We've recently received some visitors from Reddit, read through the thread and are delighted to answer any questions we encountered:
About us:
Read our story and philosophy of affordable, replaceable, and adjustable drop in triggers here: https://www.formatactical.com/pages/about-us
Our installation warranty:
For all our customers, if the trigger doesn't operate as intended or doesn't fit your build when installing and testing you can return the trigger free of charge for a full refund or free replacement. We're a small outfit focused only on our trigger products, but want all our customers to know they can shop here with confidence.
All orders come with free USPS 3 day tracking and shipping. Orders with 3 or more triggers have USPS 2 day Priority tracking and shipping automatically applied.
What are the material specifications for all our triggers (curved and straight variants)?
All operational internal parts, the hammer, trigger, etc are AISI 8620 Alloy Steel. The outer casing/housing is aluminium.
The bottom set screws are also alloy steel so be warned if you're using an aluminium or polymer lower as tightening the set screws will dig into the bottom of the lower and cause performance issues (such as reset or safety selector issues described below). A good fix we've seen some of our customers with polymer lowers is to place a thin metal plate on the bottom of the lower so the bottom set screws can be fully secured without an issue.
Which lowers brands do the Hammerheads fit in?
We keep an up to date guidance list on which lower brands our trigger is documented and tested to fit in here: https://www.formatactical.com/pages/installation-guide-ft-hammerhead-drop-in-trigger
Please note, even within commercial lower brands there are usually variations between specs due to inconsistent machining and other supply chain issues. Our list above accounts for the general sampling by ourselves and also customer feedback. For example, someone might say this trigger doesn't fit in X brand, but the more nuanced explanation would be "this trigger doesn't fit in my X brand" while it may have very well fit in our tested samples of "X brand" and other customers' "X brand". We've definitely seen slightly out of spec lowers within the same brand, so are careful not to write off the entire brand on the list above. We also update the list regularly since specs within brands sometimes change from time to time as well.
That being said, whether its the trigger or lower thats out of spec we take responsibility either way and all our triggers come with an installation warranty - if it doesn't work (after recommended adjustments) or doesn't fit - return it free of charge for a full refund or replacement on us. This way all our customers can shop with confidence.
For fitting issues why don't we make a smaller trigger housing?
You might see that other drop in triggers have a smaller housing profile. We have a thicker profile, which also tradeoffs for fitting issues with lowers that have slight variances in specifications, since in our long term performance testing the more secure a trigger in both the height at which it sits and the lateral pressure, the better the components will perform and maintain after the first installation without much adjustments afterwards. Some drop in triggers with a smaller lateral profile we tested needed to be readjusted after some time, we prefer to install, test and forget. Additionally a wider lateral profile allows the trigger to also handle harder primers at lower pull weights just as well. Since our customers often adjust to 3LB pull weight or below, having a wider housing compensates for this lower pull weight with regards to harder primers.
I'm experiencing some reset issues - is this normal and how can I resolve?
Yes this is normal due to the differing specifications amongst commercial lower brands. We recommend always to install, test, and then operate. There are two reasons for a reset issue, the least common reason is a defect with the hammer spring or the most common issue is failing to adjust the bottom set screws to secure the trigger. If you're experiencing a reset issue please run through the following steps:
Common Maintenance Steps:
Fix Reset Steps:
If after running through these steps the reset issue is not resolved, send us an email at sales@formatactical.com with the brand of your lower and BCG and we'll organize a full refund or replacement covered under our installation warranty.
I'm experiencing a safety selector issue - how can I resolve?
Another somewhat common issue is the safety selector switch failing to engage while testing the trigger. The fix is straightforward.
A detailed explanation for why this occurs and how to resolve can be found here: https://www.formatactical.com/blogs/news/safety-selector-issues-a-geometrical-mini-adventure
The reason for the safety selector issue is that when the trigger was placed into the lower the bottom set screws were probably sticking out a little bit. This will still allow the pins to be inserted but the trigger will sit at a very slight upwards angle, causing the safety tang in the back to sit just a bit lower than the safety selector causing it to fire on safe. Tightening down the set screws further while the trigger is sitting at an upwards angle only causes this angle to be higher.
What you'll need to do is take the trigger out, withdraw the set screws (the bottom of the trigger should be completely flat), then you can place the trigger back in, insert pins, and only now should you tighten down the set screws.