Best AR-15 Triggers: Improve Performance & Accuracy!

1. RMT Nomad

RMT Nomad

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RMT Nomad Review

The RMT Nomad does the basics right while excelling at producing a fairly innovative trigger system. What’s it get right? Well, it’s smooth, with an excellent and light trigger pull. We get a positive reset and easy installation due to the drop-in design. It also moves right to left and back again. What’s that mean? Let’s dive in and figure it out.

Nomad is a proper name for a trigger that doesn’t sit still. Most triggers move backward and forwards. With the Nomad, the trigger can also move and pivot six degrees, three to each side.

This allows your trigger finger to find the most comfortable position, regardless of its size. It’s neat, but it’s more than just neat.

It allows you to find the right position for your hand every time you grab the gun. The RMT Nomad does allow your rifle to match your hand size, especially if you are on the fringes of both large and small hands. As mentioned, you don’t just get a pivoting trigger.

The trigger is a single-stage design that slides rearward and breaks at 3 pounds. The pull is so short, slight, and excellent that it delivers an awesome trigger for a rifle designed to provide the utmost accuracy. The trigger pull eliminates creep, grip, and any kind of stiffness you might face.

The reset is quite positive and very short. This makes it easy to launch rounds accurately and quickly on the range. The main downside for most will be the price. Innovative triggers are rarely cheap.

If price isn’t a concern, then the RMT Nomad might be for you. People with exceptionally small or large hands will greatly appreciate the pivoting trigger. Everyone else will most certainly enjoy the crisp trigger and its positive reset.

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2. Timney Calvin-Elite

Timney Calvin-Elite

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Timney Calvin-Elite Review

Oh boy, do you want to customize every part of your AR 15 trigger? Well, good, as long as money isn’t a problem, then Timney has you covered with the Calvin Elite trigger. Timney let their lead designer make the trigger of his dreams, and Calvin went wild. We benefit by getting what’s likely the best competition trigger on the market.

The Calvin Elite provides a trigger pull that ranges from 1.5 to 2 pounds, making it one of the lighter triggers on the market. When you aim to eliminate trigger movement, then the lighter the pull, the better. You can also typically fire faster with a lighter trigger with fewer accuracy issues. The Calvin Elite trigger is absurdly light. If you’ve never handled a trigger at 1.5 or even 2 pounds, it’s spooky light.

Timney’s basic drop-in design is preserved, so installation isn’t tough. What’s interesting is the fact the shooter can adjust the shoe height, the trigger’s horizontal position, and the angle it sits at. This requires careful adjustments and does need the end-user to Loc Tite some screws when the right fit is found.

Being able to adjust every aspect of this trigger makes it the most customizable trigger out there. It allows shooters to really refine their weapons and makes them as accurate as possible. Reliability won’t be a concern, and Calvin Elite can handle your fancy hand loads or those mass-produced Lake City rounds with hard military primers.

While Timney made a great trigger, we need to make sure we establish it’s really made for specific use cases. Namely competition. The trigger is a bit too light for duty use and aims at the competitive market. I’d use a little heavier trigger for duty use. With that said, Timney offers you the most custom trigger possible for the end-user, and that’s tough to beat.

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3. Geissele SSA X Trigger

Geissele SSA X Trigger

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Geissele SSA X Trigger Review

When Geissele released the Super Duty series of firearms, they came packed with a number of features we couldn’t get elsewhere. One of the best features was the SSA X triggers. Sadly, those triggers were not available for upgrading your own AR…until now. Geissele now produces the SSA X trigger as a stand-alone product.

The name Super Duty clues you in on the purpose of the rifles and should clue you in on the purpose of that trigger. The SSA X is designed for the duty rifle, the home defense gun, and in general, AR 15s used for combat applications. It provides a non-adjustable trigger pull that’s incredibly consistent and so clean.

The break is like, relatively grit-free and provides a smooth, two-stage trigger design. It’s not too light for duty use, but not heavy and creepy like a MIL-SPEC trigger. Shooters can go from close-quarters combat to long-range precision shots without much difficulty. It’s a trigger certified by NSWC-Crane, you know, the guys that pick and choose weapons for the SEALs.

One of the best features of the trigger is the fact you will not run into failures to fire with this trigger system. It’s not a picky, sensitive little thing that can’t handle hard primers. It will eat the cheapest, crappiest Russian ammo on the market and not complain. NATO spec ammo will most certainly go bang, and so will your favorite Black Hills premium loads.

As you’d imagine, a duty trigger isn’t the lightest trigger on the market, but it’s a very clean trigger pull. Another downside is the price point. Boy, oh boy, is it a pricey little trigger. Even so, it’s one of the most dependable and most robust triggers on the market. Geissele never disappoints.

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4. PSA Custom AR Single-Stage Drop-In Trigger

PSA Custom AR Single-Stage Drop-In Trigger

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PSA Custom AR Single-Stage Trigger Review

A lot of these triggers cost an arm and a leg. Heck, some of these triggers cost more than my BCM complete lower receiver! So, do you have to spend a small fortune on a good trigger? Of course not! Palmetto State Armory, a huge AR manufacturer, produces a rather affordable drop-in trigger system that grants you a solid single-stage trigger for your budget build.

This setup will outperform any MIL-SPEC trigger system on the market. It’s a light, reliable trigger that breaks at 3.5 pounds. Palmetto State Armory cleans up your standard AR trigger to an exceptional degree, and it breaks cleanly and crisply. Installation is fairly simple, and modern versions of the trigger are designed for reliability.

In fact, this trigger will drop into your KS-47, an AR that fires the 7.62x39mm round. These have notoriously hard primers, and the PSA Custom AR Single Stage Drop-In trigger ignites those primers without issue. In your AR 15, you’ll have an affordable, sub-100 trigger that will be tough to beat.

The downside is that the trigger doesn’t offer adjustability and isn’t as smooth as brands like Timney or Geissele. However, for the price point, good luck getting a better trigger than the PSA design. The PSA trigger packs a lot of punch for its price point and delivers a nice single-stage trigger. It’s just a bit more than a standard trigger, so why not?

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5. Rise Armament Iconic

Rise Armament Iconic

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Rise Armament Iconic Review

I’m not a huge fan of two-stage triggers, so maybe when I went looking for a good two-stage trigger, I settled on the Iconic. The Iconic is unlike any other two-stage trigger on the market. Beyond its innovative two-stage design, we have the always awesome Rise Armament trigger design, which always provides a reliable, clean, and light pull with minimal takeup and over travel.

The Iconic’s two-stage design is unlike any other. Even looking at the trigger might render some confusion among shooters. It appears to be two triggers; in reality, it’s two trigger blades, but one. Unlike other two-stage triggers, the Rise Armament trigger utilizes two separate and independent stages of trigger pull. The first trigger blade provides a 1-pound pull that locks rearward into the second blade.

The second blade provides 2 pounds of resistance before a clean break. This independent stage design eliminates the mushiness and creep associated with two-stage triggers. It’s a two-stage with all the benefits of a two-stage without the downsides. It’s a two-stage trigger that handles a lot like a single-stage trigger.

The pull is smooth and crisp, and the reset is tactile and audible to make both fast and accurate shots possible. Rise Armament’s Iconic trigger uses a contained, drop-in trigger design that makes installation a breeze. Drop it in, pin it, and call it a day. Rise Armament uses their StrongArm hammer springs to make sure light hammer strikes aren’t a thing, and even the worst steel case ammo will cycle.

The Rise Armament Iconic trigger is quite different than your typical AR 15 two-stage trigger. This might turn off two-stage aficionados, but for me, it’s the ultimate solution. It’s an expensive solution, but innovation is an investment.

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6. CMC PCC Trigger

CMC PCC Trigger

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CMC PCC Trigger Review

Pistol caliber carbines are exceptionally popular, especially in the AR 15 platform. Anyone who loves AR 15s loves to tinker and dropping a trigger in seems simple. However, most AR 15 PCCs are blowback operated, which tends to destroy and break drop-in, super smooth triggers due to the blowback design and various bolt designs used in PCCs. The CMC PCC trigger aims to fix that.

The CMC PCC trigger was designed from the ground up to provide PCC shooters with an exceptional trigger that won’t get beaten, broken, or destroyed and can be used with all the various PCC bolt designs out there. This single-stage trigger gives you a 3.5-pound trigger pull that’s crisp, light, and delivers reliable primer ignition with every shot. Plus, you can pick between curved and flat triggers. Beyond a PCC, you can even drop this trigger in an M&P 15/22.

The CMC PCC trigger eliminates trigger grittiness and does a great job with limited pre-travel and over-travel. If you are competing in USPSA PCC competitions, then this trigger will help you clean up different courses. Speed and accuracy matter, and you get a combination of both with the CMC PCC trigger. This way, you get those rapid shots with the lighter pull and positive reset, and when it comes time to cook off a very accurate round at a small target.

The drop-in design makes installation take no time at all. I dropped mine in my Aero EPC in about five minutes while watching TV. CMC uses rocket wire hammer springs to make sure the primer gets that ignition regardless of how hard it is. If you want to shoot MILSPEC ammo or cheap steel, then you’re covered.

The main downside was the fact the trigger isn’t adjustable weight-wise. Sadly CMC’s website is a little confusing and says you can adjust it from 2.5 to 6.6 pounds, but another portion says it’s non-adjustable. So read carefully and don’t be a skim reader like me. If adjustability isn’t a concern, then the CMC PCC trigger is perfect for your AR PCC, your S&W 15-22, and even your MPX.

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7. Let Freedom Ring – FRT 15 Trigger

Let Freedom Ring – FRT 15 Trigger

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Let Freedom Ring – FRT 15 Trigger Review

The National Firearms Act imposed a heavy burden on the ownership of certain firearms, including fully automatic weapons. In 1986 the Hughes Amendment prohibited the registration of new full-auto firearms making existing examples extremely expensive. That doesn’t mean the American people don’t have a want for full-auto fire. While it’s tough to get, the FRT-15 offers us a fun alternative for full-auto fire for your AR-15.

FRT stands for Forced Reset Trigger. This is not a full auto-trigger. It doesn’t meet the definition and doesn’t even function similarly to real full-auto fire. Instead, the trigger forcefully resets and makes it easier to pull faster. Essentially the trigger makes it easy for you to fire the weapon in semi-automatic and allows it to be much faster than your normal semi-auto trigger.

The FRT-15 trigger drops in, and installation is relatively simple but not as simple as most triggers. You’ll likely need a heavy buffer to keep things running. Users can swap between a standard semi-auto trigger and the forced reset mode with ease. Plugging away with the Forced Reset Trigger is a ton of fun and satisfies that full auto itch very well.

Currently, the FRT-15 is being challenged by the ATF because tyrants are tyrants. Rare Breed Triggers is fighting the ATF tooth and nail to ensure the legality of the device. They can be tough to get and are expensive, but your purchase helps support the fight for gun rights!

Admittedly beyond the Forced Reset capability, the FRT-15 might be lacking in some departments as a trigger. The pull is five pounds, and you’ll need a heavy buffer. Other than that, it’s a decent trigger and a lot of fun. For almost 400 bucks, you can certainly get a high-end trigger, but you can’t get one than gives you such a fast fire rate.

Supporting Rare Breed and the FRT-15 is admittedly supporting gun rights. So that’s why we get a nod to the FRT-15. Plus, it’s an absolute ton of fun.

Let Freedom Ring – FRT 15 Trigger Pros and Cons

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