If you want to see a good product enter the market, simply dare someone that they can’t make it. Such was the case back in 2013 with Matt Torres and the RISE Armament RA-535 Trigger.
Previous to the firearms business, RISE was making tiny precision parts for the aerospace industry alongside tooling for oil and natural gas production. Equipment for each of these industries has one thing in common: Zero tolerance. By applying the same mindset to its firearms products the iconic RA-535 trigger was born and would be sought after by 3-gunners and long-range shooters alike.
The RISE Armament Difference and the RA-535
To appreciate the RA-535 you have to have an associate’s degree in metal geekology, to which I’m guilty. For starters, all of the interior parts utilize hardened tool steel as opposed to cheaper metals that carry the allure of far simpler production methods. So RISE painstakingly machines all parts, rather than use hastily-produced EDM wire cutting.
RISE also maintains exacting tolerances, decreasing likelihood of wear, using stronger materials and precise fabrication methods. This spells out consistency to the end-user.
In lieu of the industry-standard nickel boron coating — RISE does have a next-level nickel boron BCG — all of these internal parts are finished with a nickel-Teflon coating. Here, RISE blends nickel and Teflon and applies it to deliver a finish that not only further hardens the parts, but won’t rub off over the years. Holding it all together is a machined aluminum housing; it leaves the gun owner with a simple, drop-in package that will hold its form for hundreds of thousands of rounds.
Range Tested
Now I’ve used the RA-535 trigger for a few years and needless to say, I have been a fan. A number of them are in service at Renaissance Firearms Instruction. They always spark conversation after a student gets their hands on one.
Although the guns they are in have had their fair share of rounds through them, they can’t hold a candle to the “show gun” that RISE has been humping around for the last few years. We got a chance to shoot its own 6.5 Creedmoor 1121XR at the 2020 Athlon Outdoors Rendezvous, the same one brought to nearly every industry shooting event since assembled.
Here I had the opportunity to send some rounds toward steel more than one mile away. It took only one magazine to feel this trigger performed just like the one I installed. It helped me place more than half of my shots on a 27 x 27-inch target. I’ll take that on a windy day out of a 22-inch barrel any day.
The lightning-fast reset remains its claim to fame, but the RA-535 exhibits a glass-like break and dead stop upon releasing the hammer. These qualities are essential if you are looking to keep your gun still enough to maintain mile-long precision.
Pushing Forward
Today, RISE Armament has grown to maintain a product lineup that consists of nearly a dozen different AR triggers, bolt carrier groups, and even complete guns like the one I stretched out past a mile at the event. Its growth has been nearly 100-percent organic, with word of mouth and live product demonstrations being its best sales pitch. Keep an eye out for some new stuff coming down the pike. For even more info, please visit RiseArmament.com.
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