Les Jones

“The regular Glock trigger has about a five pound trigger pull, which is a bit light for safety's sake on a self-defense gun. For $60 or so you can have a gunsmith install a New York trigger that will increase that to eight pounds. That's about the same as a well-tuned revolver trigger, which is perfectly safe while still allowing good practical accuracy.”

Ahhhhhhhhh……I thought a New York trigger would make it lighter and smoother not increase the poundage. One of the workers at the range mentioned it. For the life of me I could not figure out why you would want a lighter trigger on a glock. I had heard some people complain about the glock’s trigger, so I thought a New York trigger would fix their complaints.

So when people mention getting a “trigger job”, is it making the trigger lighter or heavier?

thanks for the information

On a Glock, the trigger is the same, but you can swap out the disconnect bar from the standard 5# trigger pull to a lighter 3.5# pull. I personally don't care a lick for the 3.5. The 5# is nice and crisp, and it's easy to take up the slack, then break the shot cleanly. The 3.5 is mushy, and lacks that clean break. The NY trigger basically makes a revolver trigger out of your Glock trigger, and is a POS.

The Glock "trigger job" usually consists of polishing a couple of key surfaces in order to make the trigger pull smoother and just a bit lighter. My competition Glock 17 has a stock, out-of-the-box trigger, but I put some good Heinie race-cut sights on it. After about 50,000 rounds on this trigger, the pull is still consistent.

All this talk of trigger pull makes me wonder: what's the big deal with a lighter trigger pull? In competition (as in real life), I don't want a trigger that's hard to pull - that's a bad thing. In less experienced shooters, this is a common cause of misses - the shooter is holding the gun in a death-grip in the strong hand, and trying to manipulate the trigger at the same time. Here's where the shot goes (for a right-handed shooter): low and left.

If this is all about safe carry, then get a good holster - one that covers the trigger. Then, keep your finger off the trigger until you're on target.

Good shooting is all about consistency. I utterly abhor the DA/SA handguns for this reason. Whatever gun you choose, make sure you shoot it enough to know how it works. 100 rounds a month is NOT enough, but dry-fire practice at home is a great way to learn how your handgun operates.

cube: I left a comment over at your blog. A trigger job usually makes the trigger pull lighter (and smoother). The New York trigger (which as jr says is really the sear) makes the trigger pull heavier for safety reasons.

jr: there are safety issues involved. My current opinion is that the factory 5# Glock trigger is too light for a combat gun with no safety. Things that work on a climate-controlled, well-lit range can be dangerous in a self-defense situation with adrenaline pumping.

If you're not smart enough to keep your finger off the trigger, it matters not one whit what the trigger pull is, especially given an adrenaline-charged situation. It's all about learning fundamentals. Keep your finger off the trigger until you're ready to engage your target.

"Keep your finger off the trigger until you're ready to engage your target"

I agree, but I have heard of a few cases of the gun being dropped and someone tries to catch it and it goes off because the trigger is light.

So personally i would like a little bit heavier trigger pull on a glock if i was going to carry it. Of couse i am unexpericned and that feeling might change.

jr: I agree that one has to learn not to put your finger on the trigger, but the truth is that it's a mistake people make all the time. The reason the four rules of gun safety get so much emphasis is because people break the four rules all the time. The extra pull weight is just an extra margin of safety, not a substitute for safe gunhandling.

cube mentioned in his or her post that safety was an important consideration, so I thought it was relevant.

Regarding the dropped gun: if someone's going to drop a gun, I'd prefer one with an internal mechanism that prevents accidental discharge. I was a safety officer at a match this summer where a police officer drew his gun, then dropped it, where it struck my leg, then the ground. No AD. Glock. BTW, NEVER try to catch a falling gun - there's a reason jugglers don't have loaded handguns in their act. ;)

I suppose there are myriad ways a gun might AD, but I'd bet almost all of them involve a finger on the trigger. Incidentally, the trigger safety on the Glock is there for a reason, and it works.

Les, I agree that safety is paramount. As a safety officer, I've seen some incredibly stupid things done by inexperienced shooters who, in the heat of the moment, forget what they're doing. However, over time, those same shooters become competent gun handlers, particularly with a third party (like a SO or instructor) coaching them.

My advice to anyone who is considering the purchase of any firearm is the same: learn the safe operation of your gun, holster it safely, and practice a lot.

If you're going to carry a handgun for self-defense, get training and then find a competitive outlet for that training, be it IDPA, USPSA, or whatever, where you can shoot under a little pressure. It sounds like a lot, but if you're a responsible, serious gun-owner, it's very much worth the investment in time, and a hell of a lot of fun.

Great thread, btw - I really enjoy your blog.

"NEVER try to catch a falling gun - there's a reason jugglers don't have loaded handguns in their act. ;)"

I agree, but it is my frist reflex to catch somthing that is falling, espically if see it out of the corner of my eye. It could be a knife on the edge of a table,it could be a gun, or someone's cell phone. I try to catch it.

My issue is that reflex takes over, and it is not one of those things you can untrian esaily.

My experience, and I am an avid shooter and Glock fan. I have owned four different pistols from different evolutionary changes, all in 9mm. The only trigger work I would recommend would be to add the olive "NY" spring, but in conjunction with the 3.5lb connector. This gives a snappier crisp trigger return and takes nothing away by adding a more difficult trigger pull. Mine breaks at just short of six pounds; but gives you a nice holding point before the striker breaks and the gun goes bang. This is of course shooting in SA style as most 1911 fans would. This is a great combination and not "unsafe" for practical defense use or daily carry. For what it's worth; if you are an unexperienced shooter; leave the trigger alone and shoot it stock; nothing is wrong with the Glock out of the box!

I carry both a 1911 and a Glock 27. Recently, I've thought about doing a trigger job on my Glock but after doing research have now decided to leave it be.

In regards to being "smart enough" to keep your fingure off the trigger, it isn't about "smart" it is about practice. It is about how you pick up the firearm or draw it from it's holster. Practice, practice, practice.

Though I totally agree about a droped pistol, just let it go. A scuff on your pistol isnt worth a bullet in your body or worse, a bullet in someone elses body. Along the same line, I wouldn't have a carry revolver without a disconnect.

I've met a lot of gun folks that seem to know everything there is to know about guns. I do envy them because I find the more I learn the less I know.

I'm new to the world of Glock coming from shooting 1911's for many years(decades). I own an older M20 and a new M26. As much as I love the simplicity, lightweight, low recoil and accuracy of the Glock the lack of a manually operated safety makes me a bit queasy about carrying one in condition one.
I've looked into adding the NY1 trigger and I've looked at the two add-on manual safety devices that are currently available. Cominelli and Siderlock are the two that I'm aware of.
I know true blue Glocksters have an adversion to any thing along these lines. I'm having a hard time understanding this stance, but hey like I said I'm a Glock newby.