Blog

Nearly two years before “Rambo: First Blood Part II” saw Sylvester Stallone’s John Rambo go to Southeast Asia in search of American Vietnam prisoners of war (POWs), and a year before Chuck Norris did much the same thing in “Missing in Action,” “Uncommon Valor” hit the big screen and became the first of the ‘Back to Vietnam’ stories that were to follow.

Released nearly 40 years ago, “Uncommon Valor” set the tone for those other movies—but it was also notable in that it didn’t follow the ‘one-man army’ motif that had become common with the action films of the era from Arnold Schwarzenegger, Stallone, and Norris. It was also as much about camaraderie and loyalty as it was about the sheer ability to kick ass.

Directed by Ted Kotcheff, who had actually been in the director’s chair for Stallone’s “First Blood” and later would go on to direct 1989’s “Weekend at Bernie’s,” “Uncommon Valor” was also a more grounded story that highlighted the planning, training, and even difficulties in launching such a mission in a way that the subsequent films simply skimmed past. As it attempted to tackle the serious issue of those missing in action (MIA) believed to be held in prison camps in Southeast Asia, it received no support from the United States Department of Defense (DoD).

Back to Vietnam

The story by Wings Hauser focused on retired Marine Colonel Jason Rhodes (Gene Hackman), who puts together a rag-tag team to rescue his son and other Vietnam War POWs believed to be held captive in a camp in Laos.

While it would still fall very much into the “action” category, and offers a rousing final act, “Uncommon Valor” arguably is the most grounded of the back-to-Vietnam films, despite the fact that the production featured the least ‘exotic’ of locations. Whereas “Rambo: First Blood Part II” was filmed in Thailand, and Missing in Action’s principal photography took place in the Philippines, “Uncommon Valor” headed to the Lumahai Valley on the island of Kauai, Hawaii, which stood in for Laos, the site of the POW camp.

The production team made good use of the location, however, proving even before “Karate Kid II” or TV’s “LOST” that Hawaii was able to stand in for a foreign locale.

Yet, critics at the time weren’t all that impressed. When the film arrived at the box office the reviews were far from kind. Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert gave “Uncommon Valor” a thumbs down and suggested the first-rate talent of Kotcheff and Hackman was wasted. Even today, the film has just a 60% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

While the critics didn’t care for the film, audiences certainly loved it.

It is largely forgotten today, but “Uncommon Valor” went on to be one of the top-earning movies for 1983, which is impressive as it came out late in the year. That fact is especially notable as it also competed with “Scarface” and the then-latest Dirty Harry film “Sudden Impact” at the box office.

World War II Guns in a Vietnam War Movie

A key plot point (spoilers) is that as the team prepares for its mission in Thailand, the CIA steps in and seizes their weapons and other equipment to avoid an international incident. The fact that the team is not arrested, deported, or otherwise detained requires a fair share of “suspension of disbelief,” but it sets up for Hackman and crew to scramble to obtain the small arms needed to accomplish the mission. Quitting was never an option.

Thus while they train with modern U.S. hardware, they then head into action with an arsenal of World War II firearms that include M1 Garands, M1928A1 Thompson submachine guns, a Browning Automatic Rifle, an M18 57mm Recoilless Rifle and a number of Colt M1911A1 .45 pistols.

The choice of weapons is notable in that it also includes a German MG42—in fact likely a modified M60 mocked up for the film. The presence of such a weapon wouldn’t be entirely out of place in Southeast Asia, as members of the French Foreign Legion included volunteers from the Waffen SS and even the German Army who sought to escape justice after the end of the Second World War. The French military did send World War II surplus weapons such as the MG42 with those troops, likely due to their familiarity with them. Such a machine gun thus could have found its way to the “bargain bin” of a Bangkok arms dealer.

The bigger issue—not addressed in the film—is one of ammunition. The BAR and Garands would use the same .30 caliber rounds, while the same is true of the Thompsons and M1911A1s, which are chambered for .45 ACP, and likely the team was able to acquire the ordnance to complete the mission. However, the MG42 would use different ammunition (the German 7.92×57mm Mauser rifle round), and it is unclear how much of that ammunition an arms dealer in Asia could have possibly been able to acquire. Viewers may need to load up with a hefty dose of suspension of disbelief.

AK and RPGs in Uncommon Valor

Though the “heroes” of this story had to make do with their antiquated military small arms and equipment, the Laotian forces are seen utilizing a variety of Communist Bloc weapons. This is most notable in the Laotian Border Patrol and prison camp guards who are armed with the Norinco Type 56 carbine, the Chinese version of the SKS.

A number of the Laotian troops—as well as former drug smuggler Jiang and his two daughters who aid Rhodes and his team—also carry the Norinco Type 56 assault rifle, a Chinese-made clone of the AK-47. The particular weapon had stood in for the AK-47 in dozens of films due to a U.S. import ban on any small arms from the Warsaw Pact.

However, it is also worth noting that until 1982 even firearms from China and Yugoslavia were banned in the United States. Issues were made to skirt the bans by filming overseas. The Type 56 had been seen previously in “The Deer Hunter,” “Apocalypse Now,” and “The Year of Living Dangerously”—the first filmed in Thailand, while the latter two were made in the Philippines. Thus “Uncommon Valor” has the distinction of being the first Hollywood production filmed in the United States to employ any “AK” style of weapon.

“Uncommon Valor” was also the first Western film to feature an RPG-7 on screen—while it had appeared in three Soviet films. The handheld anti-tank grenade launcher isn’t actually seen being fired however, and American viewers would have to wait another year until the arrival of “Red Dawn” to see the weapon in action (but even then they were props that utilized deactivated/surplus RPG-2 that were mocked up to resemble the RPG-7).

Though Rambo gets the credit for going back to Vietnam, the team in “Uncommon Valor” beat him to it—and did it far more convincingly. This one has more heart and simply a better story.

Atomic Heart was sold to me like this, “It’s Soviet Bioshock, and you play as a mentally ill secret agent.” That was enough for me, plus it was free on Game Pass, so I dived in. I enjoyed Bioshock and nontraditional RPG first-person shooters, and Atomic Heart had a hook. A hook and a controversy. It was made by a Russian studio and released near the anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. They have not commented on it and say they do not comment on political affairs. Take that for what you will. I’m just reviewing the game as a gun guy.

Into the World of Atomic Heart

Atomic Heart takes place in 1955. An alternate 1955 in which a Soviet scientist discovered something called Polymer, which is a programmable liquid that led to massive technological gains. The Soviets stomped the Nazis by 1942, but the war had a heavy toll. The Soviets created robots, some humanlike, some not. They became the world’s workforce, and the Soviets became the most powerful superpower in the world.

They have cities in the clouds, robotic workforces, flying drones, and cars. It’s the Americana version of the Soviet Union. Your character Major Sergey Nechayev is a WW2 veteran and special operations Major with some interesting memory problems. The setting is wonderful, huge, vibrant, and unique. It’s certainly something new and strays away from gray alleys and the urban environments you’ve seen everywhere. It’s a very interesting world to explore and enjoy.

Graphics

Apparently, the game has been in production for years now, a rather slow production. It’s made using Unreal4, but you can’t tell. The game is absolutely gorgeous. I’m playing on an Xbox One, and it looks great. The enemies, the weapons, and the environments are all sharp and good-looking.

The enemies range in variety quite a bit, with varying appearances signifying which enemies do what and their weaknesses. Being able to identify these threats with good graphics makes it easy to throw the right kind of lead.

The downside to good graphics on the last generation’s engine and hardware is long load times. Lord forbid you to die and have to sit through an ultra-long load screen. I suggest sitting with a book because the game can be fairly difficult, and you might spend some time staring at your load screens. More than enough to read all the tips.

The Story of Atomic Heart

The story starts in one direction, and well, it has some twists and turns. It’s not what you expect, and it’s a great story. I really don’t want to spoil it because the game is still very new, and plenty of people haven’t gotten a chance to play. Most first-person shooters I play are fairly plain as far as the story goes. This game has an ambitious story mode. The only time it underdelivers is with your player character. He’s not super fleshed out, but his interactions with his technologically advanced glove, Charles, help a bit.

The characters are interesting, especially Granny. It’s a unique romp, and it’s tough to say much more about it without giving anything away. The world really establishes itself with this soviet world. In fact, we even get a mention of Mr. Kalashnikov if you pay attention.

The Shooting and More

Atomic Heart offers you a small but interesting and upgradeable arsenal, but more than that, they offer you, Charles. Charles, your super-powered AI glove gives you the ability to mix shock, telekinesis, and freeze into your gunplay. The powers and shooting aren’t an ‘or’ ordeal. You don’t have to choose between guns and power.

The two work together, and your telekinesis can toss an enemy in the air, making them vulnerable to gunfire. Shock can do damage, and stun enemies, and so on and so forth. The powers mix in easily and quickly with the gunplay, adding a new degree of fun destruction to your threats.

Oh, and this game isn’t easy. Well, maybe it is on the easy mode, but on anything else, the game tends to be quite difficult. Luckily the controls are pretty tight, and if you die, you die. It’s your fault. Nothing more than that. The game doesn’t play soft, and the threats are real. Most of the common enemies can throw a serious punch at you as you play.

The shooting is pretty standard if you eliminate the powers. The game allows you to aim down sights, and the sights are realistic. The recoil is present and punchy, and the game gives you enough options to keep things flowing. Not to mention melee weapons are present, from the Swede, a fire ax to the improvised weapons you can build and fight with.

The Guns of Atomic Heart

Atomic Heart offers you a bit of a mixed bag in terms of the arsenal. All the weapons are great, but they are either entirely made up or very real. Guns like the Makarov, KS-23, and AKM are present and provide that Soviet-era military technology. With that said, I find it hard to believe that with all their tech advancements, the Makarov would have succeeded.

I, as a shotgun nerd, love that the KS-23 is in the game. The KS-23 is a Russian four-gauge shotgun that uses barrels made for anti-aircraft guns. It’s rare to see it in a game, so I’m happy to see it. Although the recoil seems to be a bit low for a four gauge admittedly, I have no experience with an actual KS-23.

The fictional weapons include the Dominator, the Electro, the Rail Gun, and a few others. Sadly no PPSH-41s in the future. The game allows you to upgrade your weaponry to add different effects to its design. The upgrades are not just performance-based but also give the guns a new look depending on the upgrade. Your ammo can use the elements to deliver spicier blasts to certain foes.

Oh, and make your shots count. Finding extra ammo isn’t always easy, and it’s fairly scant. Luckily, along your journey, you can find these booths that not only upgrade weapons but also allow you to create ammo, health packs, etc.

The Atomic Heart Beat

Atomic Heart is very much a Bioshock-style shooter, and that’s perfectly fine with me. It doesn’t seem like we are getting a new Bioshock anytime soon. A Russian design team also provides a different look at the Soviets, and it’s an interesting take on our old enemy. Give it a play. It’s one of my favorite games of 2023, for what that’s worth.

How do you pick the best of anything? It’s always subjective to the user and their situation. It’s tough to always be objective, so I won’t even pretend to be. On a subject like video game weapons, I feel comfortable letting my hair down. The Call of Duty series has been chock full of guns since day one and today I’m talking about the best guns of Call of Duty. Most of these guns have been real, or at least closely based on real guns.

The COD armory includes a bit of everything from WW2 to now. Picking my favorite guns from such a huge series wasn’t easy. I had to really sit down and think about what guns from the game leave an impact. What guns can I remember from games I played two, four, five, or even 14 years ago?

That’s not an easy question to answer, but I found a way to dig up five that made an impression on me.

Call of Duty 1 — FG-42

Call of Duty 1 strove to be a bit different than most WW2 shooters of the era and wasn’t afraid to feature oddballs like the FG-42. This rifle was made by the Nazis for their paratroopers. When the Nazis jumped into Greece as part of Operation Mercury, their performance was embarrassing. They were hit hard by the dug-in force, and some paratroopers were even clubbed to death by the Greeks.

The German paratroopers jumped into Greece armed with only handguns and were required to fetch their rifles and support weapons from crates. That tends to be a bad plan. Thus, after a near defeat, the paratroopers needed a new weapon—something compact that could take the palace of a rifle, a submachine gun, and a light machine gun. What they got was the FG-42. This bullpup rifle feeds from a side-mounted magazine and fires the 8mm Mauser.

The gun featured a number of interesting design choices. This includes closed bolt operation for semi-auto and open bolt for full auto. The weapon had a bipod and could be fitted with an optic. In Call Of Duty, you could even find FG-42s with accurate ZF4 scopes every now and then. In COD, it was one of the best weapons and a bit of a super weapon in its design.

Black Ops — ASP

Black Ops was the perfect game to feature the ASP. This Cold War crusade had you playing as a black ops soldier working around the world and often in ‘enemy’ territory. That’s the perfect palace for an ASP—a special pistol designed by Paris Theodore for concealment by special agents, spies, and black op soldier types.

The name was an acronym for his company, Armament Systems, and Procedures. Paris would take a S&W Model 39 and trim the barrel, slide, and grip to minimize the gun’s size. He then melted every corner to make it snag-free and implemented his Guttersnipe sight system. He replaced the grip panels with clear Lexan grips and cut the magazine to allow the user to look through the grips to judge capacity on the fly.

It’s a clever design and was apparently used in some hotspots around the world. The Supervisor of Security of the US Embassy in Saigon reportedly carried one. It’s a neat design and niche pistol that showed the Black Ops creators did their research.

Black Ops 2 — SRM 1216

Black Ops 2 broke ground by using a non-linear narrative for its campaign, with missions in both the past and future. In the future portions, one of the shotguns is the SRM 1216. This futuristic shotgun features a 16-round rotating magazine. The magazine is made up of four tubes that hold four rounds each. In real life, it’s a semi-auto shotgun, but in the game, it’s full auto. SRM Arms did make full auto variants as prototypes.

In the game, the magazine tubes are used realistically and rotate after every four rounds are fired. In the future, the SRM 1216 seems to be a general issue firearm with the US Navy as Sailors on the USS Barack Obama are wielding them.

It’s a bit of a niche gun as is, but it’s the perfect future shotgun for these sections of Black Ops. It’s reproduced well in the game and is a blast to use. In single-player, it’s a bit silly with extended magazines that don’t gain any length.

Call of Duty: World At War — M1918A2 BAR

The Browning Automatic Rifle is a Call of Duty staple. Seeing as how they made their bones making World War 2 games, it makes sense that it’s popped up in basically all of the WW2 games. The one COD that the BAR stands out to me is World At War. In real life, the BAR was a squad support weapon, but in most Call of Duties, it’s basically an assault rifle.

In World At War, it functions like a squad support weapon. It’s a big, powerful gun chucking .30-06 bullets at people rapidly. When it hits the bad guys, it takes them down, going as far as removing body parts as it cuts through a wave of Japanese attackers. On top of that, the gun can use the bipod to stabilize the weapon for better accuracy. Oddly enough, the bipod increases the rate of fire as well.

It’s not totally realistic, but it’s one of the few times the BAR feels like it’s being used as a support weapon and not just an assault rifle. It’s got recoil, and it feels like it has weight and power. In real life, it most certainly did.

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare — M16A4

Call of Duty Modern 4: Warfare changed the gaming world, delivering a modern experience for the first time in Call of Duty history. It broke ground and was a huge success. It was so popular it was even a notable boost to video game content on YouTube. Modern Warfare 4 featured the most modern weapons of 2008, including the typical M249 SAWs, the M4, and of course, the M16A4.

The M16A4 is the last variant of the M16 used by military forces. This full-length rifle rocks a KAC handguard and flat top upper that’s optic-ready and willing. The game came out a year before I shipped to boot camp, and little did I know the day I stepped foot on Camp Geiger, I’d get my first M16A4 issued to me.

In the multiplayer mode, the M16A4 became the meta. It was the gun to use if you wanted to maximize your kills. A burst was a death ray that was accurate, powerful, and capable. You’d frustrate other players to no end by wiping through them with the M16A4. It was the gun of the game.

My Favorites

For me, these are the best guns of Call of Duty. They are the guns I associate with certain games and, to me, were the most memorable ones that made the biggest impact. I’m one person, and I know there are a lot of COD players out there, so did any of these appeal to you? What do you think are the best guns of Call of Duty? Share below!

I love when Denzel Washington and Antoine Fuqua team up. Regardless of the movie’s overall quality, it’s always entertaining. Sometimes the films are fantastic, like “Training Day,” other times they are highly entertaining, like “The Magnificent Seven.” “The Equalizer 2” falls solely into the second category. This film pairs Washington and Fuqua to make an entertaining action movie that’s not too deep on story, but fairly original in character.

What’s “The Equalizer”?

I watched the first “Equalizer” in 2014 and enjoyed it, but little did I know “The Equalizer” is a reboot of a 1980s TV show. In 2021 another TV show launched separately from both the movies and the original show. The origins show was about a man named Robert McCall, who was an American covert operative who looked to atone for his past by doing good for people who needed help. In the show, he put an advertisement in a newspaper. The show had a case-of-the-week vibe and was a spy-like thriller. McCall drove a sweet Jaguar and used various gadgets to solve crimes.

The films follow a similar idea. McCall is played by Denzel Washington, and he is a former covert operative. He retired to live a life of peace but, on occasion, uses his old skills to help people. In the film, he doesn’t put an advertisement in the newspaper, although, at the end of the first film, he answers a Craigslist ad.

In “The Equalizer 2,” he is a Lyft driver and kind of just finds trouble through his daily interactions. McCall is a former Marine who worked for the DIA and likes to keep using his skills to help people.

Equalizer — A Messy Plot

The beginning of “The Equalizer 2” isn’t very focused. It’s almost a series of vignettes of Robert McCall interacting with Lyft customers and his neighbors, and reading books. In the first scene, he’s established as a badass as he beats down several men on a train and rescues a young girl.

Then we get scenes of him trying to mentor a young man from his building. He entertains and tries to help a Holocaust survivor find a painting stolen by the Nazis. He beats the hell out of a group of young executives who abused and assaulted a woman, and somewhere between all this, we get the tiniest breadcrumbs of a plot.

The main plot has McCall’s friend and former partner investigating a murder and then getting murdered herself in a staged suicide. This triggers McCall to investigate and figure out what happened. Betrayal is afoot, and McCall faces off with a team of his former DIA colleagues, promising to kill them all.

A promise he predictably keeps.

The Equalizer 2 — The Last Act Is the Only Act

As the movie moves along, the only real act is the last act, which takes place in a seaside town that is being ravaged by a hurricane. This does create an original setting and also allows Robert to be a little less outnumbered. He’s facing his peers, and the hurricane helps make him a slightly more believable one-man army. McCall finds the bad guys, lures them into a trap, and proceeds to kill them all. His mentoree gets kidnapped and saved, predictably.

Even though the plot is messy and seemingly disjointed, the movie is still entertaining. Sometimes violent-justice porn just feels good to see. Real life isn’t always fair, and sometimes it’s nice to see the bad guy get his arm broken or get shot in the face. The reason why it works is that we crave justice and are frustrated with our system. On top of that, Denzel isn’t your standard action hero. He’s stoic for sure, but also quiet and seemingly gentle with most people. He’s intelligent, a reader, and a man who seems like he could be your dad or brother, or friend.

When it’s time to whoop ass, he flips the switch and gets things done. He usually gives his villains a chance to do the right thing. When they don’t take that chance, he deals with them. He’s not the typical vigilante like the Punisher or Batman, but that’s what he is, to be fair.

It’s not a movie that will win awards or will stand out, but for a couple of hours, you can eat popcorn and enjoy Denzel Washington being awesome.

The Guns and Gun Play

“The Equalizer 2” is not a super gun-heavy movie. At least it’s not a gunfight-heavy film. We see a smattering of guns throughout the film. The Equalizer himself is skilled with a firearm but doesn’t seem to bring one to fights. He often disarms opponents and arms himself to the teeth. From gangbangers to Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) mercenaries, he’ll take you down and arm himself.

The last act is where we see the most gunplay. The DIA-turned-mercs bring an arsenal of high-end firearms to befit for a team of hardcore, highly trained mercs. McCall kills one of them and takes his Sig-Sauer MPX fitted with a Trijicon MRO, Maxim stock, weapon light, and suppressor.

One of the other baddies carries a nice Daniel Defense MK18, and the third carries a Sig Sauer MCX. Our big bad guy comes to the fight armed with a Daniel Defense Mk12. The shooting and action are all competent, but nothing stands out as crazy good or bad. All of the guns are well-equipped with accessories. In one scene, I’m almost positive the MCX has a MAWL attached to it. Our Mk12 has a bipod and what appears to be a night vision optic, although our view through the optic makes it seem like a normal day optic.

My pro tip for the mercenaries: why wear Multicam suits in a seemingly suburban beachside town? Normal clothes with windbreakers, hoods, and glasses would be a bit better for fighting in the rain. Also, this is one of the rare times when your camo stands out.

Enjoy the Action

This movie won’t blow you away or give you those “John Wick” vibes. It’s just a fun action flick that certainly kills a few hours. I doubt we’ll see “The Equalizer 3,” but if we do, I’m down to see McCall bring justice to the unjust.

There are many aftermarket modifications to Glock’s stock trigger, from simple parts (e.g., connectors) to replacement triggers/trigger bar, to drop-in trigger groups, to larger kits also replacing the striker and additional springs. Though Glock has always warned against secondary market parts to ensure the warranty and safety of their products, they have allowed such modifications within an Unlimited division in both indoor and outdoor Glock Sports Shooting Foundation (GSSF) matches. The two factors that previously united all these aftermarket modifications were 1) they were all designed to change the ergonomics and trigger press weight in an effort the improve the trigger with better fit and/or lighter press, and 2) they were manufactured by secondary market companies. Now, with a single email released by Glock during the January 2023 SHOT Show, Glock has changed the second factor by introducing their own Glock Performance Trigger (Currently $99.00).

Currently, there are no plans to ship any Glocks with the Performance Trigger pre-installed and it is offered by Glock as an accessory to be installed in pre-existing 9mm Glocks. The Glock Performance Trigger can fit: 

• Glock 17 Gen5
• Glock 19 Gen5
• Glock 19X
• Glock 26 Gen5
• Glock 34 Gen5
• Glock 45
• Glock 47
• MOS versions of those same guns.

Glock is advertising these triggers for those wanting a flat-faced trigger with a lighter trigger press while maintaining the Glock Safe Action System.

Additionally, Glock warns that the triggers should be installed by certified Glock armorers and only in the listed Glocks. ¹

The Mechanics

Another factor that unites most previous aftermarket triggers is that they utilize the basic engineering of the stock Glock Trigger simply adjusting trigger bar angles, polishing surfaces, and/or replacing springs. The Glock Performance Trigger utilizes a redesigned trigger, trigger bar, and trigger mechanism. This likely was developed due to Glock wanting to adjust the trigger press and ergonomics of the trigger face
while maintaining the safety standards of a Glock-produced accessory.

It is of note that the trigger bar is not only different in the Glock Performance Trigger, but it also engages in the trigger mechanism housing differently. Specifically, there is a spur on the trigger bar that needs to be seated properly on a spring within the housing for the trigger to operate properly. The trigger comes with a rubber band holding this configuration in place, but if the bar comes loose, the trigger bar will reseat without engaging the spring within the trigger mechanism, resulting in a dead trigger.

An objective test conducted by the author compared an unfired Performance Trigger to an unfired stock trigger from the same Glock 17 Gen5 MOS. Glock reports the stock trigger at 26 newtons or a 5.8-pound trigger press. The trigger press for both triggers were measured and averaged across twenty trigger presses with a Lyman digital scale and then these averages were adjusted to match the factory-listed specs of the stock trigger. The stock trigger press was consistent across measurements and the starting position and reset position of both triggers were near identical. The stock trigger had a trigger press of 5.83 pounds (Standard Deviation (SD) = .21 ounces) while the Performance Trigger had an even more consistent trigger press of 3.56 pounds (SD = .09 ounces). The objective result was that the Glock Performance Trigger had a consistent trigger press of 2.27 pounds lighter than the stock trigger.

The Subjective Experience

Though objectively a lighter trigger press with a flatter trigger face, the proof is in the experience. The subjective experience supports the objective data. Overall, if you are used to the standard Glock stock trigger, the newer flat-faced trigger may take a little getting used to; however, this flat-faced trigger has been common in non-Glock aftermarket trigger replacements as well as in other manufacturers’ guns.

The trigger press is subjectively a smoother experience moving from initial trigger movement until hitting the wall, then break (releasing the striker to fire the gun). This break is not only a lighter press but also slightly crisper and more consistent than the standard stock trigger. In this way, the Glock Performance Trigger is similar to other aftermarket triggers.

Following the break, the reset is more similar to a standard stock Glock trigger coming consistently and noticeably, but also further forward compared to many other aftermarket triggers. This does differ from other products available that often have a ‘softer’ and quicker reset. Overall, the trigger experience is cleaner, lighter, and very consistent.

Competition

For those competing in Glock-sponsored shooting events (GSSF indoor and outdoor), there has already been a clear ruling from the GSSF that the Performance Trigger is considered a ‘stock’ addition as it is manufactured by Glock. This means a Glock equipped with the Performance Trigger does not change division. If the Glock had been designated as a Stock gun of Stock MOS, the addition of this trigger does not change that designation. It will be interesting over the next year to see how many stock guns at GSSF events start utilizing this trigger as it does provide a lighter and more consistent trigger press.

Carry Use

I will openly admit I am biased against carrying a defensive gun that features any internal modifications. However, as this trigger comes from the original company and carries their continuing warranty and assurance of safety, I could see those wanting a lighter more consistent trigger in their carry gun considering this accessory for it. Additionally, the similar uptake prior to trigger break and continued presence of a trigger safety further support considering this trigger for carry use.

Overall, there was nothing during my dry fire or live fire testing that suggested any areas of concern for safely carrying a Glock featuring a Performance Trigger, outside of the reduced trigger press.

Summary

Glock has made an impact with the release of their own “aftermarket” trigger. The cost versus benefit, when compared to other aftermarket trigger options, results in a solid product at a relatively lower price point that also provides an improved shooting experience. The bonus of a better trigger experience without potentially compromising safety and reliable function or voiding the Glock warranty will also appeal to some users. Finally, the fact that the Glock Performance Trigger can be used for competition without impacting the division that the gun shoots in will further appeal to some.

I will close by adding my voice to others that wonder why this trigger is not set to become the standard trigger in stock Glocks; maybe that will be one of the reveals for the Gen6 Glocks.

¹ There are videos posted online showing how a minor modification to the frame area where the trigger mechanism housing is located then allows this trigger to be added to previous generations of the Glock 17, 26, and 34. This modification obviously would not be covered by Glock’s warranty of the product.