Pressure Washer Guns

No part on your rig gets worked harder than the trigger gun. It opens and closes a few thousand times a week, holds back full system pressure between every squeeze, and still has to feel light in your hand at 4 pm. Sun Brite Supply carries pressure washer guns from Suttner, General Pump, Centurion, MTM, and Gladiator, plus the repair kits to rebuild them. Call 301-519-9274 with your machine's PSI and GPM and we will point you to the right gun the first time.

How to Pick a Pressure Washer Gun

Three numbers decide the match. Pressure rating first: the gun must meet or beat your machine's output, and a gun rated under your system pressure is a safety problem, not a bargain. Most professional guns carry 4000 to 5000 PSI ratings, which covers nearly every cold water rig. Flow rating second: a gun that passes less GPM than your pump makes becomes a restriction that steals performance and beats up your wrist. High flow machines pushing 8 GPM and up want guns rated for it, like the General Pump DG5010 at 10.5 GPM. Temperature third: hot water rigs need a gun rated around 300 degrees F, because cold-only seals cook fast on a steamer.

Connections are simpler than they look. Commercial guns use a 3/8 inch FPT inlet and a 1/4 inch FPT outlet, then you add quick connect couplers to taste. Homeowner machines often use M22 threaded connections instead, so check your hose end before ordering.

Trigger Effort Is a Fatigue Issue

Squeeze a stiff trigger all day and your forearm knows it by Wednesday. Easy pull designs like the MTM Easy Hold and the Centurion relaxed trigger use the water pressure itself to help hold the valve open, cutting trigger effort to a fraction of a standard gun. If you or your crew spray full days, the extra $20 for an easy pull gun is cheaper than the tendonitis. Weight matters for the same reason, which is why so many pro guns moved to composite bodies with stainless internals.

Not Every Gun Is a Trigger Gun

Standard trigger guns cover most work, but the catalog has specialists. Dump guns like the RLW40 divert flow instead of shutting it off, which is what you want on steam machines and setups without an unloader. Soft wash guns like the Suttner ST-2320 use 1/2 inch ports and low-restriction internals so a 12 volt pump can push bleach through without choking. Acid guns, like the Centurion Hi-Viz acid version, use materials that stand up to rust removers and other harsh chemistry that would eat a standard gun's guts. And open steam guns handle the heat that trigger seals will not.

Gun Comparison

Rebuild Before You Replace

Inside every trigger gun is a spring, a ball, and a seat. That is the whole show, and it is also what wears out. The tell-tale signs: water dripping from the outlet with the trigger released, a trigger that takes two hands, or a gun that will not shut off cleanly. Here is the part most people miss. A gun that will not seal makes your unloader cycle constantly, and that hammering shortens the life of your hose, fittings, and pump packings. Contractors who spray daily typically rebuild or replace guns every season, and our Suttner gun repair kits make the rebuild a ten minute bench job.

From the Field

Half the "bad unloader" phone calls we take turn out to be a worn gun. If your machine surges in bypass or your pressure hunts up and down, test the gun before you condemn the unloader, because a $30 to $60 gun is a cheaper experiment than a $200 valve. The other counter lesson: crews that keep one spare gun and one repair kit in the truck never lose a day to a gun failure. Crews that do not, do. Guns are the one part we tell people to buy before they need it.

Related Collections

• Suttner gun repair kits
• Gun and lance combos
• Gun and hose kits
• Dual lances
• Lances and wands
• Steam guns
• Swivels
• Wand accessories
• Chemical injectors
• Quick connects

Want to feel trigger effort before you buy? Swing by the Gaithersburg store and squeeze a few.

Frequently Asked Questions

What PSI rating does my pressure washer gun need?

Equal to or higher than your machine's output. A 4000 PSI machine needs a gun rated 4000 PSI or better. Check the GPM rating too, since a low flow gun restricts a high flow pump.

Why does my gun drip or refuse to shut off?

The ball and seat inside are worn or have debris stuck in them. Cycle the trigger a few times to flush debris. If the drip continues, rebuild the gun with a repair kit before it starts short-cycling your unloader.

What is a dump gun and who needs one?

A dump gun redirects flow instead of blocking it when you release the trigger. Steam machines and setups without an unloader use them so pressure never dead-heads against the pump.

Are easy pull trigger guns worth the extra money?

For anyone spraying more than a couple hours at a time, yes. They use system pressure to reduce trigger effort, which saves your forearm and keeps your spray hand steady late in the day.

What connections do pressure washer guns use?

Commercial guns run 3/8 inch FPT inlets and 1/4 inch FPT outlets, usually fitted with quick connects. Many homeowner machines use M22 threads instead, so match your hose end or grab adapters.

How often should a trigger gun be rebuilt?

Daily-use guns typically need a rebuild about once a season, sooner if they drip or stiffen. A repair kit takes ten minutes and costs a fraction of a new gun. Call 301-519-9274 if you are not sure which kit fits.