The AR-15-style rifle is the most popular rifle in the nation, and there’s little wonder why. They are accurate, fun, and easy to shoot without excessive recoil and muzzle jump. Given their popularity, it’s likely most new gun owners will soon gravitate toward buying one.
If you do make that purpose, one thing you’ll likely notice is that the stock trigger on ARs often leaves a lot to be desired in quality. Thus, installing an aftermarket trigger, which is easy and quick, can greatly increase your accuracy.
To be sure, there are several other things you can do to help improve your rifle’s accuracy. But getting an aftermarket trigger remains the easiest and quickest way to start seeing those groups shrink bit by bit.
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Aftermarket AR Triggers
There are many companies that make aftermarket AR triggers, and most have quality products. Today, we’ll look at three I’ve personally tried that helped shrink my groups on three different AR rifles.
Rise Armament REV 535
The Rise Armament 535 is one of the best triggers I’ve ever tried, and at SHOT Show in January, the Oklahoma-based company introduced a new and improved version—the Rise REV 535. Built on the proven RA-535 Advanced-Performance Trigger platform, this second-generation system delivers a crisp, no-take-up single-stage pull with a lightning-fast, tactile reset. That equates to more accuracy quickly.
But that’s not the best part of the REV 535. According to Rise, the model brings a radically simplified installation system to market. This trigger eliminates the complexity, loose hardware, and time-consuming steps of upgrading and can be installed in under 60 seconds!
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American Trigger Corporation AR Gold
The American Trigger Corporation AR Gold Adjustable Trigger has been around for years, but is still a great trigger unit that will immediately increase a rifle’s accuracy. In fact, when I was heavy into the 3-gun scene, my main match rifle carried an AR Gold trigger in it. It was pricey at the time, but I never regretted paying a premium for it.
The AR Gold is a drop-in modular trigger, which makes it a breeze to install. It comes stock with a 3.5-pound pull weight and features a short, clean break with no creep and no overtravel. Additionally, the pull weight is adjustable for those who prefer a little more or less pressure.
Timney Competition Trigger
The first aftermarket AR trigger I ever bought was the Timney Competition Trigger. That was a darned good purchase then and still would be now. The drop-in, cassette-style trigger is easy to install, with no gunsmithing or fitting required. Additionally, each trigger is hand-assembled, tested, and calibrated for consistency.
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Timney even gives you three choices of trigger configurations—standard curved, straight, or skeletonized—and the option for large trigger pin holes or small. My accuracy immediately improved when I installed this trigger in my first AR-15 several years ago.
Picking an Aftermarket Trigger
Ultimately, choosing an aftermarket AR trigger is a highly personal decision. You’ll want to consider things like pull weight, take-up, how clean it breaks, whether it is single-stage or two-stage, and some other important factors.
If you find one that’s right for you, however, you’ll soon see your accuracy increasing by leaps and bounds. And about the only thing more fun than shooting an AR-15 is shooting an AR-15 accurately!
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