NEW: Glock Delivers on Performance Trigger Upgrade
12th Apr 2023
Source Credit: Guns.com
By: Adam Campbell
Photography: Seth Rodgers, Adam Campbell,
Date: 4/4/23
HOW WE GOT HERE
The custom trigger craze hit the firearms industry a little over 10 years ago. Brand names like Apex and CMC became synonymous with Smith & Wesson and Glock.
Along with triggers, in the last decade the popularity of customization overall experienced a surge, with do-it-yourself Dremel jobs on pistol frames and enhanced sights from Trijicon or TruGlo. Optics, aesthetics, and high-end barrels each have sparked an entire cottage industry. Companies like Zev, Taran Tactical, and Shadow Systems each carved out a big chunk of the market, overwhelmingly using Glock frames and compatible parts to do so.
The trigger is generally considered the most prominent part of any gun. The heart of the weapon is the action and how smooth or crisp, light or short the pull or press is. Despite Glock having a line of night sights and holsters, there was no Glock-made factory match or Glock-branded enhanced trigger.
Smith & Wesson for years has sold enhanced triggers via the Performance Center line, and if you've had a chance to work with the new Shield Plus (non-performance center), it seems like they took a page right out of the Apex playbook with regard to the trigger.
Glock has made slight changes to its actions, such as the removal of a crossbar in the Gen 5 platform, but outside of that, if you wanted to enhance or adjust, you had to go aftermarket.
INSTALL
Apparently the GPT is a highly allocated product, as the gun shop I manage only received a couple initially and was unable to order more. The company is clear that only a Glock Certified Armorer should do the install.
That being said, my armorer found the install incredibly quick and simple. A thin press and hands were the only things needed to install in less than 10 minutes. I chose a G19X, because I also have a model G45 – the two pistols are almost identical for testing purposes.
APPEARANCE
The installed GPT looked a touch bulkier than a standard Glock trigger, but when handling and dry firing, it felt flatter and thinner. A lot of custom triggers go out of their way to stand out visually with custom color schemes and aesthetics (see the Apex Polymer Flatty for an example). The Glock Performance Trigger, however, would not be noticeable without a closer inspection.
As with most Glock pistols, the focus seemed to be on function, and nothing was done to make the GPT visually appealing or distinctive.
FUNCTION & FEATURES
Glock Performance Trigger Dry Fire
Dry firing revealed a substantially decreased weight when compared to a stock Glock trigger, which is factory-set at 5.5 pounds of pressure. The GPT measured slightly above 3 pounds – 3.11 to be exact – but it wasn't the weight decrease that stood out to me, it was the substantial reset and the pressure back after the trigger break.
The design of the GPT causes the trigger to push back after being engaged, unlike the factory Glock trigger that will lock back unless the slide is racked. This is a substantial feature considering an enhanced trigger is meant to improve accuracy under pressure.
UPGRADED PERFORMANCE
I used a stock G45 and a GPT-enhanced G19X for live-fire testing and comparison, shooting eight rounds of slow fire and eight rounds of upbeat, paced fire from each gun. I used bullseye targets for slow fire and IDPA-type match targets for quick fire, both at about 10 feet. For this test, I used Federal Syntech ammo in both guns.
For slow precise shooting, the results were expected: close to same-hole grouping with the stock trigger and a bit looser grouping with the GPT. Being a lighter pull by almost half the weight, the GPT discouraged slow fire, as it should. See exhibit above.
I typically put my shots in an extended palm-sized grouping when shooting a service-sized double-action handgun. So, from the picture you can see that the results from the G45 were no exception. A heavier trigger equals a longer press, leading to more chance of slight movements and variations between shots, especially with quicker trigger finger movement.
Shooting the G19X with a Glock Performance Trigger
With the GPT-enhanced 19X, however, the decreased weight, enhanced reset pressure, and ergonomics allowed me to shoot a far superior grouping in rapid fire (about a 3-inch grouping). I noticed with even longer 10- and 15-round strings of fire, my shot consistency increased.
It felt like the action was doing a lot of the work for me, similar to how a single-action trigger feels when rapid firing. Even after multiple long strings of rapid and slow fire, I felt no trigger finger fatigue. I shot from low ready and even presented from holster and had similar and faster results.
CONCLUSION
For roughly $100 MSRP and a simple installation overall, I would say this is the best trigger on the market for a Glock when comparing cost and performance. I see this as a home run for Glock and can envision them releasing a match model where the GPT comes pre-installed at the factory.
All the staff at my range were arguing over who was going to get the next GPT. Glock, yet again showing up late to a crowded show, still manages to make an excellent quality product with a solid price point.
Checkout the original article HERE