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What's wrong with the Glock Trigger?

6K views 72 replies 38 participants last post by  t4terrific 
#1 ·
I'm sure you've all read it or heard it before: "The Glock trigger sucks". I have read this in articles now and then, and many people have personally told me they hate the Glock trigger.

WHY?

I had a Glock 26 once and sold it to finance something else at the time, the trigger was fine, and a few weeks ago I shot a Glock 19 and I found the trigger to be one of the best. No, it's not a finely tuned 1911 trigger, but I'd rate the Glock trigger far above the typical DA/SA "Crunchenticker" triggers on most DA/SA semi-auto guns like my 3rd generation Smith & Wesson autos, better than the DA/SA trigger of my Beretta 92, or a Browning BDM I tried once.

The best thing about the Glock trigger is the absence of that initial long double action pull, it's a nice fairly crisp break and it's the same for each shot. In the Army during qualifications with the Beretta 92 using the pop-up targets, I NEVER used the double action trigger, I always cocked it before firing, that's how little confidence I had in the initial double action trigger pull.

I really don't see any major issues with the Glock trigger, I think it's fine and better than most DA/SA triggers. Even the SINGLE ACTION mode trigger pull on my Smith 6906 and Beretta 92 seemed HEAVIER than the trigger pull of the Glock.

So what's all the fuss about the Glock trigger? Do Glock haters hate this gun that much? I'm neither a "fanboy" nor a "hater", I'm simply a fan of the Glock's simplicity, durability, reliability, quality, and utility.
 
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#29 ·
I agree with all that has been said. I started out in LE with a S&W 66.
Later I changed to a Colt Commander 1911, it was old, and worn from use by a Retired Texas Ranger. When I retired I passed it on to another young officer. I still have the 66, and wish I had that old Colt, It was the sweetest shooting 1911 I ever had. I have mostly Glocks now, and they are a very good pistol for what they were made for.
 
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#30 ·
I have no issues with the pull, I think it's a good pull for a duty firearm. Also, it lends itself to some nice options for to be modded for range / competition guns.

However, the trigger blades on some of the newer models are sharp and don't retract far enough into the trigger shoe, at least in two of my latest.
The trigger blade on my G17 gen3 doesn't come flush with the trigger shoe when pressed either. You would think glock could have remedied this by now along with a better out of box trigger. Walther PPQ's and H&K VP9's don't have the above mentioned deficit's.
 
#31 ·
There's nothing wrong with it IMO. Too many old farts still riding the 1911 train think it does but hey whatever. Some people can't hit a barn wall from the inside unless their gun has a butter smooth 1 pound trigger in it.

Once you actually go out and shoot Glocks extensively you learn that they are lightning fast, accurate, and have a reset that is probably the best in the poly gun world.
 
#34 ·
I'm sure you've all read it or heard it before: "The Glock trigger sucks". I have read this in articles now and then, and many people have personally told me they hate the Glock trigger.
Most of them don't have a clue, is the main reason.

Most gun owners, even guys with a houseful of guns, aren't really shooters and, for the most part, have little to no formal training. What they want is a 1911 trigger, because it has the least movement and is, therefore, the most forgiving of bad trigger technique. If you don't learn to use the Glock trigger, and you try to pull it all the way from start to finish every shot, your target is going to look like you've been using buckshot from a distance. They want the equipment to fix that, because it's easier than learning how to shoot.
 
#39 ·
My complaint is that shooting a double-action trigger and a single action trigger requires 2 different techniques, if you're doing it right, and a gun that requires both of those techniques to be applied to the first 2 shots is the reason people aren't winning national championships with DA/SA trigger.
:animlol: :rofl: :uglylol:

Oh wait, you were being serious!

2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2015 USPSA Production National Championship was won with a DA/SA gun, those being the Beretta Elite II and the Tanfoglio (a Stock 2 I believe).

So in the division where "DA Like" guns compete, the last striker fired win was in 2010 when Dave Sevigny was still shooting for GLOCK.

Also, there have been 5 IPSC World championships since the division came out. 2 were won by striker fired guns, 2 by DA/SA guns.
 
#41 ·
:animlol: :rofl: :uglylol:

Oh wait, you were being serious!

2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2015 USPSA Production National Championship was won with a DA/SA gun, those being the Beretta Elite II and the Tanfoglio (a Stock 2 I believe).

So in the division where "DA Like" guns compete, the last striker fired win was in 2010 when Dave Sevigny was still shooting for GLOCK.

Also, there have been 5 IPSC World championships since the division came out. 2 were won by striker fired guns, 2 by DA/SA guns.
Looks like you are right. When I was shooting it and paying attention to it, DA/SA guns were not seriously competitive.
 
#40 ·
I went from revolvers to DA/SA autos shortly after I went to work for the guh-ment. It took me a while to realize it, but I kept throwing my trigger finger all the way to the front of the trigger guard whenever I recovered from the DA shot (instead of just stopping when it reset). I was used to shooting DA on a wheelgun and it was causing me to slap the trigger on the second shot. I got accustomed to it and shot that Sig P220 well throughout my career. However, once I applied that same lesson to the Glock trigger, my pairs were consistently easier to keep close together and in the "A-Zone". The same trigger pull every shot and a clearly tactile reset are great features to have on a combat pistol. The Sig was more accurate at 50 meters (on SA) but from the 25 and closer I'll take the Glock every time...
 
#43 ·
Personally, the only time I remember feeling the reset is during dryfire. I shot an M&P for a while that had quite literally no felt reset, and once you get used to the trigger's characteristics, I don't think I short stroked it a single time. I think too much is made of the Glock reset. You obviously disagree.

That's very interesting. It really is. Thanks for that Intel. It helps me with some choices I'm grappling with
CZs and Tangfos can be made to have unbelievable DA triggers by the right gunsmiths. Of course, there are very few top competitors who run completely box stock pistols, including Glocks... they might be able to whoop up on 99.9% of other shooters even if using a totally stock gun, but that doesn't mean that they use one.
 
#47 ·
I really wonder how many posting in this thread have shot a Ruger American. IMO that is much better trigger. If Ruger would lower the price on mags, come out with a 10mm version, and it had the kind of aftermarket support Glock has it wouldn't be a hard decision for me to switch to the American as a duty and off duty weapon.
 
#50 ·
I really wonder how many posting in this thread have shot a Ruger American. IMO that is much better trigger.
Waiting to see how well it holds up. Also if the aftermarket develops for it (particularly sights). Not crazy about the magazine disconnect; got a P90 instead of 345 over that issue. Supposedly there is a version without the mag disconnect (just hard to find). We will see.
 
#55 ·
I almost always install a 4.5 lb connector and a smooth trigger shoe from the full size models. Even then, every glock trigger "feels" different to me. I could be blind folded and know if I was shooting my old 23 or my new 19. Or my old 27 or 33. I don't think glock triggers are great, but they are much easier to shoot quickly and accurately than my 1974 model smith and Wesson model 10 in double action. I like the pull a little lighter than they come from the factory. I hate the sererrated target triggers. After a quick trigger bar and connector change (and of course, steel night sights), I leave the glock alone. I just wish there was more consistency in how the triggers feel from pistol to pistol. YMMV.
 
#57 ·
I'm ashamed to say I've never pulled the trigger on an M&P, not even a shield. I need to see what the fuss is about. I've never seen a reviewer speak favorably of those triggers.

I like the trigger on my brothers XDS 9mm and my friends 4" inch barreled XD with the XDS length grip (whatever that model is called), but the trigger breaks way far back. I guess it's no big deal but my glock muscle memory was going to take a while to get used to it.
 
#58 ·
People make too much out of the M&P triggers because of the lack of tactile reset. It's not a great trigger, but it's not as horrid as people say it is. However, some of them are definitely worse than others. I had three M&Ps before I lost patience with their accuracy issues and with S&W... one has a crisp break around 5# with a decent reset, one has a mushy break around 4.5# with absolutely zero reset, and one has a super crisp break but it was around an 8 pound trigger. Some of them break more forward and some break more rearward. When you open up the guts of the gun, you can see how the sears and trigger bars all look different. It's ridiculous. Some companies even stopped making parts for them like sights and trigger parts because of how wildly they vary from gun to gun. The worst part of the M&P trigger is by far the massive amount of over-travel. It causes people to pull the gun to one side or the other if you don't concentrate on pulling the trigger straight back.

If you're looking to try a very nice striker trigger that breaks far forward with very, very little pre and over travel, try a SIG P320. Even the VP9/VP40 has a pretty nice trigger. Personally, I like them both much more than the PPQ that everyone raves about.
 
#59 ·
Glock triggers aren't as sweet as my target rifles or any of my 1911s, but they do the job. I guess, I really don't give them much thought. Numerically, from my 17 to my 43 and all in between, they all just feel like Glock triggers to me. Some may be lighter than others, but the only time I notice is when I dry fire. Then, I can tell you that the trigger pull on my 43 is heavier than my 23, but If I'm firing either, I notice no difference at all.
I am going to hazard a guess here and say your G43 is an earlier production model than April of this year. If you put the latest Glock trigger connector #33564 in it I believe you will experience a much lighter trigger pull, probably less than 5lb.
 
#60 ·
Based upon all the comments in this thread I took my (safe queen) 4inch GP-100 to the range tonight along with my 3 glocks. Practicing with the DA GP-100 really helped. I will incorporate this into my routine. Thanks everyone for sharing your experience.

After I crank out a SL of 38's on the dillon 550 I will take the Ruger 357 LCR to the range too.
 
#61 ·
I carried a Beretta 92SF for 10 years at work because that is what we were issued. Couldn't take it home, to practice. So I bought my own.
The DA/SA trigger just gave me problems. I shot plenty good enough to qualify, just the first rounds were throw aways, as someone said.
The first round not counting was not good enough for me. I practiced firing DA only with that 92 till I could keep all of them where they were supposed to be, not just the rest of the string. Then I went to work on low light till I could put them where I wanted them. After that I was scoring A Perfect Score with every Qualification, and became the person everyone wanted to beat. It caused a lot of guys to work harder with trigger control and grip. I got the trainers to change to concentrate more on the first round.
A lot of guys improved, and we were able to work more on the ones that were just barely able to Qualify. I don't want someone watching my back that can just barely Qualify.
 
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#63 ·
Excellent post. This is how it should be done. You put in the time and you reaped the rewards.

You hear so many people justifying the power-stroke method of racking a slide because "it works on any gun just in case I find myself in a situation where I am using an unfamiliar firearm". Then people turn around and ignore learning to shoot DA or how to work a paddle mag release or whatever based on the fact that "it sucks and I won't use it". What happened to "learn to use all firearms"?
 
#65 ·
It's a Glock. It is what it is!
That's one good thing about the Human Brain, it can ADAPT! A Glock is not a 1911, or a Beretta M9, or any of the multitude of revolvers and semi-autos out on the market! ALL have different trigger pulls! Once you get used to a particular firearm, it's yours.
GET OVER IT!
off soap box.
 
#66 ·
I find the Glock trigger more than good enough for a combat gun and it's accuracy to have the potential of target grade.
My favorite triggers are on my S&W 686 and 629, a dream come true, you touch lightly and feel no movement at all as the hammer drops.
In a self defense situation, it will be one of my Glocks with the factory trigger.
 
#67 ·
The Glock trigger is serviceable for those that tend to leave well enough alone. Others of us are tinkerers by nature and appreciate small subtleties that make a variety of things better. I tinker with all of my guns. I put better grips on my golf clubs and open up the intake and exhaust on pretty much every vehicle I own. I smooth or rough up tool surfaces based on my preferences. All,of these things work fine in their native forms, but they work better and are more valuable/comfortable/efficient to me with a little tweak here and there.

There is nothing mystical or sacred about a trigger. If you don't like it, but like the rest of the gun's features - do something about it. By all means, do it with a solid education or hire the job out to a professional.
 
#68 ·
Once you get used to it, there is nothing wrong with a stock Glock trigger. It has some take up, followed by a crisp break and a nice audible reset. I prefer the Glock trigger over most other polymer pistols, not because it is the best but because I am more used to it than any other platform. The consistency of the Glock trigger between Glock models is excellent.
 
#72 ·
When the shot breaks the trigger goes "sproing".

Regards,
Happyguy :)
 
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