HK LEM Trigger Question...who recommeds the LEM having shot one?

[imthduke]

I am going to get an HK P2000sk. Ony question is what trigger to get. I have heard pro and cons on the LEM. What is the upside and the downside to a LEM over the DA/SA trigger? Would rather know from folks who actually have one....thanks.

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[Warmon]

Hi. I just bought a USP40c this week with LEM. but I haven't been shooting with it yet. It is my first H&K. It's also my first with a polymer frame. Every other auto I have is DA/SA with decocker, so it is strange for me to handle a weapon with virtually no controls. I like the trigger, but it will take some getting used to...just the way it operates. After firing, the slide cycles and all you have to do is let off slightly until it resets - don't fully let off like you normally would. If you do, travel is very long. Either way, pull is okay and no real resistance until you get back to the reset position...then its very much like SA. If you should have a nofire, then its a very hard pull all the way.

Warmon -

[imthduke]

Warmon

Thanks...now that's the kind of info I need.

[bklynboy]

I have an HK USP 9 with the LEM trigger. While I have learned to shoot it fairly well, I prefer the trigger on the Smith M&P9C and shoot it even better. The HK is now a backup bedside gun, the M&P is my primary carry gun.

[Obiwan]

I own a USPcLEM and carry an issued a P2000LEM. Both are in .40. I like the LEM. The trigger pull is constant at about 8lb and the reset is about half of the distance of the trigger pull (NOT including the take up). There is no manual safety to forget in a crisis. I also own SA and SA/DA autos, but for "business" i prefer a DAO such as the LEM for the above stated reason.

[DirtDawg]

I have both the DA/SA & LEM in P2SK .40.

I can shoot the DA/SA version better, but choose the LEM for EDC. The trigger is similar to a revolver, where you can stack the pull when target shooting.

Have not been in a SHTF moment to determain if the LEM is actually better for high stress moments.

YMMV

[vanilla_gorilla]

I have a little bit of time in the LEM trigger, in 9mm and .45 USPs and never was impressed with it. A friend bought a P2000 with LEM last week and we spent some time on the range, putting a few hundred rounds each through it and I think I've learned about the LEM trigger now. I prefer the M&P trigger or my 1911 trigger, and that's what I'm used to, so I don't like the LEM trigger or do well with it. If I wanted to like and were willing to make an LEM my only carry gun, I few days on the range with the LEM exclusively would almost certainly do the trick of making one sufficiently used to it to not notice the trigger.

[Rivers]

My first LEM was my second HK, a P2000sk. The standard LEM trigger pull is about 8#. Too heavy but the overall function of the LEM is great for a carry weapon. So for consistency, I had the DA/SA trigger of my HK USPf .45 changed to LEM, but the lightened version, about 4.5#. That was gorgeous! So I had the springs changed out in my P2000sk to the lightened LEM, about $10 in parts. Now they are identical and very, very nice to shoot.

The trick with the LEM is the reset. Try this: with the gun unloaded (triple-check this!!!), rack the slide. Now squeeze the trigger until your finger is holding the trigger against the grip. (Since you are not using ammo, you will now need to rack the slide again to recock the hammer.) Now slowly release the trigger until you feel a crisp reset of the trigger. This is maybe .25". Now pull the trigger again. Rack the slide, repeat until you understand what's really going on. Then, next time you're shooting live ammo, check out the reset. The LEM trigger shines especially on follow-up shots.

[Catalina]

Now slowly release the trigger until you feel a crisp reset of the trigger

this is the second reset or click, right?

[Rivers]

this is the second reset or click, right?

OK, slow motion replay... at the range, safe conditions...

Start from the gun ready to fire. You pull the trigger fully back until it stops. The gun has gone BANG but you don't release the trigger fully. Instead, you slowly allow the trigger to move forward until you feel a click. You can now fire again. That is the first click forward in the trigger's recovery from releasing the hammer.

Note, you can do this with an unloaded handgun by racking the slide manually after dropping the hammer and while the trigger is still fully depressed. Again, triple-check that the gun is safe and you do not have any ammo nearby. It's far too common to make a really simple error just from habit.

[Warmon]

Hey Rivers, that's a very good description of how it works. You see a lot of folks complain about how they can't get used to DA first shot, SA for the rest. LEM eliminates all that and as you say, each trigger pull is consistent...which leads to better shooting.

Warmon -

[LoveLeather]

I like the LEM trigger...especially for CCW...the pull is fairly smooth yet deliberate so less chance of an accidental discharge...something to think about in a high stress situation....

[Erik]

My take on LEMs.

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LEMs, unlike traditional DAOs, do not have one trigger pull I'll take a shot at explaining:

There are two hammer positions, and two trigger positions, and three possible trigger pulls.

The LEM hammer is a two-piece unit with an internal cocking piece separate from the external hammer.

Insert magazine and chamber a round. The hammer is in the rebound position (slightly extended from the frame) with the trigger all the way forward. From here the shooter encounters a two-trigger pull: a light stage of appromimately 3-3.5 pounds followed by a heavier one of either 4.5-5.5 pounds or 7.5-8.5 pounds depending on the variant. (Both distances are approximately a half and inch with the first one slightly longer.)

A shot is fired, which cycles the slide. As the trigger is allowed forward it resets at approximately half way forward; there will be an audible click. If the shooter decides to pull the trigger at this stage a half length, consistent trigger pull of either 4.5-5.5 pounds or 7.5-8.5 pounds depending on cvariant is met.

If the shooter returns the trigger all the way forward the full length, two-stage trigger pull is encountered. (See above.)

If the shooter drops the hammer on a round and it fails to fire, the hammer will remain all the way forward. The "second strike" trigger pull is a full length, consistent trigger pull of approximately 12 pounds.

Practically speaking, the shooter has to decide whether to work the reset or not. Beginners usually opt not to, experienced shooters usually opt to do so. That allows room to "grow" into the gun, by the way, and I've seen people do so nicely. The explanation of the LEM makes it sound much more complicated that it is for the end user.

(Quoted weights are to spec. Some report slight variances.)