I really like binary triggers. They fit in a semi-auto pistol and give you the option to change your gun’s operation mode to semi-auto or binary. A Binary trigger provides the most basic of basics for your weapon enthusiasts, with an easy set-up and at a fraction of the cost of an automatic. You’ll find plenty of options online to suit your needs, at less than half the price.
Hold up, before you accuse me of having an issue with binary triggers, I need to tell you that they work very differently than fully automatic weapons. A binary trigger is very different from an automatic weapon. However, you still should use one if you’re looking for increased speed because it makes sense to incur the mechanics of a semi-automatic and a binary trigger in one conversation.
If you’re going shooting or hunting, a binary trigger system should be at the top of your shopping list.
Are binary Triggers Legal?
Fortunately, binary triggers are perfectly legal and there are no federal laws against them. Last year, the United States federal government introduced a ban on bump stocks which made semi-automatic guns more like rifles. One problem is that previous law has already rendered any such ban of them illegal and a Federal court has now issued an injunction preventing it from taking effect.
According to the National Firearms Act, there are a few state laws in place that prohibit any device that increases the maximum rate of fire on semi-automatic weapons. It’s been over six years since Washington, D.C., and seven states–California, New Jersey, Hawaii, Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts and New York–banned the possession of assault weapons. These are just a few examples of states regulating the use of these firearms in their area.
In Delaware they are only legal in 9mm pistols, so if you live in one of those states, you’ll not be able to get one.
There are two concerns when it comes to existing binary triggers, and whether they will be allowed to continue operating when the federal government finds a way to ban them, or the state where you live decides to ban them. First is whether they will or will not be grandfathered in, and second is whether you might have to give up some of your existing binary triggers, or pay an additional fee to keep them, once the ban is enacted.
Binary Trigger vs. Bump Fire Stocks vs. Fully Automatic
Here’s what you might misunderstand: binary triggers aren’t a little bit like the people who have heard about them. A trigger is something that causes action – think of it as an on/off switch for hormones and chemical reactions in your brain. When a hormone is released, or some other stimuli is detected, that things ‘turn on.’ Let’s start from the beginning.
Fully Automatic Firearms
A weapon with a magazine fed mechanism that auto-fires without needing the trigger pressed interchangeably to load and shoot is referred to as a machine gun or fully automatic firearm. Much faster fire rate and time-to-load capabilities are what make a weapon’s output always seem unstoppable. No other properties can balance them out; so you should keep that in mind.
A military-style machine gun, such as an M4, can be fed with a large capacity magazine and fired at a rapid pace until it breaks after 400 rounds. In this situation it would fire around 1,000 rounds per minute. A fully automatic rifle comes with a light trigger since you are already holding down the trigger and firing. This way, accurate rates of fire are easily maintained while still retaining the full power of the shot’s recoil.
“Bump” Modifications
For you to be able to bump fire, it’s not necessary to have a particular type of gun. You need only something that lets you use the recoil from a shot to put more force against your finger, which would then bounce the gun back into your shooting hand. Recoil is when the gun fires and physically moves backward and forward. In this case, the amount of the recoil is the same as any other semi-automatic rifle, but the action of the firearm itself isn’t changed at all.
Bump stocks work by doing just that – they allow you to pull the trigger once and they will move back and forth as the gun recoils before it resets when it goes back in place. All you have to do is keep your finger in the same place on the trigger as it moves back and then pull again. The function of the rifle hasn’t changed at all, it’s still semi-automatic and shoots just as fast as always. You just found a way to shoot faster when you’re aiming for your target.
Keeping your shooting hand steady while firing a bump-firing gun is next to impossible. A bump-fire stock is theoretically capable of firing at the same rate as a fully automatic weapon, but they are much more prone to feeding problems and malfunctions. They require specialized equipment (triggers) and are not a viable option for the typical person looking for a gun that fires rapidly, as this equipment is not designed to do so.
Binary Triggers
Using a common trigger to fire rounds means you’ll always be firing the same number of rounds. This reduces training time and repetition, making this all the more important for a professional-grade gun.
Binary triggers on the market actually serve a dual purpose. They can offer both speed and accuracy through the correct binary mode being selected. Most importantly, they make it very easy for beginners to get certain trigger settings, so you can use them in specific situations for practice.
