Glenn Linscheid is the owner of Tillamook Precision Incorporated, which is located at 7610 Trask River Road, Tillamook, OR 97141. He is a CNC production fabricator of precision components for several local industries.

Two of the most popular pistols in the current concealed carry market are the sub-compact SIG Sauer P238 (.380 ACP) and P938 (9x19mm). Glenn enjoys collecting and shooting small hammer-fired semi-automatic pistols and he was immediately attracted to the new SIG Sauer P238, having owned a Colt Government .380 for years.

However, he was not a fan of the SIG's plastic trigger. He considered it unseemly and unsightly to place a cheap piece of molded plastic on an otherwise all metal pistol, so he decided to manufacture a trigger blade of 416 stainless steel.

This trigger is machined from bar stock and is precision surface ground to ensure parallel sides and perfect flatness. It fits either the SIG P238 or the P938, as the two models use the same trigger blade.

It has one noteworthy functional enhancement compared to the stock trigger blade. Glen determined that he could also improve the trigger's function slightly by including a small screw on the top of the blade to limit its forward travel.

This modification does two things. First, it reduces the normal take-up of the trigger pull, the short movement that most semi-automatic pistol triggers have before a hard stop, after which increasing pressure on the trigger leads to the sear release. Second, because your finger no longer must release the trigger for as long a distance before the trigger can be pulled again, it shortens the reset distance.

What this does is allow a trained shooter to be able to "ride the reset," to improve the speed of successive shots. Not having to move one's trigger finger as much between shots also means less potential movement of the pistol's sights off of the target. (A nice theory, except the recoil from each shot moves the pistol's sights much farther off target than a slight difference in the movement of the trigger finger during reset. -Editor)

Please note that this trigger does not change the hammer and sear engagement, nor does it reduce the pull weight. The part is a drop-in installation for the SIG P238 and P938 pistols, but may require the removal of a few thousandths of an inch off the top flat when installed on Colt Government or Mustang .380 handguns. (The SIG P238 is an improved copy of the earlier Colt Mustang Pocketlight. -Editor)

I was able to handle a pistol belonging to a friend before and after the installation and, indeed, the trigger pull stroke is reduced. The Tillamook Precision Trigger is available in either natural polished stainless steel, or in Robar Black Oxide finish, with your choice of a serrated or smooth trigger face. The price is $40. If you are interested in ordering a Tillamook Precision Trigger, you can telephone Glenn at 503-842-6283, or e-mail him at [email protected]