Let’s clear something up from the get-go. A binary trigger is just that. It’s a trigger that fires when pressed and also when released. That’s a distinction some people don’t seem to get. It’s not select fire and it certainly isn’t a forced reset trigger. Okay?
As Franklin Armory puts it in their marketing materials . . .
The Binary trigger is Franklin Armory’s patented pull-and-release trigger system (Binary Firing System) that fires one round on pull and one round on release. Franklin Armory’s patented Binary semi-automatic trigger provides users with the ability to select between semi-automatic and Binary modes and to safely cancel the release round. Unlike bump stocks or forced-reset triggers, pull-and-release triggers comply with federal and most state regulations.
With that said, Franklin Armory has been making binary triggers for more than five years now. Back in 2018 they announced their BFS III triggers for AR and then AK, CZ Scorpions and other rifles. And then they designed one for 10/22 rifles. Because why not?
The latest iteration of binary fun is a trigger for handguns. That’s a little more involved undertaking than it is for rifles where drop-in triggers make conversion a lot easier. In a pistol, you’re also talking about modifications to the slide. That’s no doubt why it’s taken Franklin Armory more than 18 months to bring their G-S173 Binary Trigger and Slide for GLOCK 17 Gen3 pistols to market after first announcing it.
The good news is, the final product has been worth the wait. We first saw and shot Franklin Armory’s prototype for the G-S173 at SHOT Show 2022. The final product is much more refined with some added features that you’d really want in a pistol equipped with a binary trigger.
The G-S173 consists of two parts, the slide and trigger assembly. You’ll need to use your own barrel and recoil spring. If you’re not comfortable swapping out the stock trigger with the G-S173 trigger, take it to a local gunsmith. It takes about five minutes to change them out. Then just put your barrel and recoil spring in the Franklin Armory slide and you’re good to go.
The G-S173 isn’t an inexpensive proposition. The MSRP is $899. You can buy a new standard semi-automatic Gen3 G17 for about $525. That said, Franklin Armory has built some nice upgrades into the G-S173 slide that you won’t get with the stock GLOCK.
Before you get your heart set on a G-S173, check your local laws. Most of the usual suspect states ban them (California, Hawaii, New York, Illinois, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Maryland, Delaware and D.C. as of this writing) but they’re A-OK in the other 41 free states.
Unlike the Gen3, the Franklin slide has forward serrations. It also comes with AMERIGLO tritium night sights fore and aft.
The G-S173 slide also has an optic cut. You can mount the red dot sight of your choice using mounting plates Franklin sells separately.
The prototype we tried lo those many moons ago only had a switch on the slide letting you toggle between standard semi-automatic and binary fire.
Franklin Armory has wisely added an additional way to tell what mode your pistol is in.
The final product has an end plate indicator. That lets you look down at the pistol in your holster or at the back as its pointed downrange and easily be able to tell whether the pistol is set for semi-auto or binary. That’s a useful safety feature.
Here’s a (poor) video of the G-S173 in action.
You can see that I squeeze off three rounds in semi-automatic mode. Then I switch the toggle to binary.
I then pull the trigger three times, firing off six rounds. Three on each pull and three on each release. After a short pause, I pull the trigger again and, while keeping pressure on the trigger, I turn the switch back to semi-auto and…release the trigger without firing another round. Then I squeeze off five more rounds just for fun.
As for feel, the G-S173 it’s a mixed bag. When you’re dry-firing the gun, the pull is kind of sproing-y and it’s clicky on the release. But when you’ve got live ammo in the pistol, things get much better. The pull is every bit as good as a standard GLOCK Gen3 (in other words, it’s OK). The release feels like a normal reset…only with a bang after the click.
While they’re a lot of fun to use and shoot, binary triggers aren’t for everyone. You have to be cognizant of the trigger, what it’s designed to do, and how it operates. If you are, you’ll love the G-S173. If you’re the type who’s easily distracted or are worried about touching off rounds inadvertently, then a binary trigger may not be for you.
It definitely allows you to squeeze off more rounds more quickly. Your split times will definitely be reduced. Release rounds also tend to be more accurate as there’s less effort required than with a five to seven pound trigger pull. It’s a smoother, more natural motion.
As always, practice makes perfect (or darned close). Once you get some trigger time in with the G-S173, you’ll see how much fun it can be. And as always, as long as you’re observing the Four Rules of Firearm Safety, you’ll be just fine.
Some will consider the G-S173 an expensive range toy. If that includes you, okay then. Lots of people have a lot of expensive range toys. Others will love the option of faster fire capability a binary trigger gives you, especially after a decent amount of range time.
There’s no reason a G-S173-equipped GLOCK can’t be your carry or home defense gun. You’ll certainly want to be sure to bring it with you on every range trip. Franklin Armory’s made good on the promise they made at SHOT in 2022 and the G-S173 is everything it should (and needs) to be. Whether it’s for you, well, only you can decide that.
It should come with a disclaimer. “Range toy. Not for use on a serious defensive weapon.”
“Range toy. Not for use on a serious defensive weapon.”
Worse, binary triggers are a *felony* to posses in the supposedly ‘GunShine” state of Florida. 🙁
(Even if they weren’t I still wouldn’t want one, ammo is too damn expensive… )
Looking at the pic of the slide on the left-hand side, the control for changing the mode looks a lot like the Glock OEM G18, select-fire gun, only available to government and the LE community :
https://www.firearmreview.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Glock-18-with-extended-clip-768×791.jpg
I’d sure hate to have one of those on my hip while a Fed thinks it’s an actual G18… 🙁
You have never used a binary trigger have you? Very, very, very effective especially for covering fire.
Also in on the first comment for the usual people who hate Freedom.
Agree, I one on a FosTech AR, you can really put some lead in the air, if necessary. Supressive fire comes to mind. But it does go through some ammo when you want to cut loose, especially when a 100 round drum mag is in there. Takes 20 minutes to load, a few seconds to dump. one time was enough to get the picture, now that mag is just something to have handy. Most always use on normal mode, but sometimes you just wanna let ‘er run.
BSon, you tell the State Attorney you were laying down “covering fire” in a defensive shooting on an American street and see what happens next.
If I’ve reached that point the State Attorney is the least of my worries. There was a gun dealer some years back who used covering fire very effectively. He repealed numerous attackers with a machine gun. He also was no charged if I remember correctly. Covering / suppressing fire is very effective against multiple attackers.
You of all people should know this with the training you have received.
Kind of sounds like you are trying to validate your purchase. An average person with any standard semi auto firearm can fire two shots a second perfectly adequate for cover/ suppressing fire.
*Gasp* I own multiple binary triggers. They work great, I’d put one in every gun I owned but they only make them for a couple platforms.
Go be poor somewhere else.
Right, because everyone knows that double taps or controlled pairs are worthless techniques for defensive shooting
/sarc
Red, completely different animal. When doing controlled pairs/double taps I release the trigger for reset during recoil then press again when the front sight is on target. With a binary you would have to keep the trigger depressed until the sights are on target then release, because if you release the trigger during recoil you just launched a bullet for parts unknown. That seems counterintuitive, if not plain stupid. No, this is a range toy and only the uninitiated would carry it on the street. Leave the suppressive fire to the marine with the belt fed machine gun in the war zone.
But muh California. 🙁
I have zero sympathy for you.
You sound like an anti-gun hoplophobe, as that’s the language they use. “I have zero sympathy for you” are the EXACT same words an anti-gun extremist said to me when he heard I was a gun owner living in the People’s Republic of New Jersey. It’s weird that someone on TTAG would use the language of anti-gun zealots, word-for-word the exact same words.
I have zero sympathy for you either. I’ve lived in California, it’s a personal choice.
Complaining about the gun laws is your problem because you chose to live there.
You should troll harder lol
I have a Franklin trigger on a 10/22 that is SBRd with a 6 inch kidd barrel and a suppressor. you can dump a 25 round mag in about 2 1/2 seconds. It’s too much fun! The trick is deep cleaning it every time you get done shooting it.
The glock slide and trigger look like they would be just as much fun, but a bit pricier.
Got a cash n carry option? I like my dog
At a guess a lot of the south and midwest
I’d like your dog too, boiled, with hot peppers, and served with rice noodles.
Lol
It identifies as Bi but nary a word on how accurate the second shot is.
A load shot on the wall prevents abortions.
Didn’t seem much faster with the binary switched on.
Simple logic would dictate that it is twice as fast!!
Logic yes. The reality of the video, no.
You can make your Glock trigger binary for free.
Seriously. It’s not hard. Takes about 10 minutes from opening up to closing.
More nonsense for the tacti-tards to waste money on.
Okay Libby
I will continue to say it. The “gun community” has a really big problem with rapid fire weapons in the hands of the general population.
But when Obama sent real select fire weapons to police departments all across the country. Most of them were and still are very comfortable with that.
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