GunCon 2025 was an extremely productive show for me this year. I’ve discovered a number of new or new-to-me products that I’m continuing to explore over the summer. One of those is the Align Tactical Thumb Rest Trigger Pin.
The Thumb Rest Trigger Pin
If you don’t know what a Thumb Rest Trigger Pin is, that’s okay. I didn’t either. You may know it better by the term gas pedal though. The thumb rest, or gas pedal, is basically an angled shelf that protrudes from the side of your pistol frame. It gives you a spot to place your thumb while shooting.
The benefits of the thumb rest are multiple. First, it provides a repeatable indexing position for your support hand. By using the thumb rest you ensure a consistent grip, because you know you’re placing your hand in the the same spot every time. And it’s the correct spot too. Consistently gripping your pistol the wrong way is unhelpful to accuracy. The thumb rest helps keep you on track by guiding you to proper grip placement.
Another significant benefit is improved recoil control. With your support hand in the right position, and your thumb bearing down on the rest, you’re applying steady pressure to the frame, This helps keep the gun in line during recoil. That translates to faster, more accurate follow up shots.
Available Models
Align Tactical makes its thumb rest for a variety of handguns. That includes the whole range of double-stack Glocks from Gen 1 through 5. They also have models for the 42, 43, and 43X. They do not not make one for the Glock 36, which is kind of a shame as I’d add one to mine in a heartbeat. I get it, though. I don’t think there are anywhere near as many 36s floating around out there as there are 43 series guns. You can also get a thumb rest for the SIG P320 and 365, the Canik series, the HK VP9, and the S&W M&P 2.0.
MSRP on the Align Tactical Thumb Rest runs between $55.00 and $64.00, depending on your gun model and generation.
Installation
Installing the Align Tactical Thumb Rest Trigger Pin is ridiculously easy. For the Glock, all you need is a Glock armorer’s tool or a punch, and about a minute of your time. As the name implies, it replaces the stock trigger pin on your pistol.
Simply remove the old pin and slide the Align Tactical pin in from the left side of the frame. There’s an anti-rotation stop in front of the pin that locks into place in the take-down lever slot on the Glock series. Installation for other pistol models looks to be similar.
Once you have the Thumb Rest installed you do need to be aware that you’ll need to back the pin out for disassembly.
Since the anti-rotation stop fits into the take-down notch, you have to back it out enough so that you can rotate the thumb rest out of the way to access the take-down lever. Align has a good video that shows installation and disassembly. It’s pretty simple.
Practical Performance
Before GunCon I had always relegated compensators and gas pedals as things geared towards competition shooting. I hadn’t really considered them for duty or concealed carry guns. Getting a chance to shoot with both systems on range day changed my mind. I recently wrote up the AIM surplus ported Glock barrels and slides where I dove into the comp world, and I followed up with Align Tactical to try their Thumb Rest as well.
I opted for a model for my Glock 45, which is my duty gun. I’m a retired County police officer, but still work part time as a school police officer. I’ve been carrying that pistol since they first released back in 2018. I’m comfortable with it, but I still have a tendency to over grip with my support hand if I’m not paying attention, That throws my shots a little bit low and left. I figured anything that helped me get a more consistent grip isn’t going to hurt.
I was impressed by the way the Align Tactical Thumb Rest felt at GunCon, and after working with it for the past month or so, that impression has been validated. It’s a comfortable design. I find that I do in fact grip the gun more consistently and correctly when I use the thumb rest. As I draw, my support hand finds the rest and naturally falls into place.
I also found that I can acquire my Holosun’s sight faster. The improved grip means a more consistent weapon presentation. That translates into a more repeatable target acquisition. I conducted a few range sessions and performed almost daily dry fire and target acquisition drills at home since installing the thumb rest. I’ve found that I’m smoother, and more proficient using it than I was with the stock pistol.
On the range that translates to better accuracy too. It’s just a matter of positioning my support hand correctly. It helps me get a proper grip, every time. Recoil control is noticeable too. Not that the 9mm Glock is hard to shoot, but I could definitely tell the difference in follow up shots when using the the thumb rest.
I also used my range time to test out Xtech’s MAG17-17 Glock magazines while I was out. I was risking fate by introducing two new factors at once into my shooting, but everything worked out fine. The Xtech mags functioned like a factory mag, but they incorporated several material and design enhancements. I’ll do some more on those later.
Holster Compatibility
While I was intrigued by Align’s Thumb Rest at GunCon I was concerned about holster compatibility. Sometimes, when you start adding bells and whistles to your carry gun, you rapidly find out that it isn’t so easy to find a suitable holster.
Luckily, that wasn’t the case with Align Tactical. They do a very good job of listing compatible holsters on their website for the various firearm models that they support. There are a lot of them too, so you aren’t relegated to only one or two choices.
Luckily, my Safariland 6360RDS duty holster was on the list. I’ve used that series holster well over a decade now and I had no interest in relearning the muscle memory I have invested in it. It’s a great duty holster. Plus I’m old, I don’t like change.
An Affordable Skill Amplifier
I may be a little slow adapting to new ideas, but I do get it once I’ve had a chance to try them firsthand. I’m glad I hit GunCon this year and had a chance to try Align Tactical’s thumb rest firsthand. As I stated earlier, I always wrote the idea off as something geared towards the competition circle, not very day carry. Luckily getting to work with the system encouraged me to explore it further.
As it turns out, the thumb rest works way better than I imagined. It helps with consistency and recoil control, and both contribute to better shooting. Considering that the Glock Gen 5 thumb rest only costs $64.00, that’s a small price to pay for an item that amplifies my shooting skill without impeding the function or carryability of my duty gun.
If you haven’t worked with a gas pedal before, take a look at Align Tactical’s offerings. They’re affordable, and work extremely well. You might just end up finding them a worthy addition to your pistol as well.
Where To Buy
Read the full article here
