The distance between the go-pedal and the backstrap on a 92 series handgun is approximately three inches. For some people it might as well be a mile. Small-handed shooters have always had a problem effectively grasping the Beretta 92’s trigger (as well as Big Gulps, footballs, etc.). Most can only shoot the gun effectively in single action (SA) mode. My medium-sized paws could handle the 92’s trigger reach, but it never felt comfortable per se. It was more of an inconvenience I accommodated to get to the SA pull. With the help of Wilson Combat’s Short Reach Steel Trigger, I aimed to fix this ergonomic malady . . .
As always, the part comes in signature Wilson Combat style with plastic bag and accompanying blue emblem card. On first glance, the trigger is visibly slimmer than the stock version. It’s made of steel as opposed to the original’s polymer. Upon close inspection there were no rough edges, burrs or obvious machining marks. Installation instructions were only obvious by their absence. Off to YouTube I went and found this channel that does the best job of explaining how to remove and install new parts on these particular pistols.
Fancying myself a shade tree gunsmith, I watched the requisite videos a few times and headed to my work bench. Fair warning: if you don’t have the proper tools or mechanical know how, don’t attempt this. Go out and find a competent gunsmith. It’s not super complicated as long as you’re comfortable detail stripping a pistol. However, there are small springs that will fly all over if you aren’t careful. Without those springs, your gun will no longer function.
Basically you first make sure your pistol is unloaded and then field strip it. After that you remove the slide stop and trigger bar; making sure not to have those springs go flying around. Using a punch, remove the trigger pin and then pull out the trigger and trigger spring. Now just put everything back together with the Wilson Combat trigger replacing the stock version. Make sure to put the trigger spring back in correctly; if you don’t your trigger won’t reset and you’ll swear at the gun for awhile before realizing you’re a moron and did it wrong.
After complete reassembly I picked the gun up and got a real feel for the trigger difference. As I stated above, the profile of this trigger is much different than the stock version. It was easy to see that the svelte Wilson Combat trigger also had a distinctly different curve to it. The stock trigger has a more pronounced roundness and ends further up in the trigger guard than the short reach trigger. Measuring from the backstrap now puts the trigger at approximately 2.875 inches; which doesn’t seem like much of a difference – until you pick up the gun.
There is a noticeable difference in the 92’s ergonomics with this trigger installed. My trigger finger no longer felt like it was at a point where it was uncomfortable. The slimmer profile felt better up against my digits. Due to the change in the ergos, my DA pull felt smoother. In fact, the whole gun just feels better in my hand than it did before. The only other way to make it feel better would be to reduce grip radius. Which can be accomplished by switching out to thinner grips. I wonder who makes some of those?
Wilson Combat Short Reach Steel Trigger
Price: $28.25
Ratings (Out of five stars):
Ease of installation * * *
Complicated, but if you know what you’re doing it shouldn’t take too much swearing or time to get it in.
Feel and Function * * * * *
Shortens the trigger reach length and makes the DA trigger pull much more comfortable.
Overall * * * * *
The quality of this part build wise is perfect and honestly, I would be disappointed by anything else from Wilson Combat. Paired with the now enhanced ergonomics and low price point; this trigger is definitely a home run.
Yes! I love aftermarket reviews. Keep ’em coming!
Agreed; please do.
I read on the Internet there is something you can take to help you grow a longer trigger finger. I think.
Wrong “finger”, unless you’re into that kinda thing
I felt the same way about the trigger on my M9, it’s too far forward. Of course I couldn’t modify it.
While you’re replacing the trigger, it would also be a good idea to replace the trigger return spring with Wolff’s trigger conversion unit (TCU).
Wilson is now offering this design in both standard and reduced power.
The original trigger return spring has a reputation as the weak-link in the Beretta 92 series, being prone to breakage — I’ve heard after 5,000 manipulations (which includes live-fire and dry-fire). I don’t know how accurate that number is, but I did have the trigger return spring break on my 92F, and the TCU looks a lot more robust than the simple L-shaped spring. If I had known about the Wolff unit at the time, I would have gone that route.
Here is what the factory trigger return spring looks like:
http://www.berettausa.com/en-us/beretta-92-96-steel-trigger-spring-trigger-and-d-hammer-spring/e00691/
And here is the instructions for installing the TCU
http://www.gunsprings.com/content/File/Wolff%20Trigger%20Conversion%20Unit.pdf
Nice article, but in my personally circumstance I’d be more interested in an article about where to buy XXL gloves on the cheap. I even put the extra fat wood grips on my 92. Nice to see a little Beretta love though.
There’s no reason to change to the Wolff INS spring – the current trigger springs are much better quality and the TCU adds a terrible gritty quality to the trigger pull. I’m going to toss mine and put a new factory spring back in.
Not sure why people recommend the TCU when they’ve clearly never used it.
PGT,
I had a newer m9 where the spring broke… it is still a weak point in the system. I thought the TCU was just fine. The trigger reset was not as distinct as with the stock spring, but the reliability was nice. It still happens on newer 92fs series guns. http://www.berettaforum.net is a good source of info for it.
My wife loved my m9a1 except for the trigger reach. She will be getting her first handgun for herself before too long… this may do the trick.
I’m a member there. Nobody there will say the TCU improves the trigger in any way other than reliability. It makes a bad trigger worse.
Nice review. Looking for thinner grips? Try putting on a set of standards grips for the Vertec. The holes come close enough to matching so that it takes just a wee bit of sanding and unless you look very close, you can’t tell. A slight change made a big difference on my 92FS
Nice review. I was excited when Wilson Combat stepped up and started offering parts and gunsmithing on the Beretta 92/96 series — I’ll be sending my 92G Elite II in for some work.
On the grips, I have tried many, and the thinnest I’ve found so far are the VZ carbon fiber and Hogue rubber.
Don’t ruin an Elite…it doesn’t need anything. Besides, there’s a 6-7 month wait at WC – you’re better off buying the parts and DIY’ing it unless you’re doing serious custom work. For that, Josh at AGW is a better option.
Thanks for the heads-up on the wait — the M92 isn’t the most fun to detail strip, but I will just order the parts and give it a try. My planned changes are relatively modest — short trigger, single-side decocker lever (if they’re ever in stock), and Battlesight rear sight.
For more accurate information. The stock Beretta 92 series trigger isn’t polymer/plastic. It’s polymer coated, metal.
When I first heard that Wilson Combat was getting into the custom Beretta game I was sincerely excited. They have been working magic with 1911’s for years and years and I can only imagine that their custom work on Berettas will be amazing. This short reach trigger is a must have part for the 92/96/M9 platform and will be snagging one as soon as I can, I’m just waiting for my plunger style trigger spring to come in from Wolff Springs. With a short reach trigger and the lighter hammer spring and a lighter weight trigger spring, my 96 is going to have a trigger to rival anything else out there and I can’t wait!
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You’re very correct. It does carry pleasant material. Very excited to order one of these triggers.
This short reach trigger is excellent. I was okay with the factory trigger (96A1) but did have to reach slightly for it and I take my daughters to the gun range with me. This was a worthwhile improvement. I also installed the Wilson Combat #16 hammer spring and a Bedair stainless steel captive recoil spring guide (with checkered end cap – looks cool). I polished contact surfaces on the hammer and sear which I also *stoned” a little) and the pull is #9 DA and #2.8 SA. Sweet. I would like the DA to be a little lower, especially for my daughters but much of that energy goes into compressing the hammer spring, so not sure if it’s a good idea to mess with it. I might try a WC #13 hammer spring at the range some day; they say to use Federal primers though, so that may affect reliability. WC makes some beautiful pistols that I won’t be buying in this life.
Consider your need before switching to the Short-Reach trigger. I have normal hands and found that Immediately pulled shots off target low and left. Since I had no problem shooting straight with my new Beretta before replacing the stock trigger or my Glocks, I noticed my trigger finger was not pulling straight to the rear. It took several magazines to notice this. I could force it by using the extreme finger tip but it was not comfortable. It solves the problem for small hands/short fingers but might be counterproductive for larger hands.
A few years now since the article was written and I’ve read a lot of reviews on this trigger in the meantime. The consensus seems to be the difference in the reach between the WC and OE trigger is a couple of millimeters at most and with no discernible change in the draw length. Odd since that’s the whole point of the thing. Most folks said the two triggers laid on top of each other appeared to be identical and couldn’t tell any difference at all between the feel of them. I had intended to buy one for my 92A1 but the WC trigger doesn’t really sound like it does what it claims. There are a few reviews, like this one, who claim it works but most say the triggers have identical dimensions and don’t shorten the trigger at all. I’ve never tried the WC trigger so I can’t say one way or the other but with the majority saying it doesn’t change the reach I’m going to have to pass on this upgrade.
From experience, I can agree. No discernable change, save yourself some money and just practice with what you have.
The short reach trigger is thinner, .003 according to my mic, and the trigger pin hole diameter is larger, and compiled together it causes the trigger to wobble once installed, the shape is almost identical once put side by side , maybe 16th of an inch reach on the very bottom of the trigger difference, its not worth the change. I also bought the “thinner” grips, but they are actually narrower not thinner makes the gun feel different, but some people might like them just a fyi.
It’s a nice, quality part which installed easily onto my new 92x Centurion. Noticed slight dimensional differences and visably attractive appearance changes….. In hindsight though, I prolly shoulda bought a trigger bar first though… i was really hoping for the type of improvements to trigger pull only a trigger bar could provide. Now i know.
It sounds like what Sig did with thier short reach trigger. People could not really tell the difference.I had one replaced on my issued Sig 229, (I wear size 3 to 4 gloves) it was hard to pull the trigger back and told the armourer to put the stock trigger back in. Always shot expert. I carry the Beretta 96 off-duty during the winter. I was hoping this unit would move the whole trigger back , not just have metal removed. Stick with what I have, ( INS TCU, D-Spring installed) no problems.