I am now up to three Ruger 10/22s and all have undergone trigger modifications of different types. I have now dry fired all of them many times, and have enough live fire experience with them to make my own subjective assessments of their quality.
I am actually hard-pressed to say which one is "best" because they are all excellent within their respective price ranges. I will describe them beginning with the least costly.
Two of the modifications were done by Brimstone Gunsmithing. There are certain features of their work that are common to all of the three levels of their trigger work as described below.
The Brimstone Gunsmithing modifications require you to remove your trigger group and send it to BG. The trigger group is sent back in a small fixed-rate USPS box. You have your choice of how to ship it to BG in Washington State. I found that a putting it in a small zip lock back inside a small padded envelope works fine, and is a little cheaper than the small fixed-rate USPS box.
All of the Brimstone trigger jobs for the Ruger 10/22 include modification of the bolt catch lever to provide for "auto-release" of the open bolt. Unless of course, you don't want them to do this, in which case let them know. With the Brimstone work you have some choice of pull weight, from 2 lbs to 3+ lbs. The heavier pull would be for individuals using the trigger to compete in CMP Rimfire Sporter competition which requires a minimum pull weight of 3 lbs. BG will not go lower than 2 lbs. You can also select 2.5 lbs. BG recommends selecting the "sweet spot" pull weight which they claim will be the pull weight that the trigger naturally wants to be at when the modification is completed. That will result in a pull weight of 2 to 2 1/4 lbs. That is the option I selected for both of the trigger jobs I had BG do.
At the time I had BG work on my triggers, total door-to-door turn-around time was pretty short, around 10-11 days. I understand that they are currently reorganizing the company and have a backlog of work so that turn-around time is currently much longer, several weeks to a month or longer.
1. Brimstone Gunsmithing Tier 3 trigger job. This is the least costly of the three options that BG offers for modification of the stock Ruger 10/22 trigger. The work itself costs $38.50 but a return shipping charge of $9.95 is also charged. I found that it cost around $7 to ship the trigger in the manner I described. If you are having mulitiple triggers modified, the $9.95 return shipping fee will cover all of them. So for a single trigger, the Tier 3 job is going to run $55-56 dollars with the shipping included, comparable to the cost of the Ruger BX trigger when they go on sale.
The Tier 3 trigger job replaces no stock parts. The trigger group will come back with the same trigger shoe. I do not have a good trigger pull gauge, but a note returned with my Tier 3 trigger indicated a pull weight of 2 lbs 1 oz. The Tier 3 trigger is a marked improvement over the stock Ruger trigger. I wish I could compare it to the BX trigger, but I have no experience with those. I have heard some people who have had both the BG Tier 3 trigger and the BX trigger state that the BG trigger was better.
The Tier 3 trigger work does not reduce either pre-travel or over-travel. There is a modest amount of pre-travel with the stock Ruger trigger and an easily appreciable amount of over-travel. The Tier 3 trigger does smooth out the pre-travel some. The break is quite crisp with significant over-travel after the break. The trigger reset is a bit gritty in dry fire which I do not notice at all in live fire.
2. Brimstone Gunsmithing Tier 2 trigger job. This option adds $40 to the cost of the Tier 3 job so total cost will be on the order of $95-96. With this option the stock trigger is replaced with a trigger CNC machined from billet aluminum with a relatively flat face. The stock Ruger trigger return spring and tenon are removed and replaced with a rotary torsion trigger return spring inside the trigger group housing, and the place where the trigger return spring and tenon went is replaced with an over-travel screw.
My Brimstone 2 trigger was returned with a note indicating a 2 lb 2 oz trigger pull weight. The flat faced aluminum trigger has a much nicer feel than the stock polymer trigger. I can't say this definitely improves my accuracy but I don't discount the possibility. Again, there is a modest amount of easily appreciable pre-travel which is very smooth, but the pre-travel is shorter than for my Tier 3 trigger. The break is once again very crisp, and there is absolutely no appreciable over-travel. Because of the lack of over-travel, the trigger reset is shorter, and it is very smooth, even in dry fire.
IMO the lack of over-travel and nicer trigger are very much worth the additional $40 for this job.
3. KIDD DIY drop-in trigger. This is the $105 single-stage trigger/sear/disconnector and hammer set. Included is a new hammer pin and a new trigger pin. The trigger, sear, disconnector, and disconnector spring come preassembled with a slave pin holding everything together. I also purchased the spring tuning kit for an additional $17. This includes five different trigger return springs of different strength to allow some fine-tuning of the trigger pull weight.
Needless to say, installing this kit does require some disassembly and reassembly of the trigger assembly itself, and modification of the bolt catch lever to provide of auto-release of the bolt is not included. But the bolt catch lever is easily removed and modified for auto-release at the same time this kit is installed. Anyone with the mechanical aptitude to install the trigger kit (not much is required) should be able to modify the bolt catch lever and there are a bunch of videos on youtube on how to do this. Total cost of the trigger kit, spring kit, and shipping came to $127 so about $30 more than the BG Tier 2 trigger job.
The KIDD parts are very well made. Installation instructions are good and the installation is not difficult. All that you need is a small drift or punch, or something that can be used as one. The trigger return spring is replaced, but the stock trigger return tenon (plunger) is reused. There is an adjustable over-travel stop set screw in the trigger shoe itself and another set screw in the part of the sear that contacts the safety lever/cylinder which reduces pre-travel. Unfortunately, these small set screws require a very small 1/16" Allen wrench which is not included in the kit. I used the next to lightest trigger return spring which KIDD said typically resulted in a trigger break of around 2 1/4 lbs.
The quality of the KIDD trigger kit modified trigger and the BG Tier 2 trigger job is very comparable. The aluminum KIDD trigger is also relatively flat-faced and has an excellent feel. I really can't pick the feel of one trigger over the other. The KIDD modified trigger seems to have a bit less pretravel than the Tier 2 trigger and it is very smooth. I may not have adjusted the sear set screw on the KIDD sear down as far as I might have as there is still a little trigger play with the safety in the on position. So I might possibly be able to reduce pretravel even more.
Once again, the break is very crisp and the pull weight at break with the KIDD trigger feels very close the the 2 lb 2 oz pull weight of the BG Tier 2 trigger. There is no appreciable over-travel. The reset is quite positive and smooth but the audible click on reset is a bit softer with the KIDD modifed trigger than the BG Tier 2 trigger.
Honestly, I can appreciate very little tactile difference between the BG Tier 2 trigger and the KIDD modified trigger. If I were dry firing the two blindfolded, I am not sure I could identify which trigger was which. In terms of absolute quality I would probably give the edge to the KIDD trigger kit because of a little less pre-travel and the ability to adjust the pull weight with the spring tuning kit, as well as not having to wait multiple weeks (at present) for the BG modified trigger to come back. The KIDD trigger kit and spring tuning kit also allow the potential for a trigger pull weight of less than 2 lbs, if that is what you want.
I think all three of the above options represent excellent values within their respective price ranges. Brimstone also offers a Tier 1 trigger job for $32.50 more than the Tier 2 job, which puts it right at the same price as the KIDD trigger kit and spring tuning kit plus shipping. The Tier 1 job (which I have not had done) includes an adjustable sear that removes all trigger pre-travel, according to BG.
I am actually hard-pressed to say which one is "best" because they are all excellent within their respective price ranges. I will describe them beginning with the least costly.
Two of the modifications were done by Brimstone Gunsmithing. There are certain features of their work that are common to all of the three levels of their trigger work as described below.
The Brimstone Gunsmithing modifications require you to remove your trigger group and send it to BG. The trigger group is sent back in a small fixed-rate USPS box. You have your choice of how to ship it to BG in Washington State. I found that a putting it in a small zip lock back inside a small padded envelope works fine, and is a little cheaper than the small fixed-rate USPS box.
All of the Brimstone trigger jobs for the Ruger 10/22 include modification of the bolt catch lever to provide for "auto-release" of the open bolt. Unless of course, you don't want them to do this, in which case let them know. With the Brimstone work you have some choice of pull weight, from 2 lbs to 3+ lbs. The heavier pull would be for individuals using the trigger to compete in CMP Rimfire Sporter competition which requires a minimum pull weight of 3 lbs. BG will not go lower than 2 lbs. You can also select 2.5 lbs. BG recommends selecting the "sweet spot" pull weight which they claim will be the pull weight that the trigger naturally wants to be at when the modification is completed. That will result in a pull weight of 2 to 2 1/4 lbs. That is the option I selected for both of the trigger jobs I had BG do.
At the time I had BG work on my triggers, total door-to-door turn-around time was pretty short, around 10-11 days. I understand that they are currently reorganizing the company and have a backlog of work so that turn-around time is currently much longer, several weeks to a month or longer.
1. Brimstone Gunsmithing Tier 3 trigger job. This is the least costly of the three options that BG offers for modification of the stock Ruger 10/22 trigger. The work itself costs $38.50 but a return shipping charge of $9.95 is also charged. I found that it cost around $7 to ship the trigger in the manner I described. If you are having mulitiple triggers modified, the $9.95 return shipping fee will cover all of them. So for a single trigger, the Tier 3 job is going to run $55-56 dollars with the shipping included, comparable to the cost of the Ruger BX trigger when they go on sale.
The Tier 3 trigger job replaces no stock parts. The trigger group will come back with the same trigger shoe. I do not have a good trigger pull gauge, but a note returned with my Tier 3 trigger indicated a pull weight of 2 lbs 1 oz. The Tier 3 trigger is a marked improvement over the stock Ruger trigger. I wish I could compare it to the BX trigger, but I have no experience with those. I have heard some people who have had both the BG Tier 3 trigger and the BX trigger state that the BG trigger was better.
The Tier 3 trigger work does not reduce either pre-travel or over-travel. There is a modest amount of pre-travel with the stock Ruger trigger and an easily appreciable amount of over-travel. The Tier 3 trigger does smooth out the pre-travel some. The break is quite crisp with significant over-travel after the break. The trigger reset is a bit gritty in dry fire which I do not notice at all in live fire.
2. Brimstone Gunsmithing Tier 2 trigger job. This option adds $40 to the cost of the Tier 3 job so total cost will be on the order of $95-96. With this option the stock trigger is replaced with a trigger CNC machined from billet aluminum with a relatively flat face. The stock Ruger trigger return spring and tenon are removed and replaced with a rotary torsion trigger return spring inside the trigger group housing, and the place where the trigger return spring and tenon went is replaced with an over-travel screw.
My Brimstone 2 trigger was returned with a note indicating a 2 lb 2 oz trigger pull weight. The flat faced aluminum trigger has a much nicer feel than the stock polymer trigger. I can't say this definitely improves my accuracy but I don't discount the possibility. Again, there is a modest amount of easily appreciable pre-travel which is very smooth, but the pre-travel is shorter than for my Tier 3 trigger. The break is once again very crisp, and there is absolutely no appreciable over-travel. Because of the lack of over-travel, the trigger reset is shorter, and it is very smooth, even in dry fire.
IMO the lack of over-travel and nicer trigger are very much worth the additional $40 for this job.
3. KIDD DIY drop-in trigger. This is the $105 single-stage trigger/sear/disconnector and hammer set. Included is a new hammer pin and a new trigger pin. The trigger, sear, disconnector, and disconnector spring come preassembled with a slave pin holding everything together. I also purchased the spring tuning kit for an additional $17. This includes five different trigger return springs of different strength to allow some fine-tuning of the trigger pull weight.
Needless to say, installing this kit does require some disassembly and reassembly of the trigger assembly itself, and modification of the bolt catch lever to provide of auto-release of the bolt is not included. But the bolt catch lever is easily removed and modified for auto-release at the same time this kit is installed. Anyone with the mechanical aptitude to install the trigger kit (not much is required) should be able to modify the bolt catch lever and there are a bunch of videos on youtube on how to do this. Total cost of the trigger kit, spring kit, and shipping came to $127 so about $30 more than the BG Tier 2 trigger job.
The KIDD parts are very well made. Installation instructions are good and the installation is not difficult. All that you need is a small drift or punch, or something that can be used as one. The trigger return spring is replaced, but the stock trigger return tenon (plunger) is reused. There is an adjustable over-travel stop set screw in the trigger shoe itself and another set screw in the part of the sear that contacts the safety lever/cylinder which reduces pre-travel. Unfortunately, these small set screws require a very small 1/16" Allen wrench which is not included in the kit. I used the next to lightest trigger return spring which KIDD said typically resulted in a trigger break of around 2 1/4 lbs.
The quality of the KIDD trigger kit modified trigger and the BG Tier 2 trigger job is very comparable. The aluminum KIDD trigger is also relatively flat-faced and has an excellent feel. I really can't pick the feel of one trigger over the other. The KIDD modified trigger seems to have a bit less pretravel than the Tier 2 trigger and it is very smooth. I may not have adjusted the sear set screw on the KIDD sear down as far as I might have as there is still a little trigger play with the safety in the on position. So I might possibly be able to reduce pretravel even more.
Once again, the break is very crisp and the pull weight at break with the KIDD trigger feels very close the the 2 lb 2 oz pull weight of the BG Tier 2 trigger. There is no appreciable over-travel. The reset is quite positive and smooth but the audible click on reset is a bit softer with the KIDD modifed trigger than the BG Tier 2 trigger.
Honestly, I can appreciate very little tactile difference between the BG Tier 2 trigger and the KIDD modified trigger. If I were dry firing the two blindfolded, I am not sure I could identify which trigger was which. In terms of absolute quality I would probably give the edge to the KIDD trigger kit because of a little less pre-travel and the ability to adjust the pull weight with the spring tuning kit, as well as not having to wait multiple weeks (at present) for the BG modified trigger to come back. The KIDD trigger kit and spring tuning kit also allow the potential for a trigger pull weight of less than 2 lbs, if that is what you want.
I think all three of the above options represent excellent values within their respective price ranges. Brimstone also offers a Tier 1 trigger job for $32.50 more than the Tier 2 job, which puts it right at the same price as the KIDD trigger kit and spring tuning kit plus shipping. The Tier 1 job (which I have not had done) includes an adjustable sear that removes all trigger pre-travel, according to BG.