Electronic Rifle Trigger ?

[Johnch]

I am messing around I admit , I plan on making 1 at least

I am ( So far most of the design is just on paper ) designing a 9mm bullpup rifle
I have some of it 3D printed for testing of ideas
As making test parts from PLA is cheap

I will also admit this design is taking a while with my headaches

So far I plan on a 16 1/2" threaded barrel
26 1/2" OAL
Takes Glock mags
Hammer , sear and pistol grip from a AR15 as I have them
But I may change the the sear and hammer to AK47 parts as I have them also
I need to do a bunch of testing as to what to use

Most of the bolt mass and the main spring will be in front of the chamber and above the barrel

BUT so far the sticking point is giving the rifle a decent trigger pull
I made a mock up of the stock to try and get a decent trigger pull
Mushy and long was the best I have gotten so far

I figured I should address this BEFORE I start cutting the parts for the action

I had a thought , as I have seen them in high end rifles
A electronic rifle trigger

Are electronic triggers doable for a hobby maker ?
Or should I just work out a reasonable trigger linkage ?

Your thoughts ?

Thanks
John

[MaryB]

Better check laws pertaining to electronic trigger actuators...

[Tripplebeards]

Remington made one years ago it didn’t last long. Never saw one in person. I think they called it the E trigger. Think it was around 02’ or so?

[Winger Ed.]

Interesting.

I try to minimize things like that (especially on guns) so I'd have one less battery to worry about dying.
However; it seems do-able with off the shelf micro switches & stuff.

[Tripplebeards]

I’m with Ed. I would assume that’s why that E trigger never took off. The marketing gimmick at the time if I remember was a quicker lock time and a lighter pull trigger.

[abunaitoo]

Do a web search.
It has been done before, but never caught on.
I'm thinking that making it safe would be the biggest problem.

[Tripplebeards]

I didn’t watch the video yet, but this is what the one I was referring to

[M-Tecs]

Remington made one years ago it didn’t last long. Never saw one in person. I think they called it the E trigger. Think it was around 02’ or so?

It was based around an electronic primer. It did use an electronic trigger. The OP wants to use standard primers in a bullpup. Center stocked XP-100 and Bullpups normally used a long connecting rod to acuate the trigger. That does create trigger pull issues.

The Remington EltronX didn't live up to claims. Lots of them were converted back to standard fire control. The OP might be able to utilize one of the old EltronX trigger to release a standard sear with an actuator.

[Tripplebeards]

Yeah, I just watched the video on it. It was pretty entertaining.

[M-Tecs]

Two buddies have them. Both are converted to standard FC. The claimed zero lock time was mostly BS. It didn't account for the time it took the primer heat up and fire. It was quick when it worked properly When it was cold the lock time was more like a slow flintlock.

[Tripplebeards]

I have a few 700 rifles that have that goofy J lock on them that reminds me of the other innovative etronix ordeal as well for some reason. Eventually, I’ll get them all changed over to a normal firing pin spring and bolt shroud.

[truckerdave397]

Not to steal the thread but I am guessing those electric primers for a Remington rifle could be challenging to find.

[M-Tecs]

Not to steal the thread but I am guessing those electric primers for a Remington rifle could be challenging to find.

This was before they got really hard to find.

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/10...84/?pid=831855

[waksupi]

I can see myself pressing the trigger harder when the battery starts to die. Kind of like a TV remote.

[Shopdog]

I've got Timney Calvin elites on a cpl of my cast varmint vaporizers.....

And there's "better" triggers than these. Just sayin,good luck improving on these basically,over the counter target triggers. Not saying it "can't" be done.... but you're gonna need one heckuva nice machine shop,so "hobby" sorta ain't gonna cut it. Good luck with your project.

[kerplode]

Better check laws pertaining to electronic trigger actuators...

Yeah, for sure. Lots of potential for legal issues here.

Designing an electronic trigger actuator for a semi-auto that isn't "readily convertible into a machine gun" from a legal/ATF standpoint might be a difficult proposition.

That etronix situation was a bolt gun after all...Kind of impossible for a bolt gun to be a machine gun regardless of the trigger.

[JimB..]

Look up Electronic Arms. They made an electronic 10/22 drop in trigger pack and a bullpup also based on a 10/22 action. I have both around here somewhere, need to SBR the bullpup because it’s really fun suppressed.

I think the guy that designed these is in Raleigh NC. The firms real business is mil equip contracts.

[Thin Man]

When I hear anyone speaking about electronic rifle triggers I remember a friend who passed about a year ago. He was a retired commercial pilot who loved firearms and long range hunting. He had watched the movie Captain Phillips (Tom Hanks) and focused on the part where the Seals ended the hostage situation with 3 shots fired into the captors at the same instant. The movie suggested these shooters all fired when the command to do this was issued. His thought was to improve on that with electronic communication among the shooters and their commander. Their rifles would house a trigger that communicated with the commander. When any shooter had his sights on his assigned target he would pull and hold the trigger, yet release it if the target went out of vision. When all 3 shooters' were on target their commander could activate the triggers to function, thus 3 shots sounded like one. He actually built a proto-type of this system and submitted it to a U. S. military point of contact for evaluation and consideration. His offer was rejected. Didn't really hurt his feelings as he somewhat expected that to happen but he still believed he had a good idea. He was an innovative experimenter and a lot of fun to visit. Still miss him.

[beemer]

I can see myself pressing the trigger harder when the battery starts to die. Kind of like a TV remote.

Years ago I read article written by a professional African hunter. He said that it was hard to find native guides and trackers that could hit anything with a rifle. Most thought that the harder you pulled the trigger the harder the rifle shot.

[Rapier]

The electronic triggers were big in the late 70s and 80s in magazines. The electronic ignition ammo and guns by Remington were a total bust, and a different deal than electronic triggers, that still used a mechanical sear setup, just altered the let off by eliminating the mechanical levers, springs, etc.
We had several show up at the range, results were like owning a 450 Dillon, with the failure to fire, in a no mulligan match, you are done. So the electronics disappeared.