RTS Triggershield Provides Trigger Safety for ARs

We recently featured a video in which Paul Harrell discussed negligent discharges and how to avoid them. One thing all of these have in common is that the trigger was manipulated at a time when it shouldn’t have been. I recently learned of a company that’s working to eliminate that by creating a trigger shield to prevent foreign objects from entering the trigger guard, while requiring a definite action for the shooter to place his or her finger into the trigger guard.

It’s called RTS Triggershield, and right now it’s only available for AR-type rifles. It’s basically a pair of spring-loaded and custom-shaped “flaps” which protect both sides of the trigger guard. Attached using the rifle’s hammer and trigger pins (which are replaced by the included screw pins), they cover the sides of the trigger guard, but easily move aside to allow your trigger finger access. And yes, it’s ambidextrous; buy it once and both sides of the trigger are protected and equally accessible.

Here’s a quote from the company:

The RTS Triggershield™ is a tactical safety device that prevents unintentional contact with the trigger of firearms. Our product covers the trigger of the gun until the shooter purposefully lifts the shield, and in this way, the gun cannot be accidentally fired for any reason. After the user lifts the shield, shoots, and removes their finger, the Triggershield™ goes right back into place, once again, protecting the trigger. With the Triggershield™, you’ll never have to worry about whether or not you turned the trigger guard back on as you do with a safety, it automatically goes back into the safety position.

This short video will tell you what it is and how it’s intended to be used.

I’ve recently been in contact with company co-founder Ryan Richetti, who says the only thing new users need to do is learn to lower and raise the trigger finger in order to enter the trigger guard. Some folks have a tendency to attempt to enter the shield from the rear, but it was not designed to be used that way — and these videos demonstrate clearly that raising and lowering the finger will easily shove the spring-loaded Triggershield aside.

This is a pretty cool idea, and although I’m a natural skeptic I can see how quickly the shooters in the videos are able to get on their triggers. It looks like a great idea for competitive shooters and especially military “operators” — and with the increased popularity of MSRs for hunting, something like this would be great at preventing brush from entering the trigger guard as you maneuver through thick foliage.

At $69.99, this product is not cheap, but it appears to be well-made. I expect to get my hands on one before long and put it to work, so I can let y’all know just how well it operates.

Stay tuned for that. And in the meantime, here’s another video to show you how it works. Check it out, and feel free to let me know what you think of it in the comments below.

Russ Chastain

Editor & Contributing Writer Russ Chastain is a lifelong hunter and shooter who has spent his life learning about hunting, shooting, guns, ammunition, gunsmithing, reloading, and bullet casting. He started toting his own gun in the woods at age nine and he's pursued deer with rifles since 1982, so his hunting knowledge has been growing for more than three and a half decades. His desire and ability to share this knowledge with others has also grown, and Russ has been professionally writing and editing original hunting & shooting content since 1998. Russ Chastain has a passion for sharing accurate, honest, interesting hunting & shooting knowledge and stories with people of all skill levels.