X5 trigger work

[jejb]

I have a non-Legion X5. Been a great gun I bought new a couple of years ago, before the Legion version hit the scene. Very accurate and fun to shoot. But I bought a CZ Shadow 2 Orange a few months ago and have been shooting it almost exclusively since. I shoot at least weekly. Decided to take the X5 to the range the other day and found out pretty quickly that I'm now spoiled by the trigger on the S2. I used to think the trigger on the X5 was very good. And it is for a stock striker fired gun. But wondering what options are available to get it closer to the S2? I know it will likely never be the same as the S2, but I am hoping I can get it closer. I've put trigger kits in several guns, so I'd go that route if it's a good one. But I'm also willing to have pro work done, if that is the best way to go.

[Jeff_Alan]

The Sig Armorer Robert Burke does great work. 
https://www.thesigarmorer.com/

 

[echotango]

You can also get a decent trigger yourself.  I did not want to send it out and wait.  

GG trigger kit with a Armory Craft (or Keres) trigger.  Consistent 2lbs4oz and much shorter than factory.  

[m700]

I have 1 with GG  50% better than stock and not too hard to do yourself

I have 1 with GG and armorycraft trigger sent to Mr Burke  This about 100% better than stock x5 75% better than legion

 

My percentages are arbitrary I havent measured either on pull/travel/takeup. but based on feel thats what im guessing.

 

The GG kits is what i would do at a minimum in any 320

[mrvip27]

I thought taking pretravel out with the AC trigger risks affecting the guns drop safeties, etc

[jejb]

22 hours ago, m700 said:

I have 1 with GG and armorycraft trigger sent to Mr Burke  This about 100% better than stock x5 75% better than legion

So you bought the parts and then sent them with your gun to Burke to have them installed? Just making sure I got it straight. I see GG also offers the service of installing their kit and trigger, as well as polishing some internals. Is Burke a better option than GG for that work?

[BillChunn]

43 minutes ago, jejb said:

So you bought the parts and then sent them with your gun to Burke to have them installed? Just making sure I got it straight. I see GG also offers the service of installing their kit and trigger, as well as polishing some internals. Is Burke a better option than GG for that work?

Yes.  Robert not only did his competition trigger job on my Legion when he installed the GG kit, he also fit my BarSto barrel. 

 

For his trigger job both the hammer and the striker are modified.  This was apparent when comparing the Legion that he did the work on to the backup Legion that just had the GG kit installed.  After the work was done, the Armory Craft trigger was installed as the GG trigger only had the over-travel adjustment screw.  The AC trigger had both pre-travel and over-travel adjustment capability.  The Wheeler electronic trigger gauge indicated a consistent 1 pound 6 ounce trigger pull.

 

IMHO well worth the time and money.

 

BC

[ddc]

3 hours ago, BillChunn said:

Yes.  Robert not only did his competition trigger job on my Legion when he installed the GG kit, he also fit my BarSto barrel. 

 

For his trigger job both the hammer and the striker are modified.  This was apparent when comparing the Legion that he did the work on to the backup Legion that just had the GG kit installed.  After the work was done, the Armory Craft trigger was installed as the GG trigger only had the over-travel adjustment screw.  The AC trigger had both pre-travel and over-travel adjustment capability.  The Wheeler electronic trigger gauge indicated a consistent 1 pound 6 ounce trigger pull.

 

IMHO well worth the time and money.

 

BC

 

What are your thoughts on the BarSto barrel?

[gnappi]

I have two X5's neither in the same universe as my CZ Shadow 1 or Tanfo limited. IMO you shouldn't have to send a premium gun to a smith to get a decent trigger. Don't get me wrong, the X5's are fine guns, but nowhere near a comparable out of the box Tanfo or CZ. It's a shame too.

Edited May 14, 2021 by gnappi

[jejb]

On 5/14/2021 at 7:33 AM, BillChunn said:

Yes.  Robert not only did his competition trigger job on my Legion when he installed the GG kit, he also fit my BarSto barrel. 

 

For his trigger job both the hammer and the striker are modified.  This was apparent when comparing the Legion that he did the work on to the backup Legion that just had the GG kit installed.  After the work was done, the Armory Craft trigger was installed as the GG trigger only had the over-travel adjustment screw.  The AC trigger had both pre-travel and over-travel adjustment capability.  The Wheeler electronic trigger gauge indicated a consistent 1 pound 6 ounce trigger pull.

 

IMHO well worth the time and money.

 

BC

Thanks for the additional detail, I appreciate it. 

[jejb]

16 hours ago, gnappi said:

I have two X5's neither in the same universe as my CZ Shadow 1 or Tanfo limited. IMO you shouldn't have to send a premium gun to a smith to get a decent trigger. Don't get me wrong, the X5's are fine guns, but nowhere near a comparable out of the box Tanfo or CZ. It's a shame too.

Agreed, but my non-legion X5 was a heck of a lot cheaper than my S2 Orange, and was optics ready. So putting a better trigger system in it to get it more on the S2 level won't hurt too badly. 

[mrvip27]

23 hours ago, gnappi said:

I have two X5's neither in the same universe as my CZ Shadow 1 or Tanfo limited. IMO you shouldn't have to send a premium gun to a smith to get a decent trigger. Don't get me wrong, the X5's are fine guns, but nowhere near a comparable out of the box Tanfo or CZ. It's a shame too.

 

Yet guys throw in CGW kits and parts in their shadows all day long...

[jcc7x7]

14 hours ago, mrvip27 said:

 

Yet guys throw in CGW kits and parts in their shadows all day long...

And hours polishing all the internals.

Everything has it's short comings.

 

The good thing is everything can be made nicer than what you get from mass production!

[jejb]

16 hours ago, mrvip27 said:

 

Yet guys throw in CGW kits and parts in their shadows all day long...

I'm not sure a lot of S2 Orange guys do that since they have worked triggers, polished internals and a barrel bushing from the factory. Mine has indeed made the trip to CGW though, for an optic cut. 

[uhmeebuh]

15 hours ago, jejb said:

So you bought the parts and then sent them with your gun to Burke to have them installed? Just making sure I got it straight. I see GG also offers the service of installing their kit and trigger, as well as polishing some internals. Is Burke a better option than GG for that work?

 

I didn't see any needs to send the FCU to anyone for the GG kit (and most don't but it depends on your comfort with this sort of thing).  It took me about 20 minutes to get it in and it's a lot better than stock...but I'm pretty mechanical and do a lot of minor gun work (though I'm no gun smith).  There are a number of youtube videos that can help and it's doable (though no where near as easy as a glock).

 

The Sig Armorer trigger needs the whole gun to be sent out since it's a lot of custom welding (on the trigger bar and trigger), grinding (on those parts, the sear, and striker in the slide) and polishing (on a variety of parts).  Mine didn't have the over travel ground correctly and I had to file it down (wouldn't cleanly/easily break 10%-20% of the time).  For the price it was very disappointing so I took care of it myself so I didn't have to send it in again (and take 2 weeks).  I'm very happy with this setup now.  The sear to striker fitting was well done and reduced the creep to next to nothing.  So, I ended up with a better trigger but not sure I'd do it again for the price (over $400) and issues.  

 

A very similar kit can be done with the GG kit and one of the adjustable triggers but it's not as short or crisp.  Just don't play with the over travel or you can impact the drop safety.  

[BillChunn]

On 5/14/2021 at 11:51 AM, ddc said:

 

What are your thoughts on the BarSto barrel?

Tighter fit when Robert got done with the "gunsmith fit" version as it is over-sized and has to be machined to match the slide.  It is tight as there are six points of contact when it locks up.  So tight that when it came back, I could turn the slide right-side-up and it has to be shaken slightly for the barrel to fall out.  The brass no longer has powder burns on the outside as it is a fully supported chamber.  And the twist rate is different, favoring the heavier 147 grain bullets.

 

There is also a "drop in" version of the barrel available.

 

BC

[m700]

On 5/14/2021 at 7:41 AM, jejb said:

So you bought the parts and then sent them with your gun to Burke to have them installed? Just making sure I got it straight. I see GG also offers the service of installing their kit and trigger, as well as polishing some internals. Is Burke a better option than GG for that work?

I had the GG kit in already for a while. I sent the gun in with the trigger seperate. He mixed and matched it all.

[mrvip27]

21 hours ago, BillChunn said:

Tighter fit when Robert got done with the "gunsmith fit" version as it is over-sized and has to be machined to match the slide.  It is tight as there are six points of contact when it locks up.  So tight that when it came back, I could turn the slide right-side-up and it has to be shaken slightly for the barrel to fall out.  The brass no longer has powder burns on the outside as it is a fully supported chamber.  And the twist rate is different, favoring the heavier 147 grain bullets.

 

There is also a "drop in" version of the barrel available.

 

BC

 

I might do this as I favor 147gr bullets

[Blueknight749]

I’d have to say +1 on the Sig Armorer Robert Burke.  I have one of the original X5 pistols with his trigger work (pre voluntary upgrade) and custom barsto  barrel “Smithfit” and run it as my primary carry optics set up. The second pistol was a legion exchange kit that Sigg sold and I bought a separate FCU that had the voluntary upgrade already done on it. Robert worked on that one as well and the difference is very very minimal. Overall, I am very pleased with his work.

 

 

[fbzero]

I currently have a P320 X5 Legion that I installed the GG kit into and a P320 Max with Robert Burke for him to work his magic.  Obviously there is a considerable price difference between the two, so I'm interested to see how they compare when it gets back.  Both seem to have their proponents.

 

The GG kit definitely lightens things up and smooths them out decently.  I initially used the light trigger return spring, but have since changed to their "snappy" reset spring because the return was so sluggish.  All in all, I consider it a decent upgrade.  It's light enough that weight is not a distraction, and while there is some "mush", it's minimal enough that the chances of noticing it after the timer goes off are pretty much zero.  It does have more take-up than some other options, which is intentional per GG to ensure that no safeties are disabled by taking out too much pre-travel.  If TSA takes out more pre-travel than the GG, it is my assumption that it will not be to the extent that any safety features are disabled.  That's the difference between a gunsmith doing his/her art though, and making a mass-produced drop-in kit.  Non-gunsmiths like myself don't necessarily know where the line is, so GG's approach is correct for their product.

Edited May 27, 2021 by fbzero

[Tango]

On 5/13/2021 at 6:22 AM, jejb said:

I have a non-Legion X5. Been a great gun I bought new a couple of years ago, before the Legion version hit the scene. Very accurate and fun to shoot. But I bought a CZ Shadow 2 Orange a few months ago and have been shooting it almost exclusively since. I shoot at least weekly. Decided to take the X5 to the range the other day and found out pretty quickly that I'm now spoiled by the trigger on the S2. I used to think the trigger on the X5 was very good. And it is for a stock striker fired gun. But wondering what options are available to get it closer to the S2? I know it will likely never be the same as the S2, but I am hoping I can get it closer. I've put trigger kits in several guns, so I'd go that route if it's a good one. But I'm also willing to have pro work done, if that is the best way to go.

GrayGuns trigger is excellent. Installing it yourself is tricky, but doable. There used to be good videos on how to install, which would save you a lot of headache.

[fbzero]

To follow up on the previous post, my P320 Max just got back from Robert Burke today.  I haven't been able to actually shoot it with live ammo yet, of course, but thought I'd share my initial impressions...

 

The total travel is definitely less on the TSA job vs GG.  The reset distance seems pretty close and I couldn't confidently say which is shorter based on feel alone.  As far as the lightest pull, I'd probably give that to GG, but keep in mind that I ended up putting a heavier return spring in because of how sluggish the reset was(light isn't everything; crisp is equally important IMHO).  The break is definitely cleaner on the TSA trigger, no question.

 

Can't say much more than that without putting rounds down range and seeing what happens with the hits and on the timer.  Initial impression is that it definitely seems like it is probably better overall, as it should be for the price premium.  Good enough to justify the price difference for a lowly B-class shooter?  Not likely, but the P320 Max was an early b-day present to myself and I didn't want to skimp

Edited June 8, 2021 by fbzero