At the 2022 Athlon Outdoors Rendezvous event in Idaho, there was no shortage of incredible guns to shoot. Some of the top manufacturers showed up with their latest and greatest. From pistols to shotguns to rifles. However, one of my favorite tents on the range housed Rise Armament and its Iconic two-stage drop-in trigger.
The Rise Armament Iconic Two-Stage Drop in Trigger
Now I know they don’t make their own guns, but they do a damn good job on parts for my favorite platform—the AR15. They had a few full builds sitting on the table for us to test out their new parts. These included the AR-15 magazine release, M-LOK QD Sling mounts, Extended AR charging handle, Bolt Carriers, Handguards, Muzzle devices, and their new ICONIC drop-in trigger.
The other parts are all extremely well built and come in a variety of colors/finishes to accent any build. But that trigger. Well, that trigger is just sexy and incredible. It was truly love at first sight, and then I pulled it, and my world changed. The ICONIC trigger is just that, ICONIC.
Inside the Rise Armament Iconic Trigger
Rise Armament has always been known for producing incredible triggers; this one is no exception. With Rise’s aerospace manufacturing background, the parts that make up the ICONIC Trigger are precision machined to insane tolerances. Likewise, they are inspected on equipment that measures up to five decimal places.
The trigger is a two-stage design with the two stages being completely independent and totally separate mechanical components for each stage. Because of this design, you get unmatched performance.
On regular two-stage triggers, the hammer sear and trigger sear interact on both the first and second stages. Also, the disconnector controls the second stage; this old design hurts performance. The
Rise ICONIC’s independent two-stage design allows for a very distinct wall with hardly any overtravel. The trigger’s first stage has a curved blade that is wider than the second and has smooth edges for maximum comfort and control. That first stage pulls at only one pound, so you hardly feel it, but somehow you know it is there.
The second stage is a skeletonized blade with an insanely crisp, clean break that’s very comparable to a high-performance single-stage trigger. That second stage pulls at only two pounds.
The two blades are designed not to collide but rather to slide and nest with each other. There is virtually no creep and absolutely none of the spongy feel in conventional two-stage triggers caused by their compression of the disconnector spring.
Have-It-All Performance
If you have shot two-stage triggers in the past, you know you either get a crisp break or a lighter pull weight. You don’t get both. Rise changed all that here, and they so cleverly call it Have-It-All Performance. This is perfect, in my opinion, because you truly get the best of both worlds in one package.
Rise machines a solid block of 6061 aluminum for the outer framework of ICONIC triggers. And all the internal components start with S7 tool steel, which Rise mills out with precision machining.
Once a component is cut to an exact specification, the part is heat-treated to make it super hard and highly durable. ICONIC triggers also use robust Strong Arm hammer springs. These heavy-duty springs increase the hammer’s forward velocity causing harder strikes to the firing pin and virtually eliminating light primer strikes.
This entire package comes completely assembled within the machined aluminum cassette-style housing. This housing has retaining pin holes in the same positions as the trigger and hammer retention pin holes on AR lower receivers.
This allows you simply to drop the entire trigger assembly into the lower receiver and easily lock it in place using the supplied anti-walk pins.
Why a Two-Stage Trigger?
So why would you need a two-stage trigger? There are many different scenarios where this ICONIC trigger comes into play. Specifically, when you’re precision shooting, knowing definitively when you’re at the second stage means you’re less likely to pull off the target.
Additionally, knowing exactly where you are in your trigger pull while precision shooting allows you to pause to control your breathing or mentally prepare for the shot before continuing.
As a hunter myself, I know first-hand the stress that you feel when you are staring down your scope with a live animal in the crosshairs. You want to be 100% sure when you squeeze that trigger.
With the two stage ICONIC trigger you can back out of the shot if your target moves or something else walks out behind it. You know where you are within the shot all the time.
As a firearms instructor, I like the ICONIC Trigger for training new rifle shooters. You really get a feel for the trigger pull and again you just always know where you are within the process. Learning the trigger is natural and doesn’t take hundreds of rounds.
Rise Armament Thought of Everything
Rise Armament really thought of everything and put it all into the ICONIC trigger. They even incorporated a special Safety-First Hammer Hold into the design. So, in the event you drop your rifle accidentally, this lever catches the hammer and stops it from hitting the firing pin.
Plus, you must pull that first stage to engage the second stage, adding even more safety to the gun. All the Rise products are made right here in the USA and are backed by a lifetime warranty.
With an MSRP of only $299, there is really no reason you aren’t dropping a Rise Armament ICONIC trigger in your AR-15.
Check out all the Rise products to outfit your next build at RiseArmament.com.
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