits sacrifice hammer speed for a lighter pull. That’s where you will run into ignition problems. The cassette trigger packs are bad about that too


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

    From your personal experience do you recall any in particular that were lighter striking.

    I once had a .357 N frame that would not set off some of my poorly primer seated reloads that had a 'target' mainspring in it. I found a factory spring and that fixed it, but the pull went way up.
     

    SAWMAN

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    BUT,BUT,BUT, . . . them anti-walk pins are so damn cool looking. AND TACTICAL !!
    Coined a new phrase/term. - - -> COOL-TAC.
    Anyway . . . I completely agree with your above. Fired hundreds of thousands of rds out of AR's and never did a pin go on a "walkabout". I polish all mine and apply grease. Makes 'em ever slicker. --- SAWMAN
     

    Rebel_Rider1969

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    Yep, I am the picture of frugle. I spent the $$ on the mbt-2s based on members suggestions for my hunting ar and do not regret it one bit. Now the new triggers on the PSA lowers are greatly improved. Flat hammers, and smooth pull. Dont know what trigger pack they are using though.
     

    TennJeep1618

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    Wow, super old thread, back before YouTube deleted my video with over half a million views.

    And for what it's worth, there are so many great triggers at reasonable prices now that I wouldn't go this route.

    Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk
     

    FrommerStop

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    Wow, super old thread, back before YouTube deleted my video with over half a million views.

    And for what it's worth, there are so many great triggers at reasonable prices now that I wouldn't go this route.

    Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk
    And that was the point of reopening this topic. What was a good choice has now been superseded by the market responding to consumer demand for reasonably priced trigger groups. Capitalism at its best. The post was a sticky and put there for reference. Now the sticky has been updated.
     

    850guns

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    BUT,BUT,BUT, . . . them anti-walk pins are so damn cool looking. AND TACTICAL !!
    Coined a new phrase/term. - - -> COOL-TAC.
    Anyway . . . I completely agree with your above. Fired hundreds of thousands of rds out of AR's and never did a pin go on a "walkabout". I polish all mine and apply grease. Makes 'em ever slicker. --- SAWMAN
    I've got an ar-10 that the pins try to walk out. Any suggestions?
    I love my only cmmg fft. But I hate the price. Any suggestions for a great ar, drop in ar trigger for cheap=less than $120?
     
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    Plinker

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    Just finished mine too.
    Much improved but didn't have a dremmel to polish the trigger/hammer contact points.



    Thanks!

    And that my friends was 3+ years ago and thousands of rounds of reloads, factory this/that and 500 rounds of Academy branded steel stuff.

    I got zero fail to fire or complaints.
    49AD7E96-F373-4677-A05B-9D12760F67E8.jpeg


    Still got a bunch!
    Now I can shoot at those Steel plates at ERGC!
    95B309F4-0CFD-4F3C-847F-DF1CD4BE543A.jpeg
     
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    War-Buff

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    I love me some Geissele too, but even used they are more than $120.

    His wife’s company ALG on the other hand makes the ACT trigger for about $70


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
    I got my Gieselle(s) (SSA & SSA-E) on sale for around $170-$180 each. Tried the first one and liked it so I just stayed with them. I'm sure there are other good ones for less but I tend to stick with what I know (or at least what I think I know).
     
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