Out here getting a break from the rain and gloom of Seattle in sunny and warm Phoenix, AZ for another TAC-CON event this week.  This time they are releasing two new products, and making some other announcements.  The big news for a lot of people will be the release of the long awaited AK trigger, so those that have been waiting on that will now be able to get a trigger for the AK platform.  TAC-CON is calling the new AK trigger the Raptor.

The AK trigger system is the standard 4.5lb trigger that TAC-CON uses in their triggers.  Running through several magazines over the course of the day, I was able to learn the trigger.  The AK trigger does have a learning curve, especially if you are coming from the 3MR for the AR platform.  There are also two distinct reset points in the trigger, one as the hammer is cocked by the carrier and the second as the carrier closes back into battery.

Running some 2x2x2 drills for time with a stock AK and a Raptor my times were close to the same, between 1.6-2sec.  Where there was a huge difference was rounds on target.  With the Raptor I was getting far more shots on target, and was able to get a lot more trigger control.  Of note is also that I ran the same drills again with a 3MR (AR platform) trigger, and had very similar times, but did find that my accuracy was far better.  This is more than likely due to the fact that the AR platform is a smaller round and mitigates recoil much more efficiently, allowing the shooter to stay on target for more consecutive rounds.

The AK trigger system was installed in a few different style AK’s including stamped and milled receivers, two Saiga’s and an Arsenal.  Also on hand was a Tapco in stock form for a comparison.  The trigger system is designed to fit most any AK on the market.  Below is a video of Hank Strange shooting the AK trigger system in a Saiga.

The second new trigger system is called the 241.  Instead of a semi-auto at 90 and assisted reset at 180, you now have the assisted reset trigger at 90 and a two stage trigger for more precision shooting at the full auto (180°) position.  The 241 is a standard 4.5lbs in assisted reset mode, which is the same as the 3MR trigger.  The two stage trigger is a 3.5lb first stage with a 1lb second stage.  All of the different points in the 241 were very crisp and broke in a very consistent manner.  Although this was a pre-production unit, I was very impressed with how the trigger system worked as a whole.  Where I found this trigger to shine was in precision fire vs. rapid close in or suppressing fire.

Because of the design it allows you the shooter to quickly engage targets in close or put rounds down range on target in a faster, less precise manner.  I was able, in the assisted reset able to rapidly put three rounds on a torso sized target at 100yds, but still able to switch to the two stage trigger and hit a 2″ round swing target with amazing precision.  I do plan to run some different near/far drills tomorrow to really test the trigger in terms of going between modes on the fly.

Pre-production 241 trigger.

Another announcement was the pricing of the triggers is getting ready to change as well.  The 3MR trigger that has been selling for $495 will now be $395.  The Raptor AK trigger will be set at a $349, and the 241 will be $395.  So those that talked about the price point being too high, are now getting a $100 reprieve.

Lastly, there has been quite a bit of feedback from users that have told TAC-CON that they are not using the standard semi-auto position for shooing their 3MR trigger, making getting into the assisted reset mode cumbersome with the 180° sweep.  So the TAC-CON is releasing a retrofit safety that will change the safety sweep to 90° for the assisted reset mode and completely do away with the full auto position.  Being a heavy user of the 3MR I can concur with users suggestions that the semi-auto mode is used very little and I typically do all of my shooting in assisted reset mode.

Tomorrow will be another day on the range, shooting drills and getting more time with the trigger systems.