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Trigger Help Needed

5K views 29 replies 10 participants last post by  TriggerFinger 
#1 ·
Hello,

I am new to AKs so please be gentle. I purchased two WBP Polish AKMs 7.62. The triggers both have a "C" on the left side. They feel very different from one another. One is the worst where there is not a "wall" you hit before it releases the hammer. Just sponge and then POW, with no warning. The other has a light wall you hit so you can predict your shots better and be more accurate. Neither is great but one is intolerable.

So I went to Youtube and watched a Garand Thumb video, and he suggested ALG triggers for the AK. He even did a nice demonstration of how the trigger behaved. Looks lightyears better than what I currently have. Is this the way to go or are there other suggestions? Also any suggestions on where to purchase is welcome as well. Thank you in advance.
 
#2 ·
Welcome to the group!

The "C" on the trigger indicates a Century Arms International trigger, made to meet the sporting purpose clause of the new ATF second amendment. Century was well known for making the worst parts money could buy.

Haven't built an AK variant in a while so can't help as to what are the better trigger groups to buy but am sure many on this site will be here to help in a bit.
 
#3 ·
Welcome to the group!

The "C" on the trigger indicates a Century Arms International trigger, made to meet the sporting purpose clause of the new ATF second amendment. Century was well known for making the worst parts money could buy.

Haven't built an AK variant in a while so can't help as to what are the better trigger groups to buy but am sure many on this site will be here to help in a bit.
Century Arms. That makes sense. They have a bad reputation in many circles. Thank you for the reply. I am guessing any USA made trigger parts should adhere to the extremely clear rules we have to follow o_O
 
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#7 ·
That’s a great suggestion. I already ordered the trigger but I have two rifles. Might be a great opportunity to work on the trigger and learn how I can improve it myself. I have heard people going too far with DIY trigger jobs making the firearm unsafe. Any suggestions on DIY AK trigger work? I think just taking it apart is a good first step.
 
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#9 ·
True, I started by drilling the fcg pin hole pattern in a piece of hard wood so I could assemble the group "flattish" to observe the Engagement interactions, mostly a decent polishing of the Engagement surfaces will improve the feel, no grinding required

Had I done that with my 1911 when the sear broke, I wouldn't have overdone the first replacement, had to buy a second sear,,,,,and another 1911 to use as an example,,,,,,,so I got that going for me😉
 
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#12 ·
As pointed out above, Century is known for the ''Drunk Monkey'' construction. Pull the currently installed trigger/FCG. Buy the ALG since Tapco is no longer available or hard to find. Even the Tapco hammer face needed some smoothing for proper trigger feel and recoil. You can practice developing FCG tuning on Century junk while enjoy firing the AK. As they say, Buy once, Cry once.
 
#13 · (Edited)
Got my ALG trigger and braided hammer spring from PSA. The safety did not fit out of the box. They include a roll pin to fit it to the safety. I did not figure this out until I had completely installed the trigger so pro tip is make sure the safety works with the trigger before you finish the installation because setting the roll pin is a whole process and itself. I hammered it in and filed it to snug fit. I’d say it’s a solid improvement from before
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#16 ·
One thing that I am still scratching my head about is how different (better) the second Century fcg feels compared to the one I just replaced. They look identical from what I can tell with one still being installed. Both were purchased within a few months of each other so you would think they would likely be of the same batch.

The obvious answer is manufacturing variances. Even taking that into account it is still hard to believe both triggers are based on the same design. The Century fcg that is still installed is very tolerable, so much that I have no plans on changing it. Nothing like the sloppy mess of a trigger I just replaced with the ALG.
 
#17 ·
Tapco 2 Triggers can be polished down to 2.5lbs. if you are careful. The other cheap option is to go to carolinas shooting supply and buy VEPR OEM triggers on the cheap for like $12 and do a polishing job. I was only able to mustard 4.2lbs on my VEPR trigger before I replaced it with the ALG Ultimate and never looked back. Is not going to be light at 4.2lbs for precision, but the break is pretty consistent.
 
#18 ·
so you really like the ALG trigger? Does it feel like a very short trigger pull with no wall or break? That’s how I would describe mine is very short and quick reset but there’s no wall to break. I kind of prefer triggers with a wall you can set up against for your first shot and break it with a light crisp trigger pull.
That other century arms trigger I keep referring to that came with my other rifle has a wall unlike the one I replaced. It has very long slack before you hit the wall so it’s not a short trigger. I’m sure it could be polished for smoother break and reset. I’m not really sure how to make it shorter.
 
#21 · (Edited)
I’ve noticed the action on my rifle is not as smooth as it used to be. If you pull the bolt back slowly it will hang up on the hammer face. So I’m going to have to do some sanding with the Dremel on the face of the hammer. I’ll post a picture below with the ALG hammer compared to the century that was in there before. You can see that the ALG has some weird hump on it that needs to be smoothed down and kind of reshaped a little bit.
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photo of the bolt carrier hung up on the weird shaped ALG hammer:
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#22 ·
I like my ALGs. Not everyone is a fan, though.
The Romy one in my SAR2 was pretty good.
Some like the FIMEs from Kvar.
Others love the RAK-1.
Which may be what you have.
Some swear by the Chinese fcg.
Tapco G2s show up every so often.
I see double hooks for sale in places now.
Or do like I've been doing and buy up every breed of dog that comes along and "test" them out. :)
Have fun.
Good luck.
 
#23 ·
I like my ALGs. Not everyone is a fan, though.
The Romy one in my SAR2 was pretty good.
Some like the FIMEs from Kvar.
Others love the RAK-1.
Which may be what you have.
Some swear by the Chinese fcg.
Tapco G2s show up every so often.
I see double hooks for sale in places now.
Or do like I've been doing and buy up every breed of dog that comes along and "test" them out. :)
Have fun.
Good luck.
Thank you for your input slasher. It is truly appreciated. Also thank you to everyone else who has responded to the thread. I realize this is probably elementary to many here but I am new to AKs and learning as I go along. It is fun for me and fun to share with others on the forum.

I have considered ordering a B.A.D. trigger for $55 and trying it out in comparison to the ALG ( cost me $65) and Century (included with rifle). It seems closer to the Tapco design from what I see in pictures. Plus it has a sleeve design which I like because it makes installation even easier by holding the sear and spring in place.
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Also there is the LBE trigger sold by at Atlantic that
@dnepr0mike suggested. That is the stock trigger currently that AOA is using in the WBP imports (probably in response to complaints about the Century trigger). I dont mind experimenting and comparing. It is fun for me.
 
#25 ·
I have several different types, several factory triggers, FIME enhanced trigger, Tapco, LBE.........ALG is too expensive, I like the FIME enhanced from KVAR in Vegas, and the LBE. My LBE is on a converted saiga 308, and has a great trigger. The FIME has a wall before release, the LBE does not. Ithink that the LBE is about 40 bucks or so. The FIME had some noticable trigger slap, but was easily shaped out.... good luck
 
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#26 ·
I got my ALG for $65. I see them listed for $100+ I am not sure what if an difference there is. It is decent, short and fast trigger. The FIME looks to be about the same price ($65). I would like to try it as well. Will add it to my list. I am still going to sand the hammer face out on this ALG and get the action smooth again.

I do like a wall. My other Century trigger has one. I just need to figure out how to shorten the pre travel on it and smooth it out, it would be perfect.
 
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