Apex Tactical "Flatty" trigger for the S&W M&P 2.0

 



It has been too many years to remember which of my guns was the first to have received a replacement trigger. I do remember owning the original Smith and Wesson Shield, and if you are like me and owned one, you will know like I did that the original Shield trigger was just short or terrible.  It had an articulating trigger which had a long gritty take up, and a crisp but HEAVY break which exceeded the eight pound mark.  It didn't take long for me to replace it with an Apex tactical trigger.  After swapping in the Apex Tactical trigger it turned the Shield into a completely different gun. The new trigger felt better on the finger, had a much smoother and shorted take up, and broke at a crisp 5 pounds. Fast forward many years and the Shield was sold and multiple other pistols were purchased to replace it, but one thing did not change, my trigger snobbiness.  When I purchased my first Smith and Wesson M&P 2.0, I knew its stock trigger would not stay long on the gun.

The M&P 2.0 triggers in their stock form are one of the best out of the box striker fired triggers on the market.  With risking upsetting any Glock fans out there, the stock 2.0 trigger blows the stock Glock out of the water.  And IF Smith and Wesson Starts putting their new Shield Plus trigger in all of their 2.0's, it will be the stock trigger to beat. 


My biggest complaint about the stock M&P 1.0 and 2.0's trigger is the actual trigger itself.  It is a ubiquitous curved trigger, but it hinges in the middle.  I attempted to illustrate the bendy trigger in the two photos above.  There is something about the way the trigger bends in two really starts to bother my trigger finger after about 50 rounds.  All the other minor gripes about the trigger operation can be chalked up to just that, minor. 


The stock iteration of the 2.0 trigger has an ever so slightly gritty take up but it then hits a definitive wall.

After the wall there is a crisp break (if you ignore the bendy trigger). 

And following the break, there is a nice audible and tactile reset.  I attempted to show it in the picture above but another minor gripe is that after the triggers reset, there are a few millimeters of take-up between the trigger reset and the wall. 






Pictured above is the new S&W Shield Plus trigger.  It appears S&W modeled after the Apex Trigger I installed so many years ago in my original Shield and they were wise to do so. Aside from installing a polished safety plunger, the Shield plus trigger is nearly perfect out of the box. As I already mentioned, S&W would be wise to start using this new style trigger in all their pistols. But until then, I am thankful companies like Apex Tactical are making fantastic triggers for the M&P's!






The Apex Tactical "Flatty" trigger, has a buttery smooth and significantly shorter take up.

It hits a very nice wall and has a much lighter, crisp and clean break.


As you might be able to see in the two pictures above, the reset is nearly on top of the break and it is wonderfully audible and tactile.


The main reason the Apex Tactical trigger feels so much smoother than the factory is because it comes with a smooth and polished sear safety plunger.  You can see the difference in the top picture vs the stock plunger in the picture below it. The stock safety plunger has a chamfered edge which makes it feel more gritty. If you have never installed one of these kits, swapping the sear safety plunger is the most difficult part of the install as you have to remove and replace the rear sight.  Annnd, if you have never swapped out the sights on a M&P, to say they are tight would be an understatement. Make sure you use the right tools for that part of the job.  I use a MGW Sight Pro and it works like a dream.

If you want to buy the awesome MGW Sight Pro you can find it at the following Brownells link;







The stock trigger which has been broken in, broke on average at a respectable 4.3 pounds.  The Apex Tactical trigger comes with different springs and with the stock springs you can mix and match to get the perfect desired trigger weight. 
The chart above can be hard to track down but it is super helpful when installing this kit.







I made this particular pistol have a very light trigger as it is my home defense gun and not one I intend on carrying.  The trigger now breaks at an amazing 2.6 pound average. 

I own a lot of nice pistols, with a lot of nice triggers and I have yet to find a striker fire trigger which is better then an "Apex'ed" M&P 2.0.  Until you get the opportunity to shoot one, it is hard to describe, but they have basically taken an already great trigger and made it fantastic! They are not inexpensive, but are worth every penny in my opinion.  

If you are interested in purchasing an Apex Tactical trigger, you can find one through the following Brownells link; (At the time of this writing, the code TAG will shave off $15).

If you are interested in the Lymans trigger gauge you can find one at the following Brownells link:




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