| Red Star Arms Adjustable Trigger
Review |
| Ok the very first thing I noticed
when I received the trigger was the package the box came
in. They had this thing so tapped up I had to practically
get a hacksaw to open it. Also there were no dumb markings
on the package that suggest there was any thing valuable.
Both the package being securely sealed and the lack of
obvious markings will hopefully detour our little loading
buddies with sticky fingers at the post office. So already
the company that makes the product, RedStarArms has two
good things going for it and we haven't even opened the
box. Once I got into the box, through the use of some
major force, I pulled out the newspaper used to keep the
product from bouncing around. Then I saw it, the awesome
holy grail of a piece that I spent 10 minutes trying to
get too, the adjustable trigger. The thing was packaged
so nicely it was almost a shame to tear the bad open a
remove the contents. Inside the clear bag there was of
course the adjustable trigger set, a very detailed manual,
and an Allen wrench. |
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| I examined the trigger set looking
for imperfections, and as expected there were none, no
ugly finishing marks, no sharp rough corners, no anything.
As stated by others on the forum, these guys are true
professionals. One of the cool features I noticed though
that none of the other previews on the board have covered,
mainly because they didn't get there's in the mail, is
a metal pin holding the trigger/disconnector assembly
together so they don't separate forcing that little spring
from flying off. What's so cool about it you ask? Well
when it comes to install you just drop the piece in and
slide the larger original trigger pin in its place. The
only thing I could find wrong with the product was the
manual. It is so detailed that some people might be intimidated
by its size. Though this feeling quickly disappears once
one turns the manual over to see a detailed drawing of
the complete assembly that is labeled. The manual consists
of several sections. The first details on how the trigger
works, the second on how to set up a two stage trigger,
and the third details on how to set up a single stage
trigger. |
| After reading the manual several times
I think I finally got the drift on how it works. So I
decided to install it. After removing my crappy US internals
that I am saving for another project down the road, I
was ready to go. Installation is a breeze for those of
us who have removed and reinstalled the FCG on a AK type
rifle, but for newbies it is a little scary looking at
all the springs and levers. That's why I will put a tutoral
up soon on how to install the trigger group. I had the
thing in my rifle in fewer than 10 minutes, it installs
exactly like the normal FCG. |
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| Here is a picture of the adjustable
trigger assembly in the uncocked position. Notice how
its an enitrely diffrent beast then that of the US FCG. |
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| Here is a picture of the adjustable
trigger assembly in the cocked position. |
| Following the manual I adjusted for
a two-stage trigger using the included allen wrench, it
is awesome. When I pull the trigger through the first
stage I didn't fill anything gritty like I did on my other
FCG, it is very nice and smooth. Once I get past the first
stage I feel the trigger get hard letting my finger know
if it moves back any father the rifle will fire. This
is awesome for those who like to take time to carefully
aim downrange. I wonder how many people messed up their
groups because of the unpredictability of the crappy US
FCG included with their rifle.
Again looking at the manual I adjusted for a single-stage
trigger. I personally consider this the rock and roll
setting. If you barely pull the trigger back the thing
shoots. Hopefully if I get a chance to go to the range
this weekend I can get a first hand experience on a
improvement on how fast I can pull off shots. The problem
most people experience with rapid shooting using the
US FCG, is the fact that trigger slap hurts and forces
one to slow down.
Once I was finished dry firing my AK with both settings
I started to shake wanting to shoot it, unfortunately
I wont have a chance to do a live fire test until this
or next weekend. Overall this trigger is the best thing
to happen to the AK series, it may not be the cheapest
US trigger, but it is the best bang for your buck. Unlike
the other $60 dollar US AK FCGs, you get more then just
a basic trigger set, it's a higher quality, its adjustable
and it just under $20 dollars more. To sum it up finally
the AR isn't one of the only rifles with a good set
of aftermarket triggers, well that day has ended, move
over AR, the AK is here.
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| Short trip
to the range with trigger installed |
Ok I finally got a chance to shoot
my AK with the RedStarArms adjustable trigger. WOW!!!
Even though I only had time to shoot about 90 rounds down
range (dam cows showed up and we had to stop). The first
thing I did was pop in a 30 round magazine and pulled
that sweet sounding AK action back. As you already know
I had the thing set for a one-stage trigger so I was eager
to see how quick I could dump a magazine on target. Taking
aim at about 40-50 yards I pulled off all 30 rounds a
lot faster then I thought possible. It seemed like my
rate of fire increased! This was due to the fact that
the crap FCG I had previously in the AK actually had two
personalities. It would literally change from a one stage
to a semi two stage for no apparent reason.
After the first magazine I was fired up! I wanted to bump
fire so bad. Personally though I suck at bump firing,
I can only get like 6-10 rounds off at a time, this might
be due to the fact that I am left handed and it feels
awkward using my right hand to fire, so I am no expert.
When I was in the bumping position I pulled the AK forward
with my left hand and it started to spurt rounds out it
like a bullet hose, then I heard the magic click and the
thing went to stop! It happened so fast I didn't realized
that I just bumped the entire magazine. My friend and
I just stood there laughing, and then we noticed some
utility guys about a quarter mile behind us driving away
in hurry! They probably thought we had a full auto. All
I can say is the single stage setting defiantly makes
it easier bump fire!
Once we let the AK cool down I decided to set the thing
with the two-stage setting just to see what I could do.
I set up some old 3-litter bottles of water down range
and began to shoot at them with aimed shots. The two-stage
trigger makes it much easier to aim because you can pull
up the slack on the first stage, aim, and then fire. On
my previous trigger it would randomly shoot depending
on how fast or how slow you pulled the trigger back. Not
being an expert at precision shooting, it appears that
the two stage setting will actually improve groups because
the first stage allows you to aim and then adjust before
you finally squeeze the round off.
Unfortunately my short trip to the range ended when my
friends next store neighbor let the cows out to feed.
I personally wasn't going to risking turning a 10-cent
round into a $500 dollar cow.
In conclusion this trigger is a must for any AK person!
If you want to know how to install a Fire Control Group
such as this one make sure you click on my Fire Control
Group instalation tutoral on the menu to the left.
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