Best S&W M&P 2.0 Triggers: Dvorak TriggerScan Tested

The Smith & Wesson M&P 2.0 has been a stalwart fixture in the handgun world for the better part of a decade.

But like any gun, you will always have people who are looking to squeeze more performance out of it. And what better way to improve your pistol shooting experience than to upgrade your trigger?

But with so many aftermarket options out there, how do you know which trigger upgrades are really worth it?

Looking at trigger pull weights or watching videos only tells half the story. But luckily, with the help of the Dvorak TriggerScan, we can now see physical graphs and real readouts of what is actually going on during the trigger pull.

Not only can you see how the trigger actually runs, you can compare different graphs to see who the real winner is.

We tested over half a dozen aftermarket M&P 2.0 triggers to bring you the best data possible. But be warned, this is a long and technical article by nature, but we hope our findings are just as interesting to you as they were to us!

Want to skip the technical mumbo jumbo? Check out our fast-and-easy cheat sheets just below!

THE QUICK LIST

1. Best Overall Trigger

   Apex Tactical M&P 2.0 Flat-Faced Forward Set Trigger Kit

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2. Best Value

   MCARBO M&P Trigger Upgrade Kit

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3. Best Competition Trigger

   Timney Alpha Competition Series M&P Trigger

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4. Best Duty Trigger Kit

   Overwatch Precision M&P 2.0 Improvement Kit

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5. Easiest to Install

   Tyrant CNC M&P Trigger

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S&W M&P 2.0 Trigger Comparison Chart

If you don’t want to get bogged down in the data, here is a quick cheat sheet with the basic data, price, and whether I recommend the trigger (or not).

M&P 2.0 Trigger Cheat Sheet (M&P 2.0 Compact)

	Pull Weight	Average Split Time	Travel Distance	Price	Recommend?
Stock Trigger	4.8 lbs	0.22 sec	0.40″	N/A	N/A
Apex Tactical Poly Action Enhancement Duty/Carry Kit	5 lbs	.185 sec	0.35″	$78	Yes
Apex Tactical Flat-Faced Forward Set Trigger Kit	3.7 lbs	.177 sec	0.26″	$129	Yes
MCARBO Trigger Upgrade Kit	3.2 lbs	.185 sec	0.40″	$25	Yes
Timney Alpha Competition Series	3 lbs	.182 sec	0.27″	$108	Yes
Overwatch Precision TAC Kit	4.1 lbs	.20 sec / .24 sec *	0.19″	$154	No
Overwatch Precision Improvement Kit	4.7 lbs 4.1 lbs (w/Comp sear)	.19 sec .195 sec (w/Comp sear)	0.41″ 0.40″ (w/Comp sear)	$69	Yes
Tyrant CNC Trigger Shoe	4.3 lbs	.192 sec	.30″	$80	Yes

**Overwatch Precision Tac Kit had trigger clearance issues that resulted in sporadic split times due to trigger freeze.

Our Favorite S&W M&P 2.0 Triggers in Under a Minute

Want to know which triggers I liked the best without reading an entire article? Here you go!

• Apex Tactical Flat-Faced Forward Set Trigger Kit: I love the pull weight, trigger shape, the ultra-short travel, and how clean this trigger breaks. This was the fastest of any trigger tested and is my top pick overall.
• Timney Alpha Competition Series: Timney once again hit it out of the park by offering a trigger with an extremely light pull and a very short overall travel. As the name implies, this would be a great competition trigger.
• MCARBO Upgrade Kit: While the overall trigger feel isn’t my favorite, this kit does reduce the pull weight significantly and makes for quick follow-up shots. The most impressive thing here is how dirt cheap this kit is – a true bargain.

How We Tested the Best S&W M&P 2.0 Triggers

Each trigger TriggerScan readout comprises of three separate trigger pulls from which we took an average weight and rounded up to the nearest tenth.

Split times were gathered using a Kestrel KST1000 shot timer. I fired five rounds at 7 yards on a standard IPSC cardboard target. Strings of fire were only counted if all five shots were clean A-zone hits. Three strings were fired for each trigger, from which I took the average of the best string.

Keep in mind that I am not a speed shooter by any means. I grew up bullseye shooting, so cut me a bit of slack, please.

A close-up trigger pull and reset video was recorded for each trigger. I also recorded my initial thoughts on each trigger that I had before taking any readings.

The test gun used was a Smith & Wesson M&P 2.0 Compact OR model with the newer blade-safety trigger. Since most M&P trigger swaps require removing the optic, the optic was left off during the testing process.

A number of these triggers included multiple different springs meant to yield different pull weights. To avoid tripling the number of graphs by testing every spring combination and making the article obscenely long, we elected to only test the lightest springs for each kit.

DISCLAIMER: There are many hotly contested debates about reliability and drop safety when switching from a stock trigger to an aftermarket one. We want to be clear that this article is purely meant to test the basic trigger functionality and compare the raw data. This isn’t a long-term durability test, and we did not drop test any of these triggers.

What is the Dvorak TriggerScan?

In the words of the Dvorak company themselves:

“TriggerScan is a computer-controlled, motorized instrument specifically designed to test trigger mechanisms of firearms. This patented technology sets the standard in trigger quality evaluation. The system provides precise and repeatable graphical evidence of trigger quality.”

In layman’s terms, the TriggerScan is a machine where you lock the gun in place, a machine pulls the trigger, and sensors help generate a graph that shows you precisely what is happening during the trigger pull.

It is an amazing machine that gives some unique insight and creates the ability to compare two products. We no longer have to rely on only basic data or someone else’s opinion.

This tool has been around for some time, but its existence is kept relatively quiet on the internet for whatever reason. Luckily, we got our hands on one and are not afraid to use it and publish our findings.

Understanding the TriggerScan Graphs

Below is a sample readout from the TriggerScan with some key terms to help you interpret the graph. I have also included definitions for those terms below.

The vertical axis of the chart measures the peak force, in pounds, that is required for the trigger to actuate. The horizontal axis measures the distance, in inches, that it takes for the trigger to reach its full travel.

Each trigger was tested 3 times in a row, resulting in 3 separate lines on each graph. The more these lines overlap, the more it indicates repeatable movement during the trigger pull.

The large spike at the very end of the graph is the result of the TriggerScan pinning the trigger to the rear of its travel and continuing to pull to infinity. You can ignore this final spike.

Key Trigger Definitions

Keep in mind that definitions do vary from person to person. However, I find these to be the most intuitive way of describing trigger mechanics in a real-world sense.

• Sear: This is the part of the trigger mechanism that holds the striker, hammer, or bolt back until the correct amount of pressure is applied to the trigger. Once the required pressure is applied, the striker, hammer, or bolt is released, at which point the weapon will fire.

• Take-up: Take-up is the amount of initial travel the trigger has where there is no resistance. This is the little bit where the trigger moves back and forth before you start feeling resistance. Take-up is sometimes used interchangeably with the terms slack and pre-travel.

• Mainspring Engagement: This is the point after the take-up when you start feeling resistance in the trigger. This is the trigger engaging the mainspring, which stores the energy required to ignite the round. Mainsprings may be referred to as striker springs on striker-fired handguns or hammer springs on hammer-fired guns.

• Travel: This is the distance that the trigger has to travel from its initial resting point all the way until the trigger “breaks” and the sear is released.

• Wall: The “wall” is the sharp increase in resistance toward the end of the trigger travel that signifies that the trigger is at or near the peak force required to actuate the sear. Depending on the trigger and how slowly or quickly resistance builds to peak force, there may or may not be a well-defined wall.

• Creep: Creep is any movement that happens right before or just after the peak force of the trigger is reached, but before the sear is completely actuated. This typically has a negative connotation, meaning there is unclean movement right before the trigger breaks. Terms like “sponge” and “mush” are used to describe specific types of creep.

• Grit: Some triggers have a very “rough” feeling during parts of the pull, which is called grit. It can almost feel like there is sand or dirt in the trigger. This can happen when contact surfaces are uneven or due to poor trigger design. Grit would be characterized by small spikes on the graph showing that the pressure needed is rising and falling quickly due to unevenness. 

• Break: The trigger break is the point at which the sear releases the striker, hammer, or bolt. This is when the trigger “goes off.”

• Overtravel: Once the trigger breaks and the sear is completely actuated, the trigger may still continue to travel rearward until it is stopped. This distance after the trigger breaks to when it can no longer move rearward is called overtravel.

Best S&W M&P 2.0 Triggers

1. Stock M&P 2.0 Trigger

To get an accurate baseline test for all of the triggers, we tested a completely stock M&P 2.0 with the newer style blade-safety trigger.

Smith & Wesson’s newer blade-safety trigger is a massive step up over the older hinged trigger that the M&P previously had. Make no mistake, the stock trigger is good — it’s just a bit longer and a tad heavier than some people like.

You get a tiny bit of resistance up to a very firm wall. This is followed by a tiny bit of movement, then a very small amount of grit, then a fairly crisp snap that is the trigger break. The reset is about halfway out, and is both tactile and audible.

• Average Pull Weight: 4.8 lbs
• Average Split Time: 0.22 sec
• Average Travel Distance: 0.40″

Here is a close-up video of the trigger pull and reset.

2. Apex Tactical Flat-Faced Forward Set Trigger Kit – Best Overall Trigger

What’s included:

• Aluminum Flat-Faced Forward Set Trigger
• Forward Set Sear Actuator
• 2-Dot Fully Machined Sear
• Heavy Duty Sear Spring (Purple), Duty/Carry Sear Spring (Silver), Light Sear Spring (Orange)
• Apex Sear plunger
• Heavy Duty Trigger Return Spring (Green), Duty/Carry Trigger Return Spring (Silver)
• Ultimate Striker Block
• Striker Block Spring
• Apex Sight Tool
• Slave Pin

• Average Pull Weight: 3.7 lbs
• Average Split Time: 0.177 sec
• Average Travel Distance: 0.26″
• Price:

I am going to start off by saying that this trigger was excellent all around.

The take-up is short before coming up to a defined wall. You get a clean break with only the tiniest of creep, but the travel is so short overall that you barely feel it. The total travel distance is very short, and the flat-faced trigger feels excellent on the finger.

I got my best run of the day when shooting, with a .177 average split time on a clean run. Both the trigger pull and reset are very easy and, more importantly, feel extremely consistent.

My only big negative is that there is an odd slight false reset, but only an audible one if you listen very closely. The real reset is audible, but not very tactile.

Here is a close-up video of the trigger pull and reset.

For those who want a more duty-oriented trigger, you can always toss in the heavier springs.

Overall, this trigger was easy to run, felt good, and I really like where the pull weight was at. I feel comfortable saying this is my top pick overall.

What do you think of the Apex? Rate it below!

3. MCARBO Trigger Upgrade Kit – Best Value

What’s included:

• Custom Lighter Striker Spring
• Custom Lighter Striker Block Spring
• Custom Lighter Sear Spring
• Custom Heavy Duty Trigger Return Spring
• Trigger Spring Installation Tool
• 1,000 Grit Silicon Carbide Sandpaper
• Synthetic Grease with PTFE
  

• Average Pull Weight: 3.2 lbs
• Average Split Time: 0.185 sec
• Average Travel Distance: 0.40″

This upgrade kit from MCARBO makes use of the stock trigger and trigger bar, and only replaces a couple of springs. But the best part? It’s only $25.

Right off the bat, I noticed that this trigger felt super “clicky” to me. It isn’t heavy by any means; in fact, it is quite light, but you can feel the defined clicks as it moves through each stage of the process. There isn’t much grit, and everything comes up to a solid wal,l and you get a pretty light break.

At just a 3.2 lb average pull, this trigger is on the lighter side. I think the lighter striker spring is doing most of the heavy lifting here. As far as the reset goes, it is audible and slightly more tactile than most of the other triggers on this list.

Here is a video of the reset below.

MCARBO is the king of budget springs. For only a tiny bit of money, you get the second-lightest trigger we tested. While I don’t really like the way this kit felt during dry fire, it performed admirably in the live-fire drills. The value here is outstanding.

4. Timney Alpha Competition Series – Best Competition Trigger

What’s included:

• Teflon NP3 Sear
• Teflon NP3 Safety Plunger
• Straight Aluminum Hinged Trigger
• Punch and Screwdriver
• Slave Pin

• Average Pull Weight: 3 lbs
• Average Split Time: 0.182 sec
• Average Travel Distance: 0.27″

Let me start off by saying that Timney has some pretty crazy designs. The geometry they use always yields impressive results. They advertise this as a 3 lb trigger, and lo and behold, it came out to exactly 3 lbs.

The only parts replaced here are the sear, safety plunger, and trigger shoe. The trigger bar and all of the other springs are just the stock parts.

There is a smooth pull before hitting the wall, and then the trigger breaks super clean and very fast. You can see just how fast it breaks by how short the little hill is on the graph.

This trigger is flat with an extremely wide trigger shoe. There is a ton of surface area for your finger to rest on. It is also the only trigger on this list that uses a hinge-safety design instead of a blade-safety.

Timney was also the only one to include written instructions and some tools for installation. They even include a free Tootsie Pop. What’s not to like?

The reset is ultra short and is slightly more tactile than most other triggers on this list. Here is a video of the reset below.

While I normally hate hinged triggers, Timney does it right. It is light, fast, and encourages me to shoot to the limit of my abilities. That being said, it may be too light for some applications or less experienced shooters.

5. Overwatch Precision Improvement Kit – Best Duty Trigger Kit

What’s included:

• NP3 Carry Sear or NP3 Competition Sear
• Red (3.8 lbs) and Green (4.4 lbs) Sear Springs
• NP3 Striker Block and Spring
• 2.0 return spring

Note: For this upgrade kit, I tested it with both the carry sear and the competition sear to see which one I preferred. Only one sear is included when you purchase this kit.

• Average Pull Weight: 4.7 lbs
• Average Split Time: 0.19 sec
• Average Travel Distance: 0.41″

The Overwatch Precision Improvement Kit is essentially the same as the Overwatch TAC Kit above, except that it uses the stock trigger and trigger bar instead of the Overwatch ones. This is actually great because the trigger itself is what gave me grief with the TAC Kit.

With the carry sear installed, the take-up feels about the same as the stock trigger. You come up to a wall, overcome a tiny bit of creep, then get a good break. The reset is audible, but is not tactile whatsoever.

This setup doesn’t reduce the travel distance or the pull weight at all. However, it does clean up the little bit of grit and creep in the stock trigger.

Here is a video of the reset with the carry sear installed.

Now, let’s take a look at the graph with the competition search installed.

• Average Pull Weight: 4.1 lbs
• Average Split Time: 0.195 sec
• Average Travel Distance: 0.40″

The competition sear shaves off a little over half a pound in pull weight and makes the break feel much cleaner than the carry sear. The reset is audible and also feels slightly more tactile with this sear.

Here is a video of the reset with the competition sear.

I would definitely go with the comp sear over the carry sear, as it felt noticeably better during testing. Despite it being called a competition sear, I think this setup would make for a good duty trigger.

For around $70, this isn’t a bad deal for someone who wants to smooth everything out while retaining that stock trigger feel.

6. Tyrant CNC Trigger Shoe – Easiest to Install

What’s included:

• Metal Flat Face Trigger Shoe
• Allen Key
• Loctite

When I tested the best Glock triggers, Tyrant CNC surprised me with how much improvement they were able to get by just replacing a single part. Sure enough, those folks did it again.

The only thing this kit replaces is the trigger shoe itself. Tyrant CNC engineered this trigger to have a 90-degree break and utilize what they call the “Rapid Reset Mechanism.”

I was pleasantly surprised to see that the weight was about half a pound lighter than stock, and the trigger travel was shortened by 33%. That is crazy with just a trigger shoe swap.

You start off by feeling a tiny bit of resistance, and then things get moving. The rest of the take-up is clean until you hit the wall. There is a little bit of a creep that leads into a rolling-but-pleasant break.

The reset is audible and slightly tactile. Here is a video of the reset below.

Like the Timney Alpha trigger, the Tyrant trigger has an extremely wide and perfectly flat trigger shoe. Combined with the 90-degree break, it makes this trigger feel very comfortable and controllable. This would be great for people with shorter fingers who might have trouble reaching longer triggers.

Although I don’t like the slight rolling break as much as an ultra crisp wall, this trigger was still very easy to get consistent split times on.

It is also worth noting that this trigger is compatible with M&P 1.0, M&P 2.0, 9mm, .45 ACP, and 10mm models.

Tyrant charges around $90 for this trigger, so it isn’t cheap. But if you want that peace of mind by keeping almost all of your components stock while getting some noticeable gains, it is an excellent choice.

7. Apex Tactical Polymer Action Enhancement Duty/Carry Kit

What’s included:

• Polymer Action Enhancement trigger
• Fully Machined Sear
• Heavy Duty Sear Spring
• Duty/Carry Trigger Return Spring
• Ultimate Striker Block
• Striker Block Spring
• Apex Sight Tool
• Slave Pin

• Average Pull Weight: 5 lbs
• Average Split Time: 0.185 sec
• Average Travel Distance: 0.35″
• Price:

The first thing I noticed with this kit is that the trigger shoe felt notably thinner and much more radiused around the edges. I also felt like the trigger return spring was very stiff. This made for more resistance when working through the initial take-up to the wall.

Apex claims this kit is supposed to drop the stock trigger weight by one pound, down to 5 lbs, and reduce the take-up and overtravel by approximately 20%.

I found the stock trigger to be around 4.8 lbs, and the Apex kit came out right at the advertised 5 lb mark. While the pull weight slightly increased, it did reduce the total travel by about 15%.

The reset was much faster, which led to some good split times. Reset was audible, but was barely tactile (this is going to be a running theme).

Here is a close-up video of the trigger pull and reset.

This trigger is great for those who want a trigger that keeps things at a “duty weight” while cleaning up some of the mushier striker feel and offering a faster reset.

8. Overwatch Precision TAC Kit

What’s included:

• Tac Trigger Shoe
• NP3 Trigger Bar 
• NP3 Striker Block
• Trigger Return Spring
• Two 316 Stainless Sear Springs

• Average Pull Weight: 4.1 lbs
• Average Split Time: 0.20 sec / 0.24 sec *
• Average Travel Distance: 0.19″

Where to begin with this one? This trigger has the shortest travel by far over any other trigger I tested, but that came at a price.

With the trigger being set so far back, I found that there wasn’t enough clearance for the trigger safety bar to clear the frame. This meant that unless I was putting my finger on the absolute bottom of the trigger and depressing the safety blade 100% of the way before the trigger moved at all, it would hang up on the frame.

I was trying to be conscious about this moving forward, but when I was shooting my fast strings, I found my finger riding up slightly to a more natural position on the trigger on its own. This resulted in trigger freeze and was absolutely killing my split times.

It took me four strings until I was able to ride the bottom of trigger guard and get a run where I wasn’t getting hung up. The average for the first four strings ended up being slower than the stock trigger. On the fifth run, I got a .20 average split, which is still the next slowest time after the stock trigger.

When the trigger is working as intended, the travel is ultra short up to a firm wall with a clean break. It doesn’t feel super light, but it is crisp. The reset is audible but feels weak overall.

Here is a video of the reset below.

It seems that in pursuit of making a very short travel trigger, the usability was compromised. I am not sure if this was a lemon or one-off, but I am firmly out on this guy due to the trigger-to-frame clearance issues.

Meet the Experts

Authoring this article is Pew Pew Tactical Editor, Wyatt Sloan. Wyatt is an NRA-certified instructor and also has experience with competition shooting, hunting, and maintaining a large variety of different weapons platforms. Wyatt personally owns over 200 firearms and has 10 years of home-based FFL firearm sales.

Editor-in-Chief Jacki Billings runs our experienced team of reviewers. She is a National Rifle Association Basic Pistol Instructor as well as a member of the Society of Professional Journalists, ACES: Society for Editing, and the Professional Outdoor Media Association. Jacki has a bachelor’s degree in journalism and has worked as a media professional for close to 20 years, specializing in gun media for almost 10 years. With 2,000+ articles to her name, she uses her professional journalism and editing experience to set testing protocols and editorial standards for Pew Pew Tactical.

Final Thoughts

I know this was a long article, so congratulations if you made it all the way through! Even if you just skimmed through, I hope you found what you need to get the S&W M&P 2.0 trigger that is right for you.

If you want to see more articles like this for different guns, let us know in the comments below! Looking for more upgrades? Check out our articles on the Best Pistol Red Dots and the Best Pistol Lights!