Rise Armament RA-140 Super Sport Review

Normally I would settle on one trigger / part / group of items once I find one that works well. This allows me to have common parts to share between all my rifles. Unfortunately, that would not be very good for Blogging.

Each time I get a trigger, it’s a brand new product that I have never tried before. I test it, evaluate it, and share it with you. This time, we have a cassette style trigger from Rise Armament. This product was reviewed in the TTAG drop in trigger group roundup, and Jeremy S. noted that it had:

No slack to it at all, smooth travel with only about 1/3 as much creep as the parts kit trigger, awesome break, short and smooth overtravel, smooth and solid reset. It’s a good, single-stage trigger. Actually a very good trigger. For $129 it’s an amazing trigger.

My retail cost was $80 dollars on sale at Brownells. Currently it sits at $122 bones even. So Jeremy S. likes it… what do I think? Let’s check it out:

Rise Armament Super  Sport

The Super Sport trigger is a single stage drop in trigger group. It features a thin, curved trigger pad, and is encased in a aluminium cassette. There are no retaining pins in the cassette. The manufacturer recommends the use of KNS pins or similar products to ensure the trigger pins don’t roll out. These are recomended items but not entirely necessary if enough tension is applied through the trigger group via the set-screws located on the bottom of the housing.

The fitment of the cassette may be hit or miss in your lower. Other users have noted the necessity to shave the front of the trigger pack to better fit into the lower receiver. This was simple and done in a matter of minutes with a bastard file. Removing the anodizing and some material may make it look a bit rough, but it will not affect trigger functionality.

In both of my M4E1’s, the cassette was a bit tight. I took off a little material at a time, and placed the pack in my lower and attempted to fit in the KNS pins. It was a bit of a struggle, but nothing too exciting once both pins were started.

Once in place, the trigger felt rock solid in the lower. I found it uncessary to utilize the two set screws in the trigger pack to “lock it” into place, as the KNS pin set and trigger pack was tight and had no play.

Trigger pull is reported at 3.5-3.8 lbs. The trigger has zero perceptible creep. The two triggers I own with zero perceivable creep are the Wisconsin Trigger Co. MKIII and now this trigger as well.

In Use:

The trigger works as intended. I put around 150 rounds through my carbine and 100’s of more cycles of dryfire at home to evaluate the pull of the trigger and compare it to my other products. At the range, the trigger ran without issue. A short pull and a sharp break are all that you feel. Reset is tactile and short.

Of note, there is a half cock notch on the hammer. I noticed at half cock, with the safety on… there is NO WAY to charge the rifle. Safety must be off, and then the charging handle and bolt carrier can be moved rearward to ready the weapon. In use, the only way to cause a half cock position is to draw the bolt carrier partially back and then let it go. I do not foresee a problem with this, but it is something I would prefer not to be present. The half cock may be a type of drop safety mechanism, so there is that. Take the quirk for what you will.

The inner workings of the RA-140. Very clean machine work and a beefy disconector.

Since this is a single stage trigger, I feel it would be perfect for a precision rifle. Some shooters like two stage triggers, but if your the type who likes a bolt gun like short, single-stage break, then this is an excellent candidate. The reset is strong, and the pull is light and when it breaks, it breaks perfectly. In my opinion, the over-travel and reset are a little too short. I found it hard to get into a rapid fire cadence as the “frequency” of my finger was too long vs the very short pull and reset of the Rise Armament Super Sport. I can shoot my Geiselle SSA, and Wisconsin Trigger Co MkIII much faster than I can my Super Sport. The natural cadence of my trigger is finger is just set for a longer pull and reset I guess. With training, I am sure I could work the Rise faster, as it certainly isn’t mechanically at fault. If your finger can flutter like a hummingbird, this trigger will sing.

Wrapping Up:

At $80 dollars on sale, this trigger is a steal. If single stage triggers are your thing, this represents a great value and you would need a machine to measure the creep. It really is that hard to perceive. I cannot perceive a difference between my Wisconsin Trigger MkIII and the Rise Super Sport. Both triggers have very different jobs, but when it comes down to the wire a good trigger has a good break, and the Rise Super Sport get’s it done for the $80 dollars I spent.

Disclaimer: I purchased the Rise Armament Super Sport with my own funds, and have no connection with Rise Armament in any capacity.