Here is a look at the M&P 9 Pro Series C.O.R.E. edition from Smith & Wesson.

When purchasing a gun through an official gun dealer it is required to complete a ATF form 4473. It contains basic information and screening questions to determine if a buyer is eligible for gun ownership. Generally, buyers are either approved or denied. Denials can be due to criminal convictions but surprisingly, the majority are denied due to non-U.S. citizenship.

The third result is somewhat different. It is possible to get a conditional approval. While the conditional status does not always result in approval, the process and reasoning is somewhat interesting.

The background checks are conducted using NICS. The National Instant Criminal System is searched by name, location, and DOB. You may optionally provide a social security number, but the majority of searches are run without them. If you have a common last name (John Smith, Tom Jones, etc) you may be granted a conditional status because of hits on other individuals with the same name.

Here is why I called it a "conditional approval." You will not be able to take possession of the firearm for up to 5 days. If the NICS does not come back with an approval or denial before the 5 days, it's automatically approved on the 5th day.

It took a few years for me to finally shell out the cash for a Geissele trigger. I had tried a few lower cost alternatives like the Spike's Battle Trigger and while those were definitely better than a cheap stock trigger, it was nothing compared to a Geissele. After shooting mine for a few months I wanted to share my thoughts on what makes this trigger so great.

First off, the Geissele triggers are considered match triggers. It addition to having a smoother and lighter pull, they have a decreased lock time which means the hammer will strike the firing pin faster than other triggers. All these factors increase accuracy. The Geissele trigger is made from laser cut steel with a satin-like finish which seems just as smooth or better than Nickel-Boron.

One of the great things about Geissele is the wide offering of models. Everything from service rifle triggers to ultra-light hi-speed match triggers. Many of them are adjustable either by changing out the springs or adjusting with Allen wrenches. There is no one-size fits all and they even offer models with completely flat trigger faces.

So where do you REALLY notice the difference? Well, I didn't get the full effect until I actually started shooting it. Sure you can get an idea of what the trigger is like from dry firing it, but once you start shooting at familiar places/targets you'll really start to notice how much better the Geissele trigger actually is. One thing that really stuck out in my head was how the trigger feels when you take up the 1st stage, then let it back out. I was really able to notice how smooth the trigger was because letting it back out was just as smooth as the take up.


I chose the National Hi-Speed Trigger for the Service Rifle. This particular trigger has an adjustable first and second stage but can retain the same level of safety as a mil-spec trigger. It took me almost an hour to adjust the trigger to my liking but overall I think it's worth the money and I plan to buy it again for my other AR-15s.