Earlier this year I had the opportunity to enjoy some time at industry day at the range during SHOT Show. It was a blindingly crazy four days for me in Vegas, and it all started by getting an opportunity to throw some lead downrange. The great thing about Industry Day is that you get a chance to try out a whole bunch of stuff that you’ve probably never seen before. Journalists and content creators who are invited get to take a stab at the offerings, and it’s assumed that we head back to our writer’s garrets or studios to pump out some content about what catches our eyes. One of the exciting products I got to try was the Franklin Armory® G-S173 Binary® Trigger and Slide for Glock® 17 Gen 3. They announced yesterday that they’re finally shipping them!

MINDEN, Nev. – October 16, 2023 – Franklin Armory®, Inc., one of America’s most innovative manufacturers of firearms, parts, and accessories has begun shipping its first Binary® trigger for a striker fired handgun, the G-S173 for the Glock® 17 Gen 3. Engineered with Franklin Armory’s patented Binary Firing System® (BFS™), G-S173 is the first pull-and-release trigger to provide Glock 17 users with the ability to actively select between regular semiautomatic and Binary® modes and safely cancel the release round.

When I had a chance to shoot the G-S173 on a Glock 17, I really dug it. I did not find this to be a gimmicky trinket, but rather something that would be rather utilitarian. The people from Franklin Armory® who were there were great. Their back-end support was also very helpful to me when I reached out with questions before writing about the unit earlier this year.

Much like the Glock 18, the Glock 17 when outfitted with the G-S173 does have a switch on it in order to change modes of fire. The system would include a slide to accommodate the modification.

A number of years ago I did have a chance to fire a Glock 18 and sure did have a lot of fun while doing so. I found squeezing off rounds utilizing the G-S173 system was obviously not as fast as running in full-auto, but one can make up their time while running double speed in semi.

I did also get an opportunity to fire an AR-15 outfitted with one of their binary triggers. As was the case with the Glock, it’s not running the same way a full auto firearm would, but you can get close to the firing rate depending on one’s own ability to pull the trigger.

Are binary triggers for me? I don’t know if they are. Do I see practical applications for them? Absolutely. Certainly in self-defense scenarios being able to deliver a double-tap with one pull of the trigger has its advantages. I would not classify these items as fun gimmicks but rather utilitarian devices for the right user.

When I heard the exciting news, I reached out to my main man at Franklin, Mr. Dan Dement. Dement, the Director of Marketing & Communications at Franklin, was very enthusiastic about units going out to ship today. He said that they “are excited to begin supplying the demand frenzy kickstarted at SHOT Show with our sneak peek at the prototype G-S173.” That frenzy had to be enough to get the company going enough to handedly meet their 4th quarter goal of releasing the product out into the wild. “The only true Binary® trigger for a Glock handgun has now started shipping, and we look forward to another customer segment of the firearms market learning why Binary® is better.”

The G-S173 does not come cheap. According to Franklin Armory’s website, the “MSRP for Franklin Armory’s G-S173 Binary® trigger and slide is $899.99.”  Considering what potential owners would be getting, this is not a bad price. I’m looking forward to catching some of these units out and about at the range, and seeing shooters’ reactions, though it’s also important to note that the G-S173 is not available for sale to the general public in California, Connecticut, DC, Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Iowa, Illinois, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, and Washington State.

This is an exciting time for the good folks at Franklin and I’m looking forward to what innovative things they come up with next!

Some information about the G-S173 Binary® trigger and slide:

G-S173 features include:

• Binary®/Semiautomatic selector paddle
• Front and rear tritium night sights
• Optics ready to accommodate multiple adapter plates (sold separately)
• Semi/Binary® mode indicator on back plate
• High-tactile front and rear slide serrations
• Anti-glare slide top stripe serrations

More information about G-S173 can be found in the video: “Franklin Armory® Introduces The New G-S173 Binary® Trigger for Glock® 17 Gen 3.”

In Binary® mode, a single round is fired when the trigger is pulled and a single round is fired when the trigger is released. One of the revered safety features incorporated into all Franklin Armory BFS™ triggers is the ability to cancel the release round. To cancel the release round on G-S173, simply move the selector lever located on the slide from Binary® to the “semi” position before releasing the trigger.

Additional information about how Franklin Armory’s BFS™ works can be viewed in the video: “Why Binary® is Better.”

For more information about G-S173 and other innovative Franklin Armory products, visit FranklinArmory.com and follow the organization on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.