Chad Wallace

April 8, 2022

Review

RMT Nomad Trigger

Chad Wallace

April 8, 2022

Review

The trigger market is flooded with good AR triggers. To stand out, you need to think outside the box. RMT Triggers has done just that with their Nomad trigger. The Nomad has a pivoting and rotating trigger shoe. Yes, the trigger actually pivots to fit to your finger placement on the shoe.

As mentioned, the first noticeable difference in the Nomad trigger is its moveable trigger shoe. The trigger shoe is free floating, so to speak. It will pivot and rotate up to 6 degrees off of center. This will place the trigger shoe exactly where it needs to be on your finger. If your finger is a little short or long, it rotates to give your finger pad a perfect contact point on the trigger face. Maybe you don’t have a perfect grip on the rifle, the Nomad will also pivot for better finger pad contact.

The Nomad uses a flat face trigger. This works very well with the pivoting system. I typically don’t prefer flat faced triggers, but the Nomad is really nice. It’s called a flat trigger, but in reality, it has an ever so slight curve to it. This very slight curve might be why I like it more than other flat faced triggers.

Notice that the trigger is pushed out toward the edge of the trigger guard, due to it’s pivoting system

When I, and others, first felt the Nomad trigger we thought it was a little odd. This was because of the noticeably left and right movement. This completely went away when we shot the actual Nomad. When shooting a rifle with the Nomad trigger in it, you don’t even notice that the trigger pivots and rotates to fit you. The Nomad just does what it does, adjusts to you and how you shoot. The trigger is also very fast to use!

Now that the exotic parts of the Nomad are out of the way, it is still a drop in trigger. The Nomad is your typical cartridge style AR trigger. This makes installation super easy. Just remove the old trigger, pull the grip off, slide out the safety, then drop the Nomad in. The trigger comes with a set of anti-rotation pins, which are needed for installation and are something I recommend for cartridge style triggers. So the pins being included is a bonus in my eyes.

Besides the free adjusting trigger shoe system, the Nomad is a good feeling trigger. As mentioned before, I like the shape of the trigger shoe. The pull has a tiny bit of pre-travel, followed by a fairly short break , with little to no over-travel. Total trigger travel is around 0.125” measured at the bottom of the trigger shoe. My only complaint with the Nomad is its gritty pull. When pulling the trigger slowly, you can feel the grittiness in it. It hasn’t gone away either, even with over a thousand trigger presses, thanks to the Mantis Blackbeard. The Nomad is still a very fast trigger to shoot. When pulling the trigger at anything other than a slow pace, the grittiness is not noticeable. Part of the reason the trigger is fast is its great reset. The other reason is its 3 lb pull weight. I can shoot the Nomad on par with my other “fast” triggers. I don’t even notice the pivoting shoe when shooting fast or slow. The Nomad I received consistently has a pull weight of 3lbs 2ozs.

I’ve put a bunch of time in on the RMT Nomad trigger. I’ve had other people try it out. In the end, everyone seemed to like it. I think RMT has a really good idea going with the Nomad trigger. It may seem a little expensive, but you're getting a quality trigger PLUS something that can help you pull that trigger, wherever your finger decides it wants to be placed on it. At first the RMT Nomad may seem odd, but give it a chance, and you will see what it is all about.

Firearms Insider Reviews - 8 Key Points

Claim to Fame:

AR pivoting shoe trigger

Target Market:

Those wanting a good trigger that adjusts to their finger placement

FNBs (Features & Benefits of this product):

6 degrees rotation & pivot
Short Reset
Non-adjustable 3 lb pull weight
Cartridge style
Anti-rotation pins included

What other aesthetic options or finishes are available?

Soon to be non-pivoting trigger

What others are saying?:

5/5 stars at Opticsplanet.com

Red's Review of RMT Triggers Nomad Trigger

Fascinated by the concept, but skeptical at first. Buddies tried to convince me to go with something else, cause they thought “it would exacerbate bad habits.” Now here I am having the last laugh. Shooting this trigger compared to my buddies, my groupings are significantly tighter, and now they want one! Definitely worth every penny. I still shoot well with other triggers, I just shoot even better with this one. If you are looking for the competitive advantage, this trigger gives you it!

Pros:

Crisp break
Short reset
really well made
The trigger adapts to me
No need for finger gymnastics or awkward gripping
improved my groupings

Our Rating:

Pros:

Trigger adjusts to user
Short 3 lb pull
Extremely Fast
Great short reset
Drop in - cartridge style

Cons:

Gritty when pulling slow
Price

Score: 8.00 Great

Favorite Link: Walker Defense Research

Chad Wallace

October 24, 2020

Review

Axeon MDSR-1

Chad Wallace

October 24, 2020

Review

I was looking for a red dot to put on top of a new build and was wandering around the Axeon Optics website. I didn’t need anything special, just something that I thought would hold up. Axeon really did have what I was looking for. It was the Axeon MDSR-1 red dot. The MDSR-1 appears to be built for modern sporting type rifles, so here we are.

The MDSR-1 is not a red dot you would put on a fighting rifle. But, it wasn’t designed for that. It is however a great little red dot for trips to the range or varmint hunting. I say this, not because it isn’t well built, but because it has a 3 hour auto off function, not something I like in a fighting red dot. As mentioned, I mounted this little 1x20 red dot on an AR rifle and it works great! The MDSR-1 would also be right at home on a 22 rifle, something like a 10/22 for instance. Since it comes with both a standard low mount, and the co-witness hi mount, you can pretty much put it on whatever you wish.

The specs on this little red dot are pretty nice too. The battery life is 30,000 hours on a single cr2032 battery, so I’ll be retired by the time it wears out. It has 11 brightness adjustments operated by up/down buttons on the top of the optic. The “up” button also turns the sight on. It weighs in at a measly 4 ounces. Axeon also provides see-through flip up lens caps, and they are pre-installed.

Probably my favorite aspect of the MDSR-1 is the 2 moa dot size. The dot is crisp, even for me. But with the 2 moa dot, I can pick it up faster than a 1 moa dot. A 2 moa dot is still small enough for me to have some precision. The Axeon has ½ moa adjustments to get you on target. The little caps, covering the adjustment knobs, are made to be flipped over and used as the adjustment tool. This isn’t just an Axeon thing, but I do appreciate this little bonus.

I ended up using the MDSR-1 more than expected. At first glance, I thought the little 20mm optic might be a bit small. It is not. My eyes looked right through it every time I shouldered the rifle. There is a little bit of halo effect when the dot is turned up high. I see this halo where the edge of the glass meets the housing. It is noticeable, but actually kind of gives it a circle dot feel. On my first range session with the little red dot, I had the dot start blinking under recoil. I pulled the battery and bent the terminals some. This fixed the problem and it hasn’t come back, so I chalk it up to being made somewhere outside of the US. I don’t know how many rounds are through this red dot, but it’s probably over 500 when I write this. It has held zero. I even had to hit this particular rifle with a rubber mallet, because my .22lr kit didn’t want to be removed. The sight’s zero and battery terminals, held up to the “literal” beating, so I figure it’s good enough for its intended purpose.

For a reasonably priced red dot, the MDSR-1 has been really good. At around $100, I got way more than I expected. Crisp dot, lightweight, long battery life, what more could you really ask for in a sporting red dot. Go check out the MDSR-1 if you're in the market for a decent red dot in this price range.