Schmid Tool Nickel Teflon Trigger

If you have ever inspected a trigger group and noticed an "S" stamped into both the trigger and hammer, you already own a Schmid. Schmid Tool & Engineering manufactures fire control groups for Colt, LMT, Bravo Company, Daniel Defense, and Palmetto State Armory, among others. Their direct-to-consumer nickel teflon trigger is the same casting and heat treatment that ships in rifles costing three to four times more, with a PTFE-impregnated nickel coating applied for reduced friction.

The coating does real work: pull weight drops to a consistent 5.5 to 6 pounds with minimal grit, and the break is cleaner than any uncoated mil-spec trigger has a right to be. The sear geometry is standard mil-spec, so reliability is not a question. These are the same parts that pass military acceptance testing, just finished better. Compatible with any mil-spec semi-auto AR-15 lower and most AR-10 variants.

At roughly $40 to $50 depending on retailer, the Schmid nickel teflon is the cheapest meaningful trigger upgrade in the AR market. It will not transform your rifle into a precision instrument, but it will eliminate the worst qualities of a stock trigger for less than the cost of two boxes of ammunition. For budget builds where every dollar matters, this is where the trigger conversation starts.