Timney Drop-in Glock Trigger Review [Hands On]

A look at the Timney American-made drop-in trigger for Austrian Glock Gen 3 and Gen 4s.

I want to preface this information by saying: I’m not a Glock guy. This doesn’t mean the Glock pistol isn’t a good handgun, and it also doesn’t mean that I know nothing about Glocks.

During my 13-year tenure in law enforcement, I carried a variety of Glocks on and off duty. I was a Glock armorer, I trusted them and even used them to compete in Glock-sanctioned pistol matches … and won. Glocks are just not my handgun of choice. Some consider this as damnation for the plastic pistol, but that’s not the case.

I also don’t like Ford automobiles—it’s called “personal preference.”

One of the reasons I’m not particularly fond of Glock pistols is their trigger. I don’t like the way it feels when I pull it, and I’m not sold on this passive safety concept where—as a measure of safety—you must put your finger on the trigger to make the gun go bang. That’s pretty much been the modus operandi for making handguns go bang since the first handgun was invented. If you want to put a safety on a handgun, fit it with a thumb safety; John Browning figured this out a long time ago.

Timney Does Triggers

So there, now that we have all of that out of the way, let me acknowledge that a Glock pistol—all Glock pistols—are reliable and affordable self-defense handguns that are far better tools than a lot of other plastic pistol options. I own one, and it goes bang every time I pull that trigger … that I don’t like to pull.

Something I do like are the triggers that Timney manufactures. I own a lot of rifles, and most of them are fitted with Timney triggers. I’ve also known the owner of Timney Triggers for a long time and consider him a friend. We’ve hunted together, shot together and shared some good times around a campfire. Not only is John Vehr—owner and president of Timney Triggers—a good guy, he’s also a mastermind at business and manufacturing. This is, of course, why Timney Triggers is the world’s preeminent source for aftermarket triggers.

However, what Timney has been missing is a trigger for a handgun. Years ago, I suggested to John that the company offer an aftermarket trigger for the 1911. Even though John has taken some of my suggestions in the past, he ignored that one.

So, I was a bit surprised to learn that, for 2021, Timney introduced a drop-in trigger for the Gen 3 and Gen 4 Glock pistol. I was more surprised than excited because, well, I’m not a Glock guy. On the other hand, Glock shooters should be excited, because it has been my experience that Timney doesn’t make junk.

The Toughest Test

I requested one of the Timney Glock triggers for testing, but instead of conducting most of the evaluation myself, I reached out to a friend, Will McGuire, who is a patrol/SWAT officer and asked him to conduct the initial evaluation. I needed a serious Glock guy to provide some serious input. Will installed the Timney trigger in his Glock G34 that he carries on duty when working the street or when in his turn-out gear. He reported back to me that the trigger was the real deal and was far better than a stock Glock trigger. He also said that he’d been running an Agency Arms trigger in his Glock and he liked the Timney unit better.

Not surprised, I asked Will to drop by and give me an installation demonstration, and I ordered another Timney trigger for my Glock 17. Like all Timney drop-in triggers, installation was straightforward and easy. That being said, if you’re not comfortable disassembling your Glock “past the pins,” as Will likes to call it, you’d probably be best advised in seeking the assistance of a Glock armorer. If you’re familiar with fully field-stripping a Glock, you can install the Timney trigger in about 5 minutes.

Timney rates their Glock trigger as having a 3-pound pull. On my Timney trigger pull scale, the pull weight measured just a tick over 3 pounds. It feels much improved over the standard factory trigger, even though it still retains the centrally placed passive safety lever. The take-up is smooth, and once you hit the wall, the break is crisp with minimal overtravel. I will say that the reset feels a bit soft when compared to the factory trigger and any other aftermarket Glock trigger I’ve tried. However, the reset is very audible, and though soft, it didn’t impact my ability to shoot the pistol at all.

I should also mention that, when the second trigger arrived, my son wanted to install it in his Glock 19 (a graduation gift from a friend). However, his pistol is fitted with a Ghost Incorporated trigger connector, and we discovered that the Timney Glock trigger won’t work with that aftermarket piece. It would appear that in order for the Timney Glock trigger to work, you need to start with a Glock that has the original Glock fire control system.

Timney for sure has a winner with their new Glock Gen 3-4 trigger, which has a suggested retail price of $149.99, and they’re also now offering a drop-in trigger for Gen 5 Glocks at the same price. My SWAT friend is now running the Timney is his duty gun, and I find it hard for there to exist a better endorsement; he may very likely have to shoot his G34 to save his, mine or someone else’s life. The Timney trigger hasn’t turned me into a Glock guy, but I damn sure wish I’d had one when I was armed with a Glock and a badge.

For more on Timney Triggers, please visit timneytriggers.com.

Editor's Note: This article originally appeared in the American-Made 2021 special issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.

More On Triggers And Their Upgrades

• Self-Defense: What Makes A “Hair Trigger”?
• First Look: Timney Alpha Competition Series
• Triggers And More From Geissele Automatics
• Trigger Pull Gauges From Lyman
• Video: Perfect Your Trigger Pull Under Stress

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