Is it time for S&W to dump the hinged trigger design in favor of the "Safe Action" style like so many other makers have? I have had 5 different M&P pistols and they all felt different. I have had a few of the "G" pistols as well and they felt more alike. What's the best answer for S&W?

there are a lot of complints about how uncomfortable the 'safe action' (center tab?) triggers feel (on Glock and XD Forums). Some complaining about 'pinch', others about 'sharp edges'. I haven't had such problems with locks, or XD models, but it seems that no matter which trigger system manufacturers use, people complain.

Of course... If S&W were to switch to the Glock/XD style trigger, there would be a group of prople chanting that S&W is copying the 'Safe Action' system.
It's a No-win situation. One can't please all the people.

I have a Glock 26 Gen4 and two Shield 9s (NTS) and find the Glock trigger actually painful after fifty rounds. No problem at all with the Shield triggers. For SD carry the trigger weight on the Shields is fine.
When a couple of bullets go by close to your head (They Buzz) if your handgun had a ten pound trigger you wouldn't notice it.

"People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf."
-- George Orwell

The M&P trigger feels more comfortable and natural for me as well.

I've been hearing people rave about M&P triggers for years and how much pleasure they are to shoot. I don't know why suddenly they would be less comfortable than 'another' brand's trigger. Like getting revolver barrels screwed on straight it seems like making a trigger that wouldn't cut or pinch your finger would be a pretty straightforward task, but then, what do I know?

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"He was kinda funny lookin'"

I do not like tabs in the trigger, or hinged triggers, or any type of trigger with multiple parts that move in relation to each other and the trigger finger when the trigger is being pulled. Walther's P99 and SIG's P320 both have a traditional, one-piece trigger face, which I greatly prefer.

I find the round, hinged, S&W trigger design to be uncomfortable. Part of the reason, I think, is the radius of curvature changes during the take up, changing the biomechanics of your trigger pull.

It used to be uncomfortable after a day at the range for me; enough so that I got an Apex polymer trigger. The S&W OEM curved trigger offers no advantages over bladed styles, as fas as I know.

I greatly prefer the tabbed style trigger on Apex kits, Glocks, my VP9, etc.

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Take your time, fast. J.Hughes

My M&P 9 is a couple of weeks old and I’ve fired about 400+ rounds. I really like the feel of it a lot and don’t care for the tabbed trigger on the Glock at all. My only concern about it is that it feels a little flimsy and I worry that it could break suddenly one day down the road. Have any long-time users ever had such an issue or am I just being paranoid?

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I rue most days

I've never seen a thread here about an OEM curved trigger breaking.

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Take your time, fast. J.Hughes

I don't notice a difference. Can't please everyone

I prefer the smooth curved trigger of the Shield to all of them. The compact and fullsize M&Ps have a sharper curve to the trigger that I wish they didn't have. Smith clearly had an opportunity to improve the trigger shape when the Shield came out as a new product, and I was hopeful that they'd implement that change to the other M&P models as well, but they haven't yet.

I don't mind the tabbed trigger design, but I don't care for the trigger serrations that some have. I prefer a smooth trigger to a serrated one.

I think the triggers feel flimsy... Like they flex a lot. So I prefer the Apex trigger.

On the shield, the trigger is thicker, and does not feel like it flexes. So I am fine with the hinged trigger on it.


If Smith put the thicker trigger from the shield in the other models, then I think a lot of the complaints would go away.

In all seriousness, how necessary is a trigger safety? Other being able to claim the pistol has three passive safeties, I dont know what purpose it really serves when a decent holster is used. And there are those incidents that have involved brand G firearms caused by junk holsters or clothing accessories that got in the way totally defeating the trigger safety. One solid trigger on any of these guns would eliminate a moving part to wear out or get clogged with lint. Anyone have a story about how the M&P trigger safety prevented an AD?

The idea behind the trigger safety is that it's a "drop" safety, not a "pull" safety. Anything that got into the trigger guard would probably still pull the blade or the hinged bottom part of the trigger. However, if the pistol is dropped, there is a chance that the striker could be jarred off the sear. The trigger safety prevents the trigger from being jarred backwards (think inertia if the back of the pistol hits the concrete first) If the trigger doesn't move, the striker block isn't pushed out of the way of the striker, and even if the striker comes off the sear, the striker block will stop the striker from going forward.

Now to completely muddy this discussion, here's the trigger I prefer.

I wonder if S&W is looking for a bunch of new engineers or consultants?

I used to worry about triggers a lot almost to the point of obsession. Now that I've gotten more experience shooting, I don't pay as much attention to it any more. If I find a gun I like, I can get used to any trigger. Some are easier than others, but part of the fun for me is the work it takes to figure out how I can get better shooting whatever firearm I am using at the time.

I don't want to do any work or make any changes to triggers. It's not really a principle thing for me, I just don't like making any changes to my firearms, whether it be cosmetic or functional. I like things to be the way they were made to be. That's kind of what makes them what they are. I'm the same way with everything else. Cars, clothes, furniture. I even complain when my wife is using a recipe from a book or something and says she is going to alter something. I tell her to make it the way they say it's supposed to be made. That goes over real well . I guess I'm just a little boring and non-adventurous when it comes to that kind of thing.

I will say that the only trigger that has ever physically hurt me was the VP9. I don't own one, but I rented it once after the owner of my LGS/range couldn't stop raving about his own. That cutout in the trigger guard was causing pain after about five shots. By the time I had finished off a box of 100, I had a sore trigger finger for two or three days. It was enough fun and a sweet enough shooter, though, to make it worth the pain. If I ever decide to get one of my own, I would just put a bandaid on for range time.

Have a good one.

Someone told me a very long time ago "When you make something for yourself you put magic into it." Well that may be true or not but I've always liked to make things for myself and change things I don't like. There are plenty of options out there a gun isn't a burger and fries

Bkreutz,
I that the new Apex flat face trigger?

For me, the stock trigger on our 9c's and Pro's felt flimsy to me. They felt almost too small and or thin. So I replaced all of them with Apex triggers and am much happier.

I changed out the trigger on my fullsize for the Apex polymer. It pinches. I do like the minimal take up but could do without the pinching.

I have not changed the trigger on my 9mm Shield. That trigger does feel better than the Apex polymer and on a carry gun I can deal with the extra take up.

Just ordered a ported CORE. To start I will be using some of the springs from the competition kit from Apex. No plans initially to change the trigger. We'll see what happens over the long term.

Yes, I initially upgraded just the trigger on my Core (already had the FSS kit in it), I liked it so much that when I built this new one I installed it in that one too.

I put the Apex FSS and trigger kit (curved aluminum version) in my M&P 9mm and love it. Lightened the trigger with the 4 lb spring. I always thought the plastic curved trigger felt cheap but it did shoot nicely before I performed the mod.

I have a Shield. It has the hinged trigger. When shooting, I don't even know it's there. No big deal.

Yes, period.