There is no real or practical difference between longer or shorter AR barrels for hunting inside 500 yards, which you probably shouldn’t do. 300 yards on coyote is about as far as I would shoot 5.56.

Today’s issue of TTDS may trigger some of the trigger-pullers out there. We are going to be taking a brief look at what are arguably the best AR triggers on the planet from Geissele Automatics. You can certainly do worse in the trigger world, but you’d have to try real hard and squint to find something better.

I have been using Geissele triggers for a while and they have always had special significance to me. Some old guy at the Camp Perry National Matches gave me, a wide-eyed teen at the time, the sage wisdom you just read in the first paragraph. You really have to squint -or overlook some things- to find a better trigger on the market today.

Geissele dominates the scene at the National Matches and is the choice component maker for rifle competitors. All of my AR rifles have a Geissele trigger of some sort in them. My Service Rifle match gun boasts several parts with a big “G” on them, including handguards and buffer springs. The Bakelite-dyed AR that is a common sight in my articles also has a Geissele buffer and spring and trigger.

Note the “G” on the trigger. You know it’s a good one when it has that little letter.

So just what makes these triggers so good? Well, aside from being the only trigger brand I recommend, they are the only one I fully trust to actually deliver. I get contacted by readers all the time asking about parts and my recommendations, and the only triggers that I have seen that work 100% of the time for 100% of end users is Geissele. They are the perfect blend of aesthetics, function, and supreme ruggedness. I have owned several different Geissele triggers and each does exactly as advertised.

There are two specific triggers that I want to address for this article: the Hi-Speed National Match and the G2S. These triggers retail for $279 and $165, respectively. There are many options available, but these two represent what most people out there will use a trigger for.

The Hi-Speed National Match is, in addition to be match-legal in most rifle competitions, probably the single best trigger you could hope to find for your AR. This is a supremely adjustable, ultra-rugged trigger that offers the best two-stage pull available today.

I have tried many, many high end triggers and there is not one that comes close to what you get with this one. This is not only the perfect trigger for the National Matches, but also is enviable for the varminter, long range shooter, and all-weather hunter. This trigger is designed to be adjustable and you can tweak it just how you need it thanks to the comprehensive instructions it comes with.

Geissele rails are some of the strongest made today.

The G2S, or Geissele 2-Stage, is what I would say is a great Geissele starter product. This is a drop-in solution for the shooter looking to improve their accuracy. The trigger is a simple, no-frills upgrade and is at home in entry-level guns as well as rugged field-grade rifles. My own hunting AR has this trigger and it provides an excellent, crisp two-stage pull without issue. I have recommended this trigger to first-time AR owners and every single one has claimed that it improved their shooting. Once you get a Geissele trigger like this, you will certainly want one in each of your guns.

Geissele buffer springs are made of braided wire and were inspired by those of the legendary German MG42 machinegun.

The thing about Geissele triggers is that people tend to keep them. I’ve known several guys over the years who have bought and sold rifles and they always keep some milspec triggers around to put back in the rifles when they sold them. They took the Geissele triggers out and put them in the next gun. Most consider these triggers and parts to be investments and treat them as such. I think you’ll feel the same if you install one of these fine triggers in your rifle or carbine.

 

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR

74 COMMENTS

  1. Amen. Geissele triggers are all I buy anymore. I wish they weren’t so expensive, but you get what you pay for.

  2. I have 4 Hi-Speed National Match triggers. 2-5.56, 1-6.5 Grendel, and 1-6.5 Creedmoor LFAR. As long as a two stage trigger is suitable for any future builds I won’t buy any other trigger. They really are that good.

    • Forgot to mention that 3 of the 4 rifles mentioned above have Geissele Super 42 buffer and spring in them too. The 6.5 Grendel wears a 15″ Geissele mlok rail as well. Yep Geissele makes some pretty good products.

      • I like the adjustability of the Geissele Hi-Speed National Match trigger. It costs a little more but the added versatility is worth it in my opinion.

  3. The Geissele SD-E is my go to. I have a few of them and they are awesome! I also have a SSP that is amazing. I have a Timney and an Elftmann as well. Those are vast improvement over the standard triggers. I have a Triggertech Competitive flat flace trigger that is on par with the Geissele offerings. It is the only trigger that can compete with Geissele. If you haven’t tried one and they are on sale you won’t be disappointed. It is a drop in though, so no billet lowers though.

    • +100 on the TriggerTech*. I have several of them and they are smoooth (and Brownell’s puts them on sale a couple of times a year…usu. around Black Friday).

      It’s a shame that Canada manufactures some of the best rifle accessories and trains some of the finest long-range riflemen in the free world when you consider that their country has a shyte attitude for their proles owning firearms.

      Hunting buddy has a Geissele…I can’t feel any difference from the Trigger Tech…YMMV.

      *TriggerTech is designed and manufactured in Canada.

  4. Likely illegal in Florida, thanks to their bump-stock ban also bans “any device that increases the rate of fire”, that a Leftist prosecutor can probably get you convicted for…

      • This is the problem with the comments section here. The unfortunate part is the so called moronic comment is exactly how dipshit liberal leftists think. While the supposed moronic comment isn’t true. It was probably said in a tongue in cheek kind of manner.

        • Here is the direct text of the Florida law :

          “790.34Prohibited device for firearm. (1)DEFINITION.—As used in this section, the term “bump-fire stock” means a gun conversion kit, a tool, an accessory, or a device used to alter the rate of fire of a firearm to mimic automatic weapon fire or which is used to increase the rate of fire of a semiautomatic firearm to a faster rate than is possible for a person to fire such semiautomatic firearm unassisted by a kit, a tool, an accessory, or a device.”

          Reading that at face value, *any* device, like a precision trigger with a lighter pull than stock qualifies as an “increase the rate of fire”.

          So, if some asshole Leftist prosecute wants to make a name for themselves, a Giselle or Timney trigger prosecution would be a very tempting thing to pursue.

          They wrote a shit, vague, overly-broad law open to wholesale abuse by a vindictive prosecutor.

          And that’s an irrefutable *fact*…

          • While it maybe a fact, I personally see it as a far stretch that would go no where. If a little work is done to a milspec trigger the same could be said of it too. Yet it’s still a milspec trigger with a little smoothing and polishing. That law is a piss poor attempt to paint broad strokes hoping no one notices.

          • Hopefully the courts will throw down the bumpstock ban making this crap null and void. I personally would think as a law maker that would have to be the most painful embarrassment, having the court tell you your passed law carries no weight.

        • Since a rifle can be bump fired with a fixed stock and trigger, none of these items increase the rate if fire over the stock models.

      • I’m younger than you are, Paul. And like an unwelcome putrid stench, you’re back in TTAG again.

        Looking at getting banned twice? 😉

        • You are an angry elf!

          LOL.

          I left this site when the moron who was running it was constantly posting his anti-LEO crap. I’m glad he is gone.

          Maybe you should adios as well?

          Or not.

          I don’t care. Mind over matter. I do not mind, because you do not matter.

        • @ Geoff:
          I doubt triggers are capable of increasing the RoF of a firearm in meaningful way. The cyclic rate of the action determines RoF. No matter how fast you pull a trigger, the action can only operate as fast as it’s characteristics allow. A lighter trigger might allow YOU an extra shot per magazine or so, but only because your finger isn’t pulling the trigger as fast as the action is cycling.
          That is a big reason why the bump stock ban is stupid.

        • Let’s be clear about what this doofus, Geoffie, is saying.

          Installing a Geissele trigger group is a violation of Florida’s alleged law against bump stocks.

          As Bugs Bunny would say, “What a maroon.”

          LOL

      • Careful, some liberal may start demanding your finger be removed. The very nature of your finger could pose a threat to their safety.

  5. I have a Geissele SSA-E, which I love. But at $230 a pop, it’s a little pricey to put in all of my AR-15s. A really good alternative budget trigger is the ALG ACT, which you can find for $50-75. These are simply enhanced milspec triggers with a slick coating, but they provide a very noticeable improvement over the standard trigger. I believe ALG is owned and run by the wife of Mr. Geissele himself.

  6. Hands down, Geissele makes the best triggers. I swapped out my stock triggers years ago and never looked back. Awesome stuff!

  7. I built a 20 inch 6.5 Grendel around a SSA-E trigger. Obviously excellent, but ive actually had a hard time getting used to it, as I’m used to two stage triggers! Got a 30% off coupon though so thought I’d give it a shot. It seems well suited for the bench/precision type build I made, but I’d be reluctant to put it in a “duty” or defensive rifle, it’s just too light.

  8. I have used Geissele triggers for years. My very purchase I screwed up and ordered a trigger for “large pin” trigger groups. I realized my error, sent an email to Geissele after normal business hours and within thirty minutes I received an email response from Bill. himself. He told me he would send another one to me. I asked what to do about returning the “wrong one” and he simply said, “Put the cash in your church’s offering plate.”

    And that’s when he gained a lifetime customer.

    • In my opinion that’s what makes the price of admission worth it. The first Hi-Speed National Match trigger I bought was before they started offering all the spring options as a kit. When I purchased my second they had switch to the kit option. I called and asked if I could get the additional springs for my first trigger and without hesitation they sent them out to me. That is customer service I like and will revisit time and again.

  9. #FAKE NEWS.

    I could tell as soon as I got to the part where you said “My own hunting AR has this trigger”

    Nobody uses an AR for hunting. The only purpose of an AR is to kill as many people as quickly as possible. The media has told me this many times, and thus it must be true.

  10. I asked Geissele about their LE only pricing $750 for the only ones and $2000 for us mere “civilians” .
    Never heard back from them.

    • Did you compare the specifications or just the prices? If you compare the specs and price the components maybe you’ll understand the $1250 difference between the two. Maybe not though…

      • I’m wondering how the $2000 price was obtained? Specing the civilian version out the same as the law enforcement model says pricing coming soon. The only difference is they make you choose sights rather than the rifle not coming with sights for the law enforcement model. I wouldn’t doubt that they are going to sell to law enforcement and military at a better price than civilians. However Geissele offers a discount to both as long as they are active. A veteran or retiree of either don’t qualify.

    • Are you volunteering to be shot by one?

      Getting shot is still getting shot, with all the grief that comes with it… 🙂

    • Gadson I know your a old boot LEO type honestly really?

      I would rather have a AR-15 derivative as my patrol longarm verse a shotgun anyday or anything else. We had 870’s up to last year and they never caused anything but problems. Yes is was a probably a training issue but as you know there is never enough time or money for those type of issues.

  12. A nationally known instructor that I know had 9 Geisseles break in his class rifles in one year. He switched to LaRue triggers 5 years ago and not one break.

    • Yes, name names or don’t even bother putting this trash out there. Every company will have some degree of failures, but to slam Geissele so hard while praising LaRue needs to be substantiated.

  13. Wow, every other time I read this column and the comments section I am simply amazed. Btw, I have 14 state of the art cum-wit-de-gun special triggers, along with the same amount of barrels, stocks, and key chains. Actually 13 less than stated since I’ve found it to taxing to fire more than one rifle at a time. I also have 711pistols less 709, cause I can fire each at same time. My cousin only has one Pistole cause a corn picker ate his right hand when he was 12. Dad fired her that afternoon. Have a nice day.

  15. My first ever AR build was a .308. I put an SSA-E trigger in it promising myself that mil-spec would be fine for all future rifles. I didn’t realize how bad I was lying to myself at the time. Now all of my other 5.56 and 300BLK ARs have G2S triggers that I picked up at sale time for around $125-135 each and my Tavor has a Super Sabra and Lightning Bow in it. I also snagged an SSA-E on a special fundraising run that they did that will probably end up in a Grendel build. I am also very interested in their Super 700 triggers for a future bolt action build. If anybody here has first hand experience with that trigger I would love to hear about it. Basically once you go Geissele you won’t go back.

    • I don’t have experience with Geissele 700 trigger and I’m not trying to sway you one way or the other. However you might check out David Tubbs 700 trigger as well. The Tubb trigger will most likely go in my next bolt action rifle build.

      • Thanks for the suggestion, I will be sure to look into them. I’m probably still a couple of years out from my dream 700 build so I have lots of time to do research.

  16. I always tell people not to start putting Geissele triggers in their guns because it will spoil them, and they will be forced to upgrade all their guns. Their customer service is great too.

  17. One rifle, my milled Arsenal SAM7R had what I considered a truly terrible trigger. It was the Arsenal double hook and it SUUUUUUUUCKED. I had Rifle Dynamics in Las Vegas custom tune a G2 trigger for it which vastly improved the trigger action. I was night and day difference. Honestly, the Arsenal trigger was probably the worst trigger of any firearm I’ve ever owned or fired. Now the trigger on my AR .300blk pistol seems pretty nice from the factory and I see little sense on fooling with something that is more than acceptable. There were other aspects of the weapon the customizing process better addressed than replacing the trigger.

  18. I bought a Super Select-Fire SOPMOD (SSF®) Trigger for my transferable lower and what a difference . The original trigger group was probably original to the weapon when it was initially registered in the NFA pior to ’86. The semi trigger squeeze is a smooth 2 stage and the giggle switch is a clean crisp break. Definitely worth the price for a overall improvement in the weapon.

  19. Geisseles were always above my pay grade, but the G2S is in range. I might have to consider an upgrade. I started with a base ALG (mistake), but later upgraded with a spring set from NicTaylor that made it a usable trigger. But it is not what I would call “precision.”

    My AR 10 build has a single stage Rise in it that is just light enough (3.5 lbs) without being too light to suit my skilz (or lack thereof). So far I have not experienced a two stage trigger, so I don’t understand the hype. (I understand the concept, but lack the experience.) The Rise is pretty similar to the pull on my 1911s.

    • “Guys-lee”

      Lol, I used to be the same way until a few years ago, always thought it was weird a tacti-cool gun company would call themselves “Jazelle”.

  21. Nice commercial. Let’s see what real data has to say about big G. As shown on this very site couple years ago in an AR drop-in trigger comparison. Out of 14 measured triggers, Geissele Super Dynamic 3 Gun (SD-3G) would end up on 12th position. Not very impressive.

    Geissele makes some good stuff, no doubt, but they are still component triggers. If that’s what your competition rules prescribe, not much you can do better. But good drop in cassette has less tolerances to work with, so the pull can be made shorter, lighter, more consistent and still perfectly safe. Just don’t forget to tighten the set screws.

    • No, they don’t! They just offer a non-constant trigger pull. Next, you tell me that a OEM Glock trigger violates that rule. LOL.

      Get some training!

  23. The BGRF (available from Brownells only as far as I know) is Geissele’s short reset trigger and with the included light spring is just about as good as it gets for an AR trigger when you need to put bullets down range quickly.

  24. I think the thing so interesting about the AR platform is how you can make a entirely serviceable rifle for a very low price but how expensive everything can get. A few of these components together (trigger, fancy charging handle, sights or optics, etc) add up to about the cost of the ar pistol I just built.

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