Why Some Shooters Hate Glock Triggers—and Never Grow Out of It

If you’ve spent any time around pistol shooters, you’ve heard the line:

“You’ll get used to the Glock trigger.”

Sometimes that’s true. Sometimes it’s not.

There’s a particular kind of frustration that shows up with Glocks—especially among shooters who genuinely want to like them. They’ve bought one, carried it, shot it, trained with it. They’ve tried to do their part. And after all that, they still walk away saying the same thing:

“I just don’t like the trigger.”

Not “I can’t shoot it.” Not “it’s unsafe.” Not “it’s unreliable.” Just a plain, stubborn dislike that doesn’t fade with experience.

That’s not internet drama. That’s a real, repeatable pattern. And it’s one reason you see shooters drift toward striker-fired options that feel different right out of the box—most commonly the HK VP9, Walther PDP, and CZ P-10 C.

This isn’t a “Glock bad” essay. Glocks are proven pistols with enormous institutional trust. But the trigger is also the most personal interface on the gun. When it doesn’t match what a shooter’s hands and brain want, it creates friction that training doesn’t always erase.

And that’s the part people don’t like to admit: some preferences don’t “train out.” They just become more obvious over time.

What People Are Really Complaining About

When shooters say they hate Glock triggers, they’re rarely making a technical claim. They’re describing feedback. The sensation of pressing the trigger, where the resistance builds, how it “stacks,” what the wall feels like, and what the break and reset communicate.

In the simplest terms, Glock triggers often strike some shooters as… vague.

Not always. Not every model. Not every sample. But often enough that it’s become part of the brand’s identity: the Glock trigger is functional, consistent, and serviceable—yet it rarely feels refined.

If you want to translate the complaints into plain language, it usually sounds like this: there’s take-up that feels a little soft, a wall that doesn’t feel crisp, and a break that can feel more like pressure releasing than a clean “snap.” Then you’ve got a reset that is definitely usable—sometimes even very good—but not always as distinct or satisfying as some competitors.

Those details matter more than people think, because the trigger is where your intention meets the gun’s behavior. If the trigger doesn’t “talk back” clearly, a shooter who thrives on precision feedback can feel like they’re steering with numb fingertips.

Glock Didn’t Build a Trigger for Romance

Here’s what gets lost in the argument: Glock didn’t set out to make a trigger that feels like a tuned performance part. Glock set out to make a reliable, repeatable duty trigger that functions across dirt, neglect, and inconsistent maintenance. The design priorities were never “make it feel like a competition pistol.”

Glock’s striker system is engineered around consistency and safe handling, not a crisp target break. It’s a utilitarian solution, and utilitarian solutions often feel that way.

That doesn’t make it “bad.” It makes it purpose-built.

Where the tension starts is when a shooter expects one set of sensations—clean wall, crisp break, decisive reset—and Glock delivers something more practical than pleasurable. Some shooters accept that, shoot well anyway, and never think about it again. Others can’t stop noticing it.

Why Some Shooters Never Adapt (Even After They Get Good)

The popular response is that dislike equals inexperience. That’s convenient, and it’s sometimes true—but it doesn’t explain the many experienced shooters who still prefer other striker triggers.

A big part of the reason is psychological: the human brain is extremely sensitive to predictability and feedback. If the trigger press gives crisp information—“here’s the wall, here’s the break”—the shooter can time and manage the press with less conscious effort. If the press feels like it rolls, compresses, or varies slightly, some shooters feel like they’re guessing.

And that’s the quiet secret: the better you get, the more you care about small differences, not less. A newer shooter can mash through almost anything and call it fine. A developing shooter starts noticing flaws and blaming gear. A skilled shooter notices flaws and simply chooses equipment that reduces friction.

That’s why you’ll see competent Glock shooters who still choose to carry something else. They’re not confused. They’re not lazy. They just don’t want the trigger to be a constant negotiation.

“I Shoot Glocks Fine… I Just Don’t Enjoy Them”

This is an important middle ground that gets ignored.

You can shoot a Glock well and still dislike the trigger. In fact, that’s often the most honest take. The shooter acknowledges the platform’s strengths—reliability, simplicity, huge aftermarket, commonality—but still chooses something else because the trigger feel influences how much they enjoy training.

Enjoyment matters because practice is voluntary for most civilians. If a gun feels like work every time you press the trigger, it becomes easier to skip range days. If a gun feels cooperative, it’s easier to put in reps.

That doesn’t mean you should chase “the best trigger” like it’s a trophy. It means you should recognize when a trigger is quietly shaping your training behavior.

Why the VP9 Wins People Over

The VP9 is often the gun that makes Glock skeptics pause mid-sentence.

Part of that is ergonomics. The VP9 tends to fit a wide range of hands, and when a gun points naturally, the shooter immediately feels more capable. But the other part is the trigger.

Many shooters describe the VP9 trigger as smoother, with a clearer sense of where the wall lives. The break often feels less like compressing something and more like completing a decision. That matters to shooters who struggle with Glock’s “rolling” feel.

It’s not that the VP9 turns you into a champion. It’s that it reduces mental noise. Instead of thinking about what the trigger is doing, you can think about what the sights are doing.

And in practical shooting—especially under speed—less mental noise is a performance advantage.

Why the PDP Starts Arguments (And Keeps Winning Them)

The Walther PDP has a reputation that isn’t subtle. You’ll hear variations of the same statement:

“This is what a striker trigger should feel like.”

What people are responding to is a trigger that tends to feel more defined. The wall is easier to recognize, the break feels cleaner, and the reset often encourages faster follow-up shots because it’s more obvious and more tactile.

That doesn’t mean the PDP is “better” for everyone. Some shooters prefer a slightly heavier, more duty-oriented feel. Some prefer a different grip angle or recoil impulse. But when the conversation is strictly about triggers, the PDP has an uncanny ability to make Glock triggers feel underwhelming by comparison.

If you’re the type of shooter who wants the trigger press to feel like a clear series of steps—take-up, wall, break—the PDP is often a comfortable answer.

Why the CZ P-10 C Is the “Glock Alternative” That Makes Sense

The CZ P-10 C often attracts shooters who like the idea of the Glock 19: a compact, do-everything, striker-fired pistol that can pull carry duty and range duty without excuses.

What they don’t like is the Glock trigger feel.

The P-10 C often answers that complaint by providing a trigger experience that many shooters find more direct. The wall can feel more solid. The break can feel more decisive. The reset often feels more assertive. In other words, it gives some shooters the feedback they wish their Glock gave them.

And because the size class is comparable to the Glock 19, the transition feels practical rather than experimental. You aren’t switching into some niche category—you’re simply choosing a different interpretation of the same concept.

The Real Question Isn’t “Which Trigger Is Best?”

It’s: “Which Trigger Lets You Shoot Your Best?”

If you’re making a carry decision, the trigger isn’t the only factor. Reliability matters. Holster availability matters. Parts and magazine access matter. Your ability to train consistently matters.

But the trigger is still the primary control. It’s the interface you touch for every shot. If it frustrates you, that frustration will show up in one of two places: in your performance, or in your motivation.

Here’s a simple way to sanity-check your own preference:

• When you press the trigger at speed, do you feel like you’re commanding the shot, or negotiating with the gun?

• When you’re trying to make a tight shot at distance, does the break feel predictable, or like it smears the moment of decision?

• When you’re shooting fast strings, does the reset help you keep rhythm, or does it fade into the background?

You don’t need to be a trigger snob. You just need a trigger you can run confidently when it counts.

Where CYA Supply Co. Fits In: Your Holster Makes Any Trigger More Manageable

Here’s the part that doesn’t get said enough: the trigger feel you experience is influenced by everything else in your system—especially how consistently the gun sits on your body and how repeatable your draw and grip are.

A quality IWB holster does more than “hold the gun.” It helps ensure you establish the same grip every time, which affects how you interact with the trigger. If your draw is inconsistent because the holster shifts, your trigger press will feel inconsistent too—not because the trigger changed, but because you had to rebuild your grip on the fly.

If you’re switching from Glock to VP9, PDP, or P-10 C because the trigger feels better, do yourself a favor and make the carry system equally consistent. Don’t upgrade the trigger experience and then sabotage it with a sloppy setup.

Bottom Line

Glock triggers are proven, reliable, and entirely workable for defensive use. They’re also a very particular kind of feel—and some shooters never fall in love with it.

That doesn’t mean they’re wrong. It means their hands and brains prefer clearer feedback than the Glock trigger typically provides.

If that’s you, it’s no surprise the VP9, PDP, and CZ P-10 C keep pulling people away. Those pistols often feel more defined at the trigger press, and that definition reduces friction—especially when you’re pushing speed and precision at the same time.

Carry what you shoot best. Train with what you carry. And don’t let brand loyalty turn a personal interface into a personality contest.