Get Triggered! FIME Enhanced Fire Control Group

Many factors contribute to the accuracy of a rifle, be it major components with a tangible impact, such as the barrel itself and the ammunition we feed it, or more subtle nuances that effect harmonics. No matter the element, having confidence when it comes to shot placement is paramount to any shooter. Today I want to talk about a piece of the puzzle that is crucial not only to the accuracy of your rifle, but to every aspect of the direct shooter interface, the trigger.

Let’s get one thing out of the way up front. You can not improve a trigger by taking a Dremel to it. Any perceived benefits you think you have gained will be overshadowed by the safety and reliability compromise you have created. Liabilities are never enhancements. That being said, I see no shortage of triggers on the market that, upon inspection, are simply reverse engineered and modified copies of existing designs. Save your money.

Now, I’m an AK kind of guy, so I’m going to talk about the only trigger I use in an AK, and that’s the FIME Enhanced Fire Control Group for the AK/RPK. Copied from nothing, this FCG was designed from the ground up, taking into account safety, shooter experience, reliability, and accuracy. Let’s take a closer look at some of the features and the no compromise attention to detail that make this all possible.

SAFETY

We’ve all heard stories about accidental discharges, maybe seen them in videos, perhaps experienced one ourselves (hopefully not). These are unpleasant to say the least. They can and have caused serious injury and death. An AD can occur from the negligent handling of a firearm, but also by mechanical failure. One such failure that has been seen on AK pattern rifles is called selector lever misfire. This phenomenon occurs when the safety lever over-rotates past the safe position, causing the hammer to release from the disconnector, engaging the firing pin and making you, at the very minimum, the least popular person at the range. To prevent this from occurring, FIME Group designed the Enhanced FCG so that the face of the disconnector makes full contact with the hammer, maintaining a solid connection between these two components and making sure that your rifle only fires when you decide. You’re welcome!

SHOOTER EXPERIENCE

So, you’re an AK kind of guy also? Then you know about “trigger slap.” This occurs when the disconnector slams into the trigger after being struck by the hammer during recoil. The result is the trigger slamming forward against your finger while you are still applying rearward pressure. While not as unpleasant an occurrence as an AD, it can still be a less than comfortable experience. Here is where people break out their Dremel tool again. Please don’t do that. FIME has alleviated this by engineering the disconnector on the Enhanced FCG with an elongated tail, which makes a full stop on the rear trigger guard rivet, halting the hammer and preventing the disconnector from slamming into the trigger, saving your finger and allowing you to focus on faster and more consistent follow-up shots.

RELIABILITY

The meticulous engineering standards set forth thus far not only provide you with safety and a more ergonomic shooting experience, but they also prevent excessive wear of these ever moving parts. This refinement will lead to greater longevity, not only for your fire control group, but also to your finger! If you rely on a tool to potentially protect the lives of you and your loved ones, or to get you to the finish line in a competition, never cut corners.

ACCURACY

Now the fun part. Everyone has their preferences when it comes to single or two-stage triggers. I get it. As a guy who has spent much of his life shooting long range precision, I always prefer a two-stage system where I can begin applying rearward pressure on the trigger, hit a consistent wall, and apply the added pressure I have become familiar with to break that wall and put a round exactly where I choose. The engineers at FIME have made this a reliable and repeatable process by designing the Enhanced FCG to have a short .35” length of travel, with the first stage only requiring 1.7 pounds of pressure to take up, and the second stage breaking crisply at 2.8 pounds. With follow-up shots being a simple matter of .15” of reset travel, getting shots on target has never been faster or this accurate in an AK platform.

I always say that when points or, more importantly, lives are on the line, buy once, cry once. Quality of engineering and manufacturing is becoming more and more rare in these days of mass production and the lowest bidder. So, the next time you are considering a purchase of something as important as the tools we use to defend life and liberty, please choose wisely!