Best AR triggers

[Jamie D Van Roekel]

Looking to put a better trigger in my AR. What is your preference? Best for money? Single or two stage? I’d like to get it to 2 1/2 pounds. Thanks for your input.

 

[shootist~]

I like the Geissele two stage. Have several. Two pound first stage then ~ one pound second stage.

LaRue Tactical was showing a two stage at DSC. The sample felt very good and the price was right. My buddy bought three.

 

[Jamie D Van Roekel]

I like the Geissele two stage. Have several. Two pound first stage then ~ one pound second stage.

LaRue Tactical was showing a two stage at DSC. The sample felt very good and the price was right. My buddy bought three.

I don’t understand two stage very well. If it Two pounds then 1 does that mean it breaks at three. I am used to Remington triggers they break between 2 and 3 pounds but have some creap so that basically makes them a two stage, correct?

 

[YancyW]

Best for the money is LaRue, in my opinion. You can get a better trigger, for some applications, but you can't get one better for under 100 dollars, or at least I haven't found one.

 

[cash_tx]

Just food for thought before you spend money on an aftermarket AR trigger, you can go a long way in smoothing out and lightening up a Mil-Spec trigger. Getting a nice trigger pull out of a Mil-Spec trigger comes down to two things:

1. Smoothing out the mating surfaces between the trigger and the hammer; and,
2. Lightening up the spring tension between the trigger and hammer.

For Step #1, have a look at this video that shows you a really quick, easy, and cost-free way to smooth out the mating surfaces between your trigger and hammer (fast forward to the 02:30 mark):

For Step #2, I get these reduced power spring kits from AR15discounts.com and they work wonderfully; I have installed them on about a half dozen AR's so far, and it gets the average trigger pull down to about 3 1/2 pounds: https://ar15discounts.com/products/kaw-valley-precision-ar-15-trigger-reduced-power-spring-kit/

While this isn't a full substitute for an aftermarket trigger, it's a very noticeable improvement on your utility-grade AR's. Cheers!

 

[shootist~]

I don’t understand two stage very well. If it Two pounds then 1 does that mean it breaks at three. I am used to Remington triggers they break between 2 and 3 pounds but have some creap so that basically makes them a two stage, correct?

It feels much lighter than three pounds. For slow-fire/precision the first stage gets you to a "shelf", then it's an easy one pound to break the shot. For run and gun type shooting you never notice the two stages. It does feel a little weird at first, however.

Edit to add - No Remington triggers with creep are in no way a two stage.

 

[roverandbrew]

https://palmettostatearmory.com/geissele-super-semi-automatic-trigger.html

I have this on all my ARs.

 

[Mtn_Infantry]

Another Geissele fan here. I don't think you can go wrong with the SSA or SSA-E in your AR.

I've used/shot a variety of triggers in my AR's (CMC, Geissele, Timney, Rise Armament, Trigger Tech, Elfman, Rare Breed, Franklin Armory, etc.). It really depends what you're doing with your guns, but for me I always seem to come back to Geissele SSA/SSA-E for a semi auto gun.

 

[MTA]

Larue MBT-2S is what I use in most of my ars. For $89 it is hard to beat​

In my Sig 716 patrol I use a CMC. I believe it is a single stage curved face and it is outstanding.

 

[mdwest]

Hard to beat geissele… but I’d bet 90%+ of the shooters in the world couldn’t tell the difference between a generic $99 drop in adjustable and a $325 geissele super if each are properly tuned…

It really depends on intended use… if you’re trying to build a precision/longer range type AR, spend the money on a top drawer trigger… if you’re simply trying to build a home defense or hunting or range plinker AR and want something better than the typical mil-spec trigger,just about any entry level drop in unit will get you a pretty consistent sub 3lb break with almost no take up and very little over travel..

 

[Jamie D Van Roekel]

It feels much lighter than three pounds. For slow-fire/precision the first stage gets you to a "shelf", then it's an easy one pound to break the shot. For run and gun type shooting you never notice the two stages. It does feel a little weird at first, however.

Edit to add - No Remington triggers with creep are in no way a two stage.

Thank you. I think I understand the two stage better now. Probably should go with a single stage I believe. It is a hunting rifle only. Used for running coyotes.

 

[Inline6]

Trigger tech is the one I have been running lately (diamond) have 5 on 223,300BO, 308, and 6.5CM
AR Gold is another one I like, the glass rod feel is there. The trigger is a little narrow for my liking.
Also have several Geissele, in 223,300BO, and 308.

They are all nice proven trigger in my rifles. I would run 2 stage triggers on every rifle I own if I could.

The big question is what is your budget? You have choices from a spring kit for 25.00 to triggers over 300.00.

It really depends on how big of a trigger snob you are. Some guys can run a mil spec trigger better than most with a aftermarket trigger. They also put 30k-40k rounds down range every year.

 

[WAB]

I used a number of those mentioned here. This is going to sound very odd, but take a look at the mossberg aftermarket AR trigger.

 

[DG870]

I agree that it depends on your planned use. I have a Timney in an AR that I use for longer range matchs and a Rock River 2 stage that I use in 3 gun matches. I like the 2 stage for 3 gun because we are moving (sometimes running, shooting Through ports in barricades etc.) through a course shooting at targets from 10 yards to past 300 yards. I have several thousand rounds through this rifle with this trigger and am confident in it. My trigger breaks cleanly at about 4 pounds but the break feels less than that because about half of that is used in the first stage of the trigger pull. For multiple shots you shoot off the reset by only releasing the trigger until you feel the click of the reset. It takes a little getting used to but it would be a good hunting trigger.

 

[Inline6]

I used a number of those mentioned here. This is going to sound very odd, but take a look at the mossberg aftermarket AR trigger.

That trigger is good enough for Jerry Miculek. It is a good trigger at a good value. He was shooting the AR gold before Mossberg picked him up.

 

[Wyatt Smith]

As stated above, the Larue MBT for about $100 is the absolute best for your money. I have it and a Geissele SSA and prefer the Larue.
Two stage is fine, just a bit of take up then a nice crisp break.

 

[Rocco490]

For a drop in cassett type I like POF USA 4.5 LB CURVED.
LaRue MBT 2S CURVED is my favorite trigger and imo best value for performance I like it better than a Geissele SSA(which is a very nice trigger).
Geissele SSA-E is an excellent trigger for me probably a tie with the Larue MBT 2S CURVED
Can't go wrong with any of them and there are many other great options for ar triggers

 

[7mmFan]

one more vote for CMC. I have one in my "go to" ranch rifle and it breaks like a timney. I have also used a POF drop in and have no complaints about it.

 

[Rocco490]

For low pull weights and or precision use triggers in the AR platform I prefer a good 2 stage multiple benefits to the 2 stage. My above trigger list the pof usa 4.5 pound is a single stage the others I mentioned are 2 stage.

 

[NTX]

AR Gold adjustable is the best trigger I’ve shot, but Geissele is great and POF deserves an honorable mention. Reset is also a big separating factor in AR triggers and often gets ignored. I had an Elftmann trigger once and found the adjustments finicky, but some love them. My experience may have been a fluke, but I sent my trigger back.