Bruce Gray Trigger Job on P30L or Glock 34 or M&P Pro

[kriskexplorer]

I am looking for input. I have a HK P30L V3 and I am thinking about sending it to Bruce Gray for the competition trigger package. Should I go ahead and send it in or would I be better off getting a Glock 34 or M&P Pro? The trigger job would be half the cost of a new Glock or M&P Pro. I really like the P30L but I'm on the fence on which direction I should go. Anyone had the competition trigger package done? The P30L is only for IDPA/USPSA/Range use.

Thanks for the input in advance.

[DonovanM]

Get the trigger job and spend the rest on ammo. Or better yet, spend it all on ammo

Bruce himself will be the first person to tell you that you don't need his action packages to be competitive

Edited June 16, 2011 by DonovanM

[19852]

When making your decision factor in the cost of new mags, holster, mag pouches etc. As expensive as BG trigger job may be it it probably cheaper than the new gun + accessories. I find the stock trigger [HK P-30] manageable with practice, dry fire, etc. My P-30 trigger was heavy and gritty when new, now it's just heavy. New sights are worth considering IMO.

[ck1]

I am looking for input. I have a HK P30L V3 and I am thinking about sending it to Bruce Gray for the competition trigger package. Should I go ahead and send it in or would I be better off getting a Glock 34 or M&P Pro? The trigger job would be half the cost of a new Glock or M&P Pro. I really like the P30L but I'm on the fence on which direction I should go. Anyone had the competition trigger package done? The P30L is only for IDPA/USPSA/Range use.

Thanks for the input in advance.

JMHO here, but here's my $0.02:

I had a P30 V3 for a little while, and then a P30 LEM that I changed springs on and brought to V1 "light LEM" spec. While they do have one of the best grips on them in all of the gun world, I ended up finding more "cons" than "pros" in the platform as compared to their (usually lower price-point) contemporaries. The things I found that I didn't dig about the design became even more apparent and glaring when running IDPA/USPSA-type drills, enough so that I never did even run one at a match and risk ruining a good Saturday. The things I found that bugged me were: the slide-stop lever; a good thumbs-forward grip pretty much means mags won't be locking back on empty, the mag release; just too different from every other platform and too easy to not activate by either not moving it sufficiently to drop the mag or by slipping off it when going fast, the higher-than-the-norm-these-days bore-axis which is more similar to a Sig or 1911 then to most fast 9's like Glock's, M&P's and CZ's, not many options out there as far as finding sights I liked (I prefer a thinner front-blade than what's out there for them, .090"-.115" depending on rear-notch-width)... and then after all that: there's that trigger.

Even the light-LEM leaves a lot to be desired and isn't really very good. I've had the opportunity to shoot a few H&K's with Grey-worked triggers (including a P30) and while they sure were a lot better than any stock H&K, they weren't really even in the same neighborhood as a decent Glock trigger that's been equipped with a lighter connector and seen a 15min polish session, or even close to any M&P that's got an Apex sear or thats had trigger work, honestly, compared to what I've been shooting lately (CZ Shadow which is light-years better trigger-wise than any Glock or M&P and is every bit as good as the best 1911's), they might as well have been on par with a Lochrin or Hi-Point.

Sounds harsh, I know, but IMO I'd say the Grey-worked triggers are probably only worth it to the hardcore H&K-guys who are maybe more into the brand-loyalty-thing then into being truly pragmatic or unbiased about just getting the best pistol into their hands out of what can be had. Without trying to be curt about it, and not trying to be overtly condescending, the fact is there are a lot of H&K "operators" out there that are really hung up on the brand being the only thing good enough for them and anything else being something less regardless of pure function, so there will always be a segment of those who'll need guys like Bruce Grey to improve their triggers no matter the cost as H&K stock triggers are pretty bad.

My advice would be to pick up a Glock in 9mm, whether a G34 or even a G17, and if you like your P30 hold on to it without sinking any more cash into it. No matter what you spend on the H&K, you're not going to be able to beat what can be done with $30 and 15mins to the Glock platform anyways so why not give it a try... In my experience the Glock (if we're talking Gen3's) is superior to the M&P in durability and the ease at which one can tinker around with without needing anybody's help, and would be my pick as I prefer their triggers to even worked over M&P's, but that said, if Glock's just don't feel right coming from such an ergo-friendly gun as a P30 then a M&P is a great choice.

Having said all that and having had all the others mentioned, tuning them to be all they can be, if you're after truly top-of-the-mountain trigger-awesomeness for IDPA, your budget allows it, and you haven't already ruled out an all-steel gun, I have to tell you to give one of these a hard look: http://czcustom.com/cz75shadowsadablk.aspx

Hope this helps.

Edited June 16, 2011 by ck1

[kriskexplorer]

Thanks all for the suggestions and insight. I think I'm going to sell the P30L and get something else. While I do like the P30L I don't think its the right one for me. Another major con is I'm finding sights that are not night sights. Dawson Precision is working on set now but it will probably be a month before they release them. Then considering getting the trigger worked on I think I'm done.

CK1,

What are the CZ models that are legal for idpa and uspsa? I haven't looked at CZ but checking out there site I'm impressed.

[ck1]

CK1,

What are the CZ models that are legal for idpa and uspsa? I haven't looked at CZ but checking out there site I'm impressed.

Well, the new-hotness is the 75 Shadow which I linked you to, it's a Shadow variant with CZ's short-dustcover frame (IDPA considered the original railed-frame SP-01 Shadows to be full-length dust-covers, thus illegal for IDPA unless you lightened them to make weight which was a PITA), they're GTG in IDPA SSP shot DA first-shot and cocked n' locked in ESP, and they also are recently approved for USPSA production. IMHO it's the best gun CZ has ever offered.

There are other models that are GTG in IDPA and USPSA (75B's, 85 Combat's) but the Shadows are the top-end guns... Shadows have different hammers that make their triggers head and shoulders above the others and really better than any other DA/SA guns out there, in SA a Shadow trigger is every bit as good as the finest 1911 triggers (no BS) and even their DA pull is pretty awesome, as good as the best revolvers, they also feature no firing-pin-blocks like 70-series 1911's, which means they have a shorter, cleaner trigger pull and a reset half as long as a normal FPB-equipped B-model CZ (which is already half of what you're used to with your P30, so imagine a 1/4 or less then what you're used to, very nearly as short as a 1911), those two things are what make them "Shadows" and what makes them special.

I think even a regular proletarian B-model CZ's trigger would be twice as good as a P30's after not too many rounds, but the thing is, once you try a Shadow you'll be green with envy and will end up wanting one (they're that good).

They're not cheap, but I have to say that pound-for-pound, dollar-for-dollar they're worth every penny and then some, and I don't think there's a DA/SA gun out there that can really touch them at any price. To put their price-point in perspective, they're still cheaper than many mid-level Sigs yet have triggers that are twice as nice as the pricey top-of-the-line Sig X-5's which cost double what a 75 Shadow does and aren't even legal for most of the gun-games. So, as they say, if you have the means...

The thing I think I like most about them is that you can put the same 75 Shadow in the hands of high-dollar boutique 1911-snobs as well as diehard Glock-guys and both will be blown away... They've got the sick trigger and accuracy, but they're also bomb reliable and can be run hard and dirty. In fact, mine replaced an STI 9mm 1911 that I had sunk a lot of money into, and I've noticed that quite a few upper-level amateur ESP shooters are switching to them recently as they do all the same good things a nice 9mm 1911 does, except they aren't moody and you don't end up losing time dealing with malf's or fighting with tuning them all the time like one does with 9mm 1911's. CZ's run like Glocks, but shoot like a nice 1911, while IMO feeling better ergo-wise than both of those.

I think you'd only need to dry-fire one once and you'd be convinced, and even after being spoiled with the great grip ergos of a P30 you'd find them just as great feeling in-the-hand, CZ ergos are actually better IMO having had both as the lower bore-axis is immediately a noticeable improvement of the H&K's top-heavy feel (and while not cheap at $70-90 you can put thinner grip panels on the CZ's making them thinner than a 1911 wearing slim-lines if you want).

Hate to sound like such a fanboy, but as a guy who's pretty OCD about my pistols and who's had pretty much all of them out there, tuning them to their fullest potential and sometimes losing my shirt trading them off to try something else, the 75 Shadow is the best 9mm I've come across by far, really the best and most fun gun I've ever had period.

There's this too: if you were to buy one and were somehow to decide to get rid of it, priced fairly, I'd be surprised if it would last longer than a day, if not mere hours or minutes in the classifieds section of this forum...

[kriskexplorer]

Thanks CK1. The CZ 75 Shadow is exactly what I wanted from my P30L but I don't think after dumping money in it for sight and getting the trigger worked on would be worth it or even come close to the CZ. I'm not familiar with the CZ product but I'm finding fast that is the direction I want to go.