It took me 28 seconds to swap my factory original Tavor trigger out for the brand-new Tavor trigger from Timney Triggers. The very fact that Timney and others are producing aftermarket triggers for the Tavor tells us something about America’s embrace of this Israeli bullpup rifle. Despite what many have derided as a poor trigger, IWI Tavor sales have exceeded expectations. In roughly a year’s time on market, 20,000 have been shipped—that’s three times their original projection. Almost universally, however, their triggers have been panned as sub-par.

SHWAT Founders have been running a couple of Tavors for most of year now. With Fred Mastison from Force Options instructing, we did the first Tavor carbine class in America, finding the factory triggers to be adequate, but unimpressive. Triggers for AR-15s and precision rifles have gotten so good in recent years that what once was acceptable isn’t any longer.

Back when the HK91 and FAL owned the head space between the gun buyer’s ears, a heavy trigger was so normal it might not have made the discussion topic list. With the many quality drop-in trigger options now available for our AR-15s, a 10-pound trigger pull on the Tavor is anathema to many who won’t ever use this bullpup rifle in battle.

Unlike SHWAT Pro Staffer Fred Mastison, many people find a heavy trigger harder to shoot as accurately as a lighter weight trigger. Follow up shots are typically faster and easier with a short reset and lighter pull as well. The factory Tavor trigger seems to be reliable as the sunrise while at the same time unacceptably heavy in the minds of many.

One solution offered on the internet was to remove one of the springs from the factory trigger pack. Apparently, it’s non-essential in most situations. But most reputable writers indicated they wouldn’t count on such a modified rifle in a defensive situation. That might not bother some, but it does bother me. I want my gun to run right so consistently that I don’t ever have to wonder if my conditions are too adverse. And this might be an important detail to some: removing that spring voids the warranty.

With that in mind, a 30-second drop-in trigger replacement that improves the function without voiding the warranty seems like a winning business plan. Three manufacturers have jumped on the Tavor trigger improvement program to date. At SHOT Show 2014, Timney and others showed off prototype trigger replacements for the Tavor. Timney seems to be the first to get triggers to the market, and I got one of that first batch.

Read the rest of the article by Johnathan Owen at The Shooter’s Log

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