What is the best factory trigger on a semi-automatic?

In semi-auto pistols that I have, I'll say that my Tanfoglio Elita Match has a very good trigger in all the ways laid out by the OP. In rimfire, my Sig Trailside has a most excellent trigger. But no semi-auto that I own can truly come close to the trigger on my Smith & Wesson 845. That's in another world.
 
I know you said price is no issue, but at a certain point the gun may be 'stock' but have a trigger that should count as an aftermarket tweek.
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He said Price is no issue, but still folks keep changing his question.:eek:

A 1911 overall is the best in regard to your question.
 
There are basically 3 triggers out there:

SA:
1911: Dan Wesson or similar
T/C Contender

DA:
S&W revolvers like the 19-3??

Striker:
XD, very nice 2 stage pull
Kahr, different, but solid


All this said, I'm one who does not spend a lot of effort selecting a best trigger. I tend to spend my time learning my guns trigger. I did replace the NY1 trigger in my Glock, but haven't bothered with the 3.5 disco as I shoot this well enough.


** and this is my 2000th post! Yea me! Ok, now back to my coffee.
 
He said Price is no issue, but still folks keep changing his question.
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You are right. Mea culpa.

However, he also said "...limiting this to factory semis [no custom or aftermarket tweaks]...." [italics/bold mine]

I took that to mean he wanted a make/model you can place an order on.

So why do so many people just throw out a platform, instead of a make/model from a factory? Instead of saying 'get a 1911', a better answer should be 'get a Nighthawk T3' [for example].

My point was that his failure to take price into account makes this exercise moot.

How likely is it that a mass-produced 'factory' gun that sells for $500 will have the same quality trigger as a Nighthawk Bob Marvel Custom, a Wilson Combat Pinnacle or an Ed Brown Classic? None of these sell for less than $3000 [the Pinnacle is closer to $8000] and all can be legally defined as a 'factory' gun. They are as much 'factory' as my F150: both can be ordered with a specific blend of features.

So, if price is no object: buy the Wilson's Combat Pinnacle and be done with it.

It also meets your standards: buy a 1911.

But a RIA can have a trigger so good an average person couldn't feel much difference [with closed eyes] for less than $1200 [counting gunsmith fees].

Thus, the question seems to also include the idea of which gun has the capability to have the best trigger. After all, those 3 above just do all of the aftermarket/custom work in their factory.

I do agree though: the 1911 platform has the most potential!
 
The nicest trigger pull of all my semi's is my 1914 Steyr Hahn, believe it or not. I'm pretty sure that gun was worked over by a target shooter at one time, though, since it is way lighter than you'd ever want in a service gun (very occasional hammer follow, too). Apart from that, definitely the Mateba 6 Unica, but it doesn't count since that's a single action revolver trigger, even though the gun is autoloading.

Owing to its design, with a little tweaking and good steel parts, the R51 would likely have a trigger pull rivaling 1911's (fairly similar hammer/trigger layout)

TCB
 
The best trigger I have felt was probably the one on a Nighthawk Custom I shot a couple years ago... very light and crisp.

I have felt an EAA Witness Limited, not long back, that had an excellent trigger... Pretty much any single action pistol I have tried, that comes race ready or semi race ready from the factory, has had very good triggers.

Most of the Sig DA/SA triggers I have felt have been very good.

I have felt a few CZs with good stock triggers, and some with worked over triggers that were outstanding.

I would say that a hammer fired trigger mechanism tends to make for better triggers. AS a broad rule, and not a blanket truth.

Most of the quality gun makers have at least one model that has a very good trigger or better in their lineup.


The PPQ has arguably the best stock striker trigger available right now.


Non-stock, I would say my M&P with Apex FSS and polished trigger bar and striker sear engagement surface is the best Striker trigger I have felt personally. The break on mine is similar to a series 80 1911 trigger but with more takeup. Even with the heavier "duty" trigger spring, due to the polishing I had done, it feels light... Lighter than the 5.5lb they say it would be. I need to hit it with a gauge and measure it, it may just be deceptive on my senses due to its smoothness.
 
Most folks seem to be thinking along the lines of defense guns, but the OP did not set that kind of limit. So I would have to go with the Walther Olympic and guns like European rapid fire pistols. My personal experience has been with a pre-war Olympic, an S&W Model 41 and an S&W Model 52, all factory guns with no special work done on them.

Jim
 
That's why I mentioned race guns... Best trigger is subjective and use dependent... But based solely on the usual desired traits of a trigger, competition guns fit the generic term of "best trigger" the most.

I also limited my response to direct experience...

I would love to try one of those high end Olympic level guns though.
 
That said I still think a good 1911 is hard to beat but there are a lot of other guns which are close. IMHO there is not a striker ever made that will come close to the 1911. The 2 that immediately come to mind which are comparable to the 1911 straight from the factory are the Sig P210 and the S&W 952.
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These were the top three I was going to post (though I'm not sure exactly which 1911s the OP would view as qualifying).

The "target" trigger on the -5 and -6 versions of the Swiss P210 is sublime. Same with the PC952's (and older Model 52) trigger.

The Pardini GT9's trigger is right there with them (some would very reasonably argue above them). The SAO trigger on the CZ Custom Shop-tuned CZ 75 Champion I just picked up is also close to perfect (bearing no relationship to the standard CZ 75 DA/SA trigger, which I really dislike). I haven't yet had the pleasure of shooting/owning the HK P9S Sport Group III or the Walther P88 Champion or Competition, but those are supposed to be pretty close to perfect. The trigger on the P226/P220 X-Five/X-Six is also terrific, but it's just a tiny bit less crisp than the best ones here.

The P210 Legend's trigger, while good, is unfortunately distinctly inferior to the trigger on the different Swiss P210s, thanks to the automatic FPS and the poor design of the new magazine catch, which interferes with the trigger stop screw.
 
The production triggers of SIGs I've handled recently have run the gamut of quality. Some of them do meet what you describe above, but plenty don't. I am not sure what you mean by solid. Smooth seems hit or miss, as well as crisp. If you can inspect it go for it. But I've literally handed multiples of the same model from the same case in a store with production dates only a week apart to find one excellent and the other quite frankly mediocre at best.
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No doubt. That's the cost of using low-quality, Bangalore-produced MIM for your trigger bars, sears, and hammers. The Ron Cohen Way.

In any case, DA/SA triggers on mass-production guns definitely don't make this discussion.
 
Maybe for shooting.
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Again Ill ask, shooting what? What type of gun? What type of shooting? Target, self defense, hunting?

Are you saying all triggers, are acceptable for all uses?

The basic question is way to broad to get any kind of real answer, and even narrowed, its still, a personal preference/opinion thing.


In any case, DA/SA triggers on mass-production guns definitely don't make this discussion.
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I beg to differ. Its been my experience that 99.9% of the "factory" DA triggers Ive shot, have been acceptable and shootable, and would have required no other work.
 
I beg to differ. Its been my experience that 99.9% of the "factory" DA triggers Ive shot, have been acceptable and shootable, and would have required no other work.
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"Acceptable" and "shootable" are much different than "best," which is the topic at hand.

I have some excellent DA/SA triggers (relevant: they're not on mass-produced guns), but they'll still never beat a dedicated SAO setup when you evaluate using break/creep, reset/return, overtravel, and weight as your metrics.

As for the "no real answer" theory, I think that's wrong and some triggers are objectively better than others. When you get to the absolute top-tier SAO triggers, you're splitting hairs and there may not truly be a "best," but if it's a Pardini GT9 vs. a Glock, well, one is absolutely better in any meaningful way you can think of.

One can move goalposts and say that "best" depends on a gun's intended use, but it's still taking the actual best trigger and compromising or watering it down, like adding weight or creep to a defensive gun's pull.
 
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I have some excellent DA/SA triggers (relevant: they're not on mass-produced guns), but they'll still never beat a dedicated SAO setup when you evaluate using break/creep, reset/return, overtravel, and weight as your metrics.
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I guess Ive just gone beyond all the usually given reasons a trigger is "bad" to some, and just shoot the gun.

I dont buy into all the worry about break, creep, over travel, even weight (unless way off base, which is rare these days), I just focus on the sights, target, or both, and shoot the gun. I rarely ever even think about the trigger when Im shooting. I get a sight alignment or index and the gun goes bang.
 
I guess Ive just gone beyond all the usually given reasons a trigger is "bad" to some, and just shoot the gun.

I dont buy into all the worry about break, creep, over travel, even weight (unless way off base, which is rare these days), I just focus on the sights, target, or both, and shoot the gun. I rarely ever even think about the trigger when Im shooting. I get a sight alignment or index and the gun goes bang.
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Nothing wrong with that at all. But in an academic discussion about the "best" trigger, those things matter. :)
 
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