Bought a Jewell trigger for my varmint AR - got some questions

SixGun

SixGun

New member
Ok - keep in my mind I do not have the trigger assembly in front of me as I am overseas right now:

After surfing around, reading reviews, asking some other folks what they think, I decided on a Jewell trigger for my AR-15. It will be going in a Bushmaster lower with a RRA A4 varmint upper. Everywhere I went, there were rave reviews and folks who I talked to said they make an excellent target/varmint trigger. I even took note of he fact that Les Baer uses Jewell triggers as the standard trigger for their Super Match varmint (a ~$3000 varmint AR-15)

I got to discussing the Jewell trigger with some guys over at (yeah, shoot me now for straying into this territory) AR-15.com. One guy on their basically got into a rant over how Jewell triggers are junk. His own words were: "Terrible reliability. Some can be set up ok and others are a bad joke."

Now, of course the caveat is that he recomended another brand of AR trigger made by Geissele - http://www.geissele.com - instead. Of course, when you look in his profile (and avatar) he either owns or works for
an outfit which of course sells this Geissele trigger system. Funny how that goes /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif I told him straight up that I doubt a company like Les Baer would install an inferior trigger in their rifle with the repuatation they have for quality. For that matter, the trigger in that rifle is the only non-les baer made part in the rifle.

I realized that I never asked anyone on here for their opinion on this topic. So, without further adieu - what do you folks think of the Jewell trigger for varmint work? Alos, is stainless steel considered a bad material for use in a trigger assembly.
 
Sixgun,

Thanks for the work you're doing overseas. I salute you.

As for the Jewell, I'm a proud owner of a brand new Jewell in a custom Dtech .204. Took me awhile to install the trigger as I had one spring upside down. Once I figured out the boo-boo, the trigger is as slick as a greased pig. Once I get a few more sheckels, another will be on it's way for the .223 Dtech.

They are extremely smooth, break like "glass" and have a wonderful first and second stage. What more can one ask for. Oh, and they are very easy to adjust. We're talking field adjustment. Just carry the allen wrench in the buttstock, break open the rifle and wa la, you're done. There's a reason others compare themselves to a Jewell!
 
the house or RR also sends thanks to you Six for your service. I don't own a jewel, all my AR's are RRA NM triggers, all I can tell you is that from what I've read, most shooters sell the jewels for a John Hollinger (WOA) tuned RRA 2 stage NM trigger, have no idea why just what I've read on various boards
RR
 

I tried RRA and McCormick triggers on my 223 Dtech ar. I now have a Jewell and am very satisfied. It is very crisp and easily adjustable. I will not be looking for another trigger.
 
The RR two-stage triggers that John Holliger of WOA tunes, and the Geissele triggers, cater to the High-power shooters. This is not from personal experience but from what I have been told. It seems that the trigger used in HP matches has to be at least a 4.5 lb pull, and the shooters insist that they are a consistent pull.

The folks I cater to don't want a 4.5 lb trigger, they want something quite a bit lighter than that and with minimal creep. The Jewell is capable of that, whether it is as consistent as a Geissele, I don't know. All I know is that I like the Jewell trigger and of all of the ones I have sold, they have all been well received.

This board is an anomaly. Most of the people reading and writing on this board use AR's for the same basic thing: varmints and predators. If you visit other boards you will soon see that there is a least 3 distinct different types of groups that use AR's. 1) You've got the professional/tactical or wana-be tactical. 2) You've got the varmint/predator group. 3) You've got the competitive group. Many of the accessories for AR's don't work well in other groups, triggers appear to be one of them.
 
Sixgun, I have to agree with Mike. My first jewell trigger went into my rem 700, as alot of benchrest shooters use them, so I thought I'd give it a try. The second jewell is installed on an AR-15, and both of them are worth every penny that was spent on them. EC
 
Alright - great feedback folks. Thanks a lot - this is exactly what I was trying to figure out. I figured this guy's beef with Jewell (aside from selling the product) may have had to do with his difference of need. Although he just came at it like "Jewell triggers are junk and that's that," he probably just found it didn't fit his purposes. Apparently, he shoots highpower competition which may explain his dislike.

As Dtech said, most of us here do NOT fit the AR mould one bit. I have met WAY more competition types and "wanna be tacticals" (the guys trying their best to hotrod he look of their gun for the next 3-gun match, and care little for accuracy or practicality) than I have met serious AR varmint shooters. That is, until recently. A few of the guys from another board I have posted on for the last 3 years piqued my interest when they got their rigs setup. I just fell into place by modifying an AR that I had laying around into a varmint gun, so I am brand new to using an AR for this task.

I figure that shooting from a rest, the best choice for a trigger is going to be a super-light, super crisp, benchrest type trigger. Hopefully, the Jewell will fill the bill.
 
I have a Jewell trigger in my Colt with a White Oak Armament barreled upper and it shoots great groups if I do my part.
AR-2.jpg

Here are two groups shooting 40gr V-Max's on the left and 55gr Vax's on the right. Yeah I pulled the last shot on the 55gr target. But these group shot at 100 yards aren't bad.
ARVarmintUpper1-24-06.jpg
 
This is sounding/looking better by the minute. Those targets are impressive, ShooterJohn. 6mmShooter, you are now one of many I have heard from who is very pleased using your Jewell trigger in competition.

I'm going to be installing this thing in just a few weeks and a few weeks later, taking it on a hunt. If it can stand up to the dust and dirt of the field like it seems to be for the competition shooters, I'm going to be thrilled.

It's times like this that I wish I was home to start tinkering. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif
 
I have had 3 Jewell triggers and never had a single problem with them on .223 ammo. I did find out that they will not work on a 22LR conversion, hammer strike's too light so maybe with some surplus military ammo they might not go bang but if you installed a Jewell you're not going to be shooting military ammo as a rule.

I'm a regular visitor on ar15.com and while there is alot of valueable info there, some of those guys there just "read" this or that and then some are just waiting for the s to htf so they can save the free world with their AR. For some reason they can't stand adjusting screws as they can fall out. For a varmint gun this is not a problem, if it's a duty gun your dept. or the gov. won't allow a target trigger unless you're real special then it's a Grissele or KAC (so I've "read").

I have 2 RRA 2 stage triggers and while they were a nice $55.00 upgrade when I bought the 2 lowers they are not a Jewell, not even close. I will say that for over $200.00 now for a Jewell my next one maybe a Grissele just to see what all the hoopla is but for now don't worry about your Jewell, it's one of the best.
 
Tom -

I think you know of the guy who gave me the 3rd degree over the Jewell because you've clearly read all the hype over that Geissele trigger that I've read over there. I really think it's one squeaky wheel over there (who just so happens to sell that particular trigger system) who's generated all of that hoopla over Geissele. The person I'm thinking off seems to trash every other trigger out there that he claims to have tried and completely gush over Geissele. That's not to say it's a bad trigger: it may damn well be the best trigger for a semi-auto AR out there. Like I told them over there, it better be - it costs $100 more than a Jewell... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

But, think about it - how many service triggers could Geissele possibly be providing to police and military outfits when 1) they do not even make a trigger system to fit Colt lowers yet and 2) they don't make a system that supports full-auto or burst fire? I don't know about you, but I find it hard to believe that a police department is going to be equipping its SWAT units with a semi-auto only AR-15s in the first place. For that matter, if you try to go to the military or law enforcement sections of their website, you'll notice that they're conveniently "under construction." /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

I think you nailed down a large sector of the AR-15 audience down perfectly: guys who either plan to "save the world" when the armageddon hits or those who like to play tactical/stand in the mirror admiring how hard they look in $500 in Blackhawk gear with their donut gut hanging over their $75 "tactical" leather belt. Like you said, some good info on there, but like all web forums, you have to sift through the muck a bit.
 
SixGun,
I have to agree with what you said about that other site. I used to read over there but a few individuals have ruined the experience. I registered my AR's when California felt it necessary to do so. I had some friends that didn't and now have something they can't use. The one thing I disliked about my Colt's were the triggers. I had looked at a couple of other triggers and I won't mention any names but tried the Jewell and decided it was the one for me. First of all I wanted one I could install myself. Since California won't allow me a replacement lower if I shipped it and it was lost or stolen. I wanted to be able to repair and replace the trigger myself. Second it had to be a good trigger. I've never had a misfire with it and I fired thirty round mags as fast as you could pull the trigger. I needed to loosen up my new upper and found that to be the fastest way to break it in. I don't think you'll be disappointed with the Jewell if you go that way. I got mine from Midway and have two of them now. It sure makes the gun shoot better. I could never shoot under a half inch group at two hundred yards and now I can. Though I built this rifle as a calling rifle, it has turned into my favorite ground squirrel shooter. The scope is a 4.5-14 Burris Short-Mag and it set on a LaRue Tactical quick release mount. The neat thing about the LaRue mount is its ability to be quickly removed and reinstalled and return to perfect zero every time. I removed and replaced the scope five times and it shot the same hole as the bullet before it. I honestly haven't seen another mount that will do that. A lot of them profess to being able to do it but it's the only one I've seen do it every time.
 
Quote:
I have a Jewell trigger in my Colt with a White Oak Armament barreled upper and it shoots great groups if I do my part.




I don't know about the trigger, but that spiral flute barrel is SLICK!
 
Quote:
I don't know about the trigger, but that spiral flute barrel is SLICK!


Thanks, it's spiral fluted where you can't see it under the hand guard too. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif
 
I have the Jewell in my bushy, I am more than happy with it! never had any problems /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-003.gif
 
Quote:
I have the Jewell in my bushy, I am more than happy with it! never had any problems /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-003.gif



Now THAT's what I like to hear because this thing will be going into a Bushy lower. I get a little worried when they suggest that "some gunsmith fitting may be required," so it's nice to hear that it should drop fit ok.

ShooterJohn -

I'm glad you can still shoot your gun despite having to deal with Cali and their draconian laws. I'll have to keep that LaRue mount in mind - it would be real nice to be able to jump between iron sights when I'm plinking and the scope when I'm hunting without losing a zero. You're right in my experience, too: very few removable mounts for any rifle ever can truly hold up to the removal/replacement test.

The rapid firing you seem to have no trouble with is the exact type of thing this guy seemed to suggest the Jewell couldn't handle very well. Glad to see that it wasn't an issue, not that I ever really thought it would be. For that matter, this guy's lingo was along the lines of "for every one I've seen that works, I've seen 2 or 3 that are worthless."
 
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