Why do people recommend 2 stage triggers on an AR15, when it isn’t necessarily a precision or long distance rifle? Not withstanding 20” barrels or calibers other than .223/5.56.
This makes zero sense to me,
Everything I’ve ever seen says to put a single stage trigger in a battle rifle, or a two stage in a distance/precision/sniper rifle.
So what gives? Enlighten me or confirm my thinking.
Honestly I just like this one for how it feels.
https://palmettostatearmory.com/sabre-claw-two-stage-trigger-black-dlc-coated.html
People will glom onto anything that might help with “less than ideal” marksmanship. Fact is, very few people shoot close to the accuracy of their rifles.
Outshoots me regardless
I like them for hunting as the wall between the breaks gives me a chance to make sure the shot is focused and I have very little takeup to refire as needed.
Comes down to personal preference and cost. Usually the after market triggers offer reduce creep and a cleaner break than the stock Mil-Spec good for combat triggers.
A stock AR trigger can by quite gritty and you feel all of the take up. A well cut and polished trigger like the Colt H-Bar Match single state triggers I’ve fired are superb. The Chinese SKS comes with a two stage trigger but and you don’t hear the fanboys in the forums singing praises to it. Again, comes down to the tuning of the trigger to produce a predictable clean break for firing.
I have a Rise Armament trigger on 2 AR’s and they are great, but I just got a PSA AR pistol with an EHP and it’s every bit as good as the LE-145. I don’t need a 2 stage for this kind of shooting and as @Rufus said, the rifles are more accurate than I am. Besides, I like cqb training best anyways. A lot more action, target shooting is boring to me.
“Feel” is Good Enough. Particularly if you’re chambering isn’t the typical 5.56.
Many of us have been trained on both types of triggers from shooting different weapon platforms. On my sidearm I prefer a single stage trigger. It is easier to me to be accurate with a single stage trigger on handguns.
On a rifle I prefer a two stage trigger because it actually lets you be more accurate than a single stage. I think that this will explain it better than I can.
.wo-stage triggers offer several advantages over single-stage triggers, particularly for precision shooting and competition:
Increased Control: The two-stage design allows for a more deliberate and controlled shot. The first stage takes up the slack in the trigger and prepares the shooter for the second stage, where the actual shot is fired. This reduces the likelihood of accidental discharges and allows for more precise aiming.
Reduced Trigger Weight: Two-stage triggers can have a lighter overall pull weight than single-stage triggers without compromising safety. This is because the first stage takes some of the weight, leaving less weight for the second stage where the shot is fired. This can make the trigger feel lighter and smoother, improving accuracy.
Consistent Break: The distinct stages of a two-stage trigger provide a more consistent and predictable break, making it easier to control the shot and achieve greater accuracy.
Reduced Fatigue: The lighter pull weight and consistent break of a two-stage trigger can reduce fatigue during extended shooting sessions, allowing for better focus and accuracy.
While two-stage triggers offer these advantages, they may not be ideal for everyone. Some shooters prefer the simplicity of a single-stage trigger, especially for rapid-fire shooting or self-defense situations. Ultimately, the best trigger choice depends on the individual shooter’s preferences and needs.
Accuracy is more important to me than just putting lead down range. Ammo conservation is always in the back of my mind. To me I always want to make each shot count. You can rapid fire with a two stage trigger consistently and accuratly. It may not be as fast as a single stage trigger but I prefer the consistent trigger pull. I don’t have single stage and two stage rifles. I olny have rifles with two stage triggers. My precision rifles all have two stage triggers for the accuracy advantage. My AR all have two stage triggers also. That consistency from weapon to weapon helps me be more accurate. Every trigger is basically exactly the same only the takeup and the poundage may vary a little. I fire each rifle the same way each time. I always go with consistency so that all of my rifles are set up the exact same way. Optics may be different but the builds stay the same. Grab any rifle without looking and you already know exactly how it is set up.
To me it’s a “are you sure about that” before you blow a quarter inch hole into paper, wood or flesh.
Honestly the perception that they’re exclusively for long range precision shooting is just wrong. Granted, a good 2 stage will help an already skilled shooter be more precise with their shots at distance; you can sit on the scope and ride the wall of that trigger all day and just 1.5 lb of pressure will send it. However, the real benefits are in high stress, up close and personal engagements where shot accountability is paramount. Use cases where friendlies, hostiles and non combatants are co mingling, a light single stage like a hiperfire will be inherently more dangerous, especially in a case where the user doesn’t train with it that much. A good 2 stage is excellent for home defense, with loads of practice and intimately knowing what the initial take up feels like and where the wall is and what the reset feels like will result in very fast and accurate follow up shots along with being able to “prep” your shot because you don’t know what’s around the next corner. For context, I run a larue mbt-2 with the light weight spring in a saber 13.7 for home defense. But I train with it constantly. Sorry it’s so long. YouTube got me in a mood lol. Edit…At the end of the day, opinions are like a$$holes and it comes down to preference, training schedule and economics. If you put in the time with a solid 2 stage (doesn’t have to be G$, but they are that good) there are substantial benefits, but if you put in the time with a sloppy mil spec you can still throw down.
I really like the Sabre Claw.
I’ll Second that on the PSA Sabre Claw trigger. They are selling them for $89 right now.
I’ve heard good things about them recently, but Sabre claw was kinda unproven when I got mine, so I paid for a name lol. Larue is pretty respected and I’d used them before, but i couldn’t bring myself to pay for a G$ SSA-E. Spending money on Gucci parts isn’t make a person better. If anything it highlights your deficits. Training is the best investment you can make in your rifle
I agree with everything you’ve said, and personally I don’t like hair triggers. I find they make me flinch more, it’s a little easier to gauge exactly when the bang is going to come with a little pressure rather than having it just fly off the handle as soon as you so much as apply a pound of pressure.
The Hiperfire you mentioned isn’t super light and that’s why I like it. But I also don’t mind mil-spec and actually prefer them over the super light applications. I agree the MBT2-S is pretty great overall and a “can’t really go wrong” choice for most.
Yea i didn’t mean the hiperfire duty triggers, they are pretty decent. I should’ve specified the hipertouch triggers and other competition triggers with under 3lb break with no take up. There’s a reason socom contracted G$ for the SSF 2- stage and mil spec is 6-9 lb pull lol. Fast is smooth and smooth is slow
welcome to the forums, and I have been saying this about 2 stage triggers for a long long time.. thanks for the breakdown of it into common words that i cant seem to ever really remember using to describe my reasons why i love my 2 stages so much lol.
It’s hard to explain how they work to people that have only used single stage triggers, without then standing next to you with one for comparison. It’s even harder to do it without getting into talking about the sear and disconnector, which honestly is where you’d lose probably 75% of the people asking about them lol. A 2 stage would more than likely be unnecessary on most users that do short, flat range shooting, or don’t have basic rifle fundamentals down. Too many people try to run before they can crawl, and want a “do it all rifle” that just ends up being overly complicated for their training level and not really good for anything except the flat range on a bench once every 2 months. Or are trying to compensate for a lack of fundamentals by buying Gucci parts. I can’t control muzzle flip or effectively mitigate recoil, so I’m gonna buy a new muzzle device, buffer and spring even though my stance and presentation (inconsistencies) is really the issue. Now I’ve added more reciprocating mass and complexity to a system that I already couldn’t control, but haven’t addressed the actual issue. Edit… meant as reply to @GamecockOperator
you’re right about it being difficult to explain to folks. espeically newbs who have no idea how the firearm works in the first place and are barely competent at pulling the trigger and being on target when doing so. you’re right about it being unnessary for folks who could survive quite well with a standard ar trigger for the various reasons you mentioned. however with practice they can graduate up to a better fire control group and then start to really enjoy the nuances of a two stage trigger and even the finer points of well tuned single stage triggers. the do it all rifle can be a dangerous thing to the novice, but if they are steered correctly in the beginning it may in fact be just what they need to learn the basics with. although i would usually make that be something in a bolt action preferably so that they learn nice and slow. AR’s tend to have folks wanting to go fast with sh ooting and sometimes thats just not the best thing for them…
no worries on the reply to, or not to.. 