Glock Trigger Springs/Connectors

[Hobie8]

I recently had a NY1 trigger spring installed in my G19. The effort needed to pull it doesn't seem much different than the stock trigger spring....I expected alot more resistance. What relationship does the connector have with relation to amount of force required to pull the trigger, compared to the trigger spring itself?

 

[Lars]

I've taken my glock completely apart in an unofficial armours course. We installed the NY1 and NY2 trigger spring in one of the G19s in the class. It does seem to add a few pounds to the trigger press.

I know that my carry G19 with the factory 3.5# connector feels like a nickle @#$@# next to my nearly new G19 with the standard connector.

The spring seems to affect trigger press differently. I don't have a trigger scale to tell you the exact change but it's there.

 

[arbitrary]

My experience with the NY1 is that it provides a consistent pull, rather than the two stage kind of pull that comes with the standard setup. I combined mine with a Lone Wolf 3.5 connector. The combination keeps the total weight about the same, but now with the consistent pull.

 

[shooter521]

I combined mine with a Lone Wolf 3.5 connector. The combination keeps the total weight about the same, but now with the consistent pull.

Yep. I call this the "carry trigger" and have been installing it in customers' guns since I was shown the combination at my first Glock Armorer's school back in 1998.

The spring seems to affect trigger press differently.

That's a good way of describing it... the spring and connector both add pull weight, but the feel is different (the spring adds weight via spring tension, while the connector adds weight by requiring more leverage via a change in angles, or something like that). What I do know is that I don't abhor the NY1 spring nearly as much as I do the "+" connector. The NY1 spring also has the additional benefit of providing a faster, more positive trigger reset (see paragraph above).

 

[Siderite]

If you don't want to do the measurements on the different combinations, there is an article by Massad Ayoob the discusses them:
The real story Glock trigger pull weights: Glock critics say its trigger pull is too light. It may be that they've been weighing it wrong | Guns Magazine | Find Articles at BNET

My friend and fellow instructor Dave Maglio is a Glock fan. His department issues him something else to wear in uniform, but he almost always has a privately owned Glock for off-duty carry. When he became the 17th IDPA Four-Gun Master, he did it with a Glock 17 9mm in Stock Service Pistol and Enhanced Service Pistol class, and a .45 caliber Glock 21 in Custom Defense Pistol against the short trigger pull 1911 autos. "Hell," he said, "I would have used a Glock instead of a Ruger GP-100 for Stock Service Revolver if Glock made a wheel gun."

One of Dave's pet peeves is people who complain that the Glock trigger pull is too light. It comes out of the box with a nominal five-pound pull. This upsets some folks who think of that in terms of double action revolvers and autos with pull weights in the 12- and 14-pound range. "People are missing the reality," says Dave. "Think in terms of human engineering. The Glock trigger-pull weights are apparently taken at the tip of the trigger. It's a pivoting trigger design, so the leverage is greater there, and the pull-weight seems less."
He explains, "Look at how people actually shoot Glocks. Their index finger is on the middle of the trigger, where the safely lever is, not at the toe. The middle of the trigger is where we should be taking the measurement. It weighs out heavier there."

I proposed an experiment. Dave broke out his Glock armorer's kit and a trigger-pull gauge, and I unloaded the Black Hills 165-grain EXP .40 S&W ammo from the Glock 22 I was carrying. He then installed every reasonable combination we could think of, and weighed the triggers with each at the toe, and again at the center of the trigger.


Three Gets You Five
Glock sells the 3.5-pound connector only with the 6-inch barreled longslide target pistols and in the Tactical/Practical series with 5.3-inch barrels. These are respectively the Glock 17L and 34 in 9mm Luger and the G24 and G35 in .40 S&W. There is a long history of Glock factory literature adamantly stating that these trigger pulls are for competition, not duty or defensive carry. Every American police department that I know of which has adopted the G34 or G35 for issue has fielded it with a heavier trigger pull.


Measured at the toe of the trigger, the nominal 3.5-pound connector with standard trigger spring actually weighed three pounds, 3.7 ounces. Measured at the center of the trigger, however, it tripped at five pounds, 1.3 ounces.
Some Glock aficionados think the trick set-up is the 3.5-pound connector with the New York Trigger (NY-1) module replacing the standard S-shaped trigger spring. This gives a firm resistance from the beginning of the pull. The real, often unrecognized benefit of the NY Trigger is a smooth, easy pull that is generally estimated at a bit over five pounds. In fact, it measured six pounds 0.5 ounces at the toe of the trigger, and eight pounds even at the center. This system is reportedly standard with a Midwestern state police department that issues Glocks.


The Five-Pound Connection
The five-pound connector mated with the standard trigger spring is what comes out of the box when a private citizen buys most models of Glocks. It is said to have an average pull of 5.5 pounds. In measuring this combo on my G22, Dave got four pounds, 1.5 ounces when the gauge was hooked to the toe of the trigger, and six pounds on the nose when he attached it to the center of the trigger.


Then the threw in the NY-1 module, which is what I had in the gun to start with along with the nominally five-pound connector. It went six pounds, 1.1 ounces at the toe, seven pounds 1.5 ounces from the center. This combo is normally expected to bring pull weight up to eight pounds or so. However, I've shot this gnu a lot and worn it in well.
With the NY-2, or New York Plus module in place, which is said to deliver a pull of close to 12 pounds, we got eight pounds 1.1 ounces at the toe and 10 pounds even measuring from the center of the trigger. Finally, with the so-called "Miami trigger"--an eight-pound connector and the standard spring--the pull measured six pounds six ounces at the toe and 10 pounds even at the center.


The bottom line? As with all pistols, individual Glock pulls may weigh more or less than specified, or anywhere within the specified range. The pulls are indeed heavier at the center-where most of us actually put our finger-than at the tip. It was an interesting experiment, but I'll still keep the NY-1 module with five-pound connector in all the several Glocks I own for self-defense.

 

[shooter521]

If you don't want to do the measurements on the different combinations, there is an article by Massad Ayoob the discusses them:

Glockmeister.com has also done some research in this arena:
Glockmeister Online - Tech Info

 

[TomN]

I tried to like the NY Trigger and the 3.5lb connector.. I really did, but in the end I ended up putting the coil spring and 5lb connector back in.

 

[40calPUNISHER]

I have a 3.5 connector, Wolff 4lb striker spring and ultimate trigger stop in both my 22 and 23. The 23 has a light trigger but the 22 is adjusted really really light. I know they say those parts are for competition and not carry but I like it. I dont carry my 22 much but when I do I add a little weight to the trigger.. Also I have never had a fail to fire due to the reduced power striker spring..

Who thinks Im crazy for having a light trigger in a carry gun? Who likes a light trigger in a carry gun? Lets here it.

 

[m_deaner]

I have a 3.5 connector, Wolff 4lb striker spring and ultimate trigger stop in both my 22 and 23.

Who likes a light trigger in a carry gun? Lets here it.

+1

I have a 3.5lb connector and 4-lb striker spring in my Glock 19. I carry it almost every day. I don't understand the concerns over having a lightened trigger. The trigger guard is covered by the holster so it's not going off unless I pull the trigger.

 

[shooter521]

Who thinks Im crazy for having a light trigger in a carry gun? Who likes a light trigger in a carry gun? Lets here it.

Well, I am not a "technical" shooter in that I can't really appreciate a trigger that "breaks like the proverbial glass rod" (or substitute your favorite hack-gunwriter phrase), or the difference between 3.5 and 5 lbs of pull. The trigger pull characteristics most important to me are smoothness, consistency and reset; I couldn't give a f*ck about light weight, or to a somewhat lesser extent, pull length. I shoot my Kahrs and Pony Pocketlite pretty damn well - they both have long, fairly heavy DAO triggers, but oh my hell are they smooth and consistent. And despite my distaste for the platform in general, I also shoot 1911s well. Short pull length, relatively light weight, but still smooth and consistent.

Just ask bigcraig what I thought about his duded-up G34 racegun with the 2-lb. Glockworks trigger with overtravel stop. I liked it (not for its weight or lack thereof), but did not find that I shot his gun appreciably better than my stock 34.

 

[40calPUNISHER]

Im gonna have to fondle Bigcraigs 34 at FNS if he takes it.
Shooter, do you prefer the Glock reset over all other pistols?

 

[shooter521]

Im gonna have to fondle Bigcraigs 34 at FNS if he takes it.

It is most definitely fondle-worthy. What I like most is that the flared magwell forces your hand into a proper position on the grip and doesn't allow it to shift at all - very cool. Everything else he's done is just gilding the lily.

Shooter, do you prefer the Glock reset over all other pistols?

I dunno, I haven't fired all other pistols... yet. But of the ones I have tried, the Glock trigger reset is the best combination of short and positive that I've found. I've encountered some other fine triggers, but they usually come wrapped in a 1911, which makes them a non-starter for me.

 

[HICKMAN]

I'm gonna have to check out what you guys have done to yours. I just got my new Dawson sights installed.

 

[Hobie8]

I was able to get out to the range today and shoot my G19 with my new NY1 trigger. I like it better than the stock trigger...reduced chance of accidental discharge. I think I have my G19 "personalized" now; NY1 trigger with Meprolight Tritiums green/front and yellow/rear. Mas was right on....one CAN shoot tight groups with a heavy trigger. I was pleasantly surprised, my groups were pretty much the same as with the stock trigger. Thanks to all of you that replied to my question. Now I can start saving up for that nice G30SF!

 

[shooter521]

I like it better than the stock trigger...reduced chance of accidental discharge.

Accidental or negligent? The NY1 spring won't really help in either case; it won't prevent an AD due to mechanical failure, and won't prevent an ND due to carelessly pulling the trigger. If it gives you peace of mind, then go with it. Just keep in mind that mechanical devices are not a substitute for good gunhandling.

What the NY1 spring does do, IMO, is provide a more DAO-like trigger feel with resistance from the beginning, and a faster reset. Have you tried the NY1 spring with the "-" connector?

Mas was right on....one CAN shoot tight groups with a heavy trigger.

I don't disagree. IME, where pull weight matters most is in speed (making accurate hits quickly) and in volume (shooter fatigue over many rounds fired). I can work with a moderately heavy trigger as long as the pull is smooth and consistent – my Kahrs and Colt Pony have a DAO pull of about 8 lbs, and I've also done some good work with my buddy's tuned S&W revolvers @ about 10 lbs. - get up into the 12-14 lb range, though, and life can start to suck.

 

[Hobie8]

It feels like the point in trigger travel where it breaks is alot more distinct with the NY1 compared to the stock trigger. Also, it seemed to make alot of sense to have a heavier trigger pull with respect to what I'd read in Ayoobs' books about adrenaline and its effects during a defensive shooting incident. Check "The Gun Digest Book of Combat Handgunnery", 6th Edition by Massad Ayoob, page 23 under "Modifying The Glock". He explains it far better than I can.