FRT Trigger for a 9mm Pistol: What Fits and How It Works

Most forced reset triggers were built for the AR-15 first. The pistol side came later and it is narrower: a handful of platforms, each with its own install. This page covers the 9mm pistol units we stock, what each one replaces, and what to check before you order.

How a pistol FRT works

On a semi-automatic pistol the slide runs back and forward on every shot. A forced reset trigger takes some of that motion and uses it to drive the trigger forward against your finger, so the trigger is already reset by the time the slide is back in battery. You still have to pull it again for the next round. One pull, one shot. What shrinks is the dead time between the shot and the reset, which is where most of a shooter's split time goes.

Forced reset triggers are legal to own under federal law. In National Association for Gun Rights, Inc. v. Garland (N.D. Tex., Case No. 4:23-cv-00830) the court held that an FRT is not a machine gun, because the trigger still has to be pulled once for every round fired. The device pushes the trigger forward into reset as the action cycles; it does not fire more than one shot per function of the trigger. The longer version of that, with the state list, is on our FRT legal page.

Glock, 9mm

The Glock pattern is the most common 9mm FRT host, because the fire control parts sit in a removable housing and the aftermarket has had years to work on it. We stock two:

• Glock Forced Reset Trigger FFT Cut V2 — the current version, with the revised cut on the trigger bar.
• Glock FRT Gen 1-6 — the wider-fitment unit. Read the generation notes on the product page against your own pistol before ordering; Gen 4 and Gen 5 frames are not interchangeable in every respect.

Both are drop-in in the sense that no frame material is removed. They are still fire control work, so bench them, function-check them on an empty gun, and shoot them slowly before you shoot them fast.

Smith & Wesson M&P 2.0, 9mm

The Freedom Finger M&P 2.0 FRT is a different design. It is 4140 nitrided steel and it replaces the slide backplate, not the sear housing. The package is marked non-select, which means the forced reset is always on — there is no switch. It fits the 2.0 in 9mm, .40, .45 and 10mm, including the Metal, Performance Center and thumb-safety variants. It does not fit the 1.0, the Shield, the SD, the FPC, the Bodyguard, or a gun already running an Apex FSS.

Two things go with it. The trigger-bar edge wants rounding, which is a few minutes with a stone. And it runs best with the Wolff 4 lb striker spring. In .45 and 10mm a heavier 22-24 lb recoil spring is the usual pairing. There is a limit of two per order.

Canik

The Canik FRT covers the striker-fired Canik 9mm line. Same principle, Canik-specific geometry.

Taurus TX22

The TX22 22TY is the odd one out. It is a .22 LR pistol, not 9mm, and the unit replaces the disconnector rather than sitting behind the trigger. It is here because people searching for a pistol FRT often land on it by mistake. If your gun is a TX22, that is the page you want; if it is a 9mm, it is not.

Rate of fire, honestly

An FRT does not make a pistol fire on its own and it does not give you a fixed cyclic rate. Your practical rate of fire depends on how hard and how steadily you hold the trigger, how well the gun is running and what ammunition it is fed. Expect a real improvement in split times and expect it to take practice. Anyone quoting an exact rounds-per-second figure for your gun is guessing.

What we do not sell

An FRT is not a Glock switch and not an auto sear. Those convert a pistol to fire continuously from one pull, which is a machine gun under federal law and a felony to possess without the right paperwork. We do not stock them, and we will not order one for you. If a site offers both in the same catalog, treat everything else on it with suspicion.

Where we cannot ship

We do not ship FRT devices to CA, CO, CT, DE, FL, HI, IL, MD, MA, MN, NV, NJ, NY, OR, RI, WA and Washington D.C.. Springs, pins, bench blocks and apparel still go anywhere. The current list and the reasoning behind it are on the FRT legal page.

If you are not sure which unit your pistol takes, the FAQ covers the usual fitment questions and the contact page reaches us directly.