The Best M&P Trigger Upgrades: M&P 2.0 & Shield Triggers and Kits

Look, most of the time, the factory-installed triggers don’t cut it. You may not notice it now, but upgrading with the best M&P trigger will change your whole shooting world, and we have seven of them listed out and ready to go.

Our Guide to The 6 Best Apex Trigger M&P Upgrades On the Market 2021

If you are looking to get the most out of your handgun’s trigger, read on because we reviewed the 6 best triggers and trigger kits from Apex Tactical. Let’s break down the details of the best Trigger for M&P, M&P 2.0, and M&P sheild trigger upgrades.

Best M&P Triggers Buyers Guide

Many of the best M&P triggers listed above have a glaring con that they can’t be used with the M&P Shield. You may be wondering “what’s the difference?” and, in this section, we will get to the bottom of it.

M&P Shield vs. M&P Shield 2.0

Both of these guns are subcompact single-stack poly-striker pistols. They are fairly basic pistols but they come in many different varieties. The factory offers options with or without manual safeties, different sights, and various personal preferences for the gun owner to mull.

What Changed Between the M&P Shield and the M&P 2.0?

The classic M&P Shield has been a staple as a carry gun for more than a decade and it was a high time that it got a new version. Then came along the M2.0, so what really changed in this updated M&P Shield?

The M&P Shield M2.0 uses a refined trigger for a more crisp break, a smoother pull, as well as a more audible reset. The grip stippling was also changed and it gave you a much better hold on the pistol. It can be a bit rough on the hands but it is well worth it to keep the gun steady.

Plus the machining on its slide changed somewhat, now it uses a softer bevel and displays some fish scale serrations towards its end. However, this is where the differences ended and they are still very similar guns.

So as to why most of these triggers can’t be used for the original is really a matter of the extra work needed during installation. The trigger was one of the biggest changes between the original M&P Shield and the M2.0, making sense that most of these trigger upgrades are not backwards compatible.

A talented gunsmith may be able to make it happen for you but just know that it isn’t intended and you’re playing a risky game putting on a trigger upgrade that is for a different kind of gun.

Primary M&P Use

If you did not already know, M&P stands for military and police, which is exactly who these pistols are designed for. They have been a mainstay as a carry gun, likely because of their good portability and prices.

Some M&P handguns are seen in competitions but you would be hard-pressed to find a regular factory M&P gun in one. These guns will need some upgrades if they want to be good speed or target shooting guns.

Of course, these guns are also very popularly used for self-defense. Since both military personnel and police use these, they trust these guns to get them out of many hairy situations. In the hands of these professionals, these guns have deadly accuracy and pack plenty of firepower too.

Why an M&P Trigger Upgrade?

Plenty of gun owners go their whole lives with their factory trigger and never think twice of upgrading it. Saying that “it works for me, and if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”. Of course, if you think this way, more power to you, but upgrading your M&P trigger will make some very noticeable changes.

Most of the time the prices will scare people off, when you’re looking at over $100 just to get a new trigger, you wonder if the whole thing is a total sham. However, the places that design these triggers put a ton of work into them and almost always manage to make them better than the factory made triggers.

I would say it is well worth the investment because most folks will only change their trigger once and, if they’re happy with it, will have that upgraded trigger on for life.

Plus, upgrading your gun’s trigger no matter what gun it is will help you learn the inner workings of it much more intimately. On a more personal note, I think all gun owners should take the time to disassemble their gun just to see exactly how it works and if something goes wrong, they can at least have some idea of what’s going on.

Replacing your trigger is kind of like installing new pickups in an electric guitar. Everyone gets scared off by the installation and the prices but it makes a whole world of difference and you only have to get them once!

Looking for more upgrades? Here’s my favorite review on the 6 Best Pistol Lights

What Makes a Great M&P Shield Trigger?

You’ll see for many of these M&P Shield triggers listed above that have a “crisp trigger break” or a “smooth reset” but what does all that really mean to the trigger’s quality? Let’s start by going through what design features go into making a great M&P Shield trigger.

1. Over-Travel

   Over-travel is the part of a trigger that tells you how much it continues its rearward movement after your sear releases the firing pin. For most of these triggers, they are looking to reduce over-travel, which is essentially trying to lessen the post-release motions of your trigger.

   What this does is make it that much easier to fire your gun multiple times in a row which is great for competition shooters but can be dangerous if you are using your gun for mostly self-defense.

2. Pre-Travel

   Pre-travel will usually get mixed up with take-up (which we will go over soon) but, while the two are similar, there are some distinct differences.

   This component of a trigger is any kind of movement from the trigger’s initial position, until the sear breaks and the gun actually fires. The wall, take-up, and creep technically fall under the umbrella term that is pre-travel.

   Reducing pre-travel on your trigger can help lessen the amount of moving parts, keep your gun safe from overworking these parts and can lead to a much more accurate and smooth pull as well.

3. Break

   The break is the point of action where your trigger’s sear releases the striker or hammer. Basically, it is how your gun fires and how well it feels once the process is finished.

   Many of these triggers boast a crisp break, which typically means that they can fire with as little as a possible creep. Creep is any of the trigger’s positive movements that causes your sear to move and engages the gun’s mainspring.

   Lessening this creep makes it hardly noticeable when your sear finally hits the hammer and makes for a much smoother shot.

4. Reset

   Reset of a trigger is its forward movement to the point where it re-engages with its sear or striker. The trigger resets automatically once you take your finger off of it and if you leave your finger lightly on it you can actually feel the sear resetting into place.

   A smooth reset allows you to fire multiple shots easier which can be a huge upgrade for competitive shooters and those looking for some extra speed to their firing capabilities.

M&P Trigger’s Safety Features

On many of these M&P triggers, you will find a center-mounted pivoting safety. This safety’s inner workings are explained above, but it is an incredibly important feature that makes these triggers much more appealing.

With all the upgrades to the reset and over-travel on these triggers, misfires will be much more likely to happen without an equal upgrade in safety features. This is why your finger has to stay on the trigger base for it to release the safety at all.

Having a hair-trigger on a gun is not always the best thing, especially when it comes to a carry gun. You want to be completely sure that it will not go off unexpectedly for both your safety and the people you might be around so the trigger is an important thing to keep safe.

Many pistols have the basic manual safety that people just click one way or the other to put their safety on. You use your thumb to simply move it to the firing option and this is how it was for almost all handguns.

However, this had to be upgraded because of a couple obvious reasons. First, some guns had the safety in the up position and others had it in the down position the only way you knew is if you read the manual or fired the gun. This, of course, led to a little confusion in some gun owners.

Plus, it was simply too easy to flick your thumb the wrong way and move the safety that can cause your gun to fire when you don’t want it to and not fire when you want it to. Both outcomes can mean life or death, which you don’t want to get mixed up.

What Other M&P Trigger Brands Are Out There?

All of the triggers on this list are from Apex Tactical Specialties Inc. and, while they are a great brand, you may be looking to compare them to others. For the most part, Apex Tactical has the market all to themselves and you’ll be hard-pressed to find other M&P trigger upgrade brands out there.

However, there is always the option of going for a custom build if you somehow don’t like anything Apex Tactical is offering up.

Gunsmiths are always looking to keep themselves busy and will likely be able to get you the exact trigger you’re looking for. Be prepared to shell out some big bucks though, these custom triggers are specially made for a reason.

The Best M&P 2.0 Trigger Upgrade

Now that we’re rounding out all the details of these M&P triggers, it is time to pick the best one on the list and that recognition goes to number one: The Apex Tactical Specialties Action Trigger Assembly Enhancement Kit.

It was a tough one to call but, if you are looking for the best M&P trigger, look no further. Hopefully, you learned a lot from this review and can put your best foot forward when shopping around for these well-worth-it trigger upgrades.