New Trigger Info

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originally posted by CB3 (slightly modified by me) on KTOG:

The earliest P-11' s produced from about 1995-6 had a 10.5 lb hammer spring, giving an effective trigger pull of about that weight. While lighter than many double action revolvers and other DA/SA semi-autos still in production today, it was very difficult to shoot this little, lightweight gun quickly and accurately (necessary requirements for self-defense guns) with that heavy a trigger pull combined with the relatively long trigger travel.

Kel-Tec wisely reduced the spring to around 8.5 lbs. in the P-11 starting around serial number 26,000 in 1996, I believe. The P-40's have always had the lighter spring. The P-32 has about a 7 lb hammer spring/trigger pull.

Under warranty, KT replaced many of the heavier springs and sent many out for free to owners who made their own switch.

Other factors affect trigger pull, primarily friction in the components of the trigger/hammer group. Your trigger pull will "lighten" as you get a little wear on these components. They will become smoother and produce less friction. Good lubrication can help also. Dry firing with snap-caps will hasten this process.

The trigger part of the KT Fluff & Buff (here) smoothes these surfaces without having to wait for break-in, and does so in a more controlled manner if you are an enterprising do-it-yourselfer.

Adding the KT trigger shoe (pic) seems to "lighten" the trigger simply because by widening the trigger it spreads the force necessary to pull the trigger over a wider area of your finger. Most who have used them like them, including me. I even modified one to put on my p-32 (here)

There are other steps you can take to further improve trigger pull--actually shortening the anchor point of the hammer spring to reduce tension, and changing the "sear" on the hammer/trigger bar interface to shorten the back of the trigger pull a little. Both these modifications go way beyond anything the factory would approve of for safety, but those who have done them correctly have found they produce an excellent trigger with fine reliability and the parts modified are cheap to replace if you ever want to go back to original or if you mess up.

The KT trigger mechanism is simple and well designed, but like most of the gun, it benefits from a little personal attention to detail.