M&P Trigger Satisfaction

[S&W-Admirer]

I have a M&P .40 FS born the first week in December 2012. The trigger is just a little heavier than my Glocks. The reset is a little quieter and maybe a little longer than my Glocks. No noticeable grittiness in the trigger pull. I have run about 350 .40 and 9mm rounds through it.

I have read lots of topics about people being dissatisfied with their M&P triggers but am satisfied with mine. Am I lucky and have one of the improved triggers or do the APEX parts make the triggers that much better?

 

[Brucenterry]

I had 9mm FS and it was nowhere near my Glocks. Gritty and harder pull weight. I put the APEX DCAEK kit in and it brought very close to a Glock but there's still a slight difference. It is a nice kit though and would recommend it it you're not satisfied w/ what you have. I like the new addition.

 

[bybotie]

You must be very lucky. My new .40cal had the worst factory trigger I have ever pulled. I put a APEX DCAEK in it ASAP.

 

[jeffhughes]

I have a M&P .40 FS born the first week in December 2012. The trigger is just a little heavier than my Glocks. The reset is a little quieter and maybe a little longer than my Glocks. No noticeable grittiness in the trigger pull. I have run about 350 .40 and 9mm rounds through it.

I have read lots of topics about people being dissatisfied with their M&P triggers but am satisfied with mine. Am I lucky and have one of the improved triggers or do the APEX parts make the triggers that much better?

I think you are part of the un vocal majority.

Apex parts are great, but so is a 2000 round trigger job...

 

[Bkreutz]

I didn't like mine when I first got it (9c), but 3000 rounds later (or so, I don't count) it's just fine. I wouldn't want any lighter of a trigger for CC

 

[mkbruce]

40 FS got an APEX DCAEK before it was ever fired with live ammo - the factory trigger was a gritty mess.....

40c got one trip to the range before it got a DCAEK.....

If you are at all unhappy about the feel of your trigger, don't hesitate on putting in some APEX parts - they make a huge difference.

 

[HikerDan]

I just bought a 9FS that was made in April. To me, the trigger isn't gritty, and has a pretty clean break - I would like a bit less travel, but I'm sure I'll get used to it. Just need to shoot it more.

 

[Hunter5]

Bought my MP 40 FS about a month ago, trigger seemed to be fine, no gritty feeling for the most part. Decided to put the Apex Poly trigger just due to the safety issues of the stock hinged trigger. Now the pre-travel is much less and reset is very quick. Glad I did this upgrade, don't feel the need to do anymore, happy with how it is performing.

 

[1fly2ty]

Each individual has to decide what is an acceptable trigger and how it impacts your ability to hit what your shooting at! This level of acceptability has criteria that I measure by, is the person capable of explaining his experience in the field of shooting, does he know the difference beteen a poor trigger, good trigger or great trigger! There are some new shooters that say my M&P trigger is acceptable but by what standard did they measure their trigger against to make that determination. do they shoot competitively or do they have other pistols with just similar triggers. If you have never fired lets say a 1911 Colt Gold cup which comes from the factory with great trigger or an off the shelf Glock or M&P"s there is a world of difference. Have you ever fired a pistol that feels like a 3 lb trigger but when you put a pull gauge on it is actually 5 lbs. When a trigger is set up correctly so that it yields a 3lb break but is actually 5 lbs it allows you to shoot exceptionally well even if your a new shooter, I know that there are a lot of people on here that will say never on a carry gun, but they are people that have a different level of experience or, are just scared to death that their firearm will discharge accidentally. They are also some of the people that don't continually practice so they can acheive a better comfort level for themselve's. To me any trigger that is greater than about 5.5 lbs is probably not going to allow you to shoot your pistol as accurately as it is capable of shooting.
Why is it when some guys buy a new car they gotta put different tires or a new computer chip or dual exhausts, its making a good car into a better car or faster or better handling! Doing a trrigger job or installing apex parts into a stock pistol is no different! To answer the Op's question the Apex DCAEK kit is the difference between driving a Volkswagon Bettle or a Ferrari! To those that have a pistol with a great trigger no explanation is necessary, to those that have never fired a pistol with a great trigger no expanation is possible!

 

[Duster340]

Have had my M&P 40 FS since January and have never felt the trigger was a problem. Smooth pull, nice let off etc. I'm only 1/2 way towards completing the "jeffhughes 2000 round trigger job" but it does seem to get even smoother as I put more rounds through it. Being a no-safety HD & CC piece, I have no plans on going to a lighter trigger pull. Just my personal preference.

Be well all

 

[S&W45Colt]

Let me say, I'm not trying to start an argument, but this issue, is no issue. Forgive me for being opinionated here, take it for what it's worth.

I see it as a mainly generational thing. There are certain guns, SD's, Hi-Points etc among them, that have inherently terrible triggers. However, IMO, most of the issue is young shooters who have never shot revolvers or learned to master trigger control. When you can take a 12 lb revolver trigger and shoot it well, the 1/8" difference in trigger pull or not hearing the reset is meaningless. Glock triggers are not an industry standard, nor do they set the standard. If you want the best trigger, buy a 1911.

If you can't shoot an M&P out of the box, the issue is not the gun, it's a lack of shooting fundamentals. As in, my shield shoots low and to the left, it must be the gun. If I had a dollar for every "bad shooting gun" I've seen someone else shooting the center of the target with, I'd be rich.

JMO

 

[1fly2ty]

Duster,
Just some food for thought, 1000 rds @ 18.00 per 50 rds =360.00
2000 rds =$720.00 Pretty expensive trigger job!!! Even if you load it yourself its still an expensive trigger job, although its also a lot shooting enjoyment.

 

[shawn mccarver]

The number of non-shooter tinkerers who will spend lots of money for a "trigger job" before actually shooting to find out if the trigger is manageable is outrageous. I agree that many of today's shooters have no clue as to what constitutes proper trigger management or how to obtain it. I agree with the poster above who said that the best trigger job is a "2,000 round trigger job." There is no substitute for practice and throwing in some lighter springs and messing with factory parts is just an all around bad idea. In addition, many of the people who do this are shooting "minute of B27 at 5 yards." If you cannot hold an honest to God 4 inch group at 25 yards with a double action revolver in double action mode (and that is not really all that good of a group), then you should not mess with your trigger until you learn to shoot.

Another thing I find just hilarious is how much money is wasted on some after-market sight because some shooter thinks a new set of sights will help him make his "minute of B27 at 5 yards" magically become "minute of B27 at 7 yards."

And both the spring replacer and the sight replacer ends up on this or other Forums wondering how to put the pistol back together again, or how to repair the damage caused by the "improvement" when the kitchen table gunsmith screwed up his own gun trying to improve it.

Folks, the answer is practice. Thousands of rounds of practice. Per year. If you shoot less than 1,000 rounds a month, spend money on ammo. Shoot at least the same amount of ammo through your pistol as a new cop would fire at a police academy, which is close to 5,000 rounds these days before you try to improve it. You will be a better shot and your gun will smooth up nicely. And you will know where it is shooting. There is no magic answer to becoming a good shot except to practice. And, you will realize the general absurdity of replacing perfectly good factory parts and springs with after-market parts and springs.

 

[D Rock]

Let me say, I'm not trying to start an argument, but this issue, is no issue. Forgive me for being opinionated here, take it for what it's worth.

I see it as a mainly generational thing. There are certain guns, SD's, Hi-Points etc among them, that have inherently terrible triggers. However, IMO, most of the issue is young shooters who have never shot revolvers or learned to master trigger control. When you can take a 12 lb revolver trigger and shoot it well, the 1/8" difference in trigger pull or not hearing the reset is meaningless. Glock triggers are not an industry standard, nor do they set the standard. If you want the best trigger, buy a 1911.

If you can't shoot an M&P out of the box, the issue is not the gun, it's a lack of shooting fundamentals. As in, my shield shoots low and to the left, it must be the gun. If I had a dollar for every "bad shooting gun" I've seen someone else shooting the center of the target with, I'd be rich.

JMO

I came from revolver shooting myself, S&W45Colt. As a matter of fact my first auto pistol (bought January 2009) was my M&P 9c.

Like S&W-Admirer, I had no problems with the trigger and still like it very much after over 13K flawless rounds. I did have to get used to the lighter trigger pull.

A friend at the same range bought a full size M&P 9mm and believe it or not his trigger had all the grit that everyone talks about so there was something to this then and there probably is now.

There were no kits that we knew of then so we took out the striker block and polished it. No grit after that.

The point is that even an old revolver shooter like me could feel what was right about my M&P trigger and what was wrong about his. I think you're right that some new shooters get caught up in parts replacement but sometimes there's a reason.

Dave

 

[shawn mccarver]

Duster,
Just some food for thought, 1000 rds @ 18.00 per 50 rds =360.00
2000 rds =$720.00 Pretty expensive trigger job!!! Even if you load it yourself its still an expensive trigger job, although its also a lot shooting enjoyment.

Just because you have a gun with a lighter trigger does not make you a good shot. Installation of APEX or any other parts does NOTHING, absolutely NOTHING to teach anyone the fundamentals of good shooting.

This is almost like saying if you put a steering wheel cover and a Hurst Shifter and a set of Recaro seats in your car you will be Mario Andretti (or what's her name who runs over her own pit crew and has a wreck every couple of races).

 

[S&W45Colt]

I came from revolver shooting myself, S&W45Colt. As a matter of fact my first auto pistol (bought January 2009) was my M&P 9c.

Like S&W-Admirer, I had no problems with the trigger and still like it very much after over 13K flawless rounds. I did have to get used to the lighter trigger pull.

A friend at the same range bought a full size M&P 9mm and believe it or not his trigger had all the grit that everyone talks about so there was something to this then and there probably is now.

There were no kits that we knew of then so we took out the striker block and polished it. No grit after that.

The point is that even an old revolver shooter like me could feel what was right about my M&P trigger and what was wrong about his. I think you're right that some new shooters get caught up in parts replacement but sometimes there's a reason.

Dave

Good point, I'm not going to argue you can't get a bad gun on occasion. I sent a 686 back with a trigger that was close to a two finger one. My point, is the "trigger issue" is over thought/discussed and it's not limited to just the M&P. You hear all of the time on other guns and a lot of the time it's an inexperienced shooter.

I did generalize, so I'll agree sometimes the issues are real.

 

[3hounds]

Some people don't have the time or money to shoot thousands of rounds to get a better trigger.
Also a spring kit or even different sights can make you a better shooter faster and cheaper.

Imagine a new shooter goes and buys a pistol with a terrible trigger.

He goes out shoots 100 or so rounds can't hit jack.

Most will give up on shooting because of this.

But if he has a trigger kit or better sights put on he most likely will stay with it because he will usually shoot better.

People want a quick fix now a days.

3

 

[Duster340]

Duster,
Just some food for thought, 1000 rds @ 18.00 per 50 rds =360.00
2000 rds =$720.00 Pretty expensive trigger job!!! Even if you load it yourself its still an expensive trigger job, although its also a lot shooting enjoyment.

LOL! True, but I am quite happy with the factory trigger on my M&P. I hit what I aim at and it groups quite nicely at the ranges I shoot at. As with any quality gun, the M&P will shoot better than most of us can hold.

 

[S&W45Colt]

Some people don't have the time or money to shoot thousands of rounds to get a better trigger.
Also a spring kit or even different sights can make you a better shooter faster and cheaper.

Imagine a new shooter goes and buys a pistol with a terrible trigger.

He goes out shoots 100 or so rounds can't hit jack.

Most will give up on shooting because of this.

But if he has a trigger kit or better sights put on he most likely will stay with it because he will usually shoot better.

People want a quick fix now a days.

3

No, it does not make you a "better shooter." It compensates for a lack of skill. That's not the same thing. There is no quick fix for acquiring a skill, that's why it's a skill, it takes practice.

Put your "better shooter" up against a clock, much less a SD situation and watch them fail from a lack of practice.

 

[S&WProtected]

I have installed the apex Daek on my Shield 9 and my FS 45. I shot 1000 rds through the shield before the change and at seven yds I could shoot groups with most holes touching or one ragged hole but I was about 2" to the left. I have pretty large hands and the shield is a little small for me and with the stock trigger that was probably close to 7 pounds I just kept pushing left by about 2". The gun was plenty accurate for SD but I like to hit where I aim, after installing the kit I have 5.5lbs of pull and hit dead center. I have several other guns that are stock and no problems shooting them. I have shot a Colt Gold Cup national match and it does have a great trigger so does my Sig 1911. As for shooting revolvers DA I do this as well, this is the only way I practice with them b/c I think this would be the most likely way to use one for SD. At 25 yds I can shoot 6-8" groups free standing but I don't practice enough at that distance to do much better.
I guess my point is even if you shoot many thousands of rounds per year like I do Sometimes a little modification can be helpful. Remember these are mass produced and don't all come out on spec.