Glock Trigger Fix

Jun 22, 2012
Vogel Competition Trigger parts for Glock come nicely packaged from glocktriggers.com.
I've been shooting Glocks on a more or less regular basis since 2001 with sporadic experience before then. Since then I've not considered any Glock I've handled in need of trigger work. They're not "glass rod breaking" crisp, though the travel is short as is reset. Fellow editor Paul Erhardt contacted me and said there was a guy vastly improving Glock triggers. I'd heard that before. There are lots of people "improving" on the Glock with varying degrees of success. Some use after-market parts. I was more inclined to favor factory parts. He put me in touch with Jeff Wilson of glocktriggers.com. He told me about his trigger kits, made from Glock-made parts that he touches up, inspects and polishes smoothly. He was very interested in my trying the Vogel Competition Trigger kit. I'm not a competition guy but a friend had a recently-obtained Glock 34 and I agreed to install the kit on that gun to see what happened. A couple of caveats are appropriate. First, buying a gun, taking it to the range and hammering a few rounds out of it then deciding a trigger job would "help" is a No-Go. We have the Grassi Rule of Hard Triggers - working out with a factory-standard trigger forces you to concentrate on the two real keys to precision, grip and trigger control.
Competition trigger is free of grooves.
"What, sights aren't important?" Yes, but only if you want to hit the target. The key to the Rule is that keeping the sharp edge at the top of the front sight cutting your aiming point at the ½ to 2/3 point while wrestling a hard trigger makes you focus on that trigger press. Keeping the gun still is critical. As the trigger press gets smoother and lighter, our attention goes off the trigger and onto that sight. This is precursor to the dropped shot, the poorly-named "flinch." It's not a flinch at all. The second concern is the installation. I know we're all mechanics and we know everything there is to know about guns. Well, except me. I have five thumbs per hand. As I have been a steady attendee at Glock armorer schools since 2002, I felt I could do it. I still got the old manual out. During installation, the real surprise was the jeweler quality polish on the firing pin safety plunger, trigger bar, connector and other metal parts. While the Vogel trigger is adjustable for overtravel, I didn't mess with it. The face of the trigger is smooth, no grooves. The kit is provided with three striker springs: a 4-pound, a 4.5 pound and a 5.0 pound. Opting for the heavier trigger, I installed the 5.0 pound . . . and I didn't lose a spring cup half! Pre-testing the trigger with ten presses on the Lyman Trigger Pull gauge, I found an inconsistent six-plus pound trigger on the gun. Detail stripping the piece told the tale: the gun was filthy.
Result of "10 rounds from 10 yards in 10 seconds from low ready." All hits in the "black," score is 94/100. These were the first rounds fired in several weeks and first fired from modified Glock 34.
Testing after installation showed a consistent 3 pound, 12 ounce pull - just short of four pounds. Speaking with Jeff Wilson, he said that he expected a trigger pull in that range with the five pound spring. Arriving at the range, I fired Hackathorn's "The Test" (10 rounds from 10 yards in ten seconds) at a B-8 target repair center. The object is to keep every round in the black part of the target. Scoring gave a 94/100 score. This isn't terrible - in fact it's quite good . The trigger pull was a little light for me. It's exceptionally smooth and clean. After shooting a bit, I found I was getting the hang of the lighter trigger. If you're going to trade triggers on your G34, the Vogel Competition trigger kit is a terrific way to go. I haven't tried every trigger job there is out there, but the glocktriggers.com kit is an impressive effort. His use of Glock parts makes me far more comfortable. I put the Guardian trigger kit, also from glocktriggers.com, in a Glock 19 - that report will appear on The Tactical Wire. It's meant for street carry. The Vogel unit is meant for the range. --- Rich Grassi