Massive trigger improvement - Apex Tactical Specialties Action Enhancement Trigger and Duty/Carry Kit for S&W M&P Shield

For a while now, my least favorite gun to shoot has been my .40 M&P Shield v1. My main complaint has been the trigger, which was gritty, inconsistent, and had an unusually long pull. In debating between selling the gun and trying to salvage it, I thought I would try this Apex kit. I am not a gunsmith and typically only field strip my guns for cleaning and mount the occasional optic. So, I was definitely a little nervous undertaking the installation myself. However, after watching multiple videos (the Apex YouTube videos are excellent), I decided to go for it. Installation was fairly uneventful with 2 exceptions. First, the pin on the new trigger which attaches the trigger to the trigger bar was not inserted far enough to help me properly position the trigger, so I had to eyeball it, wedge it in with packaging (as recommended by Apex), and go slowly to ensure I didn't misalign it. The second problem was more a user error in getting the trigger bar properly inserted into the sear block (I managed to somehow block the thumb safety from actuating properly and had to disassemble the gun again to fix it). Overall, though, it was not too difficult with the right tools. My only complaint with the kit itself is that the sight tool included is just a piece of cardboard and did not help as much as I would have liked in keeping the spring under the sight depressed while reinstalling the rear sight. A plastic tool would have been better. While I haven't yet had the opportunity to take the gun to the range after installation, I can tell you that the difference in trigger pull is night and day. While only decreasing the pull by about a pound (from 6 to 5lbs), the pull is smooth, short, and crisp with a great reset.