Semi-auto pistol triggers; showing my ignorance

[Mosin77]

For a striker fired gun the PPQ has a nice trigger. IMO not 1911 nice, though. That’s the gold standard in semi-autos.

 

[Tallball]

I'm a revolver guy, too. These are some semiautos I own that have nice triggers:

The nice 22's like the Browning Buck Mark and Ruger Mark series have good triggers. They are my most accurate handguns, most days. Occasionally my K22 will give them a run for their money.

I like my 1911's a lot and shoot them a lot. All three of them are inexpensive and have very nice triggers. The 9mm might be my favorite.

For SA/DS service pistols, my CZ75 clones and Sig P-series are my favorites. The DA triggers are not as nice as an N-frame, but they're decent. The SA triggers are very nice.

Out of my striker fired pistols, my Walther PPQ easily has the best trigger. None of the others are close.

Ruger Mark II 22lr

• Tallball
• Jul 25, 2020

RIA 1911 45acp

• Tallball
• Jun 26, 2019

Tanfoglio Cohai TA90 9mm

• Tallball
• Apr 6, 2020

Walther PPQ M2

• Tallball
• Dec 21, 2018

 

[herrwalther]

For a striker fired gun the PPQ has a nice trigger. IMO not 1911 nice, though. That’s the gold standard in semi-autos.

The PPQ is on limited production runs and soon (years possibly) to be out of production at Walther. They are strongly pushing the PDP line which has a very similar trigger. But I didn't like the gun overall enough to replace my PPQs. 1911s can have bad triggers if they are poorly made. So some PPQs can have better than 1911 triggers.

 

[Hal]

Get yourself a High Standard - one of the ones made in Hamden Ct.

 

[Jim Watson]

Is there an out of the box semi-auto center fire pistol that consistently has such a crisp trigger?

Yes, but it won't be cheap. You might get lucky on a "popularly priced" gun but they usually take gunsmithing.
When you mention a S&W revolver, I think 2-3 lb with no perceptible movement. Few of the guns mentioned above will do that, a NICE 1911 and a high end CZ such as the TSO come to mind. My P210 has a light pull trigger but it is slightly soft with a lot of take-up. My M52 is great but the collectors have eaten most of them up, along with the M952.
I have shot striker fired guns with LIGHT pulls, but not crisp.
The Walther PPQ is the best I have seen ex works but if Walther thinks the PDP is its equal, they are nuts.

A target .22 has fewer obstacles to a light crisp trigger, the old High Standard mentioned above, a Smith M41, and the various foreign ISSF guns are very fine.

 

[powermad]

I see no reason to have a gritty, heavy SA/DA trigger.
CZ and Sigs can have excellent triggers with parts from Cajun Gun Works or Gray Guns.

I have my 229's and 226 at a smooth 6.5 LBS DA and a crisp, no creep 3.5 LBS SA pull.
Using full power springs as well.

 

[trackskippy]

All I can say is, you boys must be the unluckiest people on the planet when it comes to triggers.

Other than one surplus CZ pistol, a parts kit 1911, and a couple of AR's (which really dont count as they were only a little gritty at first and usually clean up with use anyway), I cant remember getting a gritty, heavy, or "bad" stock factory trigger on any Ive bought. In fact, most of them were pretty nice, as far as triggers go.

 

[Mike J]

I've never shot one of the S&W revolvers. I have shot a new Python & have an old Dan Wesson revolver. I don't think I've shot a semi-auto that has a trigger as nice as a single action revolver trigger. The best semi-auto triggers I have shot were in 1911's. A fellow let me shoot his Colt Gold cups recently they had very nice triggers but they have also had trigger jobs. I have a SR-1911. I like it & am fine with it's trigger but it is heavier than the Colts I shot recently. Usually the best triggers are on single action hammer fired guns.The Belgian made Browning High Power I got to shoot was nice also. I haven't shot one but I hear I actually usually shoot striker fired pistols the most but that is what I carry so I really need to maintain familiarity with them.

 

[unclenunzie]

Not many autos are going to have triggers that feel like a S&W revolver’s trigger in single-action mode. A high-end 1911 would be the best candidate, of the autos I have used.

This. 100%

 

[Nuclear]

From my personal experience, a good quality 1911 should have a nice trigger that is easily upgraded to a great trigger. Next up would be a Walther PPQ, which Walther has replaced with the PDP. It had a really great trigger, that I have since lightened due to arthritis and for competition. I personally have never found a DA/SA semiauto that has a great trigger in both modes.

 

[unspellable]

I say any of them can vary. I'm fond of S&Ws in single action, usually a very nice trigger out of the box, but I've run across a couple of less than perfect.
1911s, I have a Colt competition model that has a gritty creepy trigger out of the box, a cheap Turkish 1911 with a far better trigger out of the box.
A new Colt Anaconda with a trigger pull that is way too high.
Lugers are variable, partly due to all the mismatches around, but I have a Luger that has a trigger that will beat that Colt 1911 hands down. Very clean crisp break, zero back lash, and it's a striker fired pistol.
Bottom line, there are self loaders with very good triggers and some not so good, and that can be true in one line let alone several.

 

[tarosean]

Out of the box crisp triggers on a factory gun. Sure. $2500 and up.

The alternative is to learn how to make great triggers in sub $1000 guns and spend the difference on ammo.

Or buy a CZ Tactical Sport

 

[Rock185]

I'm a 1911 guy, and have owned Wilson, Baer, Clark, Colt Custom Shop, and examples of most US manufacturer's standard production guns. Within my humble experience 1911 triggers tend to be a crap shoot. Yes, the higher end gun's triggers tend to be better.

But since the '80s, the most consistently fine single action factory triggers I've encountered are the SIG 210 series of guns. I've had several, and they were all cleanly breaking in the 3 to 3 1/2# range. This, with the Swiss, German and America 210s. The 210 triggers are two stage, but uniformly clean breaking. The American 210 is currently in production, and bit more reasonably priced than the Swiss and German examples.

I've had some other target pistols with very good single action triggers, S&W 952 series, SIG X-5, HK USP Expert, HK P9S Target models, etc. I've not owned many of the foreign target pistol exotics, but some of those triggers are reported to be excellent also.

 

[DeepSouth]

I own mostly revolvers, mostly pre-1982 Smith &Wesson .22LR, .38 Special, .357 Magnum. I have two semi- auto pistols, a Ruger Mark 1 heavy barrel target, and a CZ 9mm sub compact for bedroom security.

I cannot stand a bad trigger; that’s one of the reasons I love S&W revolvers. Most have “glass rod snapping” triggers in single action mode. Is there an out of the box semi-auto center fire pistol that consistently has such a crisp trigger?

Thanks for allowing me to display my ignorance, and thanks for the benefit of your experience.

Stick to single action triggers, most will be ok… with some polishing and use they’ll get to pretty good. Some will be good out of the box, only way to really tell is to pull it.

Stay very far away from striker fired anything, the people that tell you those are good aren’t comparing them to the old Smiths. I spent a good bit of money to figure that out, but you don’t have to take my word for it, go try some. If your used to old Smiths it want take long to figure out.

 

[peeplwtchr]

Any late model Caniks will get you very close to a 1911 trigger. The METE SFT PRO is the best of them all I think.

Plus, there's no manual safety to have to train with, from a defense perspective.

 

[LocoGringo]

There have been some absurd posts in this thread. Anyone that thinks a factory Glock trigger is close to a 1911 can be dismissed.

Anyone that thinks you have to spend $2500 on a gun to get a good trigger in a semiauto can also be dismissed.

If you're comparing a trigger in a semiauto to a revolver in single action, by being both light and crisp, the semiauto MUST be a single action handgun. The single action pistol I know of that has the best trigger is a mid-level or above 1911. I own 4 1911s that are sub-$2000. I was fortunate enough to be able to buy an unfired (bought, but never fired by the owner) Springfield Armory TRP Operator half-rail for $1000 and I recently bought a Dan Wesson Specialist Commander in 9mm for less than $1800 used. Neither trigger is as light as a revolver in single action, but they are just as crisp in breaking. To compare a revolver in single action, I've owned a 1969 Colt Python and currently own a S&W 686+ and a Ruger GP100.

Without knowing your budget, I can HIGHLY recommend a Dan Wesson 1911. While price doesn't guarantee quality, it sure is an indicator. No semiauto trigger I know of compares to a good quality 1911. If the factory pull is too heavy for your liking, it can easily be modified by someone competent to be lighter.

Don't be afraid to do a little homework and buy a used 1911. They can definitely be worth it. However, if you have the money, generally, a Dan Wesson 1911 is just about the best production 1911 pistol you can get.

 

[jrmiddleton425]

I own mostly revolvers, mostly pre-1982 Smith &Wesson .22LR, .38 Special, .357 Magnum. I have two semi- auto pistols, a Ruger Mark 1 heavy barrel target, and a CZ 9mm sub compact for bedroom security.

I cannot stand a bad trigger; that’s one of the reasons I love S&W revolvers. Most have “glass rod snapping” triggers in single action mode. Is there an out of the box semi-auto center fire pistol that consistently has such a crisp trigger?

Thanks for allowing me to display my ignorance, and thanks for the benefit of your experience.

Send your CZ to CZ Custom. Have them install the short-reset 6.5-pound DA, 3.8-pound SA trigger package. It will put your S&W triggers to shame.

 

[I6turbo]

Send your CZ to CZ Custom. Have them install the short-reset 6.5-pound DA, 3.8-pound SA trigger package. It will put your S&W triggers to shame.

I'm a huge fan of BRNO and CZ guns, have/have had 37 of them so far, including 6 current handguns, and would recommend them to pretty much anyone. That said, a CZC or CGW trigger can be nice, but it won't put a good Smith & Wesson revolver trigger to shame, not even close. I have a worked 1982 686 that has the most incredible S/A and D/A trigger and action I've ever felt on a handgun, and numerous shooting friends/acquaintances say the same. I have a 1983 586 with a very nice trigger, stock except for lighter springs, but it's at least one level below the 686. Then I have a couple of older K-frames that are stock.

I have a CZ 85 Combat with a lot of CGW parts in it, including SAO trigger, adjustable sear, race hammer, springs, pins, and pre-B short reset. The resulting 85 Combat trigger is light and very good for a semi-auto (similar to a good 1911 trigger but not 100% as good), and outstanding for a CZ (better than the TS Orange or other higher-end CZ factory guns I've handled). But it is no match for the 586 trigger or even the K-frame triggers. A really good Smith trigger is light with zero creep, a heavenly break, and no perceptible over-travel. Even a nice stock Smith S/A trigger is typically very good (the older models were/are at least - perhaps some of the new stuff is not good, IDK). IME, that degree of awesomeness is not quite possible with a CZ trigger.

 

[.38 Special]

I am still a bit surprised by the "just get used to it" posts. It is one thing to accept mediocrity where it is inevitable, but it is another to embrace it and deride anyone who does not.

Regardless, I have only experienced two semi-auto triggers that were every bit as good as an old S&W single action trigger. One was a competition 1911, and the other is my S&W Model 41 worked over by Clark's.

 

[trackskippy]

I think a lot of the problem here, assuming it is one, is you have people who only shoot basically fine tuned SA type triggers, and then you have those who shoot what they get from a basic factory gun, and/or shoot their DA revolvers in DA.

If all youre accustomed to is a light weight trigger then anything beyond that will likely seem "bad". And if all you can shoot, are those types of triggers, youre just limiting yourself, to that.

To those of us who can shoot most anything without issue, its not a big deal, and in many cases, find those supposedly "superb" triggers unsafe for anything but maybe fixed position target type shooting. "Too light" isnt good for things that are meant as an all around or hard/dangerous use type guns.

I prefer to not handicap myself to something that is really of limited use, to me anyway. I prefer to be able to pick up anything I might come across, and be able to shoot it reasonably well, as its found.

I dont shoot my DA guns in SA, unless they self cock, and I dont have any trouble going back and forth if they do, as Im accustomed to shooting them.

I do on occasion shoot a couple of 1911's that friends have, who insist they cant shoot things, unless they have a very light trigger, and when I shoot their guns, it usually takes me a mag or two to get the unintended doubles under control. The guns, in this case, are all Nighthawks, which are very nice guns, but their triggers have no place on a carry gun. My box stock Colts are just as shootable, and they have triggers the same weight (5-6 #) as my Glocks, and other autos, and unintended discharges, especially with any stress involved, arent as likely an issue.

This whole thing is very much like the manual vs automatic car transmission thing. Those who dont drive a stick, have limited themselves to only driving an auto. Those who drive a stick, can drive both, without issue. Nothing wrong with either, as long as youre good with any limitations one or the other may bring.

 

[LocoGringo]

I think a lot of the problem here, assuming it is one, is you have people who only shoot basically fine tuned SA type triggers, and then you have those who shoot what they get from a basic factory gun, and/or shoot their DA revolvers in DA.

If all youre accustomed to is a light weight trigger then anything beyond that will likely seem "bad". And if all you can shoot, are those types of triggers, youre just limiting yourself, to that.

To those of us who can shoot most anything without issue, its not a big deal, and in many cases, find those supposedly "superb" triggers unsafe for anything but maybe fixed position target type shooting. "Too light" isnt good for things that are meant as an all around or hard/dangerous use type guns.

I prefer to not handicap myself to something that is really of limited use, to me anyway. I prefer to be able to pick up anything I might come across, and be able to shoot it reasonably well, as its found.

I dont shoot my DA guns in SA, unless they self cock, and I dont have any trouble going back and forth if they do, as Im accustomed to shooting them.

I do on occasion shoot a couple of 1911's that friends have, who insist they cant shoot things, unless they have a very light trigger, and when I shoot their guns, it usually takes me a mag or two to get the unintended doubles under control. The guns, in this case, are all Nighthawks, which are very nice guns, but their triggers have no place on a carry gun. My box stock Colts are just as shootable, and they have triggers the same weight (5-6 #) as my Glocks, and other autos, and unintended discharges, especially with any stress involved, arent as likely an issue.

This whole thing is very much like the manual vs automatic car transmission thing. Those who dont drive a stick, have limited themselves to only driving an auto. Those who drive a stick, can drive both, without issue. Nothing wrong with either, as long as youre good with any limitations one or the other may bring.

I think a lot of the problem here is the word "I" in your post rather than focusing on what the OP asked about. Good for you that you can shoot whatever you want however you want and don't mind a "bad" trigger. The OP asked about a good/great trigger in a Semi-auto pistol that might compare to a revolver. Do your posts really address what he is asking about or are you telling him something completely different and off topic?

 

[trackskippy]

I think a lot of the problem here is the word "I" in your post rather than focusing on what the OP asked about. Good for you that you can shoot whatever you want however you want and don't mind a "bad" trigger. The OP asked about a good/great trigger in a Semi-auto pistol that might compare to a revolver. Do your posts really address what he is asking about or are you telling him something completely different and off topic?

"I" think the triggers on all my guns are "good", semi or auto, and I have a bunch of S&W revolvers to know what they are like.

I don't like "bad" triggers either, by the way, and dont have one on any of my guns. And all but one of them, are box stock factory triggers.

So maybe the question is, whats limiting you from finding your average trigger on anything is "good"?

 

[.38 Special]

I will go so far as to say that anything significantly less than a perfect trigger - and by that I mean a single action trigger on an older S&W N frame, around 3.5 pounds, with no noticeable movement prior to hammer fall - is an absolute limitation to the potential accuracy of the gun. It is not something that you "get used to" or "just deal with", except perhaps in the way that someone can get used to a dull knife or a misfiring engine. Circumstances may require that you put up with it, but the results aren't going to be as good.

As for the assumption that people who enjoy good triggers are, by default, incapable of using anything else, I will counter by saying that anyone who shoots as well with a bad trigger as with a good one simply isn't shooting anything very well.

 

[.38 Special]

I think a lot of the problem here is the word "I" in your post rather than focusing on what the OP asked about. Good for you that you can shoot whatever you want however you want and don't mind a "bad" trigger. The OP asked about a good/great trigger in a Semi-auto pistol that might compare to a revolver. Do your posts really address what he is asking about or are you telling him something completely different and off topic?

I started a thread about improving a Glock trigger and received a great deal of information about my incompetence, misplaced aims, and general lack of manhood. The topic seems to set off a great number of shooters, and I honestly have no idea why.

 

[trackskippy]

All of these were shot with "box stock", factory triggers, of different types. Many of them were also from a holster and not shot from a "static" position.

Most of them were from 10 yards and in. The revolvers were all shot DAO, and the Glock 17 and Beretta 92, were individual single shots, with some doubles mixed in, from a SUL presentation, and in DA with the 92.

The one thing in common here with any of these is, I wasnt thinking about the trigger at all, with any of them, as I was shooting.