The Right Approach to Pistol Modifications, A Three-Part Series: Part 2

This week, we’re sharing a few guidelines on how to choose the modifications for design, quality, and performance. Yesterday, we talked about choosing modifications that improve handling qualities first, like grip work and serrations. Check out that post here!

Today, we will be talking about selecting quality internals in

Part 2: Connectors and Springs

Are cheap trigger connectors and light springs in Glocks the road to ruin? One story we hear all the time: “I put in a brand X connector and a brand Y lightened striker spring but ended up going back to the stock parts.”  Wow, is this story ever common.  Here’s the deal—as “simple” as the Glock design is, we’ve learned that tolerances in some areas are actually pretty tight.  And when it comes to trigger springs for Glock, there is a careful balancing act of spring and component weight happening in the gun.  A couple things to watch out for:  cheap connectors can cause issues, as can any connector that promises an uber light pull.  What goes wrong?  The scariest one is “reset fire” which is where the gun fires on the pull AND the reset of the trigger.  You can also run into cases of the trigger failing to reset altogether.  For this reason, Shadow Systems uses Taran Tactical Innovations (TTI) connectors in all our production guns.  Taran’s connector for Glock triggers is manufactured to a standard that simply blows away everything else out there.  When combined with a proper stock weight striker spring, you’ll get a consistent, EDC-safe pull of 4 lbs.

On that note, be cautious of lighter springs and strikers.  A lower-powered striker spring does reduce the pull (this is the spring you are physically compressing by pulling the trigger), but it is also the spring that pushes the striker forward to fire the round.  What happens when it’s too light?  “Click!”  We often joke that “we’d rather have a four-pound bang than a three-pound light strike.”  The hardcore tuners have found some ways to overcome these issues, but that typically involves a modified striker, and ammunition selection becomes critical.  Avoid that altogether.  Target a trigger pull in the 4 lbs. range, use a high-quality gun trigger/connector combo like we offer, and stop.  Then enjoy countless thousands of rounds without issue and master that trigger.

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