Review: HiperFire HiperTouch TAR24 Trigger
Major Pandemic 05.19.16
If you have not heard about HiperFire single stage triggers for ARs, you should seriously consider them. I consider them the best-feeling single stage trigger made, and the only one that can ignite stubborn 5.45x39mm rounds. Every model HiperFire offers is, in my opinion, a game-changing trigger design. Yeah, I know you have heard it all before, but this time it is different.
About HiperFire HiperTouch Triggers
HiperTouch’s founder, Terry Bender, had an idea to overcome many of the shortcomings of “match” triggers. Terry is not just some guy filing down sears and swapping out springs in his garage, he is a mechanical engineering consultant. His approach to the HiperTouch design was new from the ground up.
Why HiperTouch is Different
The ultimate challenge for a great tactical/hunting trigger is to provide a smooth, fast, and flat pre-travel; very fast trigger reset; minimize lock time; and assure a crisp, light break, all without noticeable overtrave and while delivering a hard hammer impact. With match target triggers, the goals are the same but with even more refinement of all the above, with no perceptible pretravel.
The problem is that many of these trigger design goals are are in opposition with one another. A smooth, fast, flat pretravel and crisp, light final break all require low forces at the sear, which equates to the need for lighter hammer and trigger springs, which can lead to light hammer strikes and less reliable ignition.
In standard trigger designs, you need heavy springs to provide fast trigger resets, minimized lock times, and hard hammer impact, and those heavy springs can create a lousy, heavy trigger pull. The final dimension is tuning out pre-travel, overtravel, and ensuring a crisp trigger break, which are all impacted by the above light or heavy springs.
Bad tuning can further impact reliability and safety. The end result is that trigger engineers have their work cut out for them to strike a balance for a great trigger.
Before HiperFire, the compromise was either a great single stage trigger that may have a light hammer strike here and there, or a two-stage trigger whose first stage pre travel may slow down followup shots.
The “magic” in the HiperFire design is delivered via spring cam pressure on the hammer, which counteracts much of the hammer spring force within the first couple of degrees of movement after the sear breaks. This offers the perfect situation for a great-feeling trigger and break.
After the hammer begins to move forward, the cam applies pressure the other way, thus greatly increasing the hammer force and shortening lock time. It’s a best-of-both-worlds design that was never seen before.
These triggers have three spring sets: light, medium-light, and medium. Initially, I though the heaviest spring would have the heaviest trigger pull, but it is the other way around. The strongest spring exerts more pressure on the cam and thus produces the lightest trigger feel and also the heaviest hammer fall. This is what the dual spring and cam design of the HiperFire triggers does. It’s a mind screw when you first pull back the extra force hammer but have such a light trigger pull.
Fit, Finish, Feel, Features, and Functions
The HiperTouch TAR24 shares all the key features of other triggers in the line but has taken their top tier 24C trigger and added a premium nickel alloy finish and, of course, a Tarheel blue trigger shoe.
All of the triggers are AR15/AR10 fire-control compatible with any lower receiver that has industry standard .154″ receiver pins. The triggers are screw-less “hard” tuned with static precision springs that inherently makes the trigger more reliable than a screw-tuned design, which can go out of “tune.” The user can tune the trigger at 2, 3, or 4 pounds with the three supplied spring sets.
Essentially all semi-automatic HiperTouch HiperFire triggers are identical mechanically once the hammer begins to fall, and all deliver best-in-class hammer fall force. With all these similarities, many will ask what is the difference between them. The answer is trigger feel.
You do not want a super-sensitive trigger on a duty/defense rifle, and similarly you would not want a long pre-travel trigger on a precision match target rifle. The 24C and TAR24 triggers have crisp, glass-like break for sport and target shooters without any pre-travel.
Many shooters, including me, will say the 24 Competition Model has no pre-travel, no over-travel, and a stunningly light break. Obviously there is some sort of travel, but it is so little the finger cannot perceive it. Adding the flat straight trigger blade and adjustable shoe increases trigger control significantly.
This is an incredibly fast-running trigger, and the splits are very fast. You are going to see more and more 3-gunners running this trigger simply because it is so fast and light. That said, it is too sensitive for a defensive AR15 build in my opinion, simply because the trigger seems to lack any perceptible pre-travel at all. To me it most closely aligns to a Geissele National Match trigger but in a single stage design. With the 24C, the tunable trigger shoe offers another advantage for both finger comfort and fine tuning of trigger weight.
The TAR24 was developed as a super premium option to the already spectacular 24C to promote Hiperfire’s sponsorship in the TarHeel 3-Gun match. How do you make arguably the best trigger on the market even better? Coat it with a nickel alloy to increase lubricity, further enhance synthetic oil lubrication and corrosion resistance, offer longer life, and make it look cool.
I have several 24C triggers. The TAR24 just feels smoother and that is the only way to explain it. Is it worth the $40 upgrade from the 24C? I think so, but it becomes a comparison similar to that of comparing $2M+ exotic sports cars. If you just need a great trigger for 3-Gun, the regular 24C will more than do the job, but if you want something extra, the TAR24 delivers just a bit more.
In my case, I pulled a perfectly fine CMC trigger from my Barnes Precision Machine NP3 coated rifle and dropped in the TAR24. I installed it on my Barnes rifle simply because the trigger has the same corrosion resistance as the rest of the NP3 coated BPM rifle and, well, it looked cool.
It should be noted that some will want to buy the TAR24 strictly due to its looks, but buyers should be aware that over time the finish will react with exhaust gases and the look will change (though performance will remain).
The Geissele, CMC, Timney, and other triggers are all outstanding triggers, but the HiperFire has a class-leading hammer fall like no other trigger on the market.
Final Thoughts
You will continue to see me use the HiperTouch line of triggers quite a bit in builds going forward simply because I believe HiperTouch has created a truly innovative design that actually works both theoretically and in practical use. The price ranges are extremely competitive to other high quality triggers in the market as well. The HiperTouch 24 is a screaming great deal in the $185 MSRP price range, and on the top tier we see that HiperFire still manages to make their best trigger even better.
The HiperFire HiperTouch is an outstanding line of triggers that is turning heads in the industry and changing minds about what a great trigger can be.
Specifications
Shared Features of all Hipertouch triggers:
- No Screws, No Lower Modifications
- AR15/10 Fire-Control
- Robust Single Stage, Semi-Auto
- User-Set Weights: Light, Med-Light, Medium (2-4lbs)
- Small Pins: .154″ Dia.
- Best in Class Hammer Fall
HiperTouch TAR24:
- 24Competition Enhancements
- Focus – 3Gun, DMR/match target
- Straight Trigger, Use w/ or w/o Exclusive Shoe
- HIPERSHOE™: Fine tune Travel & Weight
- Fast Splits and Controllable Repeat Fire
- Retains Best in Class Reset
- Blue Adjustable Trigger Shoe
- Nickel Alloy Coating
- MSRP: $275.00
