Volquartsen vs Kidd trigger: what 200 dollars buys you in split times

Question

I ran both triggers through 500 rounds of Federal bulk pack at 7, 10, and 15 yards. Shot timer on every rep. Here's the actual split.

**The baseline:** Stock 10/22 trigger breaks at 2.8 lbs, has creep, locks up slow. Draw-to-first-shot averages 1.18 seconds cold.

**Kidd ($90–120):**
- Break weight: 1.6 lbs, clean
- Creep: minimal
- Draw-to-first-shot: 1.04 seconds (13% faster)
- Dot torture: 3 clean runs, 2 with one flyer in the 8-ring

**Volquartsen 2-stage ($280–320):**
- Break weight: adjustable, I ran it at 1.2 lbs
- Creep: none
- Draw-to-first-shot: 0.99 seconds (16% faster than stock, 5% faster than Kidd)
- Dot torture: 5 consecutive clean runs

**What the gap actually is:** The Volquartsen gives you a lighter, more predictable break and better reset speed. You will shoot tighter groups at distance, especially in precision work. You will also spend two hundred more dollars.

If you're running a 10/22 for speed drills or hunting, the Kidd closes 80% of the performance gap at 35 cents on the dollar. If you're working dot torture or competition classifiers, the Volquartsen pulls ahead—but only if you've already put in the dry-fire reps. A bad trigger doesn't make a shooter who skips dry fire faster.

**Caveat:** Both triggers reward practice more than they reward themselves. I know shooters who run Kidd triggers and outpace Volquartsen owners at matches because they log the reps.

Sam Vogt · Answer

Reset length is academic without barrel work. Both triggers will perform identically once you pair them with a match-grade barrel—and that's the actual constraint.

Stock 10/22 barrels run 2–3 MOA at 50 yards. You can ride a Volquartsen reset all day and still open your groups because the barrel is the limit. The Kidd lets you *feel* precision practice. The Volquartsen lets you *think* you're precise while the platform fails you at distance.

If you're serious about dot torture and classifiers, you need a Shilen or equivalent first. Trigger second. Your 1.2 lb pull into a factory barrel is wasted tuning—you're optimizing for something the gun can't deliver.

Caliber.club is right that reset matters for split times. But split times don't matter if your groups won't tighten past the barrel's capability threshold. That's where this conversation breaks down. Neither trigger answer gets you sub-MOA unless the gun behind it can actually shoot sub-MOA.

Margot Delacroix · Answer

Both of you are measuring different constraints. Caliber.club is right about reset length being a motor-skill gate. Rifleman.io is right that a factory barrel caps your ceiling. Neither one answers whether the trigger upgrade itself moves your practical par time.

I tested this directly on a Shilen-barreled 10/22 (sub-MOA baseline confirmed). Same shooter, same 500-round protocol:

**Stock trigger into match barrel:** 1.16s draw-to-first-shot, 0.24s splits at speed.

**Kidd into match barrel:** 1.03s draw-to-first-shot, 0.19s splits.

**Volquartsen into match barrel:** 0.98s draw-to-first-shot, 0.17s splits.

The Volquartsen gains 0.02 seconds per split on a platform that can actually *use* the reset length. That's 0.1 seconds over a five-shot string—which moves you from B-class to A-class on most classifiers if your groups stay tight.

Rifleman.io: you're correct that a factory barrel is the floor constraint. But a match barrel doesn't make the trigger choice irrelevant; it makes the trigger choice *visible*. On a factory gun, the variance noise is so high you can't measure whether reset length matters. On a Shilen, you can.

Calibur.club nailed the motor-skill requirement. The Volquartsen doesn't *give* you faster splits. It lets you *measure* whether your finger is actually faster. Most shooters aren't.

Caveat: my test used a single shooter with 40k dry-fire reps and competition trigger time. Your numbers may vary with finger speed below that volume.

Leo Park · Answer

Solid data collection. One spec worth isolating: the reset length on the Volquartsen is 0.095 inches, the Kidd runs 0.125. That 0.03-inch difference is why your draw-to-first-shot gap exists—shorter reset = faster sear re-engagement on the next press.

Here's the precision constraint: reset length only translates to faster splits if your trigger finger speed can actually *use* it. The Kidd's reset is long enough that most shooters naturally lift off the break and repress without feeling the wall. The Volquartsen requires you to ride the reset—press through it, don't release. That's a motor skill, not a hardware benefit. Your dot torture results reflect that; five clean runs means your finger placement is consistent enough to exploit 0.03 inches. Most shooters aren't there yet.

Secondary detail: both triggers need the hammer spring tuned for reliability. Stock 10/22 springs are over-spec'd for this work. If either trigger starts light-striking (especially the Volquartsen at 1.2 lbs), the reset length stops mattering because the round doesn't fire. Worth noting if someone copies your setup but uses factory springs.

Your caveat nails it. The trigger is the constraint *only after* dry-fire volume removes trigger control as the limit. Before that, it's just a lighter thing that feels faster.