Spotted this on instagram. 2AC Guns is working on an FRT for the 1919. No word on pricing, ETA, or even if they'll ever sell it at all since they haven't posted any live fire videos and dry cycling is always different from the real thing.
u/Danny_PSA waited until Wednesday as I saw you requested folks do that.
While I'm guessing the DOJ is just waiting until the last minute today to appeal, if they don't my understanding is tomorrow at 12:01am the NFA for SBR/SBS/suppressors no longer applies to parties of the lawsuit. Given PSA is a party and their video suggested they would start selling to people via normal 4473, does PSA have any updates on that plan?
For example, does that only apply if you go in-store or can you buy from PSA online at 12:01 tomorrow and have it shipped to your local dealer? I imagine many dealers aren't going to know what to do and at least for a while not allow it just to avoid risks until the ATF gives guidance to them. I'm a party of FPC/GOA/TSRA/etc so I'm covered that way as well. And yeah, I know they have the full 60 days still to appeal and get another stay.
I'll update this post over time as I try more and more of the various ones out there. Note that I'm only including ones I personally own.
Unless otherwise noted, my experiences below assume 5.56 Lake City ammo in a 10.3" or longer barrel, non-adjustable gas, H3 buffer (deadblow, aluminum body, tungsten weights), mil-spec AR15 trigger group, low shelf lower, 3 position selectors. All were tested on the same set of numerous rifles to verify any good or bad things weren't one offs. I have no affiliation at all with any vendor, and purchased all of them with my own money. As always YMMV so just because I had or didn't have issues doesn't mean your experience will be the same.
Above all: I do NOT recommend buying anything from a gun show unless you're totally okay with the risk of it being fake clone trash that doesn't work or breaks in 200 rounds. It's not impossible that you'll get a real, solid one, but more likely you're buying trash and overpaying for it too.
• Original Super Safety
• Active Safety Designs (ASD) ARC-Fire v1
• Atrius Super Selector/Selektor
• Arizona Regulator AZR-15A1
• BS Squirts ARSS15
• Dogwood FKT-15
• Kabuto 3D Printed
• Partisan Disruptor
• Duality Arms RATL-R
• B Squared SG90
Not much to say that you can't find posted repeatedly. No issues with it except for the problems common with all regular Super Safeties; primarily that some upper receivers require you dremel the upper sear pocket back so the lever doesn't bind against it.
Not a huge fan of push button safeties, but I still run it on my Lima6 so it can feel more like a SAW until ASD drops their M249S FRT lower.
Just be sure to buy from a reputable seller; search the sub for their company name for experiences, don't just buy the first one you see as there are A LOT of subpar sellers out there. Otherwise they're all largely the same.
This is what I'd recommend to anyone who just wants to go brrrrrttttttt reliably and doesn't care about anything else.
More complex to install than the ARSS15/FKT-15 "drop-ins" in the sense that there are more pieces and you have to be careful to put the pieces in the right order and orientation. I've had to help several folks both in person and online get it right, but if you look at photos or videos it's much easier to figure out.
I have two of them: one with the very first selector style, which is not great at all, and one with their more "mil-spec" looking selector which at least feels much better, but isn't going to be ideal for some clone builders who want to use a very specific selector.
Never personally had issues with mine, but a buddy has one from one of the first few batches that is out of spec and the selector can only go in one direction (towards safe), not the other. I've seen their Customer Support is usually great, but as always that can vary, especially if it's shortly after they've done a big drop of a new product.
From an engineering perspective the ARC is probably one of the most highly tested and refined, which led to its great reputation, but like every manufacturer on my list has had quality control/tolerance issues from time to time and not every rifle is going to have the same tolerances.
Requires a Super Safety cut trigger. Best if you buy one from them so if you have issues related to it they have no one else to blame. They offer G$ cut triggers too, but you need to be sure to use a lever blocker then.
If you're trying to FRT your Sig MCX/MPX variant (e.g. Spear, Rattler, etc) this is a great option but you have to buy their slip trip, you cannot use the cheaper ones like PMM that go into the upper. The v2 version (which I have not tried) is supposed to work with the factory MR556 without modification, which is very cool considering my 416A5 clone required a lot of very expensive mods and parts to work with the AZR instead, but you still can't use a real deal 416 3 pos polymer selector, though ASD does sell metal ones that look similar to the untrained eye.
Bought one from the original drop, then bought the ambi selector upgrade they had for a bit. Less complicated than the ARC-Fire to install, but just a tad more complicated than the others, still easy. I only have one, so not a big sample size, but haven't had issues with it other that when I put it in my JAKL (that uses a trip sled) I can feel the trigger slap forward more than if I used the ARC-Fire in it, but didn't feel that in normal AR15s.
Doesn't require a Super Safety cut, but I did have some problems with it working with one mil spec trigger group that they list in their spreadsheet as compatible, but another brand worked. Can't remember which brands as it's hard to know once you lose track. Just that I bought it specifically cause it was listed as compatible and it didn't work.
Some people have reported their levers breaking due to it being somewhat slim, but I haven't seen this reported all that often compared to how many they've sold.
BE SUPER CAREFUL NOT TO BY FAKES from Performance Triggers or others! Be 100% sure it's Atrius, not a clone.
I have four of these. Two of them had varying degrees of tolerance issues where they wouldn't drop into the upper sear pocket of literally any AR with the BCG fully in. The solution that worked for me is to put it into the pocket with the BCG not fully seated, clamp the AZR down tight, then whack the BCG into place with a rubber mallet. This presumably deforms something just enough, likely either the housing of the AZR or the sear pocket since they are both aluminum. But do this as your own risk!! Just sharing what worked for me, and I'm always prepared for "welp, I broke it".
All four of them required that I hammer my rear takedown pin in and out, didn't matter which rifle. The solution is to take a file and remove material from the bottom sides of the aluminum housing of the AZR until it sits more flush with the upper sear pocket. Do not file the top of the housing. As always, go slow: file, try it, file, try it, etc. Zero chance he will replace it or give you a discount if you ruin it and of course you'll be filing away the black finish of the housing (who cares...but). This technically will change how much of the bottom lever is interacting with the trigger and could cause issues, but for me at least it hasn't. I didn't file enough for it to be trivially smooth to push in/out the rear takedown pin, just enough that it didn't require tools to hammer it.
Aside from the tolerance issues above all four have run solid in every AR I put them in. Like a lot of FRT/SS's I noticed that after 100+ rounds of live fire it seems to "break in" better, where you'll feel less binding when dry cycling which presumably would translate more reliability in live fire.
The owner is a complete jerk. Don't believe me? Search. You'll find countless examples and AFAICT no examples of him not being one. He will 100% of the time blame you and/or your rifles, no matter what evidence you present to him. I get that he has to deal with a lot of people who are in fact at fault or have out of spec rifles, but even when presented with definitive evidence he never even concedes the possibility of his stuff being out of spec or not having tolerances that work with in-spec rifles. By far out of any FRT/SS vendor I've seen has the worst Customer Service, he'd be better off just not replying to people at all. It's sad because the despite the minor tolerance issues I've had it really looks like its otherwise well machined and designed.
Requires you to use the trigger group he provides, and you cannot buy another trigger by itself, so it is not really swappable. Someone on ar15.com has a run down on trying to modify other trigger parts to work and they did eventually get it to, after a lot of trial and error.
Uses real M16-pattern selectors, which is a big plus for clone builds. I'm running mine in my HK416A5 clone build because it has an M16 pattern lower pocket that the FKT-15 doesn't fit correct in, and I'm running a real HK416 three position selector; you have to use a real full auto BCG 416, not the MR556 semi-auto one. If you are using an MR556 note that the upper has a 416 BCG denial block you'd have to have machined away. Brownells sometimes has BRN-4 (416 clone) BCGs in stock that work with the MR556 even with the denial block. Most importantly I think the MR556 doesn't come with an upper sear pocket machined at all, which would mean unless you have it cut out the AZR is out of the question. The v2 version of the ARC-Fire works with the factory MR556 though if you don't mind not having an OG 416 selector.
Marketed as "true drop-in, zero-modification", but two out of the three I bought required filing to run in live fire, the third ran but also had a lot of binding that got better with filing but still was more than I experience with any other.
This one looks 99.99% the same as the Dogwood FKT-15, so I assume one of them ripped the other off, licensed the design, or something else. They definitely look like they're machined by different people though, as you can tell the parts were machined at different angles (via chatter mark locations), if you measure the parts there are some slight differences between between, as well as the listings claim different materials used. That said, it's possible they're made by the same machine shop and it's just differences in batches.
Uses mil-spec M16 pattern selectors which is a huge plus for clone builds, especially if you want to use a very specific selector. In second position it does NOT push the trigger forward at all, which for some could be a good thing, but that also means it does not act as an out of battery safety at all either in 2nd position that some others do.
Works with mil-spec AR15 triggers without a Super Safety cut. Can't comment if it works with any others. Like the FKT-15 it also works with a regular semi-auto 2 position selector if you just want safe/FRT.
It seemed to "break-in" better after 100+ rounds of live fire. After my initial filing I haven't had issues with them in live fire, but I suspect given they still bind when dry cycling that reliability is likely less if you don't have enough gas to overcome the binding.
Customer Support seems to be hit or miss. Lots of folks reporting bad experience; repeated missed shipping timelines, ghosting, argumentative replies, etc. But there are also plenty of folks who haven't had any issues. Sounds like they got overwhelmed with orders and haven't prioritized getting CS right and often over-promise, under deliver.
As mentioned above it looks 99.99% the same as the ARSS15 and is also marketed as "drop-in" without modification, but unlike the ARSS15 all three of the ones I bought were truly drop-in; bought one first, then two more a month later. Unlike the ARSS15 there was very very little binding.
Uses mil-spec M16 pattern selectors which is a huge plus for clone builds, especially if you want to use a very specific selector. In second position it does NOT push the trigger forward at all, which for some could be a good thing, but that also means it does not act as an out of battery safety at all either in 2nd position that some others do. I love the FKT-15 for my retro clone builds like my Commando so I can LARP as a character from HEAT.
Works with mil-spec AR15 triggers without a Super Safety cut. Can't comment if it works with any others. Like the ARSS15 it also works with a regular semi-auto 2 position selector if you just want safe/FRT.
It seemed to "break-in" a little bit better after 100+ rounds of live fire, though I haven't ever had any cycling issues with any of the three, just dry cycled smoother after.
As of now it still seems to be less popular than the ARSS15, so I haven't heard any Customer Service complaints. But I've recommended it many times and everyone who reported back had the same drop in experience. On my second order they mistakenly only sent me one FKT-15, I emailed them and got a reply within a couple hours apologizing and they sent me the missing one the next day along with a free Super Safety for my troubles. I really really hope my experience is the same for most people, cause I really like the FKT-15 and will be sad if their QC/CS slips over time.
That said, it's now kinda pricey compared to the ARC Fire v1 now, so consider the pros and cons. Even though I haven't had any issues with the FKT-15 the ARC Fire definitely seems like the machining was higher quality. For me I don't care about that as long as it runs reliably.
Was never able to get it to work reliably after a lot of filing. I probably screwed something up, but it was also before there were more resources available.
Usually requires a modified M16-pattern selector (not out of box) but there are now some designs floating around that work without modifying the selector. If it doesn't clarify, assume it only works with the modified ones, especially if you're buying a Kabuto.
I stopped wanting to print or buy these cause the little money you can save isn't worth the trouble, especially considering you're gonna burn far more in ammo anyway if you do get it to work. But if you want to tinker it could be fun.
I have four of these. If you're looking to FRT your Sig MCX variant this is also a good option as it works with the various upper slip trip sleds from PMM, Frankenstein, etc. Keep in mind though that most MCX lowers prevent the front anti-walk trigger pin from seating flush, so you either have to just live with that or do what I did where you dremel the anti-walk pin screw head away enough so that it can sit flush when tightened.
Biggest downside is a cassette trigger so you can't use others and you absolutely MUST use anti-walk pins because otherwise nothing captures them and they'll work their way out pretty quickly. Normal AR15 triggers don't usually need them because the various springs (if installed correctly) capture the pins.
The upside is that I haven't personally had any issues whatsoever with these in anything I put them in and they're dead simple to install as long as you don't have a weird lower pocket shape. But as always do research on your specific combination of rifle parts.
I HIGHLY recommend throwing the factory selectors in the trash and buying replacements from Datum Machine. They take M16 selectors and modify them to work, and it's a night and day difference.
They had a recall many months back on some that were firing like a binary trigger, but seems like they've fixed that issue.
For the Kriss Vector 9mm. Installing this was a big pain and required taking apart not only the rifle but the entire OEM trigger pack. When I first installed it I could only get bursts of 2 or 3 sometimes and often only single shots. They eventually sent me their gen 2 version, which of course required these same install process again. It seemed to improve things a bit, but still very inconsistent. They blame it on how I'm pressing the trigger, saying I need to press it from more on the side of the trigger rather than straight back, I say if you can't pull the trigger like you do regularly do it's a flawed design. Others seem to have better luck than I did. Note that there have been reports of 9mm bolts breaking due to RATL-R use.
The only kudos I'll give is that they at least sent me the gen 2 for free after little fuss, so they're obviously not trying to outright scam people even if the design isn't ideal. And it's not like anyone else (AFAIK yet) makes a better one, so if you just want to scratch the Vector itch for some fun it's not worthless.
For the PS90. I haven't finished installing this one yet, so I'll update once I do, but the install process is much more involved than nearly all FRTs except for the RATL-R because it does not come with a Super Safety cam nor the specially cut trigger shoe you need to sacrifice, both of which require you to take down the trigger pack relatively substantially, but seems easier than the RATL-R. Only time will tell, though.
It's only a two position (safe/fire) and it is NOT a progressive trigger like the real P90 is.
all the parts that will take notable forces seem to be machined well, not printed, but again, I haven't run it yet and to date it seems it was a relatively small run, so I might run into issues.
With tungsten prices super high and even availability hard right now many people are buying products marketed as "H3" buffers that are not in fact normal H3 buffers, and that can often lead to still have issues with light primer strikes due to bolt bounce. It's actually somewhat hard to find a real H3 online right now. You really gotta dig.
How do you know? Is the buffer case aluminum and the three internal weights all solid tungsten? It's a real H3. If the case is steel, NO, don't buy it! It's not a real H3. The steel ones have the same net weight, but they use lighter internal weights, leading to less "dead blow" effect, leading to still having light primer strikes. Also see YourBroStevo's comment below for another way!
If someone reports light primers here and they're saying they're using H3 this should be the first thing you ask. If they don't know and their product listing doesn't clarify their only option is to punch out the pin and weigh the case without the internal weights.
As another reminder: when you shake a real H3 buffer you should easily feel the internal weights shift back and forth to give you that dead blow effect. Some sellers have ones that do not have this, but it's less common.