While Apex Tactical Specialties hasn’t officially released trigger parts for the M&P Shield, they have released some research information. One key tidbit is the sear is the same as the full-sized M&P’s.

This bodes well.

So I picked up an Apex hard sear and set about installing it.

It’s pretty easy.

First, watch this video made by Randy Lee of Apex:

While that’s for the full-sized M&P, it’s MOSTLY the same. And really, it’s not too hard to do if you have some patience and the right tools. Yes, you need the right tools.

Some differences.

The Shield has a thumb safety, so that mechanism will be part of the mix. I don’t know what it’s like on a full-sized M&P, but on the Shield it does wrap around the sear assembly so it will come out. Because of that and how the trigger bar inserts into it, you will have to do a little finagling to wiggle the assembly out of the frame. Be careful, don’t bend/break your trigger bar! And also be mindful to look at how the bar end inserts into the assembly so you can put it back together correctly.

You will also need to take the safety bar off the assembly, because of how the sear pin works. Taking it off isn’t hard. Don’t force anything. If you look at the assembly you’ll see how the bar can be moved around, dropped down through some slots, and then gently “twisted” off the assembly. Again, there should be NO need to force anything. Just look at the assembly and work slow and easy. You should be able to figure it out.

This is needed because one end of the sear pin has a cap on it, which ends up being under the safety’s thumb bar. Thus why you need to take the safety bar off. But then getting the pin out is easy. And do as Randy says and shows in the video – keep the assembly upright!

When you have the factory sear out, compare it to the Apex sear to see what’s different. It’s so slight, but makes such a big difference.

Reassembly is the opposite of disassembly, and when you try to work the assembly back into the frame, if it’s hard do NOT force it. Chances are you don’t have the end of the trigger bar back and into the assembly all the way. Check that, and once it’s all the way inserted, the assembly should drop into the frame easily. Apart from these few little things, it works like the video.

Again, NOTHING should be forced in any of this procedure. And if you screw up your gun, it’s not my fault. If you don’t know what you’re doing, if you have any doubts, take this to a gunsmith. I assume no responsibility here for you or your stuff.

But now that it’s back together?

Oh my.

It’s a big improvement.

There’s not that hard wall of a trigger break point, and it certainly doesn’t take as much effort to pull. I don’t have a pull weight gauge, but I’d say the improvement was along the lines of what Randy shows in the video (e.g. a 4-5# trigger). It’s still a bit gritty, but it’s certainly more pleasant to use. I am very curious to see what else Apex does in their “Shield Carry Kit” to improve the trigger.

I’m pleased, and can’t wait to try it out at the range.