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Is a 3.5-pound drop-in trigger really 3.5 pounds? I put the Rise Armament RA-140 in a lower and hooked a gauge on it to find out.
I’m really liking drop-in triggers, but a lot of them cost $300 to $400, and that’s hard to swallow. The RA-140 is Rise Armament’s more traditional-looking, more affordable option: a 3.5-pound, drop-in, single-stage trigger for AR-pattern rifles. It was my first Rise trigger, and I got it from CPD Technical. Below is what comes with it, how it looks and feels, and the actual pull weights I measured with my Wheeler trigger pull scale. The button goes to that Wheeler gauge on Amazon so you can check your own triggers.
- Drop-in unit, so installation is simple
- Came with anti-walk pins
- Meaty hammer with slightly rounded edges, so light strikes shouldn’t be a worry
- Smooth, with a loud, crisp reset you can feel
- More affordable than Rise’s newer ~$300 trigger
- 3.5 lb is light without being too light to shoot accurately
- Measured heavier than the advertised 3.5 lb out of the box (about 4 to 4.5 lb)
- No rubber bumpers or set screws, if you like to fine-tune
- I hadn’t taken it to the range yet when I made the video
▶ Watch the full review on YouTube
Why I picked up the RA-140
Lighter triggers really do help accuracy, and drop-in units are easy to install. What I don’t like is the price on a lot of them. Rise has a newer trigger I really love the look of, but it’s about $300.
The RA-140 is the more traditional style, all in black, and I’d seen plenty of reviews from guys who swear by them. In my case it also came with anti-walk pins, which is a nice extra.
A closer look
There’s a pretty meaty hammer, and even the edges are rounded a little. I like a lot of meat up there and heavy pressure on the hammer so you don’t get light strikes.
One difference from some other drop-ins I’ve bought: those have little rubber bumpers on the bottom that press against the receiver to brace the unit and absorb shock, and some have set screws you adjust from the top. This one doesn’t seem to have anything like that. It’s a traditional-style single-stage trigger with a curved, standard-looking shoe, and it feels really smooth.
How it feels in a lower
I dropped it into a standard mil-spec lower (cleared, no magazine) to see how it feels. Pull the trigger and it breaks without much effort. Hold it back, ride the charging handle, and let it out, and you get a loud reset you can feel in your finger. It feels great.
Measured pull weight vs. the 3.5-pound claim
Then the real question: how heavy is it truly? I put my trusty Wheeler trigger pull scale right in the middle of that curved trigger and pulled.
The first pull came in a little under 4.5 pounds. The second was right at 4 pounds, and the third was 4 pounds again.
Rise advertises 3.5 pounds. Triggers typically break in a little, so I think 3.5 is absolutely possible, and it’s already pretty close. A gauge like this is cheap and takes the guessing out of trigger swaps.
Is 3.5 pounds the sweet spot?
To me, a 3.5-pound pull is kind of nice. Some of the really light triggers are almost too light to shoot accurately unless you get really familiar with them. I think the RA-140 is going to be fantastic on my pistol, especially when I’m trying to keep really tight groups. Range report to come.
FAQ
What is the Rise Armament RA-140?
A drop-in, single-stage trigger for AR-pattern rifles, advertised at a 3.5-pound pull.
What did the RA-140 actually measure?
On my Wheeler gauge: a little under 4.5 lb on the first pull, then 4 lb twice. It may get lighter as it breaks in.
Does the RA-140 come with anti-walk pins?
Mine did.
Does it have set screws or rubber bumpers?
Not that I could see. It’s a traditional-style single-stage drop-in.
How do you measure trigger pull?
Hook a trigger pull gauge like the Wheeler in the middle of the trigger, pull slowly until it breaks, and read the indicator. Do it a few times.
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