Timney Manufacturing Inc. of Phoenix,
Arizona has long been in the business of supplying better
triggers to riflemen. Most factory triggers installed on rifles
are lacking in feel, and are heavy on the pull weight. Timney
specializes in making improved triggers for many rifles. A few
months ago, I heard that Timney had designed a drop-in AR-15
trigger/hammer unit, and have been wanting to try one out ever
since. A few days ago, the Timney unit arrived.
One of the most popular rifles in the free
world is the AR-15. The design has proven itself world-over for
more than forty years as the fully automatic M-16 and M-4
rifles, and the civilian AR-15 is more popular than ever. The
design is reliable, and the rifles can be made to shoot very
accurately. AR-15 rifles are produced by more than a dozen
companies, and most are very good, but most also have the
standard military trigger pull, which can run from about five to
over eight pounds. For plinking rocks and for social work, the
standard AR trigger is acceptable, but for target work and
hunting, it leaves a lot to be desired. The standard AR trigger
as found on most rifles, besides being hard to pull, has
excessive grittiness and travel. There are a few good
aftermarket triggers available, but most take more time,
patience, and skill to install than the average shooter
possesses.
My Alexander Arms .50
Beowulf upper is fitted to a DPMS lower, and is
one of my favorite rifles, of any type. My Alexander
6.5 Grendel has their Tactical/ Hunting trigger, and it
is an excellent unit. However, on the Beowulf, it has the
standard mil-spec trigger. The rifle shoots very well. It is a
light, handy, and accurate thumper, but the trigger pull, at
over five pounds, was too heavy. Looking through my ARs
for a candidate to try the Timney trigger, I decided to install
it in that Beowulf.
Installing the Timney hammer/trigger unit was
very simple. After removing the standard hammer and trigger, the
Timney just drops in. Installation took about ten minutes total,
with me stopping to take pictures at every step. The
pictures to the right can illustrate the installation procedure
better than I can with just words.
After installing the Timney unit, I discovered
that I had a small problem with the hammer rubbing the receiver
in this particular rifle. I removed the unit and polished off a
bit of metal from the hammer so that it would clear the receiver
in my rifle. Tolerances in AR rifles can vary a bit, and in this
one, I needed just a bit more clearance for the hammer, as it
was rubbing, and would not allow the hammer to function
properly. It took about five minutes to polish the hammer, and
all worked as it should after that. This was just a problem on
this particular lower receiver, and I expect that you will
encounter no such problem.
After installation, the .50 Beowulf now has a
superb trigger pull, weighing just under three pounds, with a
nice, crisp release. It is now much improved for target work and
hunting, and makes placing an accurate shot much easier.
You can buy the Timney AR trigger directly from www.timneytriggers.com,
and I highly recommend it to anyone who owns an AR-15 with a
lousy trigger.
Jeff Quinn
Got something to say about this article? Want to agree (or
disagree) with it? Click the following link to go to the GUNBlast Feedback Page.
