Top AK Triggers

I’ve been called something of an “AK advocate” before. And while I haven’t ascended to the big leagues (i.e. building my own rifle from a parts kit), I’d consider myself a semi-pro AK guy. I’ve done a lot of work under the hood, and that includes swapping out my fair share of AK triggers.

I’ve written about swapping out AK trigger groups before. But in that post, I didn’t actually cover any of my favorite AK trigger brands. So, I’m fixing that today by writing about some of the best AK trigger groups available today.

Best Overall Trigger: ALG AKT-EL

AKT-EL trigger group with all of its components.

Spend any time looking up AK triggers online and you’re going to read about the ALG AKT series. Built by high-end gun manufacturer Geissele, the ALG AKT is the undisputed king of AK triggers.

There are actually two different types of AKT triggers: the “Enhanced” and “Ultimate” versions. I personally have installed the “Enhanced” version on all of my non-clone correct AKs.

This trigger features a 3.5-pound pull, super crisp break, and fast reset. They also have significantly less travel than factory AK triggers from places like the Romanian Cugir factory. If you’ve only ever shot stock AK triggers, these things will blow you away (figuratively speaking).

The “Ultimate” triggers have an even lighter break. I’ve never installed one on an AK myself, but they have more like a 1.5- to 2-pound trigger pull. These are also much more difficult to get your hands on, since they seem to be perpetually sold out.

AKT-EL in packaging.

Intriguing New Trigger: New Geissele AK Trigger

Geissele already made its impact on the AK world with the ALG trigger. But the company’s founder, Bill Geissele, wasn’t done yet. At SHOT Show this year, the company announced it would be releasing a new type of AK trigger.

This new, thus-unnamed trigger will feature some massive upgrades over the venerable ALG. It’s a two-stage trigger, which means you’ll have a little bit of uptake before the trigger breaks. Like the AKT enhanced, it has about a 3.5-pound trigger pull.

Additionally, the new Geissele trigger is a self-contained “cassette” style trigger group, which many AR fans will likely be familiar with. This means that installation is super easy. Instead of having to mess with different springs and components all trying to escape, all you need to do is drop the trigger in and slide in a couple pins.

I’m definitely going to try these out once they become readily available, which should be sometime around the end of the summer.

Learn More About AKs at SDI

Do you want to develop the skills to upgrade your own AKs? You’ll need to practice, but before that, you need to arm yourself with the right information. And SDI is where you can pick up that knowledge. To learn more about the programs SDI offers (including their AK classes), click here.