There's a lot of choices for upgrading the trigger on your AR-15-style rifle. You can spend anywhere from around $50 for an improved Mil-Spec trigger to well-north of $350 for a top-of-the-line, fully adjustable, breathe-on-it-to-break custom trigger.
The folks at RISE Armament have done something pretty impressive, though. They've got the RA-140, a drop-in, single-stage trigger with a light (3.5-pound) pull that retails under $100. It's almost at the "too good to be true" point, so we had to get one in to test it out.
It's a one-piece unit, meaning there's no futzing with moving hammer spring legs around while trying to line everything up. Installation is a breeze - honestly, the hardest part about installing this trigger was getting the pistol grip screw back into place when the installation was complete. Remove the old hammer and trigger, drop the RA-140 in place, put the pins back, and re-assemble the rest of the lower (safety lever, pistol grip, etc.). RISE recommends using KNS Precision pins to secure the unit, and while we used the standard AR-15 lower hammer and trigger pins, it is easy to see why that recommendation was made.
Once installed, it was time to test the RA-140. We haven't had a chance to get it on the range (yet), but dry-fire practice put the company's claims to the test. Sure enough, it's a light, single-stage trigger that breaks cleanly as expected. There's no trigger pull gauge in the secret basement workshop, but the trigger compares with others of known pull weights - if it's not right on 3.5 pounds, it is pretty darn close. For under a Franklin, though, this is one solid upgrade option.
MSRP: $99.
