One of the reasons Glock pistols are so popular is because they’re relatively easy to customize. Plus, they’re affordably priced, ruggedly built, and versatile. The top two parts most gun owners end up replacing with aftermarket parts are the sights and triggers, and today, we’re going to focus on triggers.
Replacing your Glock’s trigger is straightforward and one you can definitely manage without heading to your gunsmith. We’ll walk you through the basics of swapping the trigger so you can have an improved trigger press in no time.
What’s a Glock trigger?
It might seem like an odd question to ask what a Glock trigger is, but it’s one that covers a few areas. The factory trigger on a Glock has a safety blade and is set at around 5.5 pounds pull weight. While there’s nothing exactly wrong with these factory triggers, they’re also not ideal. They tend to be a little stiff and don’t deliver the smooth pull and clean break of many aftermarket models, which also offer lighter trigger pull weights.
The generation of your Glock affects which trigger you can use, so take care to match the aftermarket trigger’s compatible generation with your gun. Something else worth noting is that if you have a Gen 5 Glock, your trigger is improved over prior generations. It’s also harder to find Gen 5 aftermarket parts. Simply be careful and pay attention to the triggers you’re considering when making your selection.
What kinds of Glock triggers are there?
Many Glock aftermarket triggers are basic enough to just drop into place. That’s good for Glock owners because it makes the triggers easy to install.
When you’re choosing a new trigger, there are a few things to consider. First, ask yourself what the gun is being used for. Is this a self-defense gun, competition, range use, or hunting? These factors affect the pull weight. For example, if you want to use your Glock for self-defense, it’s not considered a wise idea to alter the trigger pull weight so it’s lighter than the factory-set 5.5 pounds.
That doesn’t mean you can’t get an aftermarket trigger that’s superior to the factory model; it just means that best practices dictate that you don’t put a super-light trigger pull weight in your carry gun. Second, figure out what you’re trying to accomplish. Do you just want a colored trigger? Are you trying to change the pull weight, or are you only looking for a smoother trigger pull? Remember to adjust your expectations according to what you require the gun to do.
Tools Needed to Change a Glock Trigger
You don’t need anything fancy to swap out the trigger in your Glock. Necessary tools and parts include:
- Replacement/aftermarket trigger
- Punch of appropriate size (3/32) for trigger pins
- Gunsmith hammer (one brass end, one nylon end)
- Optional: Armorer’s block or vise
Step One: Clear the Gun & Remove the Slide
Before doing any gunsmithing, you should always confirm that your firearm is clear. You can do this both visually by looking at the chamber and by touching the chamber to confirm what your eyes are telling you. The touch step might seem silly, but it’s smart. Once you’re sure the gun is clear, remove the slide.
Step Two: Remove the First Two Pins
You can choose to secure or brace the gun using an armorer’s block or vise, but you can also just take these steps at your bench or table. There are three pins you must remove to change the gun’s trigger. The first two are the locking block pin and trigger pin. Remove all pins from left to right.
The locking block pin is the topmost pin that’s highest on the frame. Remove that pin first by carefully tapping it out with your punch. Next, tap out the trigger pin. Although you might need to tap firmly, the pins shouldn’t be impossible to remove. If the trigger pin doesn’t come free smoothly, you can manipulate the slide stop as you tap to help loosen it from the frame.
Remove the slide stop, spring, and locking block, and set them aside along with the locking block pin and trigger pin.
Step Three: Remove the Final Pin
The third pin you’ll remove is the trigger housing pin located at the top of the rearmost portion of the grip. Yes, if you’ve ever wondered if there was a reason for that seemingly randomly placed pin, there’s a reason—and now you know how to use it.
Once the trigger housing pin is tapped out, remove the trigger group. Be careful not to damage any parts.
Step Four: Remove the Trigger Bar and Spring
This step applies if your new trigger isn’t a one-piece, drop-in model. In cases where the existing housing will remain in use, remove it by lifting and rotating the cross-shaped metal piece where the trigger bar connects to the housing. Remove the connector with your punch. Now, you can disconnect the spring and retain the housing for use with your new trigger bar and trigger. Steps four and five can be avoided by getting a drop-in trigger like the one made by Overwatch Precision.
Step Five: Assemble the New Trigger
Again, this step doesn’t apply to a drop-in model. In this step, you’ll be reversing the steps taken in step four to assemble the new trigger bar and trigger. To do this, connect the spring on the housing to the new trigger bar and rotate the cross-shaped part of the trigger into place (also on the housing). When connecting the spring, make sure the open end of the coil that hooks into the new trigger bar is facing what would be the front of the gun (this is typically described as an S shape with the coils in the body of the spring taking the place of the center of the shape). This means the open end hooking into the trigger housing will face what would be the back of the gun. Finally, put the connector back into place between the housing and trigger bar.
If your replacement trigger comes with a new connector like the pictured Apex model does, you’ll replace the connector before connecting the trigger bar into the housing. The connector will lift from the housing easily, although you may need to lift it with the edge of the punch or a pair of tweezers. Then, just push the new connector in place and proceed with connecting the trigger bar. Don’t neglect to utilize the new connector if your trigger ships with one. Those parts are specifically designed to fit together, and it’s not a good idea to leave the old connector in place.
Step Six: Insert trigger group into gun
Now that the new trigger is in one piece—or if you have a drop-in that didn’t require any tinkering—it’s time to put it in the Glock. To do this, just push it into place. The trigger itself inserts back into place, and the housing is pushed back into the frame. To reinstall, first replace the trigger housing pin (that’s the pin at the rearmost portion of the top of the grip). Take your time with this step to ensure you don’t damage the pin. Replace all pins from right to left.
Next, replace the locking block and then the locking block pin. This is the pin at the top of the frame over the trigger pin.
Replace the slide lock and pin by sliding them under the locking block pin.
Now it’s time to replace the trigger pin, which might be the trickiest one. When you removed the trigger pin, you might have wiggled the slide stop to get it loose. The same is true when replacing the trigger pin—you can manipulate the slide stop as you tap it back into place.
Replace the slide.
Step Seven: Dry fire and enjoy the new trigger
With the gun still unloaded, check the trigger by dry firing. Observe all the safety rules when doing so. The trigger shouldn’t catch, scrape, or rub on any part of the trigger guard. It also shouldn’t shift or move when pulling the trigger.
Regarding the use of Loctite, it’s not recommended. The trio of pins holding the trigger group in place is typically sufficient for locking everything in place. If you use Loctite, it becomes extremely difficult to remove the pins again later on. This is especially true of the trigger housing pin because they’re usually polymer and prone to breaking if you’re not careful when servicing your gun.
Enjoy your improved trigger!
The post Gunsmith 101: How to Install a Glock Trigger appeared first on The Mag Life.
Read the full article here
