Description
The Timney Alpha Competition is a drop-in replacement trigger for the large frame Gen 3 and Gen 4 Glocks, the 10mm and .45 ACP guns that the standard 9mm and .40 Alpha does not fit. Timney built it for competition use, and the product page says so plainly: “ONLY COMPATIBLE WITH STOCK GLOCK PISTOLS – INTENDED FOR COMPETITION USE ONLY.” It replaces the factory trigger shoe, trigger bar, and trigger housing with Timney’s aluminum sear housing and a machined trigger bar, and Timney states it “uses all stock Glock parts and springs,” meaning the factory connector, firing pin, firing pin spring, and firing pin safety spring stay in the gun. Timney says it “can be installed easily with no gunsmith needed.” You will still need to pull the slide, punch out the trigger pin and trigger housing pin, and reassemble, so a Glock armorer tool or a 3/32 punch and a bench block make the job cleaner.
Timney lists a 3 pound pull weight and a “crisp trigger break.” The shoe is a straight, flat face aluminum trigger with an external safety blade, anodized black. The trigger bar and sear are Teflon nickel (NP3) coated, which Timney says “virtually eliminates friction.” Timney’s blog describes two trigger return springs in the kit, a light gray spring and a heavier red spring, so you can pick the reset feel you want. Timney does not publish pre-travel or reset distances for this trigger. Timney’s blog notes a pre-travel (take-up) adjustment in the sear housing and warns that removing too much pre-travel can partially disengage the factory safeties, so leave it where Timney set it unless you know what you are doing. On safeties, Timney’s blog states that “all three factory Glock safeties are also fully functional with the Alpha. The drop safety, firing pin stop, and trigger safety all work the same as the stock setup.” Timney also reports the trigger ran 10,000 rounds with no cleaning or oiling and zero malfunctions, but recommends cleaning the sear housing every five hundred to one thousand rounds because of the tight tolerances.
Fitment: Gen 3 and Gen 4 large frame Glocks in 10mm and .45 ACP only. Timney lists the G20, G21, G29, G30, G40, and G41, including SF frames and MOS slides (the slide has no effect on the trigger). It will NOT fit the 9mm, .40 or .357 SIG Glocks (G17, G19, G22, G23, G26, G27, G34, G35 and so on), which take Timney’s standard Gen 3-4 Alpha. It will NOT fit any Gen 5 large frame gun (G20 Gen 5, G21 Gen 5, G29 Gen 5, G30 Gen 5), which use a different trigger housing and take Timney’s Gen 5 large frame Alpha. It will NOT fit the slimline G36, G42, G43, G43X or G48. Timney states it is compatible only with stock Glock pistols, so aftermarket connectors, frames or fire control parts are not covered.
Specs
- Fits: Glock Gen 3 and Gen 4 large frame, 10mm and .45 ACP: G20, G21, G29, G30, G40, G41 (SF and MOS variants included)
- Pull weight: 3 pounds (Timney stated)
- Type: drop-in trigger group: shoe, trigger bar, and sear housing; reuses the factory connector and factory springs
- Shoe: flat face, straight, anodized aluminum, black, with external safety blade
- Adjustable: Timney’s page lists no adjustment; Timney’s blog describes a pre-travel adjustment that Timney cautions against changing
- Safeties: Timney states the trigger safety, firing pin safety and drop safety all remain functional
- Includes: trigger shoe with bar, sear housing, two trigger return springs (light and heavy)
- Manufacturer part number: ALPHA-GLOCK-3-4-LARGE-BLK
- UPC: 081950753888
- Made in: USA, with Timney’s lifetime warranty
Who it’s for
Shooters running a G20, G21, G40 or G41 in USPSA Limited (the .45 G21 and G41 make major), Limited 10, or Open, and 10mm shooters who hunt or shoot steel and want a lighter, cleaner break than the factory five and a half pound trigger. The G40 MOS crowd shooting PCSL or Tactical Games fits here too.
Who should skip it
If your large frame Glock is a Gen 5, this is the wrong housing; you need the Gen 5 large frame Alpha we also carry. If you shoot a 9mm or .40 Glock, look at the standard Gen 3-4 Alpha in black or red. A 3 pound striker-fired trigger is a range and competition trigger, not a duty or carry trigger; many departments and some instructors say no to anything under the factory weight, and Timney itself labels this for competition only. If you want a lighter pull but a factory-style parts count, a Glock Performance Trigger or an Apex or Overwatch Precision shoe with a connector swap keeps more factory parts. USPSA Production and Carry Optics allow aftermarket triggers, bars, connectors and springs with no minimum pull weight, as long as the trigger safety still works and the pistol is on the approved list; Limited, Limited Optics and Open have no trigger rules. IDPA SSP allows internal trigger work but no visible external changes, so an aftermarket shoe is out; IDPA ESP, CCP and CO allow replacement triggers but not add-on trigger shoes. Read the current rulebook before a major.
