Franklin Armory 2025 Shot Show: Binary 1022 Trigger, Pistol, Rifle

Image of 22-EZ 

At the 2025 Shot Show, the Franklin Armory booth was displaying new products. The 22-EZ binary trigger group for Ruger 10/22 type rifles, pistols, and the Franklin Armory 10/22 type pistol and rifle, with the trigger group installed, caught my attention. Binary triggers offer an interesting choice for a fire control system. They offer the selection of a controlled rate of fire above the ordinary pull or release trigger while retaining the usual mode.

Franklin Armory patented the binary trigger. The reasoning was simple: triggers which functioned by pulling the trigger for a single shot were clearly legal. Triggers which functioned as a release trigger, by releasing the trigger for a single shot were clearly legal. Therefore a trigger which fired once by pulling the trigger, and once by releasing the trigger had to be legal. A Franklin Armory employee at the booth said the ATF admitted binary triggers were legal.

The binary trigger group offered by Franklin Armory for 10/22 type firearms is a sophisticated example of engineering. The beauty of the product is very little or no fitting is required. All the critical areas are in the trigger group and have been done in the manufacturing process. The binary 22-EZ trigger group for 10/22 type firearms is listed at $369.99.

When the lever is pointing to the back, the selector is on safe.  When the lever is pointing straight down, the selector is in the normal, semi-auto pull trigger, one shot mode. When the lever is pointing forward, the trigger is in binary mode. It will fire one shot when pulled and one shot when released. An important point is: the user can exit binary mode or semi-auto mode when desired. If the trigger is pulled and a shot fired, but the trigger is not released, the selector can be moved to semi-auto and the trigger will not fire when released.

Image of FR 22 Pistol showing lever

A binary trigger can be used to attain a significant rate of fire. Extremely fast shooters, such as Jerry Miculek can fire eight shots from a revolver in under a second. Because the timers start with the first shot, that rate of fire is about 420 shots per minute. Most people, shooting as fast as they can, can shoot four shots from a semi-auto in a second. A binary trigger would double that rate to about eight shots per second, or 480 shots per minute. This is at the low end of most full auto firearms. Here is a video from Franklin Armory which shows the binary trigger in use.

Shooting firearms with a high rate of fire can be fun at the range. In practical matters, full auto is a specialized tool. A shooter can burn through a lot of ammunition and money very quickly. This is where a binary trigger on a .22 rimfire makes sense. .22 Rimfire is the cheapest and most common ammunition on the planet. At the 2025 Shot Show, Franklin Armory showed two rimfire .22 firearms which will be on the market soon. Both are 10/22 type firearms. Pistol and rifle versions will be available. Both were shown at the Shot Show. The  F22™ Pistol has an eight inch barrel and a pistol brace. It uses an SB Tactical Chassis and an SB Tactical 1913 brace.  The barrel is threaded 1/2-28, which is standard for .22 caliber firearms.

The F22™ Rifle has a Hogue® OverMolded™ stock, an extended magazine release, and an enhanced firing pin.

The price listed for the F22™ Rifle is $809.99.

Besides fun at the range, the binary trigger may offer practical self defense possibilities. Ammunition is inexpensive enough that considerable practice is affordable. Practice would be essential to become proficient with the binary trigger. Effective use of the binary trigger could be a difficult transition for those whose trigger finger reflexes have been ingrained with decades of experience. The easiest transition might be firing two shots together, with a simple pull and release of the trigger, instead of only one shot.

For indoor use, the .22 rimfire offers a much lower sound signature and muzzle flash than most centerfire cartridges. Using high grade .22 rimfire cartridges, such as the CCI Velocitor or the Aguilla Interceptor would give 2 shot energy close to the energy of a single shot standard 9mm out of a pistol.

For hundreds of years, flintlock ignition was considered adequate, with first round failures in the 10-25% range. The percussion ignition system was found to be 26 times as reliable in British Board of Ordinance trials in 1832.  The failure rate of percussion ignition was about .5% or one failure for two hundred shots. Repriming a percussion arm is  a bit faster and simpler than repriming a flintlock.

Quality .22 rimfire, in a quality rifle or pistol, has achieved failure rates of 1 for several thousand rounds. It may not be as reliable as centerfire, but quality ammunition is reasonably reliable. Most failures of .22 rimfire are ignition failures. A quick pull and release of the charging handle on a semi-auto usually clears the malfunction.

©2025 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.

Gun Watch

Source: http://gunwatch.blogspot.com/2025/03/franklin-armory-2025-shot-show-binary.html