{"id":6664,"date":"2022-02-16T15:15:08","date_gmt":"2022-02-16T15:15:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ammunitiontogo.com\/lodge\/?p=6664"},"modified":"2023-03-15T14:15:11","modified_gmt":"2023-03-15T14:15:11","slug":"what-is-a-binary-trigger","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ammunitiontogo.com\/lodge\/what-is-a-binary-trigger\/","title":{"rendered":"What Is A Binary Trigger – Why Use Them?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Have you ever wished you could shoot through ammo faster? While you can always take out a second mortgage on your home and get a registered machine gun, there is another way for you to burn through rounds.<\/p>\n

A binary trigger can step up the speed at which you send lead downrange. As an extra bonus, they don\u2019t require all the nasty paperwork that comes with buying a Tommy Gun.<\/p>\n

But are they worth it? And are they legal?<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s take a closer look at these controversial aftermarket accessories.<\/p>\n

What is a Binary Trigger?<\/h2>\n

A binary trigger (sometimes called an echo trigger or double tap trigger) is a special kind of semi-automatic trigger that allows you to significantly increase your rate of fire. Unlike a standard semi-auto trigger, a binary trigger has two modes of firing. The first setting lets you fire off a single round each time you press the trigger, just like any boring old semi-automatic weapon. .<\/p>\n

However, with a simple flip of a switch, you can shift into binary mode. In binary mode, a single round fires when you pull the trigger. Then, another round fires when the trigger is released.<\/p>\n

Some firearms come straight from the factory outfitted with a binary trigger. However, these triggers are more commonly used as a drop-in replacement for your factory trigger.<\/p>\n

How Does a Binary Trigger Work?<\/h2>\n

\"binary<\/p>\n

When you\u2019re shooting a semi-auto trigger, a handy little mechanism called the \u201csear\u201d holds the hammer back until the right amount of pressure has been applied to the trigger. Once that happens, the sear releases the hammer, which then strikes the firing pin.<\/p>\n

The firing pin then makes contact with the cartridge primer and a shot is fired. After the weapon fires, the bolt cycles back to reset the hammer. At this point, a disconnector attached to the sear arrests the hammer until the trigger is released, preventing automatic fire. Once the trigger is released, the weapon is ready to fire again with the next trigger pull.<\/p>\n

A trigger in binary mode uses two separate sears. After the trigger is pulled and a shot is fired, the hammer recocks and the disconnector arrests the hammer to prevent automatic fire (just like it does in semi-auto mode). Before the trigger is released, a second sear grabs the hammer and holds it back until the trigger is released. When the trigger is released, that second sear releases the hammer, firing the next round.<\/p>\n

If the trigger is in binary mode, and the shooter decides they don\u2019t want the second shot fired when the trigger is released, he or she can switch the trigger back to the semi-auto setting.<\/p>\n

Are Binary Triggers Legal?<\/h2>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Are they legal? Yes. On the federal level.<\/p>\n

At least for now.<\/p>\n

As of the writing of this article, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (BATF) has given a (probably reluctant) thumbs up to binary triggers.<\/p>\n

BATF defines a semi-auto as any firearm that fires a single round with a single manipulation of the trigger. A binary trigger fires only a single shot per trigger movement (one when pulled to the rear, and one when the trigger is reset). Since these are technically two separate trigger manipulations, a binary trigger qualifies as semi-automatic.<\/p>\n

Binary triggers also do not fall under the umbrella of the 2018 federal \u201cBump Stock Ban<\/a>.\u201d The ban applies to attachments that allow semi-automatic weapons to fire a continuous stream of ammo with a single pull of the trigger.<\/p>\n

Weapons with a binary trigger are not considered \u201cmachine guns.\u201d They do not function like bump stocks, and they don\u2019t qualify as \u201cfully automatic.\u201d This means binary triggers are not NFA items.<\/p>\n

In fact, a binary trigger is one of the few ways you can legally increase your firing speed without encroaching on the territory of the National Firearms Act<\/a>.<\/p>\n

State Regulations<\/h3>\n

Although binary triggers get a green light from BATF, some states have tougher legislation. Some laws are pretty vague, and although they could be interpreted in such a way as to include binary triggers in their bans. There may be some gray areas in certain state statutes that could be interpreted either way. And interpretation of the law is everything.<\/p>\n

For example, while binary triggers are not technically illegal in Texas, some local law enforcement agencies consider them \u201cmachine gun parts\u201d (which is probably proof of their general ignorance of firearms and how they work). Machine gun parts, auto sears, and other automatic weapon components are prohibited in Texas (except for parts registered with the BATF and manufactured before 1986).<\/p>\n

So, if you\u2019re running a binary trigger on your AR and a neighbor misinterprets your rapid mag dump as \u201cmachine gun\u201d fire and then calls the law, you could be in trouble.<\/p>\n

Understanding all the nuances of state firearms regulations would take far more time and brain power than I have to invest. Especially since these laws seem to change with more frequency than the average teenage boy changes his underwear.<\/p>\n

Also, I am not a lawyer.<\/p>\n

Before you seek out a binary trigger, be sure to check all current federal, state, and local firearms regulations in your locality.<\/p>\n

However, to save you some time, here is a partial list of states that say \u201cno\u201d to binary triggers.<\/p>\n