Glock connectors explained: minus, dot, plus and pull weight

The connector is a small bent strip of steel that fits in the trigger housing and does one job: it pushes the trigger bar down at the end of the pull so the striker is released. Its angle decides how hard that push is, which is most of what you feel as trigger weight. Changing a connector is a two-minute job that costs little and changes the pistol more than any other single part. This guide explains the factory connectors, what the markings mean, the aftermarket, and how to swap one.

What the connector does

As the trigger bar moves rearward, its rear tab rides down the angled face of the connector. The steeper that face, the harder the bar must be pushed to slide down it, and the heavier the trigger feels at the wall. The connector also sets the point at which the bar drops far enough to release the striker, so it shapes the break. It does not touch the reset, which belongs to the bar and the trigger spring, and it has nothing to do with the safeties.

The factory connectors

Unmarked, 5 pound: the original connector, fitted to most pistols through Gen 3. Glock quotes it at about 5 pounds; most measure closer to 5.5 in a new pistol.
Dot, 5.5 pound: a slightly revised profile that Glock fitted to Gen 4 pistols; feels the same as the unmarked one to most hands.
Minus, 4.5 pound: marked with a minus sign; the standard fit on the 34, 35, 17L and the competition models and on Gen 5 pistols. Sold by many retailers as a 3.5 pound connector, which is the old catalog name rather than what it measures with factory springs.
Plus, 8 pound: marked with a plus sign; used with the New York trigger springs by agencies that want a heavy, revolver-like pull.
Gen 5 connector: a minus-profile connector with a slightly different shape for the Gen 5 trigger bar; earlier connectors physically fit a Gen 5 housing and work, but the Gen 5 part is the intended one.

What the pounds mean

The number is the connector's contribution with factory springs in a factory pistol. Your pistol will measure differently depending on the trigger spring, the striker spring, wear and polish. A minus connector in a well-used Gen 3 with a 6 pound trigger spring can measure 4 pounds; the same connector in a new Gen 5 might read 4.8. Buy a trigger pull gauge if the number matters to you; if it does not, judge by feel, which is what the connector actually changes.

Aftermarket connectors

Aftermarket makers sell connectors at the minus angle and lighter, often marketed by a weight like 3.5, and some add an overtravel tab that stops the trigger the instant the striker releases, which makes the break feel crisper and the reset shorter. Others are polished or coated to reduce friction. A well-made aftermarket connector is a fine part; the tab versions must be fitted so the tab does not stop the trigger before the striker releases, which is a filing job the maker documents. We do not sell any connector that changes how many rounds fire per pull; every connector here is a semi-automatic part.

Connector and springs together

The connector sets the wall; the springs adjust it. A heavier trigger spring lightens the pull a little, because the trigger spring assists the trigger bar rearward; a lighter trigger spring makes the pull heavier and the reset more positive. A lighter striker spring lightens the pull and risks light primer strikes; a heavier one does the reverse. The New York 1 and 2 trigger spring modules replace the coil spring with a heavier module for a heavy, consistent pull and are paired with the plus or dot connector by the agencies that use them. The springs guide covers the combinations.

Changing a connector

Unload, remove the magazine, check the chamber twice, field strip. Push out the trigger housing pin and lift the trigger housing out of the frame with the bar attached. The connector sits in a slot on the right side of the housing; pry it out with a small screwdriver from the bottom. Push the new one in until it seats flush with the housing, with its angled face to the rear. A drop of oil on the face where the bar rides is the only lubrication it needs. Reassemble, then run the function checks: trigger safety, firing pin safety, reset and a slow pull on an empty chamber to feel that the break comes at the end.

Which connector to buy

Carry pistol: minus connector, factory springs; about 4.5 pounds and a clean wall.
Duty pistol under agency rules: dot or plus as the policy requires.
Range and match pistol: minus or an aftermarket minus with an overtravel tab, then springs.
Gen 5: the Gen 5 connector, or a Gen 5-specific aftermarket part.

Polishing

Polishing the connector's angled face, the trigger bar's rear tab and the firing pin safety with a fine polish removes the grit that new pistols have and is the cheapest trigger job there is. Polish; do not remove metal. Filing the cruciform or the connector angle to chase a lighter pull is how pistols become unsafe, and a connector costs less than the time it would take.

Browse Glock connectors and drop-in triggers, read the drop-in trigger guide for the shoe and bar side, and keep a carry pistol inside the limits in safe pull weights for carry.

General information, not legal advice. Current as of September 2026. Laws change; check the official source before you act.