- From left, 4.5lb (minus), 5.5lb (standard), 5lb (Connector 5)
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When Glock's largest customer asked for a lighter trigger on their Gen4 22 and 27 pistols, the company responded by producing a new trigger connector that splits the difference between the 4.5 pound (minus) connector and the 5.5 pound (stock) connector. The new part is called the Connector 5 and was designed to lighten the trigger pull on Gen4 pistols purchased by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms in September 2010.
During testing, the ATF found the Gen4 trigger a little heavy. "The new connector was designed to give our customer the exact trigger pull they wanted," explains William Carmichael, Glock's Technical Services Supervisor, "which is 5 to 5.5 lb trigger pull."
The ATF wanted a trigger that didn't go above 5.5 pounds. With the standard trigger connector in the Gen4 pistols, Carmichael explained, the trigger pull ranges from 5.5- to 6.5 pounds on the majority, never dipping below 5.5 pounds. The ATF tried the 4.5 connector (a.k.a. the "minus" connector) but found it too light.
Looking at the Gen3 and Gen4 internals, one can see the shape of the the trigger housings differ. The Gen4s are scalloped to accommodate the thinner grip of the new frames. This change slightly increased the pitch of the connector and resulted in a heavier trigger pull in Gen4 pistols. The Connector 5 brings the angle of the connector back in line with that of the Gen3 pistols and reduces the trigger pull by about a half pound.
- From left, 4.5lb (minus), 5.5lb (standard), 5lb (Connector 5)
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Glock put out the new part just after SHOT Show 2011. Because of its origin, the part was informally dubbed the ATF Connector. It's also been called the dot connector since it's identified by a dot peened on the back of the connector's hook. But, it's officially now named the Connector 5. So looking at the back of the connectors, no marking means it's a 5.5-pound connector, a "+" marking means it's an 8-pound connector, a "-" is a 4.5-pound connector and a "." denotes the new 5-pound connector.
At first, the new part was only installed in the ATF contract guns, but Glock decided to make the Connector 5 stock for all models of Gen4 pistols shipped after May, 2011. All Gen3 pistols will continue to ship with the unmarked 5.5-pound connector.
The part is available to agencies through their regional Glock representative. Individuals that would like to get the Connector 5 have a few options. They can ship their pistols to Glock for warranty service, find a certified Glock armorer that will perform the swap or go get to a GSSF match where a Glock service rep is usually on hand to perform free tune-ups to Glock pistols on a walk-up basis.
I haven't gotten to the range with the new connector, yet. But, dry fire feels great. Side by side with my Gen3, the triggers feel almost identical. The 2nd stage wall is much lighter than it was with the 5.5 and the reset still pops like a balloon caught between a pair of horny porcupines. I had been running the minus connector, but it always felt a little mushy. This really dials the trigger in and I haven't even messed with polishing.
