The SSVI Tyr Trigger; "Modern Day Mjolnir" (Review) (2024)

One thing I knew for sure: SSVI guns look fantastic.

So much so that we did a Friday Night Gun p*rn on them last week(you can view that here).

SSVI stands for Speed, Surprise, Violence of action Industries. It's the brainchild of Damon Young and was started justa shorttime ago (back in late 201)3. What they're largely known foris frame work, specifically stippling, grip restructuring, trigger guard undercuts, magwell reliefs and the like. While just about anyone can take a soldering iron to a polymer pistol frame, SSVIbrings a level of artistry that isn't often seen. When he started the company, Damondoubled down and immediately teamed up with some hitters (Leo Armory for laser engraving, Blown Deadline for custom Cerakote, and DP Custom Works for slide milling).

In his former life, Damon was Army infantry in 3rd ID. These days, in addition to everything he does with SSVI, he serves on a Special Response Team for DOE. Like so many, he has to run a nearly bone stock Glock while on duty. When you haveto carry something so vanilla at work, people often respond in one of two ways: Either they keep their personal guns the same or they go all-out with modifications. You can plainly see which way Damon went with that one.

In a conversation we had, Damon compared the Glock to the AR-15 but I don't think it's quite right. There's still a lot of permanent work going on and not everything is drop-in. I make a different analogy: I believe we're really starting to hit the point where the Glock has become the new post-war 1911. We have the benefit of the Glock being made in a time when machine hours were cheap and man-labor was expensive (the opposite situation was true when the 1911 was designed). Combined with the popularity and aftermarket support, you can get about as weird as you want. With so many companies offering barrels, slides, and other partswe're rapidly approaching that point, however.

There's a certain contingent that believes just because something ‘looks cool', that it isn't functional or is somehow less-than. While certainly placing aesthetics over functionality is a side effect of Instagram, it doesn't have to be that way in the real world. There's nothing wrong with looking good, provided that all of the other bases are covered. I'm told everything by SSVI is 100% functional, despite sometimes looking so unconventional.

All of this sounds great–but how do they shoot? I've used many flavors of Glocks but hadn't personally even so much as picked up one of the SSVI guns before. When SSVI announced they were offering an aftermarket trigger, something that appeared to take a differentapproachfor once, I knew I'd have to get my hands on one.

SSVI calls it the Tyr Trigger. The background of the name, per the SSVI web page:

Tyr, the god of war also representing by the rune tiwaz, was invoked to encourage victory in battle, matters of law, justice, honor, and oaths. One of the defining gods of the Norse, he was known for binding the wold Fenrir, and sacrificed his hand in the process for the protection of his people.

See Also

US Army Special Forces (SF): De Oppresso Liber

Crap. I was totally on board until that whole ‘sacrificing his hand' thing.Oh well, I'm an ambidextrous shooter anyway.

Glock triggers are almost the most bemoaned part of the gun—right after the plastic OEM sights (which some lovingly refer to as, “dovetail protectors”). Admittedly, the factory option is no crisp, perfect, and clean Cooper-esque wet dream. There are a lot of gizmos on the market to address this perceived shortcoming. Springs, connectors, plungers, adjustable triggers, lightened firing pins et al.

With the Tyr Trigger, SSVI took anoffbeatpath. They broke out their old science books and read up on leverage. By giving the trigger shoe a new contour, they were able to change the trigger travel and feel. The shoe of the Tyr Trigger (the part you put your finger on when you're shooting) is only slightly curved. While all of the current rage is focused on flat triggers, a curved trigger helps self-center your finger for a consistent pull. The shallow curve of the Tyr Trigger sits almostdirectly below the trigger pin, so when you hit “the wall” of the trigger (when the safety plunger begins to depress), you're beyond the pin. Thus the better leverage.

The Tyr Trigger came packaged in a ziplock bag with a full color graphic card stock label. I opened it up to get at the contents. A plain trigger bar attached to a perfectly machined and anodized aluminum trigger shoe. There weren't any installation instructions included, but swapping out a trigger isn't exactly rocket surgery. If you have issues, I suggest you either take it to a certified gunsmith or dicker around on Youtube for a few minutes.

I compared the Tyr Trigger to a factory setup and the trigger bars appeared identical. SSVI tells me that they don't do anything special with the trigger bar—all of the magic is in the shoe. Installation occurred with no fan fair and I even managed to do it without swearing.

No screws to adjust. No springs to mess with. Just install it like any old trigger bar and go.

The first thing I tested was the safety. There are some adjustable designs where you can tune them to the point of negating the safety, and some that just plain don't use the Glock trigger safety. No issues with the Tyr Trigger. I couldn't get it release the striker without first activating the trigger safety no matter what I tried.

Though the trigger is curved, the face feels flat and slightly wide, greatly enhancing the feel of the trigger. Because the Tyr Trigger is a trigger bar and shoe, your trigger is still technically the same weight as before–it just subjectively feels like a different weight due to the extra leverage. Of course you can change springs and experiment as much as you want, just like with any other trigger. For my purposes, I decided to run the Tyr Trigger against an OEM configuration which was exactly the same except for the shoe.

At the Range
Compared to the OEM trigger, the difference was immediate. No, you don't get the proverbial “glass rod” break but you do get very smooth trigger without creep. The trigger break is reliable and consistent. Damon described the Tyr Trigger as a, “light switch”: you give that bit of pressure, feel the resistance, and then it just pops. The trigger reset is nice and short as well.

Had you told me you could do this with just a different shoe, I'd have called you a liar.

This series of photos willlargelytell the tale. First, apples to apples (red is full reset)

Now the Tyr Trigger overlaid on the OEM

All said and done, is it better than the factory?
At this point I'd give it an enthusiasticyes.

Since you're using almost entirely OEM parts with the Tyr Trigger, in theory your reliability isn't compromised. I can't speak for long-term soundness, as I've only had one for a number of days and a round count measured in the hundreds and not the thousands, but I'll continue plugging away with this one into the foreseeable future. If I break it, you'll hear about it.

SSVI currently makes triggers for all generations of Glocks, including the teeny-weeny 42 and 43. For more information, visit the SSVI homepage here, or follow them on Facebook or Instagram. The gun p*rn alone is worth the visit.