Continuously humbled by LEM trigger.

[YVK]

Nope, I moved on several years ago. Running it at speed was just too much work. I have just recently shot the only remaining LEM pistol, from five at its peak, and I was pleasantly surprised how soft and how accurate it was. Wasn't really high speed shooting.

I agree on all of your points, 1-4. I especially preferred the lightest break possible, mine was Grayguns at some 3.75 lbs ( did fine with normal primers but not budget stuff) and reduced travels. My three P30s and one SK all had 4.1 parts and reduced reset. At the end I was treating them as light Glock triggers with a long pretravel.

[GJM]

I am bumping this thread because it is a great discussion. And because I love HKs, and find the LEM a super interesting trigger that can be challenging to shoot.
@YVK are you still shooting a P30 LEM?
@GJM do you still feel the same as in post #4.

Sadly ToddG can not respond😔

My $0.02 from 8-10,000 rounds of various LEM experience:

1. I can shoot it fairly decently with practice. But it takes work.
2. I tend to prefer staging the trigger carefully at speed, then breaking the shot. I don’t think rowing it like a DA trigger is helpful although that was the suggestion of several very experienced shooters in this thread. It is simply not like a DA trigger at all.
3. I think I shoot the lightest TRS better.
4. I think I shoot the shortest pre travel better (4.1?).

Yes, I still feel the same way.

I carry a LEM to launch Super, as it is the most shootable trigger for me, in the USP FS and HK45C.

[Sauer Koch]

I've used my V1 P30 for Gabe's PSS course, and for TacCon, and it's been nothing but a positive experience. TDA & LEM require more work, true, but the results are worth it, IMO.

[GOTURBACK]

I for the past 10 years have dedicated myself to the HK - LEM variant exclusively, HK 45C lazy wolf HK-HF-MRAP set up as TLG, P2000Sk V1 np3+ internal fcg, P30Sk V1, P30 V1 and my newly acquired KK dated USP 9FS which is currently V1 but will be set up as light lem\tlg before being added to the carry roster. I carry them daily, shoot them weekly at practical action, idpa, 3gun and have been through several training evolutions Southnarc ecqc, Dave Spaulding combative handgun 3 day, & critical space handgun, tac-con 2018.

[JodyH]

The years I've spent on LEM H&K's and DAO snub nosed revolvers have been some of the most frustrating shooting I've ever done my 30 years of handgunning.
Both made me an immensely better shooter on every other trigger style I've used since.
Trigger control? Yea, I can do that.

[Exiledviking]

At the end I was treating them as light Glock triggers with a long pretravel.

This is how I see and use the light LEM I have in my HK pistols. I do use the heavy hammer spring in all of them.
It plain works for me.

[SsevenN]

I am bumping this thread because it is a great discussion. And because I love HKs, and find the LEM a super interesting trigger that can be challenging to shoot.
@YVK are you still shooting a P30 LEM?
@GJM do you still feel the same as in post #4.

Sadly ToddG can not respond😔

My $0.02 from 8-10,000 rounds of various LEM experience:

1. I can shoot it fairly decently with practice. But it takes work.
2. I tend to prefer staging the trigger carefully at speed, then breaking the shot. I don’t think rowing it like a DA trigger is helpful although that was the suggestion of several very experienced shooters in this thread. It is simply not like a DA trigger at all.
3. I think I shoot the lightest TRS better.
4. I think I shoot the shortest pre travel better (4.1?).

I'm at around 10k on two different P30L LEMs, currently shooting the V4.1 with the gray guns short reset system, not trying to butt in, but I definitely prefer staging any shot that is in the "index card at 7 yards" or greater challenge territory.

I've shot my P30L V4.1 LEMs head to head against my P30S V3s cond1 (also gray guns) in drills/tests like old school FBI bullseye Qual, FASTs, Gabe's Technical Skills Test, "The Tests", etc etc etc., my thoughts.

If I am mentally or physically out of sorts or fatigued, I take a marginal performance hit with LEM, it simply takes more effort to shoot the LEM trigger to the exact standards of striker/cond 1 TDA for me.

With the grip and rip stuff (fast, less demanding accuracy) I can't notice a meaningful difference that translates consistently across multiple range sessions. It's more of an any given Sunday affair.

For me, it is the SHO/WHO and intermediate/slow fire where any LEM version takes the most noticeable dive (think going for 100/100 "the Test" or any string on the old school FBI bull qual, or just slow fire group shooting).

All that said, I still EDC the 4.1 LEM, I daresay my gun handling is already way over trained so in terms of a modifier to my likelihood of surviving a self defense encounter, the point on trigger is moot.

Long story short, LEMs show you the worst side of their personality on the one directional range, but still make an exceptional carry trigger.

[JonInWA]

In my experience, as Dagga Boy has singularly well pointed out, the LEM is an absolutely superb threat management action. It's not that it's inherently "unshootable," or unimprovable, or that one's skill-set can't be improved with sufficient familiarization/time/practice/use.

My reality is that on a gun-for-gun comparison, LEM versus SFA (in my case, P30L V1.5 LEM versus VP40, both in .40, and both with OEM Meprolight tritium sights), I simply shoot my VP40 mo' betta-I'm equally accurate with it and my P30L V1.5, but I simply can shoot the VP faster. Duh. An LEM simply isn't inherently optimized, optimizable, or really intended with pure shootability as its primary characteristic. Obviously, a talented shooter can excel with it-ToddG, and others certainly have- but arguably if shootability is your key criteria, there are simply other platforms that can maximize that aspect of your shooting with less effort.

And while I've qualified with both for duty use, in my opinion the LEM gun is a superior choice as a duty/threat management action. For a purely competitive shooter, a shooter needing a self-defense gun, a .mil gun, the VP (or similar) may well be an equally viable, if not superior choice; you just have to analyze things regarding your particular criteria/likely use scenarios.

Best, Jon