HIPERTOUCH 24E Trigger Review: The Loadout Room

The HIPERTOUCH Elite is the practical version of the Hiperfire series of drop-in triggers for AR-15 and AR-10-style modern sporting rifles (MSR). The Elite trigger does two contradictory things – it lightens the trigger pull weight while increasing the force of the hammer fall. This sorcery is accomplished by two toggle springs which can be changed out in less than a minute for a different pull weight. As if that isn’t enough, it is as smooth as silk panties and fast like Chuck Norris. Whether you shoot 3-gun targets or varmints, you want to be fast and accurate. This trigger has what you need and lots of it.

HIPERTOUCH triggers retain Eugene Stoner’s simple design elegance while dramatically improving performance. Since the AR-15 first appeared, shooters have been trying to lighten and smooth the AR trigger pull. There have been one- and two-stage triggers with fixed weights ranging from between 2½ and 4½ pounds with a “a glass rod” trigger break. Designers of two-stage products changed the functional location of the primary sear. Some of these triggers require factory or user calibration and maintenance. Wear or improper calibration caused malfunctions or doubling. Some systems employed reduced power springs, which have compromised reliable primer ignition.

Terry Bender is a very talented engineer. Back in 2003, he was a little bored and unhappy with available large-caliber semi-auto rifles. Instead of complaining about this on the Internet, he took it as a personal project and designed a whole new rifle. Four patents later, he was showing investors his new baby and looking to go to production. One of the them saw the prototype fire control group and asked if it could be adapted for the AR-15. A week later Hiperfire was organized as an LLC and the first trigger patent was applied for.

I heard great things about the HIPERTOUCH 24E and saw a couple of impressive YouTube videos. It sounded too good to be true, so I had to get one to see for myself. I got in touch with Terry and soon realized that even if I wasn’t smart enough to understand everything he was explaining, I could still run this trigger fast. He patiently dumbed it down for me. Here’s the gist of my telephonic Trigger Engineering 101 course.

The Elite is comprised of three subassemblies: the trigger, hammer, and toggle, spring groups. All the parts are made from carbon steel alloys that have been hardened for wear and strength.

The reason conventional AR triggers have a heavy trigger pull weight is the high sear impingement force, which produces a lot of friction. HIPERTOUCH retained Stoner’s single-stage simplicity and added the toggle spring feature to reduce the impingement force on the trigger sear. These two springs work like the toggle wall switch that turns lights on and off.

When you cock the hammer, the compression springs push against the hammer spring, which reduces the force of the hammer sear and lightens friction on the trigger. This provides lower trigger weight and a smooth pull with no step. As the trigger is pulled, the angle of the toggle springs shifts to work in cooperation with the hammer spring, increasing hammer fall energy by 35% over the MIL-spec trigger. This lets you ignite hard military and foreign primers, as well as 22 rimfire ammunition.

When standard AR triggers are pulled, the feel of the hammer cam-action changes and signals that hammer fall is imminent. When 2-stage triggers are pulled, the final higher weight stage also signals hammer fall. This can lead to anticipation or flinching. The HIPERTOUCH 24E does not signal hammer fall; the trigger weight is constant over the entire stroke.

I got mine in the mail and laid everything out on the kitchen table. The trigger went in just like a standard AR trigger, except for the toggle and two springs on top. There is very little tension in the un-cocked position so the springs go in easy. Remember to put the toggle pin through the hammer BEFORE installation.

The Elite comes with three sets of springs: blue for a medium weight trigger pull, yellow for a medium-light weight trigger pull, and grey for a light weight trigger pull. I installed the Blue springs, rated at 4 pounds. For installation and operational features of the HIPERTOUCH, go to the HIPERTOUCH page and watch the videos.

Using a JD lower and a Colt LE 6920 16” M-4 upper, I confirmed my zero and went out to 300 yards and shot some groups.

Everybody has a flinch now and again. This is caused by a subconscious reaction to the blast and noise of the shot. If you want to see this for yourself, just dry fire. Every once in awhile, you will flinch and dip the gun as you pull the trigger. Just as promised, the Elite had a very light but deliberate take-up at four pounds, then it fired with no step or change in pressure. This aspect of the Elite is very different than any other AR trigger. You won’t flinch if you don’t have a stimulus.

The next day, I got closer and did some 10 yard work. Before we start talking about fast, let’s define fast. I clocked a Colt M-4 with a standard Colt 3-round burst trigger with a CED7000T timer. It is a simple matter to check the split times and divide by 60 to get rounds per minute. With a Colt recoil spring and an H2 buffer, split times are almost exactly .1 seconds. That’s 600 rounds a minute, so there is automatic fast defined.

I shot two magazines at a time and let the gun cool. By lunch, I was able to do multiple-hit target transitions and Bill Drills with consistent .15 second splits. With Glow Shot targets, it was easy to see my hits and confirm my shots. No matter how fast I shot, I didn’t get any of the double shots that you can experience with some light triggers.

Want to know how fast you can react? Take the test. If you can react in .1 seconds, you may not be human. When you see a stimulus to shoot, the images hits your eye and the eye sends a message to your brain. Your brain must then interpret the image, make a decision on what to do and send a signal to your muscles, telling them to move the correct finger.

The more alternatives you have, the longer the decision takes (Hick’s Law). In round numbers, you can decide to shoot and hit the trigger in about .25 seconds. Once the trigger moves, there is time required for the hammer to fall, hundredths of a second. On full auto, the time for the action to cycle and the sear to fire again is about .1 seconds.

I was able to very easily get consistent speeds of 400 rounds per minute for as many rounds as I needed. I am sure that with more practice, I could shoot a little faster. Another shooter with me was hitting .12 and .13 splits.

The difference between 600 and 400 rounds per minute is that you can control and react at 400 much better. You may lose one round in reaction time, but you are in the loop, not just hanging on to a fire hose. For me, this provides a greater sense of control.

In practical applications, you may have a head briefly exposed at 200 yards or a number of multiple hits required at 10 yards or less. The Elite is a precision trigger which can improve your shooting by eliminating flinch. It is also a fast, practical trigger which has enhanced hammer fall to fire the hardest military primers with great consistency. This is not a range toy; it is a versatile tool which brings reliability, precision and speed together in an unprecedented combination.