MP-Pistol Forum banner

Just how good are Apex triggers....really?

22K views 39 replies 31 participants last post by  jwh321 
#1 ·
I ask because I continue to be disgusted with the OEM trigger on my 9Pro Series. Granted...when I am shooting it I don't notice things as much.....but dry firing it is so glaring.

Long and rough take-up which seems to have two distinct stages.....and then a very stout break....5.75-6lbs on the Timney trigger pull gauge. Even the reset is/feels rough. By rough I mean the feel of roughly cast plastic rubbing on roughly cast plastic.

When I bought the Pro Series I was excited to read ......."Bridging the gap between main production and the Performance Center, the Smith & Wesson Pro Series represents the next step up from standard production line models. These firearms offer a variety of enhancements yet still remain true to stock. Bringing competition specifications and features in factory models, the Pro Series offers that ready-to-go package while still maintaining production line integrity". I don't really notice much of a difference between the build quality of this and my Shield or the "regular" full size or compact M&P pistols my friends have. And as for the S&W site claiming "• 4-5-1/2 lb. Smooth Trigger Pull" There is nothing smooth about this 6lb trigger at all.


What I want is minimal take up, a reasonably light pull say around 3-4lbs, a crisp break, minimal over travel and a short reset. I really like the stock trigger on my Springfield Armory Loaded 1911.

I just put two Ruger BX triggers in my 10/22's and went from 5-6Lb triggers with all sorts of issues to wonderful feeling triggers that break crisply at a tickle over 2lbs. The Geiselle triggers and Timney triggers I put in my various AR's and precision rifles all gave me great joy when I felt the difference over stock also.

That is what I want to feel if I go Apex. Do they really cure all of the stock M&P trigger issues? And which kit do you recommend? I must say I do not like the feel of the M&P trigger shoe either.....the curve and the hinged part suck. Maybe I should get an Apex trigger also?

To me it feels like it is more than just the trigger and springs themselves. It feels like there is more than that in the mechanism that is rubbing or grinding.

Anyway.......any assistance will be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
 
See less See more
#2 · (Edited)
Best way to go is with the FSS Trigger Kit, and yes, it really is that good. They now have 3 types of FFS Trigger kits:

First is their Aluminum Forward Set Sear and Trigger Kit, which improves the physical trigger by widening the face and getting rid of the pivot. Once installed, this 3 to 5 lb. trigger (depending on the springs you install) is more likely to be compared with a 1911 than another polymer framed pistol. Little to no grit on the short take-up, substantially reduced creep, and a clean crisp break with a short, clean reset.



Next is their Polymer FFS Trigger Kit, which does what their previous kit does, but with a more rounded over polymer trigger face. My personal opinion, you loose a bit of the crispness by going with polymer instead of aluminum, but that could just be my personal preference manifesting.



Third is their Flat Faced Forward Set Sear and Trigger Kit, which (for only a few bucks more) has a trigger feel even more like the 1911. This is what the trigger looks like, the rest of kit is the same as the images above. BTW, their Flat Faced Trigger is also available in Red, but only from Brownells.




Better pricing on these can be found a Two Brothers Tactical and MidwayUSA
 
#3 ·
I've owned several M&P's including four different pro models, and each one has had an Apex upgrade. Whether it was just a sear swap-out or an entire trigger upgrade, there is just no denying that an M&P is greatly enhanced with Apex parts... I even Apexed a couple of Shields to boot.

Apex enhanced pro model (3lbs).


Apex enhanced Shield (3lbs).
 
#4 ·
Wow, thanks krweiss and gglass........nice photos and heck of an informative write up KR.

The flat faced trigger looks interesting but also quite a departure from a standard trigger. Is anyone using one? I'll go look it up to see if it's aluminum.

So I'm convinced and think this is the way to go over sending the gun to a smith. The cost of the kit is reasonable but the cost of the sight tool is daunting. Maybe I'll have 2 Bro's do it.

Although........I would kinda like to have a universal sight tool so I can change any of my handgun sights at will.

My Shield breaks at 7lbs so I will consider doing it as well although I will go for maybe 4-5lbs. I swear that even though the pull is heavier on the diminutive little Shield, that it has a better trigger overall. I really don't see how the Pro Series has any better features over a standard full size. I'm beginning to think I should have gone for a CORE.
 
#5 ·
Wow, thanks krweiss and gglass........nice photos and heck of an informative write up KR.

The flat faced trigger looks interesting but also quite a departure from a standard trigger. Is anyone using one? I'll go look it up to see if it's aluminum.
I have the FSS in my CORE. The aluminium trigger without the pivot is so much nicer if you ask me. I feel like that excessive slop has been eliminated and that I can feel actual trigger response. Well worth the upgrade IMO.
 
#8 ·
I have the duty kit in a 9c and a comp kit in CORE 9. Same factory hinged trigger. Noticeable improvement in both. The 9c has a more distinct reset. The CORE, lighter.

Still not as nice as my 1911's but better than factory. I was disappointed in the factory CORE trigger. I was expecting Apex like performance and it was not there.
 
#9 ·
I was disappointed in the factory CORE trigger. I was expecting Apex like performance and it was not there.
Yeah me too! I don't know how the early M&P triggers felt but I read a lot about the more recent triggers being a huge improvement and I expected even better than that from my 9mm Pro Series.....y'know, with it supposedly "bridging the gap between main production and the performance center."

Anyway.......right now I am completely redoing my garage.....the end goal to accommodate my new RL550B reloading press. After that is all done I will turn my attention to dealing with the trigger.

Thanks for all the advice.
 
#11 ·
I have the CAEK 3 of my pistols, the DCAEK in my Shield, and the flat face kit in my performance center core pistol. I also have another pro series in jail right now (it gets released tomorrow) and there is another flat face kit waiting for it.


YES! They are that good!
 
#12 ·
I have the Pro9 that had the apex competition springs installed. The trigger pull was 21/2 lbs. I initially installed the aluminum curved trigger which removed 60-70% of the pre travel. I wanted all of the pre travel gone and i wanted to keep my 2 1/2 trigger pull. I called apex and they told me that I could leave my trigger spring and striker spring in and to install the aluminum FSS kit. I ended up installing the FSS flat faced trigger.
 
#14 ·
This comes up a lot. I have APEX FS triggers in my 45ACP and 40 FS's. I know that particular trigger doesn't get a lot of love for people carrying for SD, surely not for duty carry, but If you've ever carried a 1911 with a 3.5 lb. trigger, and are comfortable with that, the FSS in an M&P is the closest thing you can get to a tuned 1911 trigger, from a simple to install kit. My brother-in-law recently passed, and my sister is giving me his NIB 9mm FS. It too will be getting a FSS. That and new sights, and I think it's the perfect platform for my personal tastes, and a deal for the money. I don't have any experience with the DAECK kit, or other APEX configurations, but I'll swear by my FSS triggers at approx. 3.9 to around 4.2 lb. trigger pull.

FT:smoke:
 
#15 ·
Average trigger pull in my M&P9 with CAEK; 2 pounds, 7 1/2 ounces.

Average trigger pull in my M&P9c with Hard sear, ultimate striker block, and stock springs; 3 pounds, 10 1/2 ounces.
 
#16 ·
6 Fullsize and a Shield. All have Apex kits. Of the 6, one is a 5" pro and one a 5" CORE. I swapped the uppers onto thumb safety lowers and one has an aluminum forward set sear trigger and the other one the polymer version. With the thumb safety, they really are like a 1911. I laughingly call them my M&P 1911's.
 
#22 · (Edited)
"Should I go with the DCAEK & Poly trigger?"

I'm totally happy with my Apex internals and stock M&P triggers for both range and carry use (and I currently own seven 1911's; so I know what a "good" trigger pull is).
 
#23 ·
FSS made my M&P 40 night and day better. On the other hand, in hindsight, for what I spent on the gun, the FSS kit, and the sight tool, I would have bought a different gun to begin with. Very good gun now, but took a lot more money to get the trigger that way. My cousin's is about 3 years older and the stock trigger on it was just fine. Mine was utter crapola and a big disappointment out of the box.
 
#25 ·
I put the DCAEK kit in both of my FS9's, but did not use the APEX trigger return spring since it was heavier. I also left the stock sear spring in one gun and used the APEX sear spring in the other, but can't tell the difference between the two.

For triggers I have the poly in one and the aluminum in the other. The poly was a lot easier to install and I actually like it better because I have issues with the trigger safety bar catching slightly on the aluminum version. I think this is because the aluminum trigger doesn't have a rounded edge like the poly and it changed the way I place my finger on the trigger.

I tried to shoot the guns with the stock parts but couldn't get used to them and after installing the APEX parts it was a night and day difference.
 
#26 ·
I've got a number of full size M&P's and a Shield. Apex parts in all. On two of the full size, I've done some slide swapping so they have the 5" PRO slide (one is a CORE) with a thumb safety. One has the aluminum FSS trigger/kit, the other has the polymer FSS trigger/kit. I refer to them as my M&P 1911's. Very short takeup, crisp triggers, short reset. I wish I could say the aluminum is better than the polymer, but I'm not sure if any difference is imaginary or real.

I used to prefer the hinged trigger to the Glock tab, but I came around. (sigh). It does feel better. The striker USB is in my opinion, the number one "smoothness" alteration. The stock USB has flat angles and is markedly different than the rounded, polished Apex USB. That is what takes the grit out of the trigger takeup. What you feel on a stock trigger is the tab on the trigger bar grating across those angles. The rounded Apex eliminates that.

I have felt a lot of standard stock triggers and stock PRO triggers. In my opinion, the difference between standard and PRO is negligible. If you are spending money for a PRO, it better not be with the expectation of a better trigger. A standard gun with the Apex DCAEK kit is a very marked improvement over the PRO trigger.
 
#27 ·
Well, I put the Full Package in my Ported CORE 9mm...APEX FSS Flat Face trigger system, the trigger pull is on an average of 2.8#'s, BUTTTTT it is going to be shot in Steel Challenge and is not a carry gun... It has a C-more STS on top 8MOA and I am now going through a new muscle memory training to get use to the trigger.
Happy, you bet...The Longgggg per-trigger take up is gone and the reset is just there....
Yep, I would do it again and the Flat face trigger is great!
Redstone
 
#28 ·
I've tried both the dcaek and the fss and they're both huge improvements over the factory trigger. That being said I prefer the fss because it is more reminiscent of a 1911 trigger. I just installed one in my 9mm vtac and absolutely love it. I added a thumb safety as well just for good measure but I don't think that's 100% necessary
 
#30 ·
Also after installing the dcaek on my m&p, I can hear an feel a click before the reset. Any help is appreciated.
Didn't you install the USB?
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top