Have over 200 rounds through my 43X and the very aggressive ridge design on the trigger shoe is eating my finger up. Would like to ONLY REPLACE the trigger shoe with a flat face trigger shoe. Question. Does only replacing the trigger shoe...not replacing any other internal component of the handgun...fall under the realm of "never modify a carry handgun" legal nightmare? Would I just be better off using a piece of sandpaper and smoothing down the trigger shoe ridges? Thank you in advance.
Glock 43X Trigger Shoe Replacement
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The "legal nightmare" concept has never actually proven to exist. I have lots of reasons for never modifying a self defense gun but potential legal issues, if I had to use the gun in self defense, is not one of them.
In general - the most important concept built into the Glock design, that you want to keep, are tolerances. Glocks are built with larger tolerances than many pistols - this actually improves reliability. Dirt/debris, the forces of live fire - Glocks handle it all and keep working because of their tolerances. This applies to your trigger shoe because Glock did not want to risk the trigger safety not fully retracting and accidently catching on the frame in a life or death situation. So the trigger safety lever sticks out rather than retract to smooth in the trigger shoe to ensure there is always positive pressure against the safety when pulling the trigger.
So, if you do decide to sandpaper things down a little, remember to not take the trigger safety all the way down and leave it protruding so you never find yourself with a gun that doesn't shoot when you need it to.
Personally, I haven't liked the fit of the replacement shoes I've experimented with. I use Zevtech triggers on a couple of competition guns and they're shoes are riveted to the trigger bar - the fit/finish just feels better to me (they're not cheap though).
Obviously, we've never shot together so I have no idea of your experiences. Do you pin the trigger to the rear when you shoot? I'm wondering if the force you're applying may be where the soreness is coming from?
In general - the most important concept built into the Glock design, that you want to keep, are tolerances. Glocks are built with larger tolerances than many pistols - this actually improves reliability. Dirt/debris, the forces of live fire - Glocks handle it all and keep working because of their tolerances. This applies to your trigger shoe because Glock did not want to risk the trigger safety not fully retracting and accidently catching on the frame in a life or death situation. So the trigger safety lever sticks out rather than retract to smooth in the trigger shoe to ensure there is always positive pressure against the safety when pulling the trigger.
So, if you do decide to sandpaper things down a little, remember to not take the trigger safety all the way down and leave it protruding so you never find yourself with a gun that doesn't shoot when you need it to.
Personally, I haven't liked the fit of the replacement shoes I've experimented with. I use Zevtech triggers on a couple of competition guns and they're shoes are riveted to the trigger bar - the fit/finish just feels better to me (they're not cheap though).
Obviously, we've never shot together so I have no idea of your experiences. Do you pin the trigger to the rear when you shoot? I'm wondering if the force you're applying may be where the soreness is coming from?
I am not a competitive shooter and shoot my Glock 19 and 43X at the range about once a month or so. And yes, I do "pin the trigger to the rear" to allow smoother trigger pull at the reset point. Maybe that pressure is what is causing most of the discomfort. Interesting that I do not experience as much discomfort when I shoot my Glock 19. Next time I shoot I will focus on my trigger pull and see if I am using excessive pressure holding the trigger down. I appreciate your comments. Thank you
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I have the Apex trigger improvement kits in all 3 of my Glocks, 43, G5 19 & G5 34, there are several law- Enforcement agencies that authorize these for duty use. The trigger is available as a separate part and is easily installed. As I have nerve damage in my right hand, I found the factory trigger particularly annoying and actually painful, I believe you will find this a comfortable solution.
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When I first got a 42, I caught myself pinning the trigger hard because of the frame being smaller than I was used to. My guess is it was a form of anticipation that the gun might twist in my hand and I needed to do that to hold it on target. I didn't make an intentional effort to stop so likely I just became more comfortable with the gun.
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No mistake Fan Boy, better Trigger, better Gun all around. No need to upgrade anything. Night Night!Sold it? Sounds like you just left the party, what a terrible mistakeJK
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Yes, I am a fan boy!
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All I do on my Glock triggers is to 'break' the protruding bottom edge off of the trigger safety lever. (What is all this 'trigger shoe' business? Glocks don't use 'trigger shoes'.)
Remove the trigger bar from the pistol. Push or pull the trigger's safety lever all the way forward (and out) as far as it will go. Hold it there. Now take a pass or two with something like a flat diamond knife sharpener, or even a fine emery board or metal nail file. Just work on the very tip of the safety lever, and make sure not to touch the overall flat length of the safety lever, which should still—and always—protrude slightly in front of the trigger's face. (Why? Because that safety lever is the one and only principal safety on every Glock pistol, and it needs to always be in perfect working order.)
Alternatively, if you happen to be skilled with a Dremel Tool then use it to just touch the tip of the safety lever and clip it at a 45º angle. (Jeeze, guys, much ado about nothing!)
Remove the trigger bar from the pistol. Push or pull the trigger's safety lever all the way forward (and out) as far as it will go. Hold it there. Now take a pass or two with something like a flat diamond knife sharpener, or even a fine emery board or metal nail file. Just work on the very tip of the safety lever, and make sure not to touch the overall flat length of the safety lever, which should still—and always—protrude slightly in front of the trigger's face. (Why? Because that safety lever is the one and only principal safety on every Glock pistol, and it needs to always be in perfect working order.)
Alternatively, if you happen to be skilled with a Dremel Tool then use it to just touch the tip of the safety lever and clip it at a 45º angle. (Jeeze, guys, much ado about nothing!)
A few years ago when the Sig P365 came out, I just HAD to have one, just unobtainable anywhere. So, being a Glock fan I got a G43. What I like about Glocks is: I'm totally familiar with the platform (9 Armour's classes since 1986) Fed decent ammunition, they are extremely reliable, they don't break and anything you don't like about them can be changed due to the plethora of aftermarket parts and services. I added Trijicon HD sights, an Apex trigger and several Glockstore +2 mag extensions as well as a Taran +1 for pocket carry. After 4 years of constant EDC and thousands of rounds (use primarily Federal 147 HST and Syntec) with absolutely no malfunctions or problems. Soon after I got the 43, started to hear about the firing pin breakage problems with the P365, apparently they went thru several cycles of broken strikers due to metallurgy issues. Haven't hear of any problems lately but due to the history, I'd be hesitant to trust a 365 for EDC. Having had 9 Glocks since 1986 with only one broken part (a trigger return spring on a G19 Gen3, pistol functions fine without it) so I trust them pretty much absolutely. I wouldn't trade my G43 for 6 P365s, they are probably ok now, but Glock has never failed me. I value that! With the recent problems with the Sig P320, drop safety and lawsuits about accidental discharges, I'm quite content to stay with my G19 Gen5 MOS and G34 Gen5 MOS which have also been flawless. YMMV, yes, I can be considered as a Glock fanboy.
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Well, 'Fanboy' might be too strong a descriptive adjective to apply to myself, but I am wearing a 35th anniversary Glock watch on my left wrist as I input this reply! Over the past 20 years, or so, I have repaired or helped to repair a whole lot of malfunctioning Glock pistols, including 3 troublesome Glocks of my own. Still, I carry one of these repaired Glocks around with me almost every single day, and it continues to work very very well. So, I'll settle for being called a realist because that is, indeed, what I am.
"A tradesman has to know his tools, their strong points, their weak points, and how to use them well." Right!
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Too strong of a description?
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Ok, maybe not
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Ok, maybe not
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