Hi all,

This is a multi-post thread I did a while back in the old forum. I'm resurrecting it from my personal archives for the benefit of all mankind!

The purpose of this thread is to discuss the various trigger mods known for the stock trigger, and to specifically fine tune the Response Trigger.

Before modding a trigger I thought I would explain how the stock trigger works. This way you understand how each of the mods works which will ultimately help you fine tune your trigger to work exactly how you want it to. Sooo….

How does the trigger work?

First, lets talk about the pieces of the trigger by definition. I will be using Tippmann’s A-5 parts diagram part names and numbers.


1. Trigger (02-36): this is what interacts with your trigger finger to engage the firing mechanism. The trigger interacts with two pins on the trigger frame, one of them is what it rotates on and the other acts as a forward and backward stop.

2. Trigger Slider (98-18): This is what engages the sear forcing it into a nose up position and releasing the hammer. It is located on the trigger, the silver metal piece with the spring behind it

3. Sear (02-35): this is the “middle man” between the trigger and the bolt. It acts as a “stop” for the bolt to prevent it from going forward automatically after each round.

4. Trigger spring (02-20S): this provides the tension against your finger when you pull the trigger. A stronger spring means a harder pull to engage the system, a lighter spring means less tension to engage the system.

5. Sear spring (Trigger Spring, 02-20): This is the spring that forces the sear upward to engage the bolt

6. Trigger frame (Trigger Plates 02-67 L/R) : this holds all of the components together and aligns them to function properly

7. Rear Bolt (02-11): This is what goes forward to hit the air valve and pressurize the marker. It is tied into the front bolt (02-17) by the linkage arm (98-16).

Basic trigger function in the A-5 (and 98 and Pro Carbine) is something like this:

Pulling the trigger disengages the sear from the bolt and allows the bolt to go forward. The sear also interacts with two pins on the trigger frame, one of them is rotational, the other prevents it from rotating too far downward.

If you look at the sear you could say that it has a “nose” and a “tail”. The nose is what interacts with the trigger and the tail interacts with the bolt. It rotates around it’s center and the sear spring forces it’s natural position (we’ll call this the “nose down” or ND position) to be tail up so that it always automatically locks the bolt to the rear.