CZ P-10C - HB Industries Theta Flat Trigger

I've become a huge fan of the CZ P-10C.  While I won't be getting rid of my Glocks, I won't be buying anymore either.  The gun has been out in the wild for nearly five months now, and while a few problems have been reported, both of mine have been trouble free.  However, one common point of contention is the trigger, specifically, its shape.  The trigger is serrated and comes to a point in the center.  The safety lever also doesn't sit flush with the trigger face.  The gap at the bottom digs into my trigger finger pad under recoil. After a 4-500 round shooting session, it leaves my trigger finger pretty raw.  My finger also sits low, often dragging on the trigger guard.  If you've ever shot a Glock 19 or 26, this is nothing new, nor is it a big deal, but it's a shame that it spoils such an excellent factory trigger.  Recently, HB Industries teased a flat faced trigger design on social media.  I'm already a big fan of HBI.  My Scorpion Evo wears their trigger, charging handle, handguard, mag release, and trigger spring kit.  So when the Theta trigger became available, I purchased one without hesitating.

I received the trigger two days later, the same day I had to drive out of town for work.  Fortunately, installation was quick.  Driving out the trigger pin is laughably easy compared to a Glock or M&P.  Included with the trigger are a 3# and 3.5# striker spring.  They list the stock spring as 4.25#.  Also included is a little white delrin rod.  This thoughtful little piece of plastic, sits behind the striker, making changing the spring less of a chore.  I've been doing it the hard way, hooking the striker leg on a table or piece of wood.  I honestly feel stupid for not thinking of this myself.

I didn't have much time to examine the trigger.  I grabbed 3 boxes of ammo, my pistol bag with magazines, and threw the pistol in my holster before heading out.  I stopped by my local indoor range for a quick session on my way out of town.  I was in such a rush I forgot to bring targets and my ear pro, so I had to make do with range muffs and a B-27 target.  My main goal was just to see if the new trigger alleviated my discomfort with the stock trigger.  After 150 rounds, I didn't notice any real difference in speed or accuracy, but my trigger finger was no worse for wear.

I packed up, and hit the road for my 3 hour drive to SC.  At the hotel, I took a closer look at the Theta.  The first thing that I noticed was that the finish wasn't as smooth as I was expecting.  It wasn't rough, but Apex, Agency, and Overwatch all have slick, shiny anodizing.  The HBI was bead blasted prior to anodizing to give it a matte finish with a texture similar to a chalkboard.  I could hear the trigger safety scraping against the trigger as I pressed it.  This is completely un-noticed when firing, and has zero effect on the break.  In fact, the break felt crisper.  The new shape of the trigger, and the hook at the bottom, results in my finger naturally resting higher on the trigger, right in the center.  It reminds me of the Apex trigger, but narrower.  It doesn't drag on the trigger guard, and de-activation of the trigger safety is consistent.  With the stock trigger, sometimes I wouldn't get the safety pressed in far enough, and it would catch on the frame as I pulled.  I also noticed that I was getting my finger placed more consistently in the sweet spot, right under the pad.  The edges of the trigger are rounded, similar to my Agency, and don't have the hard edge like the Overwatch TAC.  The trigger safety is wider with slightly rounded edges as well.  It doesn't sit perfectly flush with the trigger face when pressed, protruding about the width of a sheet of paper, but it's so close you won't notice it under your finger.

Pulling at the bottom of the trigger, when I measured the trigger weight with my Lyman gauge, the weight was pretty much unchanged at about 4 pounds.  It feels heavier though in practice.  The higher position of my finger means less leverage, so it feels closer to 5.5#, but the break also feels more crisp, due to the reduced movement.  One change in the trigger pull that definitely apparent is the reduction of take-up.  About 1/3 of the take-up is gone.  The trigger at rest, sits about .5mm from even touching the striker safety.  I can see this looking into the slide from the rear.  HBI even released a high speed video of their trigger passing the infamous "Sig" drop test.  No they didn't beat on it with a hammer.

Is it perfect?  It's close.  The matte anodizing is a non-issue.  After dry firing during a few episodes of Rick & Morty, the "rough" areas completely smoothed out.  For my hands (I wear size L Mechanix), the stock trigger reach is a hair shorter than would be perfect for me.  If the trigger face was extended 1mm forward, and the angle of the face was inline with the pivot pin, I'd be in trigger heaven.

These are tiny nitpicks however, which speaks to how good the factory trigger already is.  I just wish I'd bought a second one when I had the chance, because they're already sold out.

***Update***

I bought a second HBI trigger once they were back in stock.  The newer triggers are no longer bead blasted inside the trigger safety notch and are left smooth.  The roughness I initially experienced  is gone.  I also went ahead and measured the trigger pull of the HBI Theta with a variety of springs.  I took the measurements from the bottom of the trigger at the hook.

This was the only way to get any consistency, so the readings are about 1 pound lower than where my finger actually rests.  Readings are an average of 10 pulls, ignoring readings with over +- 4oz of discrepancy.  Also, I have shot over 3,000 rounds since polishing the trigger bar and disconnector contact points.

            CZ Stock: 4lbs 7.8oz
            HBI 3.0#: 3lbs 9.8oz
            HBI 3.5#: 4lbs 5.2oz

        Glock Stock: 4lbs 3.6oz
Wolff Glock 5.0#: 3lbs 11.9oz

Below is a GIF showing the difference in take-up for FDE P-10C Stock trigger vs Black P-10C HBI Theta trigger, from rest to the "wall".

Stock (top) vs HBI (bottom) trigger take-up