Performance difference of production legal vs. illegal aftermarket triggers?

[StandardError]

I'm getting started in USPSA production using a G17 and am have a self-tuned trigger with some upgraded internals. However, I was wondering whether there are significant benefits to be had by getting a full production-legal trigger kit from someone like Vanek. Are these production-legal triggers as good as the non-legal ones? Are the production-legal triggers significant improvements over OEM?

 

Appreciate the input.

[louu]

Yes but get the DK Custom kit, its amazing. Coming from a 1911 I couldn't hit the berm with a stock glock, I put the DK in there and I was drilling everything I was aiming at. It's production legal to!!!

[StandardError]

 

15 minutes ago, louu said:

Yes but get the DK Custom kit, its amazing. Coming from a 1911 I couldn't hit the berm with a stock glock, I put the DK in there and I was drilling everything I was aiming at. It's production legal to!!!

 

Besides DK Custom, are there any other production legal triggers that are highly regarded? I'm still all very new to this stuff. But I was a longtime bullseye shooter so I'm always finnicky about triggers.

[Southpaw]

18 minutes ago, StandardError said:

I was a longtime bullseye shooter so I'm always finnicky about triggers.

Then you might want to reconsider choosing a Glock... 

[StandardError]

Just now, Southpaw said:

Then you might want to reconsider choosing a Glock... 

 

For a long time I did. And then I've realized the beauty in its simplicity and reliability. My bullseye guns were very capricious about ammo and feeding and performance. That is one part I do not miss at all. 

[sigsauerfan]

. aftermarket triggers for glocks aren't the holy grail, while most are an improvement over the OEM trigger.

 

however i'm not convinced drop ins gets you the very best feel possible. i guess that for the best results you must  send your gun to either DK...or johny glocks for the best fit and results possible ; i know that when i received my ZEV ultimate units , there was still a lot of room for improvements ,had to work different parts of the trigger bar , cruciform and connector to extract the most out of them.

 

and as all guns are a little different, one given trigger unit  doesn't gets you the exact same feel and trigger break weight  for  2  guns  of  the  same  model.

[lgh]

1 hour ago, sigsauerfan said:

. aftermarket triggers for glocks aren't the holy grail, while most are an improvement over the OEM trigger.

 

however i'm not convinced drop ins gets you the very best feel possible. i guess that for the best results you must  send your gun to either DK...or johny glocks for the best fit and results possible ; i know that when i received my ZEV ultimate units , there was still a lot of room for improvements ,had to work different parts of the trigger bar , cruciform and connector to extract the most out of them.

 

and as all guns are a little different, one given trigger unit  doesn't gets you the exact same feel and trigger break weight  for  2  guns  of  the  same  model.

That has also been my experience. I now have a Ghost Evo Elite on a G17 and like it but it all really depends on what you are looking for.  I am getting a Watch Precision to check out with the Ghost and also with a OEM 3.5 connector.  Maybe with a 3.5 and NY1 spring just to see what it is like. But personally, I don't want to wander too far from what I have on my carry guns. Some want a pure Glock game gun and that is great.  I learn from their experience.

 

I shot 1911's for a long time.  It's not just the trigger but a completely different platform. If you want a 1911 trigger, get a 1911.

Edited March 8, 2017 by lgh
punctuation

[sigsauerfan]

then, i  suggest  the ZEV comp spring kit  in combo  with the  zev V4 connector,but keep the OEM striker  spring. it'll make  a  quite  noticeable improvement on the pull weight  , without the  occasional ignitions problems  with harder  primers  than  FSP primers.

Edited March 8, 2017 by sigsauerfan

[StandardError]

4 hours ago, sigsauerfan said:

. aftermarket triggers for glocks aren't the holy grail, while most are an improvement over the OEM trigger.

 

however i'm not convinced drop ins gets you the very best feel possible. i guess that for the best results you must  send your gun to either DK...or johny glocks for the best fit and results possible ; i know that when i received my ZEV ultimate units , there was still a lot of room for improvements ,had to work different parts of the trigger bar , cruciform and connector to extract the most out of them.

 

and as all guns are a little different, one given trigger unit  doesn't gets you the exact same feel and trigger break weight  for  2  guns  of  the  same  model.

What kind of work did you do specifically? And would you go with the Zev again? Or would you choose something else?

[sigsauerfan]

7 hours ago, StandardError said:

What kind of work did you do specifically? And would you go with the Zev again? Or would you choose something else?

 

it involves reshaping some angles  as  well  as    polishing  . the  trigger  bar tab (  reshaping the part rubbing against the connector), working on the  angle  of   the  tab   of  the  cruciform  who  rubs   on the  striker  leg , reshaping the  dot on the trigger  bar contacting with the drop safety plunger , and  some additional  work on the  connector .

 i  wouldn't  suggest  performing  this   yourself  if  you're  not  conscious  of  the  specific  action that can be  done.  there's  some obvious  risks   you may  have  to throw the  unit in the  trash can if  you go too far. on top of  that, the  unit  you  ''work''  is  gonna  work with the specific  gun  that   the unit  is  dedicated  to, but  might not  work at  all with another  gun of  the  exact same  model...it might go  full auto,or  not reset properly.

yes i'd  still go  with the  zev unit, and this  because they're  very nice  looking  the  finish  being  very slick ,   and  also   because  whatever  you choose  to  go  with DK  or  JG  units, a  drop in system  who  hasn't  been fit  properly  for  a  specific gun might get  you the  same  result  :  it will  provide   a  great  improvement over  stock  , but  in any case  will not  be  maximized.

as  example, when i  receive  a  drop in trigger. i  might  get  a  3.something lbs  trigger  break weight  ,very smooth  and crisp  with a  shorter  reset  ;    after my  work on the unit, i  can reach 2.5 break weight  and  even  a  little  lower  while  staying      crisp (with all  the  safeties  intact of  course )  ,  depending on the  specific  unit......it's all a  matter  of  personalizing  the  fit  of  the  trigger  unit  to  a  specific  gun . 

Edited March 8, 2017 by sigsauerfan

[polymerfeelsweirdman]

For $40 I like the tti gm kit, cannot see myself really spending too much more on a Glock past that

 

Also, the more you mod Glocks generally the worse the reliability

[sigsauerfan]

3 hours ago, polymerfeelsweirdman said:

 

 

Also, the more you mod Glocks generally the worse the reliability

 explain ?

 

 

[polymerfeelsweirdman]

6 hours ago, sigsauerfan said:

 explain ?

 

 

they work pretty well stock but many mods like spring changes can make them less reliable quickly

[sigsauerfan]

16 hours ago, polymerfeelsweirdman said:

they work pretty well stock but many mods like spring changes can make them less reliable quickly

 less reliable? 

 

i don't  see what you mean,excepting the  fact that if you add  a  2lb striker  spring  the  gun might  have  a tough time igniting  harder  primers  other  than federal  small pistol primers.

 

my  glocks  are  mod,ed  from bottom to the top including lightened  slides  with all zev tech  internals  and  springs. all my  safeties are  working , and i  get  a  2.1  lbs on my G35 limited  gun. never  had  a  problem, except  i  uses federal small pistol primers only  to  avoid  ignition gremlins.

you  probably  refers to people  who  are  using various  parts  not  working well together. you must  pick  a  ''package'''  who  is  thought  to  work  together, that way , you avoid  the  problems  that may occure  with different parts-brands  that are  not designed  to  work  together.

as  example  of  bad  parts  choice , using a  ghost ultimate connector in combo   with various  spring types  may gets  you in trouble  with the  reset  and  ignition.

 

 

Edited March 9, 2017 by sigsauerfan

[lgh]

1 hour ago, sigsauerfan said:

 less reliable? 

 

i don't  see what you mean,excepting the  fact that if you add  a  2lb striker  spring  the  gun might  have  a tough time igniting  harder  primers  other  than federal  small pistol primers.

 

my  glocks  are  mod,ed  from bottom to the top including lightened  slides  with all zev tech  internals  and  springs. all my  safeties are  working , and i  get  a  2.1  lbs on my G35 limited  gun. never  had  a  problem, except  i  use federal small pistol primers only  to  avoid  ignition gremlins.

 

 

That's a nice game gun and it sounds like it works great for you under pretty specific conditions. I might try it!

 

The reliability issues come up at tactical training courses.  The instructors see a million rounds a year go down range.  If a Glock stops, the standard response is, "What did you do to it?".  The rest of us stand around and wait for the explanation and chastising.

Edited March 9, 2017 by lgh
clarification

[sigsauerfan]

4 hours ago, lgh said:

That's a nice game gun and it sounds like it works great for you under pretty specific conditions. I might try it!

 

The reliability issues come up at tactical training courses.  The instructors see a million rounds a year go down range.  If a Glock stops, the standard response is, "What did you do to it?".  The rest of us stand around and wait for the explanation and chastising.

 

oh !  i  understand  then....you know  like  me people  like thinkering with  their  glocks LOL...not always the  right modification unfortunately...i  tell myself  that  as long as the  gun  doesn't  turns   full auto  in the middle  of  a  match  like  it happened  one  time  to  me  at  the  beggining of  my  endeavors  with glock pistols , fortunately, nothing is irreversible  apart of  a   ruined  trigger bar or  connector , which you  still   can get  for  couple  bucks, while  a  ruined  ZEV trigger bar  is  a  little  more  frustrating. 

i  practiced  my  skills  at  modifying  glock internals  on OEM parts  first, then i   was  more  confident  at  doing it  on pricey  units.

[lgh]

11 minutes ago, sigsauerfan said:

 

oh !  i  understand  then....you know  like  me people  like thinkering with  their  glocks LOL...not always the  right modification unfortunately...i  tell myself  that  as long as the  gun  doesn't  turns   full auto  in the middle  of  a  match  like  it happened  one  time  to  me  at  the  beggining of  my  endeavors  with glock pistols , fortunately, nothing is irreversible  apart of  a   ruined  trigger bar or  connector , which you  still   can get  for  couple  bucks, while  a  ruined  ZEV trigger bar  is  a  little  more  frustrating. 

i  practiced  my  skills  at  modifying  glock internals  on OEM parts  first, then i   was  more  confident  at  doing it  on pricey  units.

 

I've fooled around a lot with OEM springs, connectors, etc but I think aftermarket parts have gotten a lot better through the years and I've started experimenting with them on non-carry guns. And others, like you, report good results when swapping springs in their game guns. Still don't have the background to do my own mods on OEM parts. When I do, I'll keep it pointed in a safe direction (Rule 2). 

 

For the OP, what parts did you swap out/work on and how did it change things from stock?

 

[polymerfeelsweirdman]

10 hours ago, sigsauerfan said:

 less reliable? 

 

i don't  see what you mean,excepting the  fact that if you add  a  2lb striker  spring  the  gun might  have  a tough time igniting  harder  primers  other  than federal  small pistol primers.

 

my  glocks  are  mod,ed  from bottom to the top including lightened  slides  with all zev tech  internals  and  springs. all my  safeties are  working , and i  get  a  2.1  lbs on my G35 limited  gun. never  had  a  problem, except  i  uses federal small pistol primers only  to  avoid  ignition gremlins.

you  probably  refers to people  who  are  using various  parts  not  working well together. you must  pick  a  ''package'''  who  is  thought  to  work  together, that way , you avoid  the  problems  that may occure  with different parts-brands  that are  not designed  to  work  together.

as  example  of  bad  parts  choice , using a  ghost ultimate connector in combo   with various  spring types  may gets  you in trouble  with the  reset  and  ignition.

 

 

Well you kind of just said it, you are running fed primers

 

Glocks do need a "package" like you're saying. On another gun you can probably change things independently but for a Glock... 

reduce recoil spring rate then the gun wants to push out of battery due to the striker spring and has less force to go into battery; reduce the striker spring then you have ignition issues and need to run a lightened striker and or softer primers. If you change or mess with the trigger you can easily disable the safeties