Apex Tactical Specialties is perhaps best known for its outstanding line of drop-in, pistol trigger kits, particularly for Smith & Wesson M&Ps and Glocks.

Apex began designing and manufacturing drop-in trigger kits for the M&P line of pistols in 2009. It has since expanded its trigger kit offerings to include Glock, Springfield Armory, FN, Sig Sauer, Ruger, CZ and Walther.

In this article, we discuss and review the Apex Flat-Faced Forward Set Trigger Kit for the Smith & Wesson M&P 2.0 line of striker fired pistols.

Features of the Apex Flat-Faced Forward Set Trigger Kit

• Ability to set the Apex trigger pull weight to anywhere from approximately 3 lbs to 6 lbs.
• Center mounted trigger pivot safety system similar to Glock and many other popular brands.
• Aluminum (you can also get it in polymer) flat faced trigger
• Significant reduction in overall trigger travel
• Crisp trigger break
• Short, tactile reset
• Reduced pre-travel and over-travel
• Choice of finish: black; red; FDE; Thin Blue line and Freedom editions for each

What’s Included with the Apex Flat-Faced Forward Set Trigger Kit

• Aluminum Flat-Faced Forward Set Trigger
• Forward Set Sear Actuator
• 2-Dot Fully Machined Sear
• Heavy Duty Sear Spring
• Duty/Carry Sear Spring
• Heavy Duty Trigger Return Spring
• Duty/Carry Trigger Return Spring
• Ultimate Striker Block
• Striker Block Spring
• Apex Sight Tool
• Slave Pin

Pricing

MSRP is $180 for finishes in Black and the Thin Blue Line. Red and FDE is $190. Freedom Edition is $195. Street price is about $10 less. You can buy the Flat-faced Forward Set Trigger kit directly from Apex Tactical, other retailers online or possibly at your local gun store.

You can buy a Polymer version of this trigger kit for a street price of about $105 or directly from Apex Tactical for about $110.

At the Range

Having put about 200 rounds down range, my initial impression is that I definitely prefer the Apex aluminum, flat-faced trigger in my M&P 2.0 Compact 3.6″ over the original plastic, hinged trigger. It not only feels more solid and precise, but the Apex trigger also has a noticeably smoother take-up, with far less travel, a much shorter reset and a lighter average trigger pull weight of about 4.5 lbs (based on a 10-pull average on my Wheeler digital trigger gauge). The Apex trigger also breaks farther forward than on the OEM trigger. Not surprisingly, I found that my accuracy has improved with the Apex trigger.

The Trigger Reset

The trigger reset on the Apex Flat-faced Forward Set Trigger kit, is short, audible and tactile.

That said, I purchased a second Apex Flat-faced Forward Set Trigger kit for my M&P 2.0 Full Size (4.25″ barrel) with an average trigger pull weight of about 4.63 lbs (based on a 10-pull average on my Wheeler digital trigger gauge).

The reset on this Apex trigger kit in my M&P 2.0 Full Size is noticeably louder and even more tactile than the Apex trigger kit in my M&P 2.0 Compact 3.6″. The folks from Apex said that this may be due to variations in tolerances of the internal parts for different M&P pistols. This explanation makes sense because my M&P 2.0 Full Size with the original hinged trigger also had a more pronounced trigger reset than two of my M&P 2.0 Compact 3.6” pistols with the original hinged triggers.

In the end, both Apex Flat-faced Forward Set Trigger kits function similarly enough in terms of trigger pull weight, shorter take up, shorter reset and crisp break, that I am very happy with both.

Below are videos of the trigger reset for the M&P 2.0 Full Size with Apex Flat-Faced trigger; M&P 2.0  Compact 3.6″ with Apex Flat-Faced trigger and the M&P 2.0  Compact 3.6″ with the original factory, hinged plastic trigger.

Apex Flat Trigger in the M&P 2.0 Full Size, above, trigger reset

Apex Flat Trigger in the M&P 2.0 Compact 3.6″ above, trigger reset

Original Factory, Hinged Plastic Trigger in the M&P 2.0 Compact 3.6″ above, trigger reset

The Trigger Take Up

Below are videos of the trigger take up for the M&P 2.0  Compact 3.6″ with the original factory, hinged plastic trigger vs the M&P 2.0  Compact 3.6″ with Apex Flat-Faced trigger.

Original Factory, Hinged Plastic Trigger in the M&P 2.0 Compact 3.6″ above, trigger take-up and trigger break

Apex Flat Trigger in the M&P 2.0 Compact 3.6″ above, trigger take-up and trigger break

Final Thoughts

For the reasons mentioned above, I really like the Apex Flat-Faced Forward Set Trigger Kit and think it is without question, the very best trigger on the market today for the M&P 2.0.

Smith & Wesson’s New OEM M&P Flat Trigger

Smith & Wesson now offers the M&P 2.0 series with an Apex style trigger on their optics ready models. However, after dry firing the new M&P flat triggers on a Compact and Full Size, I still prefer the Apex Flat-Faced Forward Set Trigger and consider the Apex trigger to be much better than the new M&P trigger. Why? The new Smith & Wesson OEM  M&P “flat” triggers (like their plastic hinged triggers) are gritty and when the trigger resets, you must pull through some take-up to return back to the “wall” and subsequent break, which is less desirable for riding the reset.

Unlike the new OEM M&P flat trigger, when the Apex flat trigger resets, once you hear (and feel) that “click”, you are right at the wall, which I like much better.

Is the Apex Flat-Faced Trigger for the M&P 2.0 Worth It?

Yes, I definitely think it is worth getting an Apex Flat-Faced Forward Set trigger for the M&P 2.0 pistol.

So, if you’d rather have a flat-faced trigger, that has less take up, a crisp break and very short reset, while reducing the pull weight, you may want to consider an Apex Flat-Faced Forward Set Trigger Kit.