Many of us like the compactness of striker-fired pistols, but surely miss the trigger pulls of hammer-fired guns.
What would you say are the best striker-fired pistols' trigger pulls (out of the box or worked on) that you have shot?
I find the HK P7 trigger not far behind any SA trigger. And a Kahr, though not short, almost as good as the best revolver DA pull.
Your experience appreciated.
Scott

Out of a handgun that is going somewhere, I'll vote without a doubt the M&P 2.0.

Surely, there will be some Walther fans that will show up to tout the trigger pull, but the rest of the gun is just "meh".

quote:

Originally posted by jljones:
Out of a handgun that is going somewhere, I'll vote without a doubt the M&P 2.0.

Surely, there will be some Walther fans that will show up to tout the trigger pull, but the rest of the gun is just "meh".

Not a Walther fan, but I still say the PPQ's trigger is the bomb. And, I agree that the rest of the gun is just "eh".

PPQ for sure and the grip of Walther has always been good for me. Not sure what makes the PPQ any more “meh” than any other striker fire gun as far as I’m concerned all of the polymer striker-fire guns are “meh”

I prefer the striker fired triggers of both the Steyr and FN offerings to be superior to the Glock or S&W triggers.

I've never shot a late model Walther, but now I need to try one.

Yes the trigger on my Walther PPQ is superb but IMO there is a lot more to a pistol than just the trigger.

I actually find the trigger on my Gen 2 Glock 19, that I bought new in the early 90s, to be pretty decent.

IMO there are a lot of fine choices in striker fired pistols that have a very nice trigger, nice enough where I doubt they will be holding back the shooter from getting excellent results with the pistol assuming the pistol fits them pretty well.

I tried the M&P 2.0 and really wanted to love it. For me the problem with it was that it did not fit me well in that reach to the trigger was too short especially with how far back it breaks. I wish I could find a range that has the different grips for it to try out.

What is your definition of "best"? To most that just means lightest. It sounds like you prefer a revolver style pull where there is continuous and even resistance on the trigger pull and not the typical striker feel where there is a long take up with no resistance and then a wall.

The Walther PPX trigger is surprisingly 'non-meh' yet is one of the ugliest pistols I've seen. That it fit my hand so well & actually bears on target as well as it does is 'non-meh' as well.

re: " surely miss the trigger pulls of hammer-fired guns." for sure

quote:

Originally posted by Fundman:
What is your definition of "best"?

That is the question very few people ever ask in these discussions. Is it pull weight, presence or lack of creep, stroke distance, reset distance, reset distinctness, or some combination? What is it that makes a trigger “best” or even better than others?

Although I don’t have experience with the myriad different triggers that some people do, one thing I’ve found is that unless one or more aspects of a trigger characteristic is absolutely horrible (as I’ve only found with one memorable Glock owned by a student), it’s possible for upper mid-level shooters like myself to become accustomed to them all—at least for the type of shooting I do. Before I had a chance to shoot a lot I used to obsess over triggers in my guns. After I started shooting a lot, trigger issues mostly faded into insignificance. But of course YMMV.

Of the few that I have fired, I'd give my vote to a Salient BLU because it isn't too light of a pull (for me anyway) and the reset is very short.

Galesi made a good striker pistol ages ago. One was given to me because the guy couldn't find a mag for it. I couldn't either, so I made my own. The trigger on it is smooth, but the gun is kinda smallish, so I don't shoot it much.

Best by far I've tried for stock is a Canik TPSFx; puts my P320 X5 to shame for trigger feel along with Glocks and M&P's. It's not an expensive pistol, but they did their homework on the trigger.

For trigger alone:
PPQ
P320
VP9
Steyr
FNS
M&P
XDM
Glock

Now that's just my personal preferences on trigger pill and reset alone. And things may shuffle depending on whether reset is important to you. Like the Steyr has a better pull than the VP9, but the reset is kinda mush. And the PPQ pull might be too light for some. Also, I haven't had a chance to shoot a M&P 2.0, so that may put S&W much higher on the list.

+1 on the 2.0 M&P with honorable mention to the CZ P10c.

quote:

Originally posted by Fundman:
What is your definition of "best"? To most that just means lightest. It sounds like you prefer a revolver style pull where there is continuous and even resistance on the trigger pull and not the typical striker feel where there is a long take up with no resistance and then a wall.

Good question and good point.
I think I mean smoothest primarily, and secondarily a defined break. I am not referring so much to reset.
The P7, to me, has a superb "SA like trigger pull", that feels as good or nearly as good as my 1911 Springfield Professional, my Sig P210's, and Sig X5. Some of that may be based on familiarity -- I've put more rounds down range from a P7 over the decades than any other gun --, but I think it is darn good.
The Kahr trigger of course is vastly different from most striker triggers, but I think rivals outstanding K frame and Colt triggers.
I throw the question out partly because I don't have as much experience with lots of the "new" (post Glock, past ten years or so) striker guns besides Glocks, including Glocks with Ghost and other trigger upgrades.
Here's my main question of interest. I've shot PPQ and VP triggers (never an S&W), and they are definitely better than even upgraded Glocks, but are they as good as a humble P7? And if not, I wonder why not.
And, certainly, maybe my impression is incorrect, and just based on too little experience with some of the "new" striker fire guns.

quote:

Originally posted by Kskelton:
PPQ for sure and the grip of Walther has always been good for me. Not sure what makes the PPQ any more “meh” than any other striker fire gun as far as I’m concerned all of the polymer striker-fire guns are “meh”

Let's see. Breakage, recoil impulse is about the same as throwing a concrete block up against the wall, and the sight tracking is horrid (I'm being a bit generous there).

A few years ago, I pointed out that the PPQ was a "great trigger" and that was about it, as you see no one in the upper crust of competition using it, and no high end LE/.gov organization uses it. The PPQ fanboys came out of the woodwork pointing at unknown competitors on the upper lower tier that swears by them. They tried the whole "well, its about money conspiracy theory" that Glock was just outspending them in the competition world. They tried the whole range shaming and bullying thing at matches. They tried virtually everything to make excuses.

And then I pointed out that Apex Tactical was building a trigger system for the gun as part of an effort to make the gun usable. They again went apeshit, claiming that ONLY A FOOL thinks that the PPQ needs anything. What I couldn't tell them at the time, was that was all done at the request of, and by the direction of executives and engineers at Walther. The thread was good for a laugh knowing what I knew but couldn't say at the time, at how rabidly loyal a few people are, despite all of the facts otherwise.

The gun is a whole lot of "meh" and has a following because of its "great trigger" and thats about it. A few years from now, it will be no further along than what it is now, as it has topped out in popularity and market share.

There are so many better choices out there to include the P320, Gen5 Glock, 2.0, and the p10c. All are very shootable, and all have pretty decent triggers out of the box without the limitations that the PPQ brings to bear.

quote:

Originally posted by ScotP7:
I've shot PPQ and VP triggers (never an S&W), and they are definitely better than even upgraded Glocks, but are they as good as a humble P7? And if not, I wonder why not.
And, certainly, maybe my impression is incorrect, and just based on too little experience with some of the "new" striker fire guns.

Keep in mind that even through "striker-fired" tends to get lumped into one category, there is still much variation between striker-fired handguns trigger mechanisms.

Some striker-fired guns have strikers that are fully cocked, and the trigger simply releases the striker. These are more like a hammer-fired SA trigger.

Other striker-fired guns have strikers that are fully or nearly fully uncocked, and the trigger pull must retract the striker before releasing it. These are more like a hammer-fired DA trigger.

Most striker guns these days are in-between, with a striker that is cocked most of the way, with the trigger pull finishing the final amount of striker cocking and then releasing the striker. In addition, many striker-fired guns have built-in drop safety mechanisms that are actuated as part of the trigger pull as well.

So it's not always an apples-to-apples comparison between two triggers, even if they're both "striker-fired". One trigger may be doing a lot more than another, with more parts interaction along the way, while another may be strictly releasing a striker. Therefore it would be easier to make the latter feel clean/short/light/smooth than the former.

This is the most likely reason why the P7's trigger feels so good to you compared to some of the others. On the P7, the separate grip mechanism fully cocks the striker, and the trigger is relegated strictly to releasing it. Thus it's more akin to a SAO trigger such as on a 1911, and easier to make it feel short/light/clean, compared to most of the other striker guns these days whose triggers are doing much more during the trigger pull (disengaging a firing pin drop safety, retracting the striker, and releasing the striker).

Steyr. It’s one hell of a pistol out of the box, I spent over 100 bucks on my Glock and the trigger still isn’t as nice as my L9-A1

I have experience with Glock Gen 3, Ruger RAP, S&W-MP & the S&W/Walther-AS 99 series. I'm satisfied with the S&W-MP series Gen1 with the Apex Duty-Carry triggering system installed. Of the following sighting - trigger press & hold/recoil management most people dwell on trigger press. Personally I see it as a triad.

Walther P99 and Walther PPQ, in that order. The P99 is a DA/SA striker-fired pistol and the SA pull on the P99 simply will not be beat by any other standard production striker-fired pistol, including the PPQ. If you've tried the SA pull on a P99, you'll agree. If you haven't tried it, you lack sufficient information to answer the OP's question.

The PPQ is essentially a 4th generation P99 and uses the SA portion of the P99, only eliminating the DA portion of the P99. For a non-DA/SA design, the PPQ has the best trigger. The PPQ is a true single action pull. After you dry fire a PPQ for a bit, Glock triggers feel like total shit (even ones that have been polished), to give you an idea. It's not a fair comparison, though, since the Glock is not a single action trigger.

I had two H&K P7 pistols. Sold them both and have hated
myself ever since!
Actually they were more single action triggers in that
the striker was cocked by that cocking lever.
I really like my P320 and felt the same about the S&W Model 39. (carried it as a street detective)
But, to me the H&K P7 was and remains the finest pistol
I've ever owned.
I had one of the P7M8 ones. Paid a thousand dollars for it in 1980....my LE price!
I actually preferred the European mag release on my P7.

Stay safe
Poli Viejo