FAQ

We set our triggers to approximately 3.5 lbs out the door.

With a single-stage trigger, the sear moves across the hammer (or striker) at a (hopefully) consistent pull weight. This can be a very short travel, like a modern bolt gun trigger, or a very long travel like an AK47.

A two-stage trigger is a single stage trigger which adds a (hopefully) sudden and steep increase in trigger pull weight just before the hammer (or striker) is released. In an AR, this second stage rise in weight is caused by running the trigger into a spring loaded bumper, these pretty much all based on Charlie Milazzo’s design.

The AR Gold is a single-stage trigger with a very light (6oz to 8oz) short take up. Unlike a two-stage trigger, the sear does not move during take-up. Very similar in feel and function to a great 1911 pistol trigger.

The lock time of your AR Gold trigger averages 5.8ms, as measured on a Dvorak Trigger Scan machine.

Approximately .039” (39 thousandths of an inch). The “approximately” part is due to slight variations in Safety Selector dimension and location. On the AR system, the Safety Selector functions at the over-travel stop when set to SAFE; more over travel will result in a longer reset distance. In practice the differences are so slight as to not be noticeable.

While our trigger is adjustable, we strongly recommend getting the help of an experienced gunsmith to ensure proper functionality is maintained.

To adjust the trigger look for the UPPER small hex screw on the back of the trigger module. Clockwise will increase the spring tension on the sear. Go in small increments and test.

WARNING: You may have to re-apply a thread locker compound if you make large adjustments to the hex screw.

We strongly recommend that you get some trigger time on your AR Gold before you decide to start messing with the break weight – there really is such a thing at too light. That said there is no hard answer to the question, because the rifle itself plays a part in how light you can set the trigger and still have it function correctly. This is due to differences in bolt carrier height and speed. As you reduce the amount of spring tension on the sear, you WILL reach a point that the gun will not cock reliably when live firing – though it may still cock dry firing. On most AR’s this will occur somewhere between 3 and 2 lbs. From speaking with top competitive shooters and elite fighters over the years, the go-to break weight seems to be around 3.25 to 3.5 lbs.

The hassle with AR15 Safety Selectors is that there is no standard for them, they are not part of the M16/M4 Technical Data Package. If the manufacture of the safety “barrows” the SEMI and SAFE dimensions of a Mil-Spec Fire Control Selector, we are in great shape. While we try to accommodate a wide range of tolerances, if there is a large deviation, or if the holes in the lower are way out of spec, some slight fitting may be required. Please see our Gunsmith installation notes for details.

The AR Gold will fit in any AR15 platform rifle that adheres to the relevant dimensions of the Technical Data Package for the M16/M4. Almost all AR15’s do. Aside from the occasional Franken-gun with dimensions all over the map, the only known incompatibility is, oddly enough, Colt. For whatever reason they have a non-standard pocket on the inner receiver – older ones ones also have oversize pins.

We have several customers who have high round counts with 22LR AR uppers and rifles. We use both here in our shop. They will work fine with the AR Gold provided the cocking line (the bottom) of the bolt carrier is where it’s supposed to be. Most are, some are way off. Some of the early 22LR uppers had firing pins which did not meet the SAAMI spec, with the result in a bit of trouble igniting some 22LR ammo. This has not been a problem of late.

We have several customers who have high round counts with 9MM AR uppers. They will work fine with the AR Gold provided the cocking line (the bottom) of the bolt carrier is where it’s supposed to be. Most are, some are way off.

Our .308 hammer stands .025″ taller in the cocked position then the .223 hammer. This is to allow for many .308‘s having a higher “cocking line” then .223.

While the taller hammer was specifically designed for .308/7.62, some of our customers have found it to work on some of the newer Pistol Caliber Carbine’s (PCC’s) that don’t follow MIL-SPEC designs.