{"id":2814,"date":"2024-12-16T23:39:41","date_gmt":"2024-12-16T23:39:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gunowner-news.com\/?p=2814"},"modified":"2024-12-16T23:39:41","modified_gmt":"2024-12-16T23:39:41","slug":"trigger-training-tips-have-you-been-doing-it-wrong","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gunowner-news.com\/?p=2814","title":{"rendered":"Trigger Training Tips: Have You Been Doing It Wrong?"},"content":{"rendered":"


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By Clayton Walker<\/a><\/p>\n

I<\/span> first fell down the rabbit hole of guns and firearm ownership from the perspective of a target shooter. I thought it was a cool activity, and I appreciated the challenge of getting my groups to be as small as possible. Much of my own personal collection tends to reflect that: I have (and shoot) what a lot of Gen-Z would consider to be \u201cunserious\u201d calibers, often out of rifles and handguns more than 60 years old.<\/p>\n

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Are you pressing the trigger correctly? It might not be as simple as it first seems. Read on to learn more.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Today, I spend more time thinking about the general idea of preparedness. I find myself buying more\u00a0gear<\/em>\u00a0than I used to, including holsters, optics and lights. The equipment I purchase tends to be more rugged and more durable than similar things I\u2019ve bought in the past, and I appreciate designs that have been tested in the real world by soldiers and law enforcement officers. A good number of our readers will likely find themselves in a similar position with their buying habits, assuming they aren\u2019t already there.<\/p>\n

Over the last year, however, I\u2019ve realized that there are a number of habits and preferences I developed as a target shooter that have not been\u00a0entirely<\/em>\u00a0helpful when it comes to trying to master more defensive skill sets. In particular, I\u2019ve spent a lot of time analyzing how I pull a handgun trigger, and I\u2019ve come away with a motto I now continually tell myself: \u201cDon\u2019t get cute.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPerfect\u201d Trigger and Press \u2014 To a Target Shooter<\/h2>\n

The description of a \u201cperfect\u201d trigger press often sounds like this: With the pad of the index finger perfectly flush against the face of the trigger, the shooter begins taking up the slack until he or she hits a wall of resistance. From there, pressure steadily increases until the shot breaks \u2014 all the better if this is a \u201csurprise\u201d break that keeps the shooter from flinching or shoving against the gun under recoil.<\/p>\n

\"trigger\n<\/picture>
Defensive equipment requires a defensive training mindset if your kit is to be deployed successfully. Shown here is Norma MHP ammunition<\/a>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Many will also describe the care that must be taken not to disturb the sight picture throughout this process. This has ramifications on technique: a slower, more fluid press will result in less tendency to jerk the gun in any one direction. The placement of the index finger pad on the trigger face is similarly suggested as a way to ensure that the control travels straight back as opposed to being inadvertently pushed left or right.<\/p>\n

Speaking of pull, there\u2019s also the matter of fine versus gross movements. Due to sympathetic responses in the body\u2019s nervous system, it\u2019s hard to do one thing with your index finger and something else with the other four digits of the same hand. If you squeeze a gun as hard as you can, it\u2019s really hard to move the trigger finger fluidly and easily. Target shooters generally advise their mentees to back off the tension applied by the dominant hand until the trigger finger can move without stiffness. A \u201cfirm handshake\u201d level of grip strength typically accomplishes this task.<\/p>\n

\"trigger\n<\/picture>
A trigger should be heavy enough to be able to get right up to the \u201cwall.\u201d Once on it, pull the rest of the way without undue delay to properly break the shot.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This description of the \u201cideal\u201d press also recommends a certain kind of trigger \u2014 a light one. The heavier the weight required before the trigger trips the sear, the more pressure the shooter has to impart to the gun, which results in a greater likelihood that the firearm will suddenly break in one direction or another once that resistance is overcome. Imagine pulling against a stuck desk drawer or trying to unscrew a tight jar lid: there\u2019s a point where all of that force gets suddenly converted to movement.<\/p>\n

Issues Emerge\u00a0<\/h2>\n

The advice of slowly squeezing the trigger to the rear of the gun has one easily identifiable flaw:\u00a0it\u2019s slow<\/em>. The process of getting on the gun becomes one of deliberation, often using one hand to build the grip on the other. Then, the trigger finger placement is resolved. One part of the trigger motion is completed, and then the shooter\u00a0stops<\/em>\u00a0at the wall. Then, more\u00a0slow, steadily increasing<\/em>\u00a0motion is required to trip the sear and break the shot. And, if the trigger pull causes\u00a0any\u00a0<\/em>wobble in the sight picture, a shooter may reason this whole procedure was performed too quickly and needs to be slowed down.<\/p>\n

\"effective\n<\/picture>
Coaxing tight groups out of a gun is a fine skill to master, but it\u2019s only one component of effective practice.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The astute will also notice that with this traditional, \u201ccommon knowledge\u201d advice of how to shoot a handgun, grip strength is sacrificed to make the trigger finger behave in an ideal way. Within this school of target shooting, fluidity of the trigger press is prioritized over a rock-solid hold on the gun \u2014 and if you want to get a firearm back on target as fast as possible for a second accurate shot, a tight grip is a good thing.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Anecdotally, I can tell you that valuing a light trigger over all else will also make people into snobs when it comes to running guns that are, objectively,\u00a0just fine<\/em>. The target shooter will become aware of even the smallest burr, piece of grit, hitch or creep in the trigger pull. At best, it may slightly sour a range trip. At worst, a shooter may dump hundreds of dollars into making a trigger \u201cbetter,\u201d or in the most extreme of cases, might perform some amateur gunsmithing that runs afoul of a firearm\u2019s baked-in safety features.\u00a0<\/p>\n

What I Do Now<\/h2>\n

Sure, the traditional advice is a sound path to marksmanship. But, when the intermediate embarks upon his or her quest to improve, they\u2019re going to encounter advice that doubles down on addressing the\u00a0first\u00a0<\/em>round out of the gun, with little mention or consideration for those that might follow.<\/p>\n

\"trigger\n<\/picture>
It\u2019s just as important to learn how fast you can shoot into a target of a given size at a given distance for defensive training. If you\u2019re not missing at first, you might need to push yourself to shoot a little faster to up your skill.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Using myself as an example, I got very good at the \u201cperfect\u201d trigger press on my target-grade .22s. But for years, when I shot any kind of polymer or \u201cduty\u201d type handgun, I was getting my own way. Frankly, I was\u00a0getting cute<\/em>\u00a0with the take up and tickling the trigger with my finger and trying to figure out on any new gun what placement of the digit would give me a group I could cover with a nickel instead of a quarter.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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In an effort to rid myself of cuteness, I\u2019ve greatly simplified the process of pulling the trigger. I use the crease of the index finger to quickly get to the wall. Once I know I\u2019m there, I purposely pull through the resistance. I have stopped being conscious of steadily trying to increase pressure. I just pull the darned thing. Mentally, it\u2019s something like, ON, WALL, BANG. The trigger \u201cpress\u201d isn\u2019t quite on the level of a jerk, but more of a twitch. After a while, you\u2019ll learn what amount of pressure it takes to fire the gun, and if you give it about 20% more than that in the name of ensuring a positive pull, it\u2019s not like you\u2019re going to yank your shot a mile wide.<\/p>\n

\"police\n<\/picture>
Much of the \u201ccommon knowledge\u201d on trigger pulls echoes police training that was crystallized nearly a century prior. This stance won\u2019t do you any favors when it comes to making a quick shot. Image:\u00a0NARA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

From the second shot forward, and with the trigger pinned to the rear, I let off the pressure of my index finger enough for the rebound spring on the trigger to carry the digit forward. Mentally, I\u2019m hunting for the \u201cclick\u201d of the reset, which is as much a kinetic feel as it is a detectable sound. OUT, BANG, OUT, BANG.<\/p>\n

Unsurprisingly, split times are better when my arms are mostly straight and when I just worry about one level of grip strength in both hands:\u00a0hard<\/em>. I wouldn\u2019t say it\u2019s tremor inducing, but I\u2019m willing to deal with some stiffness in my index finger when I see the front sight coming back down onto the target so much more clearly and decisively. <\/p>\n

The Wrap-Up<\/h2>\n

As Socrates once said, \u201cThe only thing I know is that I know nothing.\u201d As I began to move my priorities away from how small I could make my groups to how\u00a0quickly<\/em>\u00a0I could produce an\u00a0acceptable<\/em>\u00a0group at a given distance, I found I had hit a plateau. Pushing past it required careful analysis of what \u201ccommon sense\u201d target shooting advice was working for me and what wasn\u2019t.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Olympic\n<\/picture>
In Olympic shooting, every nuance of your trigger pull must be perfect. At combat distances, small inconsistencies of finger placement and trigger press are unlikely to make a big difference. Image:\u00a0NARA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I\u2019ll cede the point that today I\u00a0may<\/em>\u00a0be simply executing the \u201cfundamentals\u201d ingrained over twenty years \u2014 just faster. It sure doesn\u2019t feel that way, though. Instead, growth has come as a result of greatly simplifying my trigger press and making peace with the slight increase in dispersion that comes with it.<\/p>\n

I was living proof of the old saying: if you\u2019re fully comfortable in your practice, you\u2019re probably not training hard enough. If any of the above rings true to you, I\u2019d offer this: stop getting cute with your trigger press. You just might experience a breakthrough.<\/p>\n

Editor\u2019s Note: Please be sure to check out The Armory Life Forum, where you can comment about our daily articles, as well as just talk guns and gear. Click the \u201cGo To Forum Thread\u201d link below to jump in and discuss this article and much more!<\/em><\/p>\n

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By Clayton Walker I first fell down the rabbit hole of guns and firearm ownership from the perspective of a target shooter. I thought it was a cool activity, and I appreciated the challenge of getting my groups to be as small as possible. Much of my own personal collection tends to reflect that: I […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2815,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2814","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gunowner-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2814","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gunowner-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gunowner-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gunowner-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gunowner-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2814"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/gunowner-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2814\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gunowner-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2815"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gunowner-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2814"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gunowner-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2814"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gunowner-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2814"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}